Selene's POV:
"Tomas Mark Riverrun Junior, get your butt down here, or you'll be late for school!" I yelled up the stairs of the enormous packhouse, and I heard clambering around upstairs as my 16-year-old son strolled around, trying to get ready for school.
My dark-haired, green-eyed baby boy came skidding into the kitchen, grabbed a slice of buttered toast, kissed me on the cheek, and then practically jumped out the door. I smiled at his retreating figure and marvelled at how my once tiny baby boy was now this over 6-foot tall young man who was almost late for school. Tomas' wolf had come a few days before he turned 16 a couple of months ago, and he shifted like a duck to water. He was a mighty wolf and would make an incredible Alpha in 9 years. What had taken its time to come in were his powers. He would not be as powerful as I am but have capabilities. They were slowly emerging, and he was slowly getting used to it.
Today, Mark and I sent out the final invitations for the Heir Party that we were throwing at the end of this week. As he had gone through 'the change' and become a Werewolf, he was now able to be made my heir, and now he would take on more responsibilities, attend meetings and become more involved in the running of not only this pack but the responsibilities that came with being the son of a Goddess. Alphas would call TJ to deal with several disputes, arguments and be the guiding light to many.
"You ready?" Mark asked as he opened the kitchen door and gave me a small smile.
"Yeah, let's get this party sorted," I said as I followed Mark out of the kitchen and into my office, where we had filed the last of the invites, party details and a menu. Mark started to get the previous invites out, and I worked on the menu with the kitchen staff.
TJ's POV:
"Hey, TJ!" My best friend, Alex, called down the hall as I stood at my locker. I was swapping out my Calculus book for my biology book. My best friend Alex walked over to me, his regular football under his arm and his jersey with his surname and number on his back. Alex was a poster boy for American football, with broad shoulders and legs like tree trunks, yet he was a big teddy bear at the bottom of it all. Alex was a linebacker, making a fantastic warrior one day.
"Morning, Alex,"
"I hear your mum is throwing a massive party this weekend."
"Yeah, making me her heir."
"How does that feel?"
"I always knew this day would come."
"But? I sense a 'but'."
"I don't know; I worry about my mum. Come on, let's get to class." I shrugged on my backpack and walked with my friend to class.
I have been dealing with a lot in the last couple of months. I had turned 16 and gotten my wolf, which was a lot for anyone to deal with, but now my magic was also incoming, the other part of my body that fought inside me. Sometimes it was hard to share my head with an animal, and shifting the first couple of times was an issue, but Mum said I made it seem effortless. My issue now was my magic; it was sometimes more volatile than my wolf and more integrated with my emotions than my wolf was. The last thing I needed was to blow up the bleachers because I got my body slammed in football. Mum had been working with me on controlling my magic, and her lessons were having an effect; he had to admit that.
I managed to make it through the day without my magic or wolf acting out, which was good. I left Alex to go to football practice as I headed home. I wasn't interested in football practice like Alex was, and that was because I had after-school sessions with my mum that I needed to do.
I got into my 4x4 Chevy Ford that my mum had gotten me for my 16th birthday, slinging my bag onto the passenger side and reversing out of the parking lot. I could have walked from home to the school, just a couple of miles from the main house. It was a private school only for shifters that I went to, and it facilitated all the students from my pack lands, which had increased since my mum had taken over and came out as the Goddess Selene because many people had wanted to be close to her.
I arrived home, parked up and grabbed my bag from the passenger seat before heading into the house, which as usual, was a hive of activity. I smiled at the maids as they walked around the building and waved to warriors led to the workout room at the back of the house. Every weekend I spent 3 to 6 hours with the warriors training; Mum wouldn't let me do too much because I also had magic training, Alpha training and homework. Mum told me I had to learn to juggle as it would be like this when I was Alpha.
The packhouse was busier than usual due to the massive party set up tonight. People were carrying and moving things into the ballroom to set up. I watched maids take table covers, chair bows and flower centrepieces into the ballroom. Workers followed them that we had hired to set up, carrying circular tables and chairs.
Mum came out of her office, followed by Mark, and they both smiled at me warmly. Mum came over to me and kissed me on the cheek. Mark just stood to the side. Mum smelled of new paper and roses, her usual perfume.
"Hey baby, how was school?" Mum asked.
"Cool, the usual stuff. How're things around here?"
"On schedule for the party to start at 7 pm."
"Do we have magic training tonight?"
"Yes, of course," My mum said, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. It was as if she thought I was insane. "Get ready, and we will work out outside." She sent me on my way, and I headed up to my bedroom on the second floor.
I dropped my bag off, changed into more comfortable clothing, and headed down the stairs before walking to the garden through the French doors in the living room. The garden of the packhouse had the typical white picket fence, which she had erected because of me. My mother got Mark to put up the wall to go out and play in the garden without getting away. The fence stretched from the living room and down the left side of the building to the utility room and pushed about a mile into the pack lands. Mum now used the garden as a vegetable or fruit garden and a calming area. She also taught me some magic out here too.
"Okay, let's get on with training," Mum said as she came out of the same French doors in comfortable clothing.
Today, my mother and I continued working on my water control. Mum had a water feature in the garden that she had installed when I was eight, and I was not likely to destroy or drown in it. Mum showed me how to call to the water and manipulate it into any shape. Mum was good at it, and I remember she used to think up stories and make the water change to show the story.
Mum's magic used to be brighter than it is now, and if I was honest, it was closer to black than white, like the moon. Mum's magic was grey now with black streaks in it. She pulled at the water feature's water and adapted it to show people dancing. She then put the water back and asked me to do the same.
I looked at the water feature and focused on the water. I watched as it trickled, moved and fell down the part. The water gurgled, bubbled and made a tinkling sound as it moved through the region. I reached deep into my magic and then pushed it out towards the marker, calling the water to me and telling it to come to me and form into a ball. I called and called, focusing on my magic and my will.
Unlike my wolf, my magic had been there since birth, and aspects of it were more potent than others. I was very good at healing, light control and telekinesis, but the water was my weakness. I had been working on my water control skills for the last three weeks, and when I started, the water wouldn't even move, and now, it came towards me in a slow trickle before forming into the ball I requested.
My magic was as pure white as the moonlight, and when it was a full moon, my magic was brighter and more substantial, just like my mum's, but when with the full moon's light, my mother's magic was still darker than mine.
After an hour of working on my water control, which was faster than yesterday's, my mother called and said that due to the party tonight, we did not have as much time as usual. She told me I was doing well and would pick up on this tomorrow. Mum was just about to leave when I called her name.
"Yes?" She asked as she turned to look at me.
"Why is your magic darker than mine?" I asked concern in my voice. I was concerned that either something was wrong with her magic or mine. My mother looked at me for a second, considering me and seemed to think about her reply.
"The truth is, my magic used to be as bright, if not brighter, than moonlight, and I would shine like the moon when my magic took over my whole body," Mum said as she turned to face me.
"What happened?"
"Your father's murder happened," My mother looked sadly at me, and her eyes seemed far off like her mind was stuck in the past. I knew she was thinking about the night he was murdered, and she barely spoke about that night. She had told me the story but never about her magic. "Everything changed that night. I became broken, angry and vengeful. There was that prophecy that only your magic could destroy the Warlock, but when he murdered your father, I tapped into your magic."
"You tapped into my magic; how?"
"When your father was murdered, my whole world stopped, and I thought I would die too, but then you kicked me, and I knew I had to go on. All I could think about was ending it, and then, as my magic and anger grew, it reached out to you and felt the tendrils of your magic, and I pulled it. I used your magic and mine to kill the Warlock that day."
"This doesn't answer my question about why your magic is darker than mine,"
"I'm getting to it," My mum chuckled at my impatience. "When the battle was done, and I was left without my mate, the anger and pain didn't subside, and it was feeding my magic; I barely contained it, so I locked a lot of my magic away in a box. It will hold it for a certain time, but it's still rotting and decaying due to the anguish of living without your father."
"So it's darker because your magic is dying?"
"It is darker because I am dying,"
"What?!" I asked, shock and fear in my voice.
"Oh, no time soon; I arranged it so you would have me until you took over from me at 25." My mother waved off my fear like it was nothing. "But my magic will kill me. It has been festering and stewing in years of anger, pain and remorse and being locked away for 25 years; it will be furious. My magic is getting darker because I am darker. I am sad and depressed, which feeds the decaying magic inside me. It's like cancer spreading throughout my system; eventually, it will all be black, and I will die, but not any time soon." My mother said, a touch of sadness and resolve in her voice.
"Is there no way to stop it? To ensure that you live on?" I asked hopefully, but I knew by the look in her eyes that this was a long shot.
"No, son, I am afraid not. Living without your mate is painful on the soul." My mother told me, and when she touched my shoulder, I felt a sliver of her pain because it was so close to the surface. I flinched at the pain and her touch, and she shook herself, hid her pain and smiled at me. She apologised for hurting me and went inside, but not before yelling at me to shower and change for my party.
I changed into a black suit, black shirt and no tie. I left the top two buttons undone and finished them with dress shoes. Today's party was a black-tie event. I brushed my black hair and sprayed some of my cologne on myself before exiting my bedroom and heading down the stairs.
The ballroom had been transformed into a set dance floor, with circular tables with five chairs around them spaced in a circle around the dance floor. Hanging in garlands from the ceiling were white and black cloth, and they started from the chandeliers and headed out towards the walls. The band was set up on the stage at the end of the hall, and the DJ was set up to the band's side as the band would not be playing all night. Massive speakers were around the stage, and lights were set up to flicker and move.
Maids set up a buffet table on the wall parallel to the entrance, and next to the buffet were drinks, which the staff was still bringing in, and the bartender was setting up behind it. Little walkways between the circle of tables would allow people to move around and get to where they wanted to go.
There were banners on the walls and behind the stage that all said: HAPPY 16TH BIRTHDAY TOMAS JR, and to embarrass me further, my mother had put together a montage of pictures of me throughout my life was projecting them onto the wall behind the band. I would kill her.
"Are you enjoying yourself, mate?" Alex asked me as he came over to me, drink in hand.
"Yeah," I said as I scanned the dance floor and looked at the couples dancing. There was a range of ages from people older than Mum, close in age to Mum, and people close to my age. People were milling around, talking to people, eating, sitting down and doing both.
"TJ!" My mother called from the front door. I turned to look at her, and she waved me other. She was wearing a lovely floor-length black dress with elbow-length sleeves and sparkle when she moved. Her hair was up in an intricate bun.
When I got to her, she was standing next to an older man than her. He was about ten years older than her. His hair was a greying brown, his eyes were brown too, and his whole body radiated Alpha energy. Standing next to a beautiful older woman, almost the same age as Mum, he had lovely dark black hair and skin to match. She was in a stunning silver dress; I could tell she was this Alpha's mate.
"TJ, I would like to introduce you to Alpha Reed and his mate, Luna Tara."
"Alpha Reed, my mother has told me a lot about you. Thank you for the aid you have given her over the years," I thanked the Alpha, and he shook my outstretched hand.
"You look so much like your father," Alpha Reed said as he looked me up and down.
"Thank you, sir."
"We would like to introduce you to our daughters and son,"
Alpha Reed introduced me, in age order, to his children. His eldest and heir was his daughter Ana who was 20, then was his son, Grant, who was 19, and then he introduced me to his youngest daughter, Mikayla, who was 17.
My world stopped, and time stood still when my eyes landed on hers, and our eyes met. She had her father's dark brown hair and a beautiful mix of her mother's and father's skin colour. Her eyes, wide as they looked at me, were a beautiful brown. Her mouth was open in shock, and her breathing hitched in her throat as she looked at me. She wore the most beautiful midnight blue dress I had ever seen that hugged her figure well, and her curly hair framed her face.
"Mate!" We both said simultaneously and with two steps, I was right in front of her, my hands on the top of her bare arms. She gave me a nervous smile, and I gave her a beaming one. I leaned down as she leaned up, and we kissed. It was like sparks and fireworks went off behind my eyes. My whole body shivered and tingled as her lips touched mine. I pulled back and stared at her in awe. Now I knew what my mum meant when she said that your whole world was your mate. I could not imagine losing her, and now I understood why my mother was so full of rage, anger and pain.
"Hi," I whispered to her.
"Hi," She chuckled back.
"I'm Tomas, but people call me TJ,"
"I'm Mikayla,"
I realised everyone was standing around us, so I turned, keeping Mikayla tucked under my arm, and we smiled at them. They all had the same look of shock and awe as they stared at the both of us and could see that we were mates.
"So, I found my mate," I said to my mother, and despite her smile, I could see the pain in her eyes. I didn't know if it was through losing me or the pain of not having her mate.
"This is wonderful," My mother cheered. "We have our future, Luna," When my mother said 'Luna', Mikayla looked a bit scared, and her mother looked sad. I knew why; now that her daughter had found her mate, she would be moving in with her mate because I am a future Alpha.
"Are you sure, Mik?" Her mother asked her, and I couldn't help but growl at her inquisition. I apologised quickly after doing it, but my growl was answered enough for her, and she nodded.
"Yes, Mother, TJ is my mate. I am the future Luna of the Riverrun pack,"
"Yes, you are," I smiled at my beautiful mate.
I spent the rest of the night at the hip of my mate. We danced together, ate together and chatted at a table. We held hands the entire night and drank in each other's presence. I also couldn't help it, but dancing with her made me rock hard and aching to take her to bed, but I would not do that until she was ready. Instead, I just kissed her hungrily and tried not to do anything that could get me punched by her father or brother.
"Hello, everyone; thank you so much for coming tonight!" My mother's voice came over the speaker system. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked towards my mother's stage. "Tonight is my son's 16th birthday, and the night he is made my heir. So, TJ, if you'll please come up here." I walked over to the stage, dragging Mikayla with me, and we ascended the stairs. There were some murmurs as she walked up the stairs with me holding my hand. "I would also like to take this moment, as he has brought her with him, to introduce you all to my son's mate, Mikayla Reed, who is the daughter of my long-time friend, Alpha Reed and his mate, Tara." There was a round of applause from my mother's announcement, and Mikayla blushed, hiding her face in my arm.
"TJ, today you begin a new phase of your Alpha training. Do you agree to be my heir and to take over as Alpha in 9 years?" My mother asked me, and I looked at her, then down at Mikayla and then at the expectant crowd. Mikayla nodded at me, telling me to answer, and I knew she was telling me that she, too, was ready to become a Luna.
"I agree," Everyone clapped at my answer, and my mother hugged me, causing me to let go of Mikayla, and my body ached at her lost touch, which was probably because we had not yet claimed each other.
My mother then called out the giant 3-tier cake, and the whole crowd sang happy birthday to me, and I descended the stairs with Mikayla again, my body sighing at the contact again to blow out the candles, and once I did that, everyone clapped again. The cake was wheeled away again to be cut up, and the band started up again.
"Come with me," I whispered to Mikayla, pulling her arm and whisking her away. I took her out of the ballroom, up the stairs and into my bedroom. Mikayla gave me a knowing and whistful smile as she walked into my cleaned room.
"Why are we here?" Mikayla asked.
"I wanted to spend some time with just you,"
"And you wanted to claim me,"
"And I - what? No!"
"You didn't?" She asked, her eyes looking sad and tears pricking them.
"No, no, no, I do want to, but I don't want to rush you!" I rambled as I rushed over to her. "You have no idea how much I want to claim you," I said huskily.
"So do it," She whispered as she unclipped something at the back of her dress and shimmied out, letting it pool to the floor. This woman was going to be the death of me. Her body was as beautiful as I had imagined; she had curves in all the right places, and her breasts were voluptuous and a decent handful.
"Jesus, woman," I groaned as I shrugged off my jacket and whipped my shirt off. Mikayla came forward, undoing my belt and shimming me out of my pants and underwear. My cock was so hard that it hurt, and the little witch at my feet licked it and made me growl. I picked her up by her underarms and threw her onto my bed, and she landed with a giggle as she took off her bra. "You're going to be my death," I growled at my mate.
"Good, now come here." She ordered. I stalked over to her on the bed, hooked her knickers with my fingers, and pulled them off her body. She had perfectly sculpted hair down in her intimate area, and when she opened her legs, my body felt like jello, and my cock throbbed harder.
I lay above her and kissed every inch of her that I could gain access to, and her moans were sending my control into bits. She was so beautiful and sensual. Her movements were like fluid against my skin. I pulled her legs apart, settling myself between her, and I lined up the head of my cock with her entrance.
"Are you a virgin?" I asked her, and she nodded. "Me too," I said, and she smiled at me.
"You waited for me?"
"Yes," I said as I inched in until I hit a wall inside her, and she gasped at me. "Hold on; this will hurt," I warned her, and she wrapped her arms around me as I kissed her. I kissed down her neck and suckled the area where my mark would go. Then at the same time, as I bit down on her neck, I slammed my dick into her hot, wet folds, and Mikayla screamed out so loud that I was sure others heard. I then stayed still to allow her to get used to my size, and I pulled my head back, licking her mark as I did.
When she was ready, I started pounding into her, and when she climaxed for the 3rd time, I did along with her, and she reared up, biting down on my neck and claiming me just like I had to her. I growled as I came, and her bite sent me over the edge. I collapsed beside her and kissed her as we snuggled.
I couldn't believe how quickly my life had shifted. In one night, I had become the heir of the Riverrun pack, which I was always prepared for, but now I had also found my mate, which was the best point about today.
"Oh, and TJ?" Mikayla asked as she snuggled into me.
"Yes, my love?"
"Happy Birthday," I growled playfully at her, kissing her as I jumped her again.