Ethan
My head feels like it's been hit by an anvil. In reality, I feel completely sore; every inch of my body aches. I'm a wolf, and by the Goddess, I'm an Alpha… I shouldn't feel like this. My wolf isn't responding; he's deep within my mind, which is why I'm not healing. Although, now that I think about it, I shouldn't need him—not for a human's rejection! I'm stronger than that.
Sissney is sleeping beside me. I hear her quiet breathing, though I can see traces of dried tears on her beautiful cheeks. Her scent envelops me: sweet, maternal, preparing the nest where the fruit of our love grows, the Moon Goddess's blessing for us. I try to move, and the pain pulls me back to bed. I'm weak, as if my strength has been drained. Something is definitely wrong. How long have I been out?
My love opens her eyes, those beautiful blue eyes that have always looked at me with devotion. She quickly wraps me in an embrace as her sobs grow louder. Her hug hurts, but at this moment, it doesn't matter; all that matters is the comfort I can give her.
—I was so scared. These three days, I didn't know what to do. I almost called your father and told him everything that happened. I thought you wouldn't wake up. —She's crying against my chest.
I was asleep for three days?
—It's okay, I'm here now, nothing's happening —I console her as my hands caress her soft blond hair—. I'm with you now, I won't leave, nothing will happen to me. —I truly believe what I'm saying. She sighs, then kisses my cheek. I pull her face away and wipe her tears with my fingers. She's so beautiful; my heart aches for every tear she sheds.
—Tell me everything —I ask, my hand caressing her still-flat belly where our pup is nesting.
She had to ask a sorceress in the city for a favor. Unable to tell the truth, she improvised a story of rejection without revealing much about my identity. The concoction our unexpected ally left apparently didn't take long to take effect; it seems I'll be in pain for a few days. If my wolf doesn't cooperate with my recovery, it could be longer than necessary, so I have a lot of pain ahead. I should also apparently find a healer soon, according to the sorceress; she couldn't distinguish my superior Alpha rank, so she assumed there was a problem with my wolf. Without him awake, it's hard to tell if it's due to the rejection or the Wolfsbane we administered this past month. I'm not too worried, as both my wolf and I are powerful and of pure lineage. I just think he's angry about losing the mongrel and his mate, and that's why he withdrew his power from me and isn't healing me. It will pass when we return to the pack this afternoon and I let him run free in the forest, as he likes.
I'm happy thinking about my pup, the future Alpha yet to be born. The pack will take our miracle as the fulfillment of the prophecy of the Alpha King of Alphas, born from an unmarked female, with pure Alpha blood in his veins, the blessing for the land and for our race. My wolf will yield when he recognizes our pup, and everything will be fine. I will be the next Alpha King, father of the prophesied one; everything is as it should be.
I hear Sissney talking to my mother; they are preparing the full moon ball. We will have my Alpha ascension ceremony, and when the moon is at its peak splendor, I will claim her as mine—my mate and my Luna—before all the Alphas and elite members of the continent's packs, just as my love always wanted. All supplies, decorations, and trousseaus have already been mailed to the pack; everything is ready.