Unmistaken Mate

Chapter 7

Kunle

"We have an invitation from the Mthunzi tribe their Luna will officially take her place next to the Alpha and they are having a coronation ceremony. I think it would do you good to go, with some members of the pack, maybe a change of scenery may be positive for your mood". My mother says handing me the invitation letter, Trust her to call me out on my ways, my mood hasn't been the best since my return from the seer, coupled with having to dodge she wolves wherever I go, some have even invited me into their homes during their time of heat, it has been a pure struggle, a test of will power if anything. I should say, it has never been heard of a wolf not taking a woman in heat, that smell drives us crazy, we lose all senses and just gets a drive to respond to her mating call. Alas I have lived to tell the story... Don't get me wrong I do like to get it down and dirty, I just think now is not a good time cos many will take me sexing them as my consent to choosing them as my Luna, I don't want to give them a wrong impression so I rather keep, my pipe on lock down, no matter the temptation... My life is now like a movie. 

"Kate will love the trip, she has been friends with the Luna since a while back they been keeping up via social media so she has been looking forward to the trip," Ade says with a pleased look, Kate is Ade's mate and doubles up as our PA, our being me and Ade cos we are too disorganized, so if I can do anything to get my best friend in her mates good books for sure I will pull all stops. That settles it we will accept the invite, find out from the pack who wants to go, preference should be given to the unmated who knows maybe lady luck will be on their side. Just because I have not found my mate does not mean I want any of my pack members to suffer the same fate so every opportunity I have to expose them to finding their mates, I afford them, cos in the end it works out good for the pack to form alliances.

Nandi

"You know the voices we used to hear when we were young"  I look at Thandie who replies in a yes continue talking type of way. Well remember when I said the voice stopped a week after that mental illnesses class? hmmm that's all Thandie mumbles... Well the voice never stopped "OH?" thats all Thandie says looking tat me in a half smile, Yep she thinks I'm Loco, it's only a matter of time before she calls for back up... I think I have to call gran for this she rushed to the door, please no wait, let me explain... I SAY to the emptiness she has left in a rush to call for back up. This is the reason why I didn't want to tell anyone, now my family will know I'm crazy. What's this I hear of you speaking to yourself gran ask before she even enters the door. Thandi nods to me reassuringly to tell gran, I look at the floor that I sunk into, resting my head between my knees, not unable to say anything. Gran comes to sit on the bed next to me, when Thandi sinks on the floor using the closet as her back support. I turn to put my head on Gran's lap while I explain my predicament.

She listened intently without judgement, which I'm thankful for, I don't know how I would feel with word going out that I'm mentally disturbed. "Listen to me and listen carefully, I am going to tell you a family secret, one that has been carried for generations". Gran says.  That was enough to jolt me from my position searching gran's face to see if this is one of her stunts, I search her face trying to see any hints of a prank but all I find are her features hardened emphasizing her seriousness. Remember those stories I used to tell you about werewolves when you guys were young. I nod, well they are not stories they are real, we have werewolves blood running through us, your father, my son was the Alpha and has passed the Alpha position to Langa who is now the current Alpha. I look at my gran then Thandi then back to my gran, I laugh out loud, "damn you guys almost got me, I say laughing you should see how serious your faces look right now, like how long did you practice this?" I stop laughing when I realize no one is joining me in the laugh , in fact it seems the mood got more serious. So you are trying to tell me I'm a ware and I'm supposed to shift at 16 to meet my wolf? I ask in a puzzled look, granny just nods as a reply. I have read somewhere mental illness can be genetically inherited, turns out I'm not the only Loco in this family, I don't know how Thandi got it, who knows maybe it's sexually transmitted cos I can't deal. "Well granny dearest I hate to do this to you but as you can see here I am a fully-fledged 24 year old, and I can assure you I have not shifted into any creature in anyway"... I say shrugging my shoulders. "That is the problem Nandi if you are saying you can hear your wolf in you, you should have shifted when you turned 16", I have a few theories why you have not yet shifted, but I truly believe you will shift once you meet your mate, your wolf will get strength at the beckoning of his wolf thus forcing you to shift. There is it is that word again... So I'm supposed to believe that my family, along with everyone I know back in the village including me turn into some folklore creatures? I look at the women in my room nodding, "that is not hard to understand is it?" the cheeky voice in my head again... Like this personally split is not doing me well... I try to breathe while gathering my bearings but all this is too much for me to take in I absolutely can't process the new information my heart is pounding at an abnormal rate, I laugh out crazily before everything goes blank and I black out... That's my coping mechanism, I laugh even in serious matters, especially when I can't process information.

I wake up 3 hours later to find my mother at sitting next to the head board holding my arm, my dad at the end of the bed with my feet on his lap, my brother looking out the window looking at the distance and Thandie and Gran sitting in the couch close to my walk in closet... Oh well I guess I did not dream that conversation, I try to raise my heard to say something but nothing comes out of my mouth, I turn to look at my mother, I see her lips moving but I can't hear anything, before I can tell her to speak up, I blank out again. I guess my body needed the rest.

I heard soft murmurs, the people talking were conscious not to be too loud, I stayed with my eyes closed, hoping to get back to sleep, but for the life of me sleep would not return. Alas I slowly opened my eyes and was about to adjust my body so I can rest my back on the head board, that's when I noticed the drip in my arm, it was at this time Thandi came closer, I looked at her with "EXPLAIN" type look, "Good morning sleepy head, you been out of it for a good full day, the doc put the drip on so you don't get dehydrated" Hmmm, "how are you feeling?" asked granny.. That's when everything came crashing into my brain... The previous conversation, where I found out I'm supposed to be some sort of wild beast. I could see the concern on my grandmothers face so I decided not to show my fear, don't wanna give the old lady a stroke... I mean I have always known I'm her favorite grandchild. My thoughts were cut short by the growl coming from my stomach, say what you want by I love food, just on queue, my mother came in with a bowl of vege soup and an omelet filled with my favorite stuffings.

We are late…Not missing a beat the voice in my head awakens, now more vivid than ever, I took a good moment debating within myself to acknowledge it as a part of me in animal form or my subconscious, in that moment I turn to look at my gran, the woman who has loved me without conditions, the one person who somehow always seemed to get me, the person I turned to whenever I had a fighter with either of my parents and she always managed to calm the situation down, in that moment I ask myself, why would she play such a joke on me, she has no reason to, she would not do such to me. I reach a resolve and decide to accept what she has told me, looking at her I decide to accept there is a part of me that is an animal, even though it does not make sense, I choose to accept. Gran turns to look at me, catching me off-guard, realizing  I could not turn away in time, I choose to smile at her, she smiles back at me, walks to me with arms open to give me a hug.