Matt grunted and rolled over onto his side when he felt something nudge him in his sleep. His toes flexed under the light blanket, and he frowned as he slowly opened one bleary eye. As his nose twitched, he blinked slowly and turned his head to see his father's hand on his shoulder. Matt raised his chin and looked around. He yawned wide enough that his jaw ached from the stretch. A tired grunt escaped his lips as he slowly rose to a sitting position and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
"C'mon, Matt. Get up." Elias patted his son's shoulder once again before straightening up and walking towards the bedroom door.
Groggy, Matt squinted and looked out the window. It took him a few seconds to realize that the sky was still pitch black, and then another two for him to open his mouth and whine. "Dad!"
"Let's go, Matt," Elias said warmly, covering up a yawn of his own.
Matt's head fell forward, and he stood from his bed and followed his father out. He cast an envious look in his sister's direction. Jenny remained curled in her bed. Her long ebony hair splayed on the pillow, her face serene, lost in a deep sleep.
"Why so early?" Matt couldn't help but ask, having to leave the comforts of his warm bed while his sister sleeps.
Elias gave his son a funny look before breaking out in a smile. He reached out for his boy and ruffled Matt's dark hair. "Are you forgetting what day it is today?"
The thirteen-year-old frowned, his forehead furrowed as he attempts to remember the importance of the day. A lightly tanned nose scrunched in contemplation. The role of remembrance demanded his full attention. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that, unbeknownst to him, he started to shift. Slowly, his ears drifted to the top of his head and morphed into their typical alert stance. Tufts of dark fur rolled over them as they twitched.
"Ah!" Matt slammed his fist into his palm, a huge smile splitting his face. "Today's the festival!"
Elias nodded. "Mhm." He lovingly scratched his son behind the ears before ushering him out the door of their hut. "We have to secure the barrier and do our training a little earlier today. I'm leaving with Wilhelm and the rest right after breakfast."
At the mention of Eric's dad, Matt grinned. "So Eric is getting up early too, yeah?"
"No."
Matt's grin melted. "Why?"
"Because he isn't the Alpha's son." With that, Elias pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it to the side. It fell onto the porch, followed by a pair of pants as he shifted into a large, black wolf.
Turning to face his son, Elias tilted his head expectantly. Golden eyes fixated on his pup as he waited for Matt to join him.
Grumbling to himself, Matt threw his clothes to the bamboo floor and shifted. A thick patchy coat of fur erupted from his skin as he landed on all fours. Eyes identical to his father gazed up at the Alpha. Obediently, Matt padded over to his father, tail wagging behind him.
Elias waited for Matt to reach him before licking his face. Bright, stern eyes studied the pattern of Matt's fur before Elias leaned back, satisfied by what he saw. Matt had only begun to phase three weeks ago, but his black fur was already overpowering his red coat. The childish pelt was steadily shedding away, giving way to the fuller adult coat.
It was a good sign.
He grinned confidently to himself, his chest puffing outwards as he gazed fondly at the patches of dark ebony fur on Matt's back. The childish coat would shed absolutely in no time, leaving Matt with a fine full black pelt just like his. After finishing his proud parental preening, Elias closes his eyes and focused on getting his son's consciousness into the pack bond.
Standing by his father's side, Matt felt something tickle the back of his mind before his father's voice booms inside his head.
'Alright, Matt. Let's go.'
Matt opened his mouth, letting his tongue roll out in delight. This was the pack bond! He could sense every conscious adult in the village. Oh! There was Ricky's dad! And Max's dad! Oh! And Sammy's dad just hit his head on a beam!
'Matt…'
'Pa! I can sense everyone!' Matt exuberantly replied, shaking with joy. Wait till everyone hears about this. They would be so jealous, Derek especially. The older boy would be steaming with jealousy. He hadn't even begun to phase yet!
'Matt.' Elias's stern voice jolted him out of his racing thoughts. He raised his head to meet his father's disapproving gaze. Matt's tail instantly fell between his legs, ears flattening at the unspoken reprimand.
'It takes a lot of energy to pull you into the pack bond.' The Alpha lectured, lifting his paw and bopping his son on the ear. 'It's not for you to listen in on everyone else's lives, Matt. Soon you won't need me to pull you into the bond. You'll be able to do it yourself. I hope by then you will be more respectful of everyone's privacy. The bond is not a toy.'
'Sorry, Pa.' Matt replied meekly and lifted his head a couple of centimeters to look at his father's face. 'When will I be able to enter it myself?' He asked, curious.
'As you continue to phase, your awareness will slowly link with the pack. It will be in small bursts at first, but it will have solidified by the time you finish phasing. You will be able to enter and leave it whenever you wish.'
Deciding it was enough time lost, Elias took off at a run. He needed no words to request his son to follow. Like shadows, the two of them raced through the village circle then into the brush, heading towards the pack's barrier that shielded them from the rest of the 21st century. Their speed only slowed as they entered the village's outskirts, their attention focused on a cluster of moonshade sprouting from the forest floor.
Dutifully, the Alpha approached the cluster of flowers, motioning with his head for his son to follow. 'What do we use moonshade for, Matt?' Elias asked his son, testing him.
'We use it to cast a protective barrier over the village to keep everyone safe from people and hunters.' Matt recited robotically, having learned this in school years ago. 'It circles our compound, cloaking us from the outside. Making us appear invisible to the town resting a few kilometers southwest of here.'
'Correct.' Elias nodded and motioned outwards with his paw. 'And how do we maintain the barrier?'
'The Alpha of the pack marks each flower surrounding us, once every morning and once every night.'
Elias nodded his head again before standing over the cluster of moonshade and lifting his leg, letting a couple of droplets of urine fall onto the dark purple petals. 'Not all of it, remember that, Matt. Thirty flowers are surrounding our compound. You have to make a round of all of them.'
'Okay.'
As father and son walked the barrier, Elias cast Matt a curious look. He stopped at the next cluster of moonshade, marking it as he did previously before continuing onwards. 'So…Matt…have you felt any pull at a mate yet?'
'Huh?'
Elias smiled. 'A mate, Matt. When a lycan starts phasing, they also begin to look for a mate. Once you have finished your phasing, it's natural that you would find a mate and start a family of your own.'
'I don't think so...'
'Well…you are still young, so it's not anything to worry about yet. But you'll know it when it hits you. Everything in your blood will scream that your mate is in front of you when you find them. It's not something any lycan can deny.'
'I haven't felt anything like that yet.' Matt frowned, wondering what it would feel like to have his blood scream. It was a frightening thought.
'Have you felt anything for your cousin, Nina?' Elias inquired as he continues to walk forward, one eye on his son. He couldn't stop himself from being curious. 'Your mother and I are hoping you two will mate. She's a nice girl.'
Matt flinched at the daunting prospect. His third cousin Nina's face flashed before his eyes. A weasel-like smile attached firmly to her small head. Her endless gossiping and complaining irritated him. Not to mention how she and her sisters would often giggle at him as he walked by with his group of friends. If anything, she'd be ideal for Ollie, he thought wryly. The pair could outtalk the entire village and then turn on each other and yap their ears off together.
He shook his head, dispelling the horrid imagery. Eric would roll on his back in hysterics when he'd tell him about this. Then again, maybe he shouldn't. He wasn't keen on being the butt of another round of jokes.
'Well, your cock has grown, so you'll start feeling drawn towards someone soon enough.' Elias said more to himself than his son. 'It's a good size, Matt. You should be very proud. I have no doubt you'll make a magnificent Alpha one day.'
Matt grinned. All thoughts of Nina gone from his mind at his father's lifting comment. 'I will! I promise! I'll be the best Alpha you have ever seen!'
Elias laughed and nudged his son's face with his snout lovingly. 'I have no doubt you will.'