Coldsnap: The Billionaire Alpha's Fated Pregnant Princess (GL)-Chapter 378 - Tilted Balances, Desperate Leveling

Hair still floating, the Goddess-in-a-human took a step forward. She may not be freezing, but she certainly carried a lot of the cold in with her. As expected from a Lunar deity tied to this world’s winter.

> And now she’s keeping me from my son, who is hungry and sensitive to that chill. <

Vrika dimly whimpers an impression of agreement, that we need to look after the pup. I may have rigged the powered container up to the heating system, but it’s still been struggling to put out enough warmth in this kind of weather to a building this large.

It certainly isn’t a perfect 101 degrees of werewolf in here.

"I came to see what I have wrought. To witness a bridge between the methods of two worlds."

The implication that this birth was planned... does not surprise me. But it still sent ice through my veins. Not due to any actual cold, but from my adrenaline spiking as I tried to stand. I *needed* to stand urgently, to confront her.

"You will not touch him."

Because while I cannot say that nothing good ever comes of being a favorite of a deity, the very nature of being chosen to receive their... love and blessings means some pretty ridiculous things tend to follow you around.

At least it did mean that in my world.

With a pantheon of sometimes opposing, sometimes friendly beings interacting with each other, it meant that a scorned god or goddess might have a little tantrum any time another of them was in their bad graces.

Those often came in the form of tribulations... taking it out on the humans, shifters, or beasts they liked. All because - much like Vrika and I in soul contract together - they could not actually harm each other in any *direct* way.

"I simply wish to see. After all, without my intervention, he would not exist. He would have died with his mother. You know this much."

Another, stronger wave of deific energy clad in a visibly silver haze pulsed outward. Vrika whimpered in my mind as its consciousness slid away. It’s attempts to bolster my decision held down under the pressure of divine will.

My friend and companion from these two months treated like something to be sealed away. A mere child looked at like an interesting experiment. And using Kyrie as a piece of her game, whether this whole time or just to bait me earlier... does not matter.

She must know that *all* of it angers me. Everything she is poking at makes me upset.

Just like how agitated at myself I was on the night I left her, claws extended from my fingertips. Muscles rippled with my intent to transform even without any assistance from the best black wolf I know.

This body may not be a shifter, exactly, but my soul is. It knows what to do - sort of.

No fur sprouts and no snout elongates, despite the feel of fangs and many other changes that hurt like crazy occurring. When ’Mira’ frowns at me, I try not to let how much of a nightmare not-human I must look like sink in.

All that matters is that I have the strength to get up to my feet. That I can block her view again.

"Interesting. You’ve learned to insert your own will where my wolves usually handle matters. Yet, it only makes the potential of that child more appealing."

"Why are you doing this? Threatening-"

"Do not misunderstand my intentions, beloved fox. I have no wish to harm the child."

The goddess sighed strongly. For a moment - as I was confused about who exactly was *beloved* and by whom - she looked almost human in her reactions.

Just a tired and concerned woman. But I’ll blame that entirely on taking Mira’s form and stealing her expressions. I don’t think for a moment she regrets any decision so far.

"This world is changing, Citra Lomdi. It has been for many centuries. This apocalypse is a symptom to a cause. I know you think I don’t insert myself into affairs as much as those in your world, but holding me to the same standards would require everything about this place to be the same. And it is not."

In her hands she held up two spheres. Both bright, but one growing slowly brighter and the other growing quickly dimmer.

"Yours had more harmony, despite the fractured look of things at a glance. The supernatural - the mysticism, as you would call it - grows. Here, my children, the werewolves in particular, were meant to shepherd the ancient balance between beast and human."

I can’t help but immediately question why she would ever give that job to wolves instead of foxes - only to get ’a look’. Somehow, memories of many of the bad choices in history that various fox Kings made regarding humans bloom into my thoughts.

"Don’t do that."

"You were asking for it. Regardless, much like the occasional failures of your people, they became lost in their own hierarchy, developed some arrogance, and had that stricken down thanks to the march of humanity’s progress. Shepherd became hunter, became hunted."

She gestured to the covered windows, to what was happening outside these walls. And took another step that made me growl. Though it was not as fierce as a proper hybrid form.

"This kind of transformation was inevitable when the measures inserted at the dawn of the world proved insufficient. And yet, the Solar God has forcefully maintained it until he collapsed into coma."

"While that is all very interesting, it does not sound like something I can help you with. What role does my child play in your scheme?"

"*Your* child. You have it right there, Princess. He is the first of a new werewolf bloodline. Neither human that needs a primal spirit nor simple beast. Something truly balanced. Something... like you."

I harshly laughed once, hardly believing my ears. I might find harmony and balance and the number two quite important, but to claim anything about my natures is *balanced* just sounds like cruel sarcasm.

"You expect me to believe you brought me here into a deceased pregnant woman... and let your world freeze... all for some-"

"Breeding program? Simplistic and crude connotation, but not wholly inaccurate. And you can blame that ’System’ on a chance and favor taken by my counterpart and his own connections."

Tilting her head and agreeing to my first thought, her eyes soon flashed and the air swirled. My hand instinctively reached back to share my warmth and soothe the hungry little pup she won’t let me feed.

"However, if you think I liked or *let* any of this happen intentionally, rather than it being a consequence of our youthful naiveties, then I will ask that the glass hearted vixen not throw stones lest you shatter on my return fire."

Having barely enough social empathy in me to nod, momentarily chagrined, I still find complaints in my voice.

"Did you consider asking?"

"I’m afraid that’s exactly where I do agree with your old pantheon. Gods rarely ask. We arrange. We influence. We guide. And though it is none of your business... I did ask for help. I was simply not in the position to be more specific than ’anyone’. Blame your own world’s admirer for sending you to me."

Frowning at that information, some small bits of fur finally work their way out of my skin when I witness her take another step. How many times to I have to refuse her?

"May I see him? Just see. I vow it."