New Alpha, Next Generation

The Awakening

I can remember the day that Sati left like it was yesterday, because it has filled my dreams every night since. We had spent so much of our idle time trying to guess what she would morph into upon her transition, it quickly became one of our favorite games. I loved drawing mashups of what she would be like. My favorite was one of her depicted as a werewolf unicorn with wings. I had filled her wings with pink and silver to match the silvery grey that made up her wolf's thick fur. The horn is a last-minute addition in homage to her favorite storybook character. She had framed it next to her bedside that day and I smiled every time I visited her room. Now it was next to my bed on my nightstand, it’s large frame, the first thing I would see each day.

I took my shoes off before stretching my legs out on the chaise, trying to relax my mind and body before I had to speak to my father. My thoughts wandered back to Sati, remembering all of the moments that we shared, each one more painful than the last to remember. My eyes burned at the memory of the night before she left. We had taken a walk out to our favorite spot on the edge of the packs territory, the moon almost full in advance of the full moon that would light her birthday the following night. The fact that, like her mother, she also would be transitioning under a rare moon made the anticipation of her transition all the more magical.

We sat near the waterfall. The sound of the water flowing against the rocks was echoing in the trees, the quiet of the night heightening the effect. We laid next to each other, holding hands, our eyes closed as we often did. Allowing our minds to relax in the meditative sounds of our surroundings. I could feel the pulse of her heartbeat in my hand, it’s rhythm keeping time with the elements. I noticed though that it was beating quicker than usual, almost stronger if possible. I wondered if it was due to the pull of the moon until my thoughts were interrupted by her words, as if she’d read my mind.

“I am scared about tomorrow night, about what powers I will inherit or if I will inherit anything at all. I want to be a werewolf like my dad, but some of my favorite nights when I was little with my mom were holding onto her wings as we soared through the night sky, the wind rippling through her feathers as she gracefully slid through the treetops. What if I’m neither and, like my mom, I’m some new creature that nobody wants to claim.” She said all of this softly, almost as if she was sharing her thoughts rather than inviting dialog.

I still felt the need to reassure her, “I will always claim you. No matter what the goddess blesses you to become tomorrow, you will still be my best friend. The only person who understands all of me is you and, just like that, I will learn to love all of the new you. Your parents have chosen to do this privately because they too will love and claim whatever you become.” I squeezed her hand as a reminder that I had her.

We fell back into silence after that until I wasn’t sure if I had zoned out or dozed off, her hands tickling my side jolting me back into reality. My laugh broke the silence of the night, her fingers continuing their torture until I was able to roll away from her and jump to my feet. She quickly followed me and ran to jump on my back. We played like this next to our favorite spot that had held more secrets and tears over the years than either of us cared to discuss. The night air got cooler as it got later until we both knew we had to get back or get into trouble.

I took her hand leading her back, the silence settling back between us as our footsteps punctuated the thoughts that were still rumbling in both of our heads. She stopped me as we got close to the pack home where she was also staying tonight in preparation for them hitting the road early the next morning. The cars were already packed with their belongings and the bags of those accompanying them. We leaned against her parents' black SUV, her arms quickly encircling me as she pulled me into a hug. She held me so tightly that our heartbeats felt as if they were duetting against each other.

After a long moment of this, she stepped back with her arms still around me, her eyes meeting mine, and her voice catching she said, “I will also always claim you.” She leaned forward and her lips met my cheek before she abruptly broke the contact, her hand reaching up to wipe a tear that had managed to escape her eye.

I felt the buzz on my wrist, my watch alerting me that it was time to go speak to my father, interrupting the memory that had spawned this meeting. I looked in the mirror next to me, adjusting my hair and clothes to make sure that I didn’t look as if I had just awakened from a nap. After the quick assessment, I walked to my father’s office, waiting outside until each person had exited, greeting each accordingly as they left the room. I had been raised with these men my entire life and as the party grew nearer it was hitting me that if I found my mate that night I would soon be their Alpha.

My father sat behind his desk when I entered, head bowed as he continued to review the papers that accompanied the morning debrief. His fingers idly stroking his beard, I saw the motion and contemplated whether I should move forward with my discussion. The movement was one he made when he was stressed and trying to come up with an answer to whatever problem had been presented during this morning's meeting. I’m sure the recent increase in rogues around our border was one of them. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to make such a major request when he was already visibly stressed. Before I could back out, his eyes were raised at me and he broke into a relaxed smile.

“Ahh my Jade, I missed you at the meeting this morning, but I know that your mother is more than keeping you busy every day now with her plans for your party. How are you doing today?”

“Fati, you do indeed know my Mati, she has a lot of plans for this party. I’m great now that her and I are on the same page. She wants you to meet her for tea so that she can go over some things with you.” I said all of this as I sunk into the couch on the side of his office. I pulled my legs up next to me as he swiveled in his chair to face me.

He c****d his head to the side as he chuckled and said “You and your mother are on the same page? Please do tell me how she managed that.”

“Fati, I told her that I would allow her to dress me for the party if you didn’t like the outfit that Djena was making for me as long as we both agreed to the design. She will not see it in advance and will have to trust your word if you say that you approve and if you don’t she will have hers ready just in case.” His smile broadened as I explained our agreement.

“Fati,” I continued. “I need to ask you something that I need to know before I can tell you what else we agreed upon. I know that you know I know now what you all learned five years ago. I knew though before that even occurred. I felt it.” I looked into his face to see if I saw understanding before I continued.

“Seti.” He said, his eyes examining mine in probing just as I was with him.

“Yes.” I barely whispered in response. “Seti. I need to know if she’s okay. I need to know where she is. I need to know.”

My last request was filled with so much more in its request. My father knew exactly what I was asking. I wanted to know if the prophecy was true. In addition to the scrolls saying that a female Alpha could be mated with a Luna, Dulanet had also shared that night that there was a prophecy that a female Alpha would be mated with someone born under a mystical moon and from this union there would be born a child that would unite the mystical realm and bring a peace that had eluded us for thousands of years.

“Jade, your mother and I decided a long time ago that we would always keep you safe and protected. Seti is safe but that is all that we can tell you. If you’re asking if she could be your mate, the answer to that is I don’t know. After we found those original scrolls, we sent him to meet with historians of several other packs. We even had our packs witch met with oracles from other realms, hoping to get some information on how our paths were meant to intertwine. Everything was a dead end and the Seti that you knew then is not the same and, for her safety and yours, we were told that your paths must remain separate, which I think means that she couldn’t possibly be your mate.”

He crossed his legs and rested his elbow on his knee before continuing.

“Jade, I won’t deny it took me a long time to accept the idea of you having a female mate, none of us know who the Goddess will deem as our mate and even though you might be the first Alpha in several generations of our pack's history to also be given a Luna, I will support whatever the Goddess decides. I am still not of the mind though that your mate will not be a male, unlike your mother. I won’t force that thought on your decision, but I am hoping that I am correct. If you are the Alpha that was in the prophecy, that makes me afraid for you, because that life was filled with strife. Our enemies will come for you regularly to test your strength and resolve. They will start to test the pack boundaries. You know that several packs have been after our land which caused the last few skirmishes we faced. I fear for you, my daughter. Also, before the party, I would like you to read the rest of the prophecy.” He said this last part as he leaned back in his chair, almost as if he was willing himself to increase the space between us to brace for my response.

“Fati, I must see her. She may be different to you, but she will always be my Seti. I would know her no matter how much she has changed since the transition. I will allow it to rest for now, but since you said you will not force your will, you will then understand why Mati and I have agreed that the party should include all eligible mates in my age range. All of them.” I stressed each word in my last sentence.

He didn’t say a word as I could see him musing over everything we had just discussed.

I stood up and walked towards the door, turning around as my hand reached the handle. “Fati, if you won’t let me see Seti, at the very least you have to allow me to find my true mate, whoever they may be.” I exited the room gently shutting the door before he had a chance to reply.