Page 31 of The Wolf Slayer

He had never questioned Seth as the true heir to his father’s title. He’d always accepted Seth to be the future alpha. He’d never wanted it any other way. As a child, Blake had seen the responsibility Seth had to take on and never wanted to be in his position.

Blake’s whole world had been turned upside down the night of his consecration. His wolf was an alpha and had seen Seth as a threat. Not knowing what was going on, he’d had no control over his wolf’s animalistic instincts. He’d tried to challenge Seth for the alpha title and if his father hadn’t stopped them both with a command, they both would’ve fought until death.

After regaining control of his wolf, Blake had felt insufferable pain. Blake and Seth had been at odds since because both had been young and hadn’t trusted each other. Blake’s first years as a werewolf had been painful because every time he’d shifted his wolf had felt the pain of his defeat and having to submit himself. Most wolves in their first few months were like puppies running around and exploring their new selves. Blake on the other hand, had never been able to enjoy his wolf form. At least, not until he’d gotten older and adjusted to the pain.

Not only had Blake lost the trust of his brother, but he’d also lost the trust of the pack. To this day, most were just waiting for him to lose it and challenge Seth again.

In an attempt to shake off the horrible memories, Blake shook his head and stood up. He needed rest and his heart and body longed for Niev’s touch. He was upset and her touch somehow always calmed him in a way he couldn’t explain. He walked inside of his cabin and changed into something more comfortable.

Cuddling up to Niev he gently laid his arm over her, breathing in her precious vanilla scent. As he’d hoped, her touch and her closeness calmed him instantly, and slowly guided him into a calming dream world.

Meeting His Wolf

The warm sun coming through the window warmed Niev’s face as she laid in bed. She’d been up for a while, but she simply didn’t want to open her eyes. She was afraid that she’d dreamed the past few weeks and she didn’t want the dream to be over. She wanted to know what would happen to her and to Blake. She didn’t wantto wake up in her own bed without him by her side. She refused to open her eyes. Instead, she took slow, deep breaths, trying to fall asleep again.

The air smelled like freshly cooked pancakes, eggs, and bacon. She couldn’t resist and finally opened her eyes. She was in Blake’s bedroom, laying in his bed and cuddling up to her own pillow that she’d packed the day before. She sighed in relief. She hadn’t dreamt anything and everything was real.

She sat up and stripped back the covers. Her body felt tired and moved slowly as she made her way toward the kitchen, following the delicious smells. She carefully entered the living space and saw Blake standing at the stove. He was only wearing jean shorts, leaving his muscular back bare. His long curls were hanging down, brushing his shoulders. She took three quick steps toward him and stretched her hand to touch his shoulder.

He turned around and sweetly kissed her forehead. “Good morning, beautiful. How did you two sleep? Did you get enough rest?”

At first, she was confused about who he was talking about. Then very slowly the realization of her pregnancy trickled in. Blake was talking about her and the baby. Her hand went down to her belly and caressed her unborn child.

“Yes, we did.” She looked him up and down, enjoying the view. “Why do all the men here only wear jeans or shorts?”

Blake laughed, with a heartwarming sound. “Have you ever seen a wolf wearing clothes?”

“I can’t say that I’ve ever seen one in real life.”

His laugh intensified. It took him a few moments to catch his breath and be able to talk again. “Wolves don’t wear clothes. We take them off before shifting into our wolf form. It’s easier to take off one pair of shorts than it is to remove a whole outfit.”

“Can I meet your wolf one day?”

His face lit up even more as he handed her a plate. “Yes, but only after you finish eating breakfast.”

She took it, sat on the couch, and started eating. A thousand questions formed in her head, but she waited for Blake to sit down next to her before she started her question marathon.

“When did you turn into a wolf for the very first time?”

“I was nine.”

But before he could say more, she bombarded him with more questions, “Did it hurt? How does it feel? Are you and your wolf two different personalities? Do you…” Blake stopped her with a finger on her lips.

“Eat,” he chuckled, appearing to be in a lighter mood than the day before. “Yes, it hurts but only for a split second. The further the moon is away from earth, the more it hurts.”

“So, you don’t just turn into a terrifying wolf-like creature during a full moon?”

Niev stuffed some more food in her mouth so he would keep answering her questions. She knew Blake had already answered her question yesterday, but she wanted to be sure she hadn’t misunderstood him.

“No, we don’t. We shift into a bigger version of a wolf–nothing like the monsters from the horror movies. The wolf is tied to Selene, who is our moon goddess. The closer she is to us, the easier our shift is. The closer Selene is to us the more we feel the wolf inside of us awakening. Of course, he’s always there. He’s never fully gone, but he’s more present or awake if Selene is closest.”

“So, when the moon is furthest away from earth, your wolf is the quietest and that’s also the most painful time to turn?”

“Yes.”

“So how did you know to turn for the first time?” She stuffed the rest of her food into her mouth and cleared the plate. “Or even how to turn?”

“We celebrate the nights that Selene is closest to us. It’s what humans call a supermoon. As a child you don’t feel your wolf inside of you. You don’t even feel Selene. You know who she is, but you don’t fully understand what it means until you feel her calling for you. When it’s time for a boy to become a man, he starts feeling an urge. He feels that he’s no longer alone, he feels the shadow of his wolf forming. It’s as if something is tugging and pulling you somewhere, toward something you can’t see. It’s the wolf trying to get out. The closer Selene is, the more the wolf tugs and pulls until he breaks through on the night she’s closest. That night is very special to each new wolf, and we call that first shift consecration.”

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