I can't even remember getting in my bed, yet here I was listening to the blaring alarm. I couldn't remember what the alarm was for at first. My mom burst through the door, set a tray of food on my desk, pulled the curtains back and turned to leave. I hadn't told anyone about Michael yet I knew she was well aware of him.
"Mom, I really need to talk to you." I knew she could hear me even though she had already left my room. Weres have a heightened sense of hearing. "It's alright honey your mate has already called and asked permission to meet with us. You eat something before you get wrapped up in the day. Then go ahead an get dressed. We will call on you in due time.", my mom mind linked me.
Get dressed, what was she thinking? How could I not be in the room when he faces the 2 Alpha's who make up the whole of my parents. Most would tremble in fear of just one of them. I had learned very little about my mate when we walked together last night. He was raised by his father after his mother died in childbirth. He knew very little about his mom. He knew that she was a beautiful black woman who had beautiful gray eyes. He had seen pictures of her pregnant with him. His dad was a watcher. The Sentinel for the African King Albert. Michael moved to the states for college and never went home.
I knew that he graduated from Emory University in Atlanta. I also knew that he had just finished his internship at Emory. He has been trying to fund a research project but that's as far as we got. I don't even know what his project is about. I told him about wanting to go to college. How I want to teach. I talked about my dream of helping out the less fortunate kids. We just talked like you would to someone whom you just met.
Holding his hand alone had given me so much peace. It was like I had siphoned off strength and happiness from him. I just want to be near him. I couldn't explain how but when he arrived at our home I knew. I didn't smell him yet, I just felt the same pull as when he purred. His pull was like nothing I'd ever felt before. So strong it made me dizzy. I open the double doors onto my balcony then the wave of lavender mixed with Moroccan oil hit me. My body began to sway and before I could hit the floor I was in his arms. I looked up into his beautiful eyes. It was like nothing else existed. Just his eyes. Then I passed out.
"Bri, baby. Look at me baby. Honey its Michael. Just look at me love." I could hear the desperation in his voice. I just couldn't open my eyes. I wanted to. I was trying hard. I just couldn't get them to open. I felt like I wasn't in my body. I looked around the darkness. A small desk was in the corner. I was led over to it where I saw a note. It was addressed to me.
[Lady Bri Alpha of the Bear Clan Pack], I picked it up and read the note inside:
You are formally invited to breakfast with Lady Juliet of the Mambas.
Please join in the formal dining room.
Sincerely yours, momma Jules
I stood there for a minute trying to think about who the Mamba Pack could be. I had never heard of them. I had done exceptional in geography, my list of packs as well as list of rogues were extremely hidden in my memory. Why had I never heard of this Lady Juliet? I decided my curiosity was winning this one. I put my hand on the door to open it and it just opened. Hmmm, I don't know what I'm walking into, I just know my wolf is calm. If Zafiro is calm then I too will be calm. I follow the hall to the right where I see some light. When I arrived at the staircase it goes down and then up. I've never seen anything like this before and now my curiosity is thrumming.
At the top of the stairs I see another hall full of light and warmth. So very warm, I feel suddenly over dressed in my jeans. I should be in shorts. Well at least I didn't know I was having breakfast in a warm environment. I find that at the end of the hall is the formal dining room. A beautiful black woman is sitting in a chair that looks very much like a Cobra. Her voice is sultry and lulling as she invites me to sit with her. "Subrina, welcome to my home. Please take a seat here beside me. I'm Lady Juliet, you can call me Jules or just mom." When she said the word mom I knew immediately who she was.
I take the chair beside her, asking 20 questions in my mind. How are you here? Michael thinks you're dead. Where are we? How is this possible? What are you? Were just a few questions floating around in my head. "I understand that you have a lot of questions for me and I will try to answer them all.", she said. "How did you do that", I asked. "I am a Mamba and I can read your mind. You are safe with me. No one would dare to bite my future daughter.", Juliet tried to comfort me. "Please, eat and I will work on telling you everything you need to know about me and your mate. Things he doesn't know about yet and you can't share. For his safety as well as your future children. "
After that bomb how could I eat. I reached for the juice. It was cold as ice even in this heat. She began her story. " I fell madly in love with a wolf. he was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. I was standing in my human form drinking water from the mountain stream of Groot Winterhoek in South Africa. It was beautiful and because it was dusk I knew my snake would be too cold, I needed to get her to the warm rocks. Then I saw him. Beautiful, staring at me. He joined me in his human form. He was magnificent. I knew immediately he was mine. We were mated and I was pregnant before anyone could find out. He didn't even know I was a snake until it was time to give birth. I didn't want him to be scared of the birth. I had to shift in order for me to give birth. Shifting with a pup would kill my snake and myself. It was the only way to give birth. I had to save our pup.", she poured out her secret to me.
"Why can't I say anything to Michael?", I said. "Because he has to learn of his abilities on his own. It's the way of the Moon Goddess. She saved my pup, allowed me to reign here and I can watch over him from here. She granted me permission to tell you too.", she explained. I took Juliet by the hand and promised to not say a word as I also would protect our family. As she leaned forward to hug me, I was suddenly awake in Michael's arms, "Bri, you scared me. What happened love?" How do you tell your mate nothing? "I just need to eat I guess.", I shrugged it off.
"Are you ready to meet my parents" I said. He looked so relieved. He could only nod his head yes. He picked me up and walked down the hall. He sat me down on the lounger and kissed my forehead. Then knocked on the door.
My father opened the door and grabbed Michael in a big hug. Michael looked as shocked as I did. My father smiling like a Cheshire cat pulled me into his arms too. We both just stood in shock. "Well my boy it's nice to finally meet ya" my father said as he slapped Michael on the back. "When do you two kids want to have your mating ceremony? Or do you want a wedding/mating ceremony in one? June look good to you?", my dad looked like he was about to melt in happiness.
This wasn't how I saw this going at all. I expected them to fall apart but they trusted the Moon Goddess fully. They were ready. I looked at Michael before mind linking him, "I'm sorry I didn't think they were going to go nuts." He didn't reply at first and I thought the mind link had disappeared. He looked at my mom, then my dad, then me. He kissed my forehead and said, "I'm ready so June sounds perfect. The first day of Summer." Everyone squealed at once. My mom held her belly, and hugged us, my dad opened the door and called my siblings to join us. This was a family affair after all.