The woman before him stood around five feet tall, her platinum blond hair turned white silver and her dark grimacing eyes a mirror of his own. They were pinched shut as she tried to look at Michael, the scar underneath her eye glistening with sweat. Her hands rested at her hips as she scowled down at him.
"Michael, did you finish the wood down at the cabin? Or were you too busy playing with your friends?" The words made him laugh, shrugging Sebastian off of his shoulders and wiped sweat off of his brow. She scoffed.
"Michael, you are going to be seated as Alpha in two weeks. You should be searching for a mate and prepping for the coronation, not yipping around like a bunch of pups."
He looked up at her, the ex-Luna in all her glory. She's still well-built, as are all werewolves, even at her age. Her stature is held with pride, the remnants of her lineage and former seat of power lingering from her exile. His poor mother, exiled by her own wolf. It's rare, but it happens if one breaks the code of honor. Mother killed a child in her rage after Father's death.
That's the worst of all.
"Yes, Mama, I was just finishing up with the wood when Sebastian came and told me you wanted to see me. We just took the chance to have a little fun while we were at it. We're still young and I'm not Alpha, yet, so why not?" He gave her a mega-kilowat smile and she melted, smiling back radiantly.
"Well, alright, Mike." Taking the steps down off of the porch, she wrapped her arms around Michael in a loving hug before looking up at him from her tiny frame. "I need you to take care of the tour tonight." He growled.
He hates tourists.
"Mama, I hate doing the tours. Every year, I just get ogled and stared at. They dont care about the history of the place. All they care about is 'how pretty are the locals?' " He looked down at her, pleading with her to find someone else for the task. Its mating season for the wolves, and women are wildly attracted to the males, whether they share that attraction or not. Especially unmated Alphas.
His mother patted his cheek and smiled almost maliciously. "Tourists are coming far and wide to see the beauty of our land." Her smile turned down into a frown. "And it might be a good chance for you to find your mate, darling. You know that Alphas lose their strength without a mate, and you not having one worries me. Please, Michael. Do it for me."
He huffed his displeasure, rubbing her delicate skin, then smiled down at her. "Alright. Anything for you, Mama." Her smile returned, beaming up at him from below, and she leaned up on her toes and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, son. Your father would be so proud." He watched as tears made salty paths down her cheeks. "As proud as I am."
The rest of the day went by faster than Michael would've liked, the hours passing as the sun set and the moon rose to flicker its blue light over the waters of the lake. The tour was scheduled to be right after sunset, and yet there's no one here. His hope flickered out like a suffocated flame as he saw a line of men, women, and children carrying bags and cameras headed his direction.
As soon as he was within line of sight, the string of women got excited and ran right up to him. Many of them had been on the tour with him before and merely returned to see him once again.
Poor women. They have no idea that they dont have the slightest chance with him. None of them could ever sway him from the sultry pull of the mate bond. She was near, he could feel it.
The women screeched to a halt before Michael's feet and immediately began to faun over him, taking photos, and giggling among themselves when he would smile. The tour was gruellingly slow, showing the beautiful landmarks and explaining their history as each hour skidded by at a torturous pace.
The endless infatuated chatter from the women behind him became like the buzz of a fly: annoying but tolerable. But a tug at his heart - no, his very soul - had his full attention. It was a pull that warmed his skin and laced his blood with lust.
A spark.
There was someone here.
She couldn't be that close or he wouldve found her already. His mind clouded with confusion, the tour becoming more muscle memory than a task. With his mind preoccupied, he could sense the women behind him becoming agitated with his lack of attention.
Returning to the task at hand, he turned and smiled at the group of women, showing off his pearly white teeth. "This is the lake where our Ancestors would pray to the Moon Goddess. The reflection of the moon on the surface of the waters would light up the night sky, allowing them to see the world around them. For their worship, the Goddess blessed them with the ability to become one with their closest companions: The wolves. This allowed them access to complete and utter unity with the creatures and created the legend of werewolves."
He watched as the women whispered to one another, their steady gaze switching between him and the lake. The look of wonder in their eyes flickered like stars on a clear night, and the radiated feeling of awe never got old. "One of the Elders came to the Goddess, praying for understanding and love. The Goddess required the Elder to bring his wife to the lake. When he returned with her, the Goddess blessed the waters of the lake and told them to bathe. After their bath, the felt more connected than ever before and found that his wife was with child. That's the Legend of how mates came to be."
Their chatter grew louder, whispers and giggles as the women stared at him with hope in their eyes. "Now, every man and woman born from that lineage is born with a soulmate, their other half, their destined partner." He turned and helped the tourists down the path, women and children, to go across a bridge over the lake. As they reached the other side, they were met by a dirt path and a beautiful view of a nearby castle.
A snap of twigs drew Michael's attention to the bushes along the path. He turned his head, ready to fight off any danger, but he was met with the most gorgeous violet gaze he had ever seen.
Mate.