Mythical Mate for an Alpha

Chapter 11

The school days were flying by and I was loving every minute of it. Well, almost all of it. Literature was still the hardest class for me. I guess this wouldn’t be much of a challenge if I truly enjoyed everything about high school.

I still ate with Trish and the gang each day at lunch. Every Friday, I would go home with them and spend the weekend. I now had a guest room that was all mine. It was so beautiful. Mary, as Mrs. Anders asked me to call her, insisted that I spend as much time there as I wanted. For now, weekends were fine. 

I had grown so used to being alone, that I craved solitude after being away from home on the weekends. Recently, though, I noticed a change. By the time Thursday evening would roll around, I was itching to get back to their house. I missed them. I missed family dinner. I missed Mary. 

Mary suggested it would be best not to tell the others what I am. She said that we should speak to Alpha Anders when he came home from Europe. I think she was nervous about how he would react to me being a Kitsune. 

After the talk Amy and I had in the kitchen that day, she led me into the study. She pulled a book from the shelf that she said was one of her werewolf texts from when she went to school. While wolves still attend human schooling, they also attend a separate wolf school for a few years before entering human high school. 

Amy said it was important for a wolf to learn about their heritage, the history of their pack and others, among a variety of other things. It was like werewolf history 101. Since I was going to be staying, Amy said I should also read the history.

So I did. Every weekend, I would either be up early, or stay up late, reading the wolf texts. I learned more about the wolf world, and surprisingly that of my own kind. However, what I read didn’t make me feel very good about my upcoming chat with Alpha Anders. 

The wolf texts had a few chapters on Kitsunes and their history in the supernatural world. Thousands of years ago, Kitsune existed among other supernaturals throughout the European continent. At that time, the different species kept to themselves and did not venture into each other's territories. For the most part, there was peace, aside from the random rogues that roamed.

It was said that, eventually, the Kitsune became hostile. No one knows why. If a creature entered their lands, even by accident, they were ruthlessly killed. Kitsune were known to possess powers, but there was never a recording of what exactly they were. Some poor souls who managed to escape a Kitsune attack could only recall bits and pieces, too traumatized to recall the full details. 

As time went on, Kitsune were found to be feasting on the hearts of human men in villages that bordered Kitsune territories. This started to create trouble in the wolf community. The marks and torn flesh of the victims appeared similar to that of wolves. Human’s at that time were very aware of supernaturals in their world, but not so much that of the Kitsune. Kitsune had always hid themselves away, or blended in like the wildlife. For this reason, the humans blamed the wolves for these attacks. A war between humans and wolves soon took place. 

While the war was localized to only certain sections of Europe, the relationship between humans and wolves all over began to strain. It was then that Vampires and witches were having their own separate issues among themselves and the human community. It seemed that discord among all species was rampant. 

As more time passed, the leaders from different species decided to meet and form a governing body. They felt this was the best way to try and bring together their people to stop the war and bloodshed. Equally as important, the leaders at this council were the same leaders of their species. They reasoned that having ruling bodies within their own communities would help to keep strength among their brethren, while a council of all the known species would benefit the entire supernatural population. 

At first, humans were a part of the proceedings. Over time, however, they began to perceive themselves as the prey. They felt weak in comparison to the supernaturals. They became overly critical, suspicious, and hostile. 

The supernatural council proposed that humans be removed. A unanimous vote followed, and humans were removed from the annual invitation. Years went by, and the different supernatural creatures of the world became no more than fairy tales to each passing human generation. 

In the meantime, the supernaturals agreed that something needed to be done about the Kitsune community. They were untamed. They would not represent at the council. The killing continued. Now that humans had forgotten about the species that existed around them, the council felt the need to keep the activity of supernaturals under wraps. The only way to protect the supernatural world from exposure was to hunt the Kitsune.

A few hundred years passed and eventually the Kitsune were wiped from the world. Not another single one was seen again. The hunt also took its toll on the regular fox population. They too were killed for resembling the Kitsune. A hunter took no chance. It was either kill, or risk losing your heart to a Kitsune attack. 

It made me sad to learn that my ancestors had caused so much pain in the supernatural world. I was even more grateful to Amy for letting me stay, though I understood why she didn’t want anyone else to know about me. My life was very much a threat to the supernatural population as far as they were concerned. 

I could never dream of killing another creature. I knew the world was not always a pleasant place. I had been in my share of scraps, purely in self-defense, over the last few hundred years, but never had the thought crossed my mind to take a life. I certainly could not fathom eating the heart of another living being, human or otherwise. 

I was in the study at Trish’s house finishing another wolf text when the small mantle clock dinged. It was 8 in the morning and I knew that Trish would be up soon. I put away the books and headed to the kitchen. 

I usually stayed in my pajamas so that it looked like I was always just waking up, in case the others came down and saw me. As far as they were concerned, I was still a human that they were friends with and their mother was fond of.

I stepped out into the crisp September morning and ran into the tree line. I had a stash of scent spray all over the house and outside. I continued to mask my scent around Trish, her siblings, Andre and Orla. Thankfully, none of them, as far as I could tell, felt like things were out of the ordinary. 

I bounced back to the kitchen to start making breakfast. I enjoyed cooking for a group in Amy’s wonderful kitchen. I cared for my little pretend family and cooking for them was the best way I knew how to show them that. I knew that all of this would be short lived once Alpha Anders came home. I was not foolish. No Alpha would house a supernatural in their pack,let alone their home, with an ancestry like mine. 

My heart was a bit sad knowing that this would all come to an end, but as usual, I felt that I only had the right to be grateful. I had watched many an orphan grow up over the years to never truly find acceptance from anyone. It was sad, but that was the will of their Creator. After nearly 300 years, my Creator saw fit to grant my wish. For even a brief time, I knew what it felt to not be lonely. 

Today was the big day. Alpha Anders, Syrus, and Owen were coming home. Amy didn’t expect them until closer to dinner time. Either way, everyone was excited. They were planning to decorate the house and Amy wanted to make a huge dinner. She asked that I please stay and meet everyone. She wanted us to all talk after dinner.

I had asked Amy about the pack. I thought they may want to welcome their Alpha home. Since no one knew that I was aware they were a wolf pack, it would throw up flags if I were there. While seeing the pack was on the agenda, it wouldn’t happen until two days from now. The pack knew the strain of being away from your mate and family. They wanted their Alpha to spend time at home, rest, and catch up on pack business before seeing them all again. 

Likewise, Amy hoped that Alpha Anders would agree to my staying. If so, then I too would meet the pack and be introduced. It had been a long time since an outsider was brought in to Black Crescent. It sounded like it involved some sort of party and Amy was itching to throw a bash.

I felt bad for Amy. She wanted me to stay so badly. I cared for her dearly, but I knew in my heart this was only meant to be a short time. Sometimes heartache is also a part of the challenges when I set them for myself, though I don’t know it at the time. What I have learned though is that the sweetness of good times is only truly appreciated when you know what the hard times feel like. 

I bowed my head again, thankful for my Creator instilling me with this wisdom. It kept me strong and willing to continue on. Oh how blessed I am to have this life.