The pink-hued edges shifted gently until the blinding light of the fire obscured everything, just for a second, and when my eyes adjusted, I found myself back on the crowded beach, with my back against Jamie's chest, cradled in his arms.
"Welcome back," he murmured, gently kissing the top of my head, seemingly unsurprised.
"What happened here?" I asked, watching the kids that had returned to playing in the sand around the groups of adults who had gone back to their chatter.
"The Goddess stayed in two places at once. She told us she was speaking with you privately, but a part of her stayed here and explained most of it to us. I'm sure you got the extended version, but she told us about your creation and what it means for the community."
"There really are no secrets around here, are there?" I mumbled, and he chuckled into my hair.
"Wait until you hear about the mating bond," he whispered. "Do you want to? It's a lot to take in, it might be a distraction while you process all of this."
"I can't think of a more peaceful place to hear overwhelming things," I said honestly, drinking in the sight of the waves lapping against the beach.
He rested his chin on top of my head and kept his voice impossibly low, quiet enough that the pack in front of us, absorbed in conversation, wouldn't hear. "To put it crassly, the mating bond is completed when mates have sleep with each other. The dominant wolf bites the submissive right here, and the bond is complete," he explained, gently tracing a spot on my collarbone, sending sparks shooting down my body.
"Bites!?" I exclaimed, trying to turn around, but he held me tightly where I was.
"It doesn't hurt, it's a part of the mating bond, it's actually incredibly pleasurable, and once completed the scar will create an extra erogenous zone that can only be stimulated by the dominant mate. Completing the bond will give you access to pack communication, you'll be able to communicate with us telepathically. I know it must seem incredibly weird to a human, but it's completely natural to us," he explained.
"Bites!?" I repeated, and he fell silent for a moment. "Great so a crazy Goddess lady created me like some Adam & Eve shit materialising me from her own being, gave me magical powers that draw male wolves to me and won't tell me why, haunts my dreams for two decades, whisks me away to some dream-state to tell me I am the god damn chosen one or something -"
"Goddess damned," Jamie corrected and I ripped myself from his grasp, spinning to stare at him incredulously.
"FINE! I'm the Goddess damned chosen one or whatever, I lose two years of my life and every memory I have to some psychopath witch wolf man thing and now I have to let you bite me, which by the way would let the whole Goddess damned world know I've had sex when you connect me to a freaky telepathic group chat, before we can go save the wolf world from some unforseen problem that I'm destined to fix?"
Jamie swallowed hard, clearly unsure how to respond.
Derek burst into laughter behind me, and I turned to see Conner batting him in the stomach.
"I'm sorry," he gasped as Jamie shot him a death glare. "I'm so sorry, I can't!"
"Stop that this instant," Jamie growled behind me and Derek straightened up immediately, humour still dancing in his eyes.
"I'm so sorry," he muttered again, choking back another laugh.
"It's incredibly disrespectful to laugh at your Luna when she is having a private conversation about the mating process with your Alpha," Jamie spay furiously.
Derek nodded in acknowledgment, not once breaking the eye contact we were holding, the internal laughter still shining in his. I snorted, before losing control of my own laughter, leaning back into Jamie who wrapped his arms around my waist, confused as he chuckled a little too.
Derek doubled over, earning himself an admonishing look from Conner, and sat down on a rock to recover, wheezing quietly.
"This is fucking ridiculous," I breathed between bouts of giggles.
"You're like actual children," Conner muttered, rolling his eyes.
"Yeah the chosen children," I giggled.
"This explains a lot about the way dynamics have shifted in the pack since you arrived though," Jamie mused. "Make wolves are usually very respectful around other wolves mate's, especially their Alpha's. The morning I met you Finn stood between us, even Evan was ready to attack if I didn't stand down. Usually a male would never be left alone with the Luna, but they and Derek insisted on being by your side while you recovered and have barely left since. I admit, it has had me a little on edge. Admittedly there's some jealousy there, but mostly it's had me questioning our pack dynamics because it didnt make sense. But it's you, it's the magic in you drawing them in."
We all fell silent for a moment, taking that thought in. For once, it was Conner who broke the silence with an inappropriate comment.
"Freaky voodoo shit," he said, shrugging.
"Indeed," Jamie agreed, deciding to let that comment slide since he knew every single one of us was thinking it. "Freaky voodoo shit, indeed."
"At least the freaky voodoo shit isn't literally inside you guys. It's inside me, and I can't even feel it or use it, it just... It just does its thing all by itself, I don't even know why," I said, exasperated.
"Actually, I think I have some thoughts on that matter," Osian offered, stepping towards us. "Sorry to intrude, it's just, uh, well, you don't need to have wolf hearing to have overheard all that."
My cheeks flamed and I leaned back into Jamie, a little embarrassed by my outburst. Osian smiled.
"Don't be ashamed, with our temper's we've all thrown much, much bigger fits in our time," he laughed, and the men around me nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, that morning we met wasn't the first time I've thrown Finn into the lake," Jamie admitted, moving one hand from my waist to scratch the back of his neck, something he did whenever he felt uncomfortable.
"Or the second," Conner reminded him, suppressing a smile.
"What was it, something like the 8th?" Derek teased and Jamie laughed. "The point is we've all had our share of temper tantrums, things in this world are intense, you have to let it out sometimes. There's no judgment from us."
"Yes, precisely. Before we move on, as Jamie's oldest friend I do feel compelled to add that Finn has been thrown into the ocean here several times too," Osian added with a glint in his eyes. Jamie groaned, burying his face into my shoulder and wrapping both arms tightly around my waist again. I rested the side of my head against his, holding in my laughter as Osian continued.
"I don't believe the Goddess herself knows fully how your powers work. She has never created another being before, she likely had no idea that in creating you from her soul some of her magic would end up with you. She said it was around 20 years ago, my father has said many times that there was a shift in the way other packs felt about the Goddess around that time. Before then, all packs worshipped her like we do, particularly the males as she provided them with their mates, but now only we remain. I believe the part of her magic that transferred to you was just a small part of associated with choosing mates, obviously not enough to put you in control of it, but enough that male wolves feel strongly grateful to you, and therefor compelled to protect you. In some ways, I think a lot of the worship they felt for the Goddess has ended up transferring to you," he explained. "Just a theory, but it would make sense."
Everyone wa silent as we considered this.
"That's just... Wild," I eventually offered, and everyone nodded in agreement.
"Yes, perhaps it's time to head back to the pack house? Tomorrow is another big day, you must be exhausted," Osian said and excused himself to head home, taking Owain with him.
We stayed for a few moments as I took in the beautiful beach ahead of me once more, Jamie's warmth at my back and all around me.
"Do you trust me?" He asked, suddenly.
"Of course I trust you," I said, surprising even myself with the lack of hesitation. He spun me around and lifted me onto his back with ease. I instinctively wrapped my legs around his waist and clung to his shoulders, resting the side of my face against his back. "Why do you need my trust for a piggyback ride?"
"Close your eyes, and don't let go," he said sternly, his voice laced with Alpha authority that even an actual human would struggle to ignore.
His muscles shifted underneath me, and suddenly we were moving at lightning speed. The path that we'd walked down to the beach on felt as smooth as marble as he traversed it and the wind whipped coldly at my face. Within less than a minute, he came to a stop, Derek and Conner just a few seconds behind us, and I opened my eyes. The empty packhouse loomed over us, lit up by starlight, and the bonfire on the beach was once again obscured, over a mile down the track. Jamie placed me on the ground in front of him, his hands at my waist as I swayed.
"Whoa," I breathed.
"Pretty cool, huh?" He asked, grinning down at me.
"That was amazing!" I laughed, stepping back, completely taken over by the joy pulsing through my veins, and started spinning around with my arms flung wide. I lay down on the floor, my mind still spinning with freedom and happiness, and watched the stars.
"You're amazing," Jamie said, lying next to me and pulling me into his warmth. He quietly pointed out the constellations, told me about their meaning in his community, and I drifted off slowly, my mind completely free of fear and doubt for the first time I could remember.