The treasure of the Goddess

Odd things

***4 years later ***

John looked in the mirror. Today was the day! Today at 2:15pm, all the families in the pack were coming to Mac’s Place to witness John meeting his Wolf. Then he and his Wolf would find their mate. The McNally Alphas were blessed by the Moon Goddess by always finding their mate within their own pack so they didn’t have to go searching for them. It’s what kept the alpha line strong. To always have a Luna by his side. That is why, John had learned in his training, the pack could never accept the weak, especially the weak shewolf. Keeping the weak gave the chance of being mated to a weak Luna and that was something a McNally could not chance. Perfection was the expectation and John was going everything he could to meet those expectations. As he reached for his black ribbon that he always used to pull back his unruly red hair, he looked over at the picture of his namesake, his Grandfather John. John was given his name because he inherited his grandfathers hair. Grandfather John always pulled his hair back with a black ribbon and because of this, so did John. It was his way of keeping his grandfather with him, even though he has gone up to the Moon Goddess before Patrick was born. John loved him and wanted to honor his family name.

John started to think of all the shewolfs that could be his mate. Knowing they were of his pack was exciting but it also was hard because even though he knew he shouldn’t , he was hoping that it would be a very specific girl in his pack, Layla.

Layla was of good rank, strong, a top warriors and beautiful. John smiled as he remembered imagining his mate at a young age. Tall, strong, olive skin, hair black as raven wings and lips red as the poppies that grow in the hillside in the summer. That was an exact description of Layla.

As he reached for a deep green shirt, one he just happened to over her Layla day was her favorite color, he said a silent prayer, “ oh please Moon Goddess, give me Layla as my mate!”

He opened his door and stepped out without looking, running right into a tiny figure. With his quick alpha reflexes, he reached out and grabbed the small thing before he even realized who it was. Sudden bolts of lightening shot through his hands and he instantly knew he had bumped into Bao Jameson.

Bao was still the color of ice, tiny and weak. As they grew up, others in the pack called her the ice child and some even called her Mutt since her parentage was unknown. Out of respect for the Jameson’s, the adults tolerated her, but John knew they were not only bothered by the fact she was an outsider, but such a weak outsider. She spoke with a small voice and was always very calm.

John laughed thinking that her small voice matched her small appearance. She still has no smell but she really wasn’t any trouble and she did make Elder Jameson and more importantly Sarah Jameson happy. Once Sarah had Bao, she became the Wolf everyone told John she once was. She regained her strength and she was beautiful and a loving mother. As her future Alpha, John was happy it turned out so well for the Jamesons. He wanted his people to be happy.

He never really thought about Bao, mainly because she was so small he still looked at her as a child even though they were the same age. She was still odd. She would say strange things and act like she didn’t hear others laugh at her. It was like she was in a world of her own. John’s father never could find where she came from, she would only say her mother sent her as a gift. Patrick once laughed that it was like she fell from the heavens, she was unworldly and she did seem to come from no where.

John’s younger twin brothers were strangely protective of her. They were kind to her but if anyone would tease her or call her Mutt, they would get very angry. Several times, there were fights.

It was strange. She had the oddest effect on all the McNally boys. With John, her touch gave him the feeling of lightening shooting between them. With Patrick, he felt a bond, almost like a sister. And the twins, they felt so strongly to protect her. John assumed the twins protective nature was because they were fated to be his gamma and they were therefore naturally fated be protective of females since their duty was to guard and protect John’s Luna. Patrick was naturally kindhearted and with him being fated beta, he was built to care for all in the pack, just as John was. But no one but John felt the lightening. John never spoke of it after their first taking her to see Dr Peters. John had asked the doctor about it in private and the doctor thought maybe it was her soul trying to connect with the pack and since he was the future alpha, that’s why he felt it. That made sense but when the lightening didn’t go away once she was made a member, it only increased, John decided to simply ignore it and accept it as one of the odd things about Bao that no one could explain.

“Happy birthday John. I’m sure you are excited to meet your Wolf.” Her tiny voice almost whispered.

John sighed, “ Bao, please, I don’t want to hurt your feelings but I’ve asked you to not call me John. Please call me Mac. You know the honor of my first name is held only for my mother and my mate. I don’t want to meet my mate and have my mate hear you call me by my name and it hurt her. Please.”

Bao simply looked up at John with her big eyes. As he looked into them he saw the lightening strike in the swirling storm but her face was calm.

“You’ve already met your mate. You already know her.” She said softly and turned and walked away.

“What a strange thing to say.” John thought. But technically she was right. John knew his mate was in his pack and he knew everyone in the pack so he wasn’t meeting her, he was just going to finally recognize her as his mate. Thinking of it that way, he actually felt a little better. She said the oddest things but they always made John feel better.