Her Mortal Mate

Chapter Sixty Six: The Turning

Adam

When I woke up, I was alone and a pang of disappointment overcame me.

I was a little surprised Jadea had left me, though I was sure she was busy talking with Constance and putting together a plan to move forward finding Elam and Hans.

I made quick work of getting myself refreshed, wanting nothing more than to be with Jadea. We had spent enough time apart already.

Stepping out into the hallway, I was met with a wonderful aroma. I followed the enticing smell into the kitchen where I found a beautiful, heavier set red headed woman sitting at the table by herself with a rather clean kitchen, except for the dishes that were piled up next to the sink.

“You must be Adam!” She exclaimed in a southern accent, her emerald eyes meeting mine and I was taken away by their intensity. The woman smiled, her face lighting up. She bolted out of her seat and came sailing around the table to wrap me in a hug.

I tensed, but hugged her back awkwardly. While I still wasn’t comfortable with anyone touching me—strangers or not—I had learned to tolerate these unwelcomed instances when they happened. “I’m Yennifer,” she introduced herself. “I’m Nikolai’s mate.” Interesting. The stoic alpha had a very bubbly mate.

“I-It’s nice to m-meet you,” I muttered, dropping my gaze a little embarrassed at my stutter. “Where is Jadea?” I asked a little desperate for a familiar face. I looked around but there was no one else in sight.

“She is hopefully eating,” she muttered under her breath and I had to wonder if she knew about Jadea’s finicky eating habits. “And if she is done, she is probably helping with the preparations.”

“Preparations?” I asked nervously. What on earth was going on?

“Yes, for your turning,” she smiled.

“B-But—Y-You d-d-don’t,” I stopped myself and took a deep breath. “You don’t need to go through a-all that t-trouble just for me.”

Yennifer took me by the shoulders firmly and held my gaze. “We want to do this, Adam. You only turn once and it is a very special event.”

By the way she spoke, it sounded like she was talking from experience. “W-Were you turned too?”

She nodded, a fond smile gracing her lips as she led me to the table where she sat me down before placing a plateful of goodness in front of me. Taking a seat across from me she said, “Yes, Nikolai turned me at my request.” She eyed me speculatively. “If you have any questions, I could answer them for you since I’ve already gone through the process.”

“I do, but I wouldn’t want to take up your time—

“Nonsense! Besides, I’m the only one present in this entire group who has experienced it first hand. While Jadea, or her pack, could give you the run down on what happens, I can give you a first hand account of how it feels and tell you what I wished I’d known before I was turned.”

That made sense.

I had to wonder if Jadea asked Yennifer to talk to me? “W-Well, Jadea hasn’t told me anything about a turning or what occurs.” I started, scooping a bite into my mouth.

Yennifer nodded. “It’s not too complicated. A mortal can only be turned during a full moon—

“Why is that?” I interrupted, the question past my lips before I could even begin to stop myself. Oops. “I-I’m Sorry,” I quickly muttered, embarrassed I had so rudely interrupted her.

She waved off my apology, not in the slightest perturbed. “It has something to do with them being werewolves and all. Their inner wolf is strongest and at it’s most potent during a full moon. This had more significance back in the dark ages and such, but isn’t as important now, though I’m unsure as to why. There are still things I don’t know about this world,” she chuckled. “Anyway, it is also during this time, when the wolf is expressed the strongest, that a wolf’s natural toxin, or perhaps venom, has the most potency. A mortal bitten by a werewolf at the peak of the full moon can be turned. Whereas, if a mortal is bitten on any other occasion, most times won’t result in a turning. The mortal will just have a very nasty mark for a while as the wound heals.”

“Can a human turn out of a full moon?” By the way she had explained it, it seemed possible.

“Yes. There have been a few instances when this has occurred but it doesn’t usually happen.”

Interesting…

“Once bitten, it only takes minutes for the mortal’s genetics to shift into a wolf. It doesn’t take hours or days or weeks, like some mortals have presumed. There’s something about the toxin that speeds up the process. Constance could probably explain it better, honestly. She’s into all that genetics and biological stuff.” She waved her hands around as she talked and I found her rather intriguing as an individual. She had a very likable and open personality.

“I do have to warn you, though, it is a very painful process since your genetic make up is basically getting rewritten and your body undergoes a transformation all within minutes,” she warned. “I believe the toxin attacks the nervous system and goes from there.” She shuddered at the memories of her turning. “It was the worst kind of pain,” she continued. “But, you won’t have to go through it alone. Everyone who is there to support you during this time lays hands on you.”

Well that really didn’t sound like my kind of thing. I wasn’t into big productions or others touching me. This was sounding less and less ideal.

“Normally those actually touching you are your mate and your pack. Then others will take their shoulders, basically creating a network. It’s hard to explain but it’s kind of cool because your mind gets linked with everyone in that chain as they help you through the process and eventually the turning.”

I wasn’t exactly sure how I felt about that. On the one hand it would be nice to have such support and connection, yet I was afraid I would embarrass myself being connected with so many.

The turning… the way she said it had red flags waving. “You mean, I’ll turn into a wolf right then?” I asked for clarification, hoping that wasn’t what she was implying.

“Yep! You will,” she affirmed. “The first turning is the hardest: emotionally, mentally and physically. It was so bad I was afraid of shifting back into my human form. However, it wasn’t painful at all,” she reassured. “And every other shift after has been painless.”

Well that was comforting. Other than the fact I’d be bitten. “Do I have to get bitten?” I wasn’t looking forward to that experience.

She smiled. “No. They do it a little differently now. Right as the moon reaches its peak, one of us will jab a needle into Jadea’s jaw and extract the venom. And then it will be injected directly into your veins.”

That sounded painful. More for Jadea than anything.

Oh lovely!

She laughed at my sour expression. “I’m pretty sure I made that same face. Like I said, it will hurt like hell for a few minutes, but after that,” she waved her hand as if to indicate that was it.

“Do you regret being turned?” I asked hesitantly. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know the answer, but it was something I needed to know since this was one of Jadea’s biggest concerns. She was afraid there would come a time I regretted turning into a wolf.

“It was the best decision I ever made,” she smiled fondly, putting my mind at ease. I heaved a sigh of relief glad to have an honest answer from someone who had been turned.

“Now, there’s going to be a lot going on today,” she started. “And it usually starts out with the games. And then a feast. And Dancing,” she sighed as if she were remembering her turning. “The dancing will last until the moon is at its highest and then the formalities begin. Once you are turned it is tradition to go on your first hunt.”

“Hunt? Games?”

“Yes. The hunt is mainly to help solidify your turning. To get you better acquainted with your wolf. Hunting, killing and then feasting on the animal’s flesh gives you the opportunity to embrace your wolf and your new life.” She explained. “Your pack mates and you mate will help you connect and embrace your wolf during this time.

“As for games, have you watched Jadea and her pack train before?” She asked.

I shook my head. Where was she going with this? Did she mean that the games were actually fights of some sort?

“Well it’s like training just more intense! It’s am on the edge of your seat kind of experience,” she smiled, slapping her hands on her thighs, starling me. She stood up abruptly and said, “Looks like you’re done. Let’s get you changed and ready for the day ahead, shall we?”