Tara
After our adventures in the bath, topped off with the hottest shower I had ever experienced, we were pretty well wrecked. He carried me to the bed, and we lay down together, exhausted, and took an accidental nap.
An hour later, light filtered in through my bedroom window, casting a golden glow on the floor, along with shadows from the trees outside.
Crap! My parents! We never made it to breakfast.
They probably knew what we were up to. Ugh! Embarrassing! Again, but what could I do? The whole pack house probably heard our antics in the shower.
I stretched under the sheets, sore in all the best ways. Mac lay behind me, one arm draped over my waist, his breathing slow and steady. Trinity was purring in my mind like a satisfied cat. My entire body felt… different. Like the air around me had changed. Like I had changed.
I carefully wiggled out from underneath Mac's arm to run to the restroom. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I stared at my reflection, then ran to the full length mirror. I twisted and turned to look at my body from every angle.. My eyes were now lavender, and my body—holy mackerel! My muscles were bigger. Everything was bigger.
I remembered Mac saying I might take on some Lycan characteristics. I was taller, too. How had this happened so fast? We weren't asleep for that long.
I searched inside my head for Trinity.
Trinity! Wake up!
Oh, come on, I need my beauty sleep. She rolled onto her back dramatically. I could see her in my head now, in all of her fluffy glory.
Okay, Miss Fancypants, we have to go see everyone. I'm kind of freaking out here.
Why? You are not on a schedule. You just went through a bit of a transformation—as did I. There is a Lycan in here too, and she's crazy!
Wait—what?
I searched my mind, and sure enough, there was another presence. Well, not so much a separate entity, more like an extension of Trinity. Like a Trinity with no filter.
A terrifying thought, as my wolf didn't have much of a filter to begin with!
I lay down next to Mac again, intent on waking him up without giving in to these primal desires that kept surging every time I looked at him. But he was so FINE. I was mated. Claimed. Marked. And not just by anyone—by the freaking Lycan King!
My birthday had turned into the most life-altering night of my existence.
I rolled over to face him. Mac's eyes were already open, watching me with a softness that I never would have expected from someone so powerful.
"Good morning, my Queen," he murmured.
I groaned, hiding my face in his chest.
He chuckled. "Welcome to your new life."
"You have no idea how happy I am. Mixed with a crapload of anxiety, excitement, and pure terror." I admitted. He just smiled.
"You will be fine, Tara. I promise. I don't expect you to be perfect. Just be you." He tucked a my hair behind my ear. "We better get dressed before we wind up even later than we are."
I grabbed a clean sweater and leggings while Mac threw on something far too tailored for just breakfast. He looked like royalty, and I suddenly felt underdressed. I stepped in to a pair of black heels to "dress up" my casual look.
You have that freshly—you know—look. It's quite becoming, Trinity snickered.
"Yikes! My hair!" I said aloud, trying to tame the chaos in the mirror.
"You look like a Lycan," Mac told me with a smile.
"A Lycan having a bad hair day," I grinned.
He winked and picked up my hairbrush, somehow managing to tame my wild hair, making it sleek and smooth again. And he did it without yanking half of it out of my head. How did he do that?
Was there someone else whose hair he brushed? Aha, there she was, my Lycan. Trinity pro-max.
Knock off the jealous vibes, I told her. Whatever Mac had done in the past didn't matter. What mattered was that he was my mate, and I instinctively trusted him. Besides, I doubt just anyone could make us feel like that—and I bet it's the same for him. Why would he want anyone else?
True. We are pretty awesome, Trinity the wolf-Lycan agreed. Sheesh, I'm so emotional. But everything is more vivid, more exciting. I like this! I will try to chill out.
Don't go all crazy on me. From the looks of it, I just got a lot stronger—and I was a good fighter to begin with. I warned her, and she nodded, tail wagging. I could feel a current surging through me. I was more powerful, and I could really hurt someone unintentionally if I wasn't careful.
"Talking to Trinity?" Mac asked, brushing a lock of hair behind my ear.
"Trinity the wolf-Lycan. She seems to have a jealous streak." I would keep nothing from him. I wanted to be my complete self around him.
"That's normal," he said. "It can be tough to control at first, but you get used to it. Then again, if I saw anyone try to touch you…" He trailed off, a flash of anger in his eyes that disappeared as quickly as it flared. "You see? It's okay. They are emotions. It's okay to feel them. You just can't let them get the better of you."
"Hopefully I'm up to that task." I grabbed his hand. "Shall we?"
We made our way downstairs. The Pack House was buzzing with chatter, the kind of energy with manic curiosity simmering beneath the surface. Mouths and ears connected, and juicy gossip floated between them. Whispers trailed us as we nonchalantly made our way towards the dining hall.
"I heard he found his mate last night. That she's from Blue Moon."
"Who could it be?"
A hush fell over the room as they finally began to notice us. All of the staff, guards, and a few warriors got down on one knee and bowed their heads.
"The King and Queen," someone whispered.
Oh hell yes! Trinity did a happy dance in my head. She was loving it. Of course she was.
I looked up at Mac, who said calmly, "At ease."
They stood back up, all eyes on us as we passed by.
"You'll get used to it," Mac said again, chuckling at the look on my face. "You look beautiful," he added. "Beautifully flabbergasted." That got a giggle out of me, easing the tension that was creeping up my neck.
We walked into the dining hall and everyone stopped talking, as though someone was holding a sign that read "cue the awkward silence."
Then my mom burst out of her chair, pulled me into a hug that may have cracked a rib, and squealed, "My baby girl!"
Dad greeted Mac like a son-in-law—he actually gave him a hug. Well, a man-hug, at least.
I still felt like I was in a dream, like I'd been plopped into the middle of a fairy tale. I felt like the luckiest werewolf in the world, but I was terrified that I was going to screw it all up.
Talia and Christian were already seated, glowing like the smug, freshly mated couple they were. Talia had two marks—one on her neck and one just under her collarbone.
I raised an eyebrow.
She smirked. "I couldn't let you be the only one marked now, could I?"
"She insisted," Christian said with a grin. "To show support for her sister." They both giggled. To my amazement, so did my parents.
"Are we seriously talking about this right now? Just shoot me," I groaned.
Breakfast, or rather brunch at this hour, was… pleasant, with a lot of light hearted banter, mainly between my parents and Mac. Talia and I shared secret looks while trying not to giggle like pups. It was all going smoothly until Talia checked her phone.
Her eyes widened.
"Uh… Tara?"
"What?"
"You're trending."
I choked on my orange juice. "I'm what?"
She turned the screen toward me.
There it was. A grainy photo: Mac and me, emerging from the woods at dawn. My hair was a glorious mess, but thank the Goddess, it had shielded my face.
The problem? Our matching mate marks were very visible, and Mac was easily identifiable. This made the photo the hot topic of the morning. I became the anonymous "it" girl. Any illusions of maintaining that anonymity shattered as I watched the number of views climb exponentially.
"The Lycan King's Secret Mate? Mating Marks Caught on Camera!"
I wanted to crawl into a hole and stay there until the apocalypse. Reality hit me like a freight train. Everything I did was going to be scrutinized by everyone. I was going to be on tabloid covers. The world would dissect every post I made on social media.
Shit just got real.
Mac leaned over. "They got my good side." He chuckled, clearly used to this kind of thing. He put a reassuring arm around me.
"I'm going to die," I muttered. "Actual death. Right here. Goodbye."
He squeezed my shoulder. "You're not going to die. You're just becoming a Queen."
"Tell that to my fight or flight response. Right now it's screaming FLEE!" I hid my face with my hands.
Talia snorted. "Well, this ought to make Cindy implode. I wonder how long before you have more followers than she does?"
A bright spot, at least.
Christian pulled out his phone. "It's everywhere. Blogs. Supernatural news sites. Even a few human gossip sites are speculating."
"Check this one out. They are saying you're a 'mystery omega from a forgotten bloodline,'" Talia read, snorting. "Wow. Okay. Drama. And wrong."
"Look at this! "Lucky Mystery Girl Hooks the Catch of the Century!" Christian chuckled.
"I don't even like fishing," I groaned.
"Okay," Mac said, setting his fork down like he was preparing to issue a royal decree. "Let's rip off the bandage. We're announcing it. Formally. No more mystery."
"I'm not ready," I whispered.
He looked at me gently. "You're ready. I'll be beside you the whole time."
Trinity practically bounced in my head. Let's go Queen it up!
She would say that.
The clearing was packed within the hour. Mac stood tall, regal, radiating that ruler of all things energy he carried so well. I stood beside him, fingers trembling slightly until he took my hand.
"Good morning, wolves of the Northwestern Allied Packs," he said, voice calm but commanding. "It is my honor to formally announce that I have found my fated mate."
A collective hush fell over the crowd
He turned toward me. "This is Tara, daughter of Beta William and Natasha of the Blue Moon Pack. She is my equal. My Luna. My Queen. "
I felt the ripple of shock through the gathered wolves like a wave of warm thunder. Then—cheers. Applause. A few whistles. And, miraculously, no one shouted, "Head for the car!"
But not everyone looked thrilled. Enter Cindy. She strutted forward in a too-tight dress, arms crossed, radiating toxic energy.
"Seriously?" she sneered. "Her? The Lycan King's mate? That has to be a mistake."
Behind her, Jake, Moon Shine's resident narcissist, snorted loud enough to wake the dead.
"You marked the wrong girl," he said, stepping forward. "Tara belongs to me."
Gasps echoed through the crowd. Trinity went on point in my head.
Oh no he didn't.
He did, I replied, watching the train wreck unfold.
Mac smiled, though it wasn't a happy smile. It was the kind of smile that made you wonder if your last will and testament was up to date. He stepped forward, his presence darkening like a thundercloud.
"She does not belong to you," Mac said, his voice a sharp blade that cut across the clearing. "She is mine. Marked by me. Chosen by the Moon Goddess. Speak of her that way again, and I'll rip your tongue out and hand it to your Alpha as a warning."
Jake paled so fast I thought he might pass out. "I-I didn't mean— I just—um, shit…"
Mac growled. A real, deep Lycan growl that rumbled through the ground. Jake stumbled backward like the coward he was, nearly tripping over his own feet.
Satisfied, Mac turned back to me and offered his hand again. I took it, somehow managing not to faint on the spot. That should've been the end of the drama, but it was decisively eclipsed by what happened next.
Cindy wasn't done being Cindy. She opened her mouth to launch another verbal grenade, and then she froze. Her eyes locked onto one of Mac's elite guards—a tall, broad-shouldered Lycan with storm-gray eyes who had been watching her with an amused smile on his face.
Mate bond!
The color drained from her face like someone had unplugged her soul.
Mac raised an eyebrow. "Ah. Looks like you'll be joining us on the journey home."
I nearly choked. Cindy went pale, then red, then pale again. She looked like she'd just bitten into a lemon that suddenly sprang to life and smacked her in the face.
The guard stepped forward, gaze steady. "Hello, mate. You look beautiful. Name's Wesley."
She tried to resist, tried to scoff, but the bond was already pulling her in. Within seconds, she was in his arms, blinking in confusion and smiling.
I cheered and whistled. The rest of the crowd followed. She gave me her best death glare. I shrugged. Guess haters are gonna hate—and then get fate-mated!
Truly, I wasn't sure if I wanted to laugh, cry, or run screaming into the woods. Why, I asked Trinity, must fate be so extra?
She howled with laughter. Plot twist, baby. And now your bully's stuck in your royal entourage. Karma, delivered express. She serves you now.