The Alpha's Queen

Chapter Five

Mom and I went for a walk around the lake the next day. She seemed to be nervous, the way that she was fidgeting with her hands and looking around. “I know you're very confused about what’s going on with you. The wolf-bane that you’ve had in your system is wearing off. I honestly thought that it would take much longer than a few weeks, but that’s ok. Now you’re at a new milestone in your life and I want to explain to you what you can expect.” She stopped walking and sat on a large boulder. She took a deep breath as if what she was about to tell me was going to be hard.

“Once the wolf-bane is completely out of your system, you’ll be able to connect with and talk to your wolf. You will also be able to shift into a wolf, I need to tell you though the first time will hurt. But afterwards, once your body has learned to let your wolf help with your shift, it will be as seamless as a thought.” She motioned for me to sit down with her. “I’m not sure how long it will be, but judging by what happened to you yesterday, it won’t be long. Normally when a female goes into heat, it’s a sign that you’ve met your mate and is ready to complete the mating ritual. It's not an instantaneous thing that happens, like they portray in books and movies. But, rather, small little steps that we don't even notice until we think back on it. think of it in a way of a very fast courtship between two people, sometimes even three; but often times only two mates. It's extremely rare to have more than one mate, it's said that the Moon Goddess will only match multiple mates together during times of preparations for any prophecies that are about to be fulfilled. But that's another subject that we can talk about at another time, maybe during your next Luna Training we can cover that topic. Right now, we are talking about your mating with Terry and what you could expect. Once your wolves have met each other, they will start to bond almost immediately. Then, once they've become familiar with each other, they will push the human side of you to connect on a physical level. it's because of this one natural instinct that is controlled by our animal counter-parts, that many shifters don't have what most people think of as  traditional marriages. But to complete the mating ritual, you must mark each other while you’re making love.”

“What do you mean to mark each other?” I asked, wanting to make sure I understood what she was saying. "And don't think I'm not planning on coming back to the topic of multiple mates".

Pulling her hair up off her neck, “you know the matching tattoos that your father and I have? Well, they're not tattoos. This is my mating mark. When the time is right, both you and Terry will bite each other. This is done while you’re having s*x. Again, both of you guys will know when the time is right. Your mating mark will be a combination picture of something that represents both of you.” Looking at what I always thought was a beautiful tattoo, I ran my fingertips over the intricate scrolling. Starting at the base of her neck, it wrapped around the middle of her neck, and down to just

below her right shoulder blade. It looked like multiple tribal designs, with a scrolling of delicate lines. Upon closer look, I noticed that both my mom and dad's names were woven together, making up the delicate lining.

Reaching out, I traced the lines of what I've always thought was a cool tattoo. Feeling the smoothness of her skin, I don't feel any scaring or flaws on her skin at all. “That’s so sweet, and gross at the same time mom.” I said laughing.

“You won’t think it’s gross when the time comes honey.” She said, trying not to laugh herself. In fact, you'll feel this urge to bite and sink your teeth into him. The more you hold yourself back, the stronger the urge becomes. Until you find yourself completing the ritual in an almost trance-like state".

 “So what else happens when you complete the mating ritual? Other than biting each other?” I had to know, it still seems creepy to me that we need to bite each other. And to top it off, I'll have no choice but to complete the mating ritual, even if it's not something that I'm unsure about. Hearing that didn't make me happy in the slightest bit. in fact, it made me more concerned that I'll become swallowed up by the identity of being Terry's mate and Luna to this pack. How will I maintain my own identity and not feel smothered by everything or everyone?

“As the wolves-bane leaves your system, you will feel more connected to your wolf. Until you are able to hear her talk to you, you won’t know what her name is, or be able to talk to Terry’s wolf. You won’t be able to shift until; your wolf is strong enough to shift without hurting you. Your wolf is your constant companion, she will look out for you and she will try to help guide you. She will also act as a conscience for you. When or if you're ever in a situation that is harmful to you in any way, she will let you know and help guide you with your decisions. As well as any decisions that you would make about your life choices. I want to stress to you; even though you and Terry are mates, your wolf will not even attempt to complete the mating bond until she feels that you're completely ready for it. ”

“How is it possible to talk to her? Or for her to talk to me?” I asked, “and how am I able to turn or shift, as you say, into a wolf?”

Mom and I sat on that boulder for a good couple of hours, just talking about all the changes I can expect over the next few days or weeks. Our talking did help to ease a lot of the concerns that I've been having. Especially when mom said that my wolf wouldn't push me into mating and would wait until I was.  once i heard that, it was almost like a weight that had been lifted off my shoulders and i was able to stand tall again. I guess, i didn't realize that accepting Terry as my mate was such a concern for me until now. Honestly, I was getting excited about the prospect of being complete. Learning that I was a shifter explained a lot for me, mostly my connection to the moon, and why I always felt the need to be in the moonlight.

Walking back to the house, Emily was walking in our direction with someone I have yet to meet. 

“Come on, come on, come on. You’re going to be late for your own party.” She said with a smile on her face.

“We lost track of time while we were talking” I said looking at mom. “We were just on our way to get dressed now”

Walking out into the back yard, I was shocked to see so many people. I know that Terry said the pack was large, I know that the packs lands were extensive. But I honestly never imagined that the pack was so huge and full of so many people, where did they all come from? How is it that I’ve never seen half of them before? Even after completing my Luna duties, the size of the group that I’m seeing now is a little daunting. 

Berta spotted me looking around, and elbowed Terry in the side, nodding her head in my direction. It looked like my mother and I were the last to arrive. Terry waved me and mom over to where he

was standing on the deck outside our office. “Ladies and gentlemen, we are here today to welcome into the pack one very big family. Like our family, theirs have many different branches. A total of 12 adults and 17 children, they make up the wonderful family that will be joining our family today.” He said, looking around to every face in the crowd. “I know I’m about to give you a long list of names. Please bear with me, I’m going to try and make this as easy as possible for everyone. I’ll start with the parents, then name each other their children. As I do, I’ll ask each of them to step forward. This way you can put a name to the face. Hopefully this will help you remember who everyone is.” He said, motioning for us to come forward and stand with him.

 “Joe & Sarah; their children Francine, Andre’, Monique, Paula. Next we have Bella & Delonte’ and their children, Christian & Christina, Kosmic & Karma, Simon & Simona. Then we have Brenda & Thomas with their children Juan and Brandon. Now we have Leslie & Francis and their pups Xavier & Jason, Donitia & Donesha. Next, we have Lucas & Lashawndra, and last but not least we have Alexander & Merci, the parents of Roman and Marzta; my Mate and Queen, and your Luna.” After our introductions, a very loud group “hello and welcome” could be heard coming from many directions at once.