The following morning, Michael awoke to the chirping of birds and the sound of young pups yipping and playing outside of his cabin, the adolescent youths chasing after one another. It was a beautiful day, he noticed, as sunlight and warmth pooled through his window and onto his skin. With a long muscle relaxing stretch, the soon to be Alpha crawls out of bed and prepared himself some breakfast: eggs, bacon, fruit and juice. The perfect breakfast for a strong warrior. Thoughts of Alanna still lingered on the dark recesses of his mind, although not as heavily or sensually as the night before, and he was able to eat his meal in peace.
Or so he thought.
Strong knuckles rap against his door in successions of three, dislodging Micheal from his momentary blissful silence. Rolling his eyes and growling slightly, he hollers, "Doors open!"
A growl echoes from the other side of the door and the knock sounded again. Grumbling, Michael took to his feet and marched towards the echoing thud. "What do you want?" he yelled through the door.
"Now, is that any way to speak to your mother?" Anxiety and self preservation laced the blood pumping through his veins as he quickly opened the door and bowed his head. "I'm so sorry, Mama. I didnt know it was you."
She chuckled, the sunlight flickering off of her silver hair in his peripheral. The sound reverberated through the elder Alpha's chest, sounding similar to a growl.
"Are you going to let me in?" she asked, still smiling. With a nod, Michael opened the door wider and allow his mother through. He quickly ushered her to the livingroom to a comfortable chair, making sure to place her where she couldnt see the mess he made of the kitchen.
The aroma of coffee fills the kitchen as he pours his mother a cup, adding cream and sugar as needed. She smiles at him as he sets the mug on a coaster before barely glancing in her direction.
"So, Mama, what brings you to my oh-so-humble abode?" The statement earns a chuckle from the Luna, but nothing more.
"I came to ask you about your mate, Michael dear." He almost spit out his coffee, barely catching the spray of hot caffienated water between tight lips. Her eyes were filled with a sense of humor as she stared at him. "Don't think that I didnt notice your change in scent. You're beginning your rut and that means you found your mate."
"Mama, don't talk like that," he said, slightly flustered in embarrassment. "Its not like that. I - "
"Its exactly like that, Michael. Dont be embarrassed. It's perfectly natural for a male Alpha to rut after finding their mate. When I met your father -"
"Stop there, Mama." Michael swallowed back the bile that built in his throat. "I dont want to hear about you and my father's sex life while you were in your youth. It's nauseating."
This time, she laughed and sipped her coffee. "Oh, Michael. Still so shy. It's almost sad that it's going to change. It's one of your better qualities. But regardless, you should go after her. After all, an Alpha can't run a pack smoothly without a Luna."
Michael nods and his mind wanders to Alanna. Her flawless skin and glowing violet eyes. Endless voluptuous flesh and curves that he wished to memorize with his fingertips as well as his tongue. A smile creeps across his face as he remembers her smile and the flame that ignited in her eyes the night before.
"You're thinking about her, aren't you?"
His mother's voice pulled him back from the dark desires within his fantasies and he blushes slightly, nodding. "Your father used to look at me like that, you know. Everytime I turned around, he was staring at me like it was the last time he would ever see me. That's true love, Michael," she said with tears in her eyes. "Don't ever give up on it, and no matter what, don't lose it."
He stared into her eyes for a long moment, watching as the stone cold expression of seriousness melted off of her face and was replaced with tormented sorrow. The pain of losing her mate, his father, haunted her everyday and tortured her with nightmares every night. He wanted to touch her, to comfort her, but just as he reached out for her she wiped the tears from her eyes and stood.
"Well, now that everything is in order, I will be going now." She sniffled and smiled down at her son, her only child. Bowing his head, Michael led her to his front door and held it open for her. The woman turned and watched him with his head knelt in respect.
"Oh, my sweet child. I'm not the Luna anymore. You dont need to bow to me." His response was immediate, counteracting her soothing words with malice and strength. "You are still an Alpha, mother, regardless of your status among the pack, and I'm going to respect you. The rest of the pack should respect you, as well."
The anger boiled in his veins, the need to avenge his mother's honor almost unbearable. He always bowed his head to his mother, regardless of their relation. She was just as much an Alpha as he was, and he would treat her as such. Unlike the rest of his pack which averted their gaze from her and growled her name under their breath as though it were a curse. He was afraid his temper would overflow, feeling the muscles beneath his skin begin to shift, but a small, soft hand soothed him. His gaze met his mother's, and the sun reflected the brightness of her smile.
"Michael, it doesn't matter what they believe, and it doesn't matter what you do, either. It was up to my Wolf to decide, and she decided that I am no longer worthy of that title. I am not an Alpha, nor am I a Luna." Her smile changed, the laughing lines around her lips deepening as she quirked her brow. "But I am still your mother. And I know what's best for you."
A laugh slips from his lips, the chuckle rumbling deep within his chest. "And what's best for me, Mama?"
"To clean up this stye you call a home and drag off the firewood inmy yard, of course." Her smile brightened even as she laughed, the sun highlighting her already perfect features.
"Of course," he laughed as he left his home and closed the door.