Mazelina
Mazelina
Ironmaw, I swear every misfit reject from the other packs above is in Ironmaw. They know how to party, and I’ve been to werehyena parties. Ironmaw kills it every time.
But you never stay at the party long. These guys are maniacs. They love sex and violence and, above all, get completely annihilated on drugs and alcohol.
And for the record, it takes triple the amount of human alcohol and drug intake to get shifters drunk. Imagine a half-human with all our strength and no inhibitions.
I felt like showering a hundred times a day for a week after visiting them. But it was one hell of a way to lose my virginity. I did it out of spite of my father. I was Nineteen and concluded that I would never find my mate, not with this lie hanging over my head, so I got high and with some random guy.
“Two Maze. Two random guys and it was the best night of our lives”, I shake my head.
“Samara, you are going to get us in trouble one day”
“Ha! Says you. I had complete control of us.”
“Are you okay?” Mom asks.
“Fine. Just wondering if anyone from Ironmaw will attend tonight.” I glance at her through the mirror as I apply the last of my mascara to my lashes. She visibly shivers.
“I told your father I didn’t want you going to that horrible pack, but he insisted.” She recalls.
I know she didn’t have a great time when she was young. It’s a rite of passage, so to speak, to go to each pack to find a mate, except for the King’s.
Mom places her hands on my shoulders and gently squeezes. “I’m so glad you didn’t find your mate there. I don’t know what I would have done.” She looks away, but her body is tense with remembering her time visiting Ironmaw.
It’s not something she will ever talk about, not even to me, but I can hazard a guess about what happened to her. Coincidentally, my father was visiting them the same night, and she will only talk about how she met Dad and how their eyes locked and right there they knew they were mates.
Sounds romantic, right? I bet that’s a lie. Our entire family’s foundation is built on secrets.
“Maze! What is taking you so long, child!” Dad yells from downstairs, Mom and I look at each other, hearing the frustration in his voice.
Tonight, Dad is escorting me to The Moon King Pack. Usually, you aren’t allowed to visit unless it’s for official pack business.
One time as a family, we went to the King’s on official pack business. We had the worst time. Everyone was horrible to us, including the staff. We weren’t allowed in certain areas of the territory and every pure blood made damn sure we knew about it.
You only have free rein of the place if you are Pure. My father, of course, is pure and could go anywhere he wanted, and he was proud as punch that he was pure. Made sure his family was aware of how important he was. It was all for show, of course. I was eight. It still hurt for a long time.
Interesting fact of the Kings, most of the Alphas are from the King Pack, however, the Luna’s must be Pure to run The Moon Kings.
King Alpha’s like my father can find their Luna outside of their pack, they just can’t be Alpha for Kings. Which is why he’s Alpha of the Sentinels.No Alphas have ever found a Luna in Ironmaw, not that any of them would ever say, I’m pretty sure the Alphas killed the females of Ironmaw when they found their mate. At least that’s what I’ve heard.
Right now, the King Pack is low on females, and they have cordially invited all the mateless females from all the packs to join the Mating Ritual.
Can you tell how much I’m jumping for joy here?
I am all for not going. They’re a bunch of gloating purebred assholes. Why on earth do they want to sully their pack with half-bloods is beyond me, I mean how the hell are half-bloods meant to get around when they aren’t allowed entry to 80% of the territory??
“She will be down in a minute, Reade.” Mom yells. She grins. “You look beautiful.” She says softly, kissing the back of my head.
I stare at myself in the mirror. I’ve left my hair platinum with large black stripes through it. Dad didn’t want me to be too noticeably different, but seeing as everyone dyes their hair these days, I can get away with it. From the time I could change my appearance, I have kept my eyes dark blue, rather than my pale sky-blue eyes. To cheer me up, I’ve given myself a light bronze glow all over my body.
One day I won’t have to hide, but I wonder if I’ll ever get used to it. Since I was a child, I’ve always covered my natural appearance. It would be weird to not do it.
I remember asking gran why no one in my family looks like me. She said the power only lies with the female gene as long as there is a female white wolf in the bloodline. Her theory of why it skipped generations is because of the extinction of the white wolf. She believes the Gods and goddesses are punishing us.
I wonder if she was clairvoyant. She said that the Gods and goddesses will one day stop giving them white wolves. I feel like that might be a blessing.
Right now, I’m praying that I won’t end up mated to a King.
Turning from the mirror, I beg one last time, “Mom, I don’t want to go. I could do so much good here with my gifts. I don’t need a mate. Goddess helps me if he turns out to be a king.”
She laughs, “Honey, don’t forget your father’s a king.”
“No, he isn’t. He’s Sentinel,” I say stubbornly.
She looks down at me sadly. “I know you don’t want to go, honey. You are as stubborn as your father.”
“I’m not being stubborn and father’s more willful than stubborn.”
“Either way, he won’t let you counsel his members, and he most definitely won’t allow you to use your powers, and we both understand why. He is Alpha and what he says is the law.”
“Maybe I’ll leave. Find a pack that will accept me”
She caresses my hair soothingly, “Maze, you are accepted here.” I grunt at that, “I know you can’t walk out the door without making these changes.” she waves her hand in the air towards me, and she smiles suddenly, “Maybe you’ll find your mate tonight and won’t have to worry about this nonsense anymore.”
I snort nonsense. It’s only my life, my body, after all. I give her my best puppy wolf eyes, but she only smiles at me knowingly. “Fine, you win. But I’m only going for you.”
She chuckles, “You are as stubborn and willful as your father, child.”
We both giggle as we make our way downstairs. Dad is waiting impatiently at the bottom of the stairs. Pacing in his classic black suit, he looks up and does a double take. “Wow Maze, you have outdone yourself this evening. I’m sure you will find your mate tonight.”
I roll my eyes, “Mates aren’t matched because of looks, Dad, you know that.”
And considering he purchased this dress; he shouldn’t be surprised at how it looks. It’s a sapphire strapless gown, why they make us dress like this is beyond me, but with my hair tied into a French braid side bun, my bangs swept to the side, making the black and white colour sleeker and chicer, I guess I look very good tonight.
I give myself one last look in the foyer mirror. I’ve gone with a soft Smokey dark shadow to make my dark blue eyes pop with the sapphire dress. I look great, but it’s not the real me. But I keep my smile in place, not wanting to further disappoint anyone else tonight.
“I don’t know about that. The first time I saw your Mother I choked on my tongue. She’s so beautiful.” He caresses her cheek. “Even more beautiful today.” They gaze into each other’s eyes like they’re alone in the room.
My brothers Blaze and Aries both start making gagging sounds, making me laugh. “Are you two coming as well?”
“Bodyguards.” Blaze answers. My baby bro found his mate without even trying. He and Alice both turned eighteen on the same day. They’ve been attached to the hip since birth and have been best friends ever since.
On their eighteenth birthday, Blaze drove over to her place to pick her up and go to school together like usual and when she opened her front door, Blaze said it was like a big boom went off inside his head and heart and now they’re mates for life, they just got married for human purposes, mating is marriage in our world but they wanted to make sure it was legal in all ways possible.
Aries still hasn’t found his mate. Not that he’s looking, he’s refused to go to any of these stupid events and Dad doesn’t seem to care in the slightest. Until the preparation for Alpha begins, Aries can do what he likes.
I smirk at Aries. “Finally, you have to attend one of these shindigs, hey.” I giggle at his glare and shrug, “Maybe you’ll find the one.” I waggle my eyebrows, emphasizing on the one Blaze howls with laughter as Aries storms out the door.
“I’ll be in the car,” he growls.
“We are so going to have fun with him tonight,” Sam adds.
“You shouldn’t antagonize your brother like that.” Dad scolds. I roll my eyes.
“I hope he finds someone, too. He’s always so lonely.” Mom looks out the door sadly. Dad gives her a quick hug. “Beta Broddi will be here with you tonight.”
Mom scowls. “I am quite capable.”
He stops her with a kiss. “I know, my love. It’s not for you, it’s for me and my peace of mind.”
Mom all but melts on the spot. “Very well. Be safe all of you and be kind to Aries, you two.” she shakes her finger at Blaze and me. We both laugh as we walk out the door.
Mazelina It’s been a long time since I was here at The Moon King Pack, and it hasn’t changed much. Each pack has thousands of wolves, except for Lonecrest, NightStar and, of course, Ironmaw, who have under a thousand wolves in each pack. To say that it was a shock to hear The Kings have a female shortage is an understatement, considering the pack contains over 5000 men, women, and children. Funny how they send the halfers to the back of the lands instead of the front entrance. It’s a long trek to get to this ridiculously over-the-top tent. They still don’t want us sullying their territory and yet they want our women. I roll my eyes. Maybe Gran really was clairvoyant, maybe the Gods and Goddess are punishing the Moon King’s. “If you continue rolling your eyes, you’re going to make us dizzy,” Sam chuckles. I take a piece of fruit from the largest fruit platter I’ve ever seen in my life, more like a fruit friggin’ table. “Do these people take notes from television series or what?
Mazelina Course after course arrives from oversized plates of meat to vegetables, nuts, and fruit. “There’s so much food,” Sam says with sorrow in her voice. “I know and I bet this will all just go to waste.” “I know what you and your wolf are thinking,” Blaze chuckles, “And I agree it is a great waste of food.” Still, we all eat because heaven forbid that anyone insults Alpha Gaius or the King’s. In between meals, Alpha Gaius addresses us, with the usual ho-hum of speeches, ritual poems, and performances. I try to prolong dessert, but of course, time gives me no mercy and speeds up. Usually, Blaze escorts me, but tonight Dad has decided it’s his turn. Blaze gives me an apologetic look. Guess I have no choice but to go on this archaic mating hunt. I look around and find there are five groups just like ours and we are all escorted to the edge of the forest. The forest looks dark and foreboding, just the way I like it. To humans, it would be a nightmare, but to creatures like u
Mazelina“What is the meaning of this!” Dad shouts, “You cannot force my daughter to accept your son!” he continues to my surprise. Dad has always pushed me to go to these events and now??My head is spinning. I found my mate…… I repeat it over and over in my head because it’s just so unbelievable. “I will force no one to do anything they don’t want to do,” Gaius says calmly. They continue to argue back and forth.I feel like I’m at a terrible tennis match mixed with terrible political dialogue and all of it is at my expense. I can feel myself vibrate with anger. If they continue, Samara might shift on me, and we’ll all be in trouble.“Come with me.” Rush whispers. His scent washes over me and instantly calms us down.I gaze up at him. I’m not sure if I should be alone with him. Samara is utterly unhelpful; she’s totally blissed out, drunk on his scent.Goddess, she is even loving the fact that he hasn’t let go of our hand. She loves how his breath tickles our neck and his scent. Jes
Mazelina “Is that true?” I ask, suspicious of both of them. “It is,” Blaze says. “Alpha Gaius told us of his plan. The problem is they will never accept you as Luna and Alpha Gaius know it. They will ridicule you every single day for the rest of your life under the King Pack or worse, they’ll kill you. I don’t know what Gaius is playing at, but we will not allow this.” Dad’s shoulders slump. “They killed my first mate here.” Both Blaze and I look at Dad in shock. “What?” “Before your mother, I had a mate. My father changed the law like Alpha Gaius is attempting to do now. My father wanted me to be Alpha to the King Pack. I was the only male, and my father did not want to lose the Alpha line over an outdated law. But no one accepted my half-blood mate as Luna. It became a constant battle for months. Instead of being Alpha and doing pack business, I was fighting for her acceptance. I had to have three warriors with her at all times.” He looks away in shame. “It was a little over a y
Rush Kali takes Mazelina to her room right away. The pull between us is so strong I feel the need to go to my mate, to be alone with her. I know she’s confused. I can feel it, taste it all around her. Somehow, I have to convince her to not reject me. “RUSH!” Dad thumps his fist on the table. I look up, surprised that we’re the only two left. The library is one of my two favourite places to go for privacy, it’s why I bought her here. No one really comes in here. “Where did Alpha Eric go?” “To his rooms. You haven’t heard a word I’ve said, have you?” he rubs his chin painstakingly, “You must persuade her she belongs here”. “Why is this so important to you, Dad?” “Are you questioning your Alpha?” he growls, his Alpha tone making me almost buckle at the knees. “Of course, not Alpha. I’m just surprised. The Pack Law says.” “I say.” He stands thumping his chest with his fist, “I say what is the Law, not you, not The Guardians. You will convince the shiftless bitch to stay. You will ma
Rush I’ve been awake since dawn, pacing in my room. “Calm down” Bain complains. “I just want everything to be perfect”. “We have arranged everything. If you keep this up, you’re going to give us a heart attack before our mate gets to-” he stops mid-sentence. “She’s awake!” we both say at once. I race to my door and open it as she closes her own door, she’s so beautiful, her hair is all black today, she’s wearing a blue summer dress with white polka dots all over, a white belt cinched at her waist and a soft white cashmere sweater and the same shade of blue, heels. Last night she was in flats, making her chest height to me. Today she’s a foot taller. She twirls around, clutching her hand to her chest. “Goddess, you scared me.” “I’m sorry.” I stammer. My heart is racing a million miles an hour. Her deep blue eyes sparkle with amusement. She’s so damn beautiful. “Come on Rush, quick, say something, you’re making a fool of us”, a wave of peace flows through me, I smile, “Told yo
Mazelina Despite our little tiff yesterday, I still ended up in Rush’s bed. It was the best night’s sleep I’ve ever had, no nightmares, no waking in the middle of the night wondering if The Guardians had finally found me or tried to murder me. Just peaceful, sweet, blissful dreams. “Good morning, Beautiful.” Rush kisses the side of my head, “I feel like I can conquer the world.” he grins. “Please don’t be one of those wolves.” I throw my hand across my face. “What wolf?” “The one that wakes cheerfully. I can’t deal with that too.” “Too?” “Well, you’re hot, you’re sweet and now you’re god damn cheerful.” He laughs full-throated, “I’m not usually cheerful. I just had the most incredible restful sleep, plus I woke up with you beside me.” He leans in and kisses me on the lips. I turn away before it gets too deep. “We don’t want to upset your cheerful morning, with morning breath.” I laugh at his puzzled expression. “Who the fuck cares about morning breath?” he takes my chin and
Mazelina After a couple of hours of exploring this great city, we find ourselves at The Market Place. There’s everything you can think of: fruit, vegetables, so many varieties of meat and fish, sweets, clothing, jewellery, and homewares. Everything looks beautiful, not a stain or speck of dirt or stone out of place. So far, I’ve brought Daria, Alice, and Mom gifts. Maybe I should get something for Rush, for being so lovely, even if this place is strange. “It’s so clean,” I whisper to Blaze. “I feel like we’re in Gran’s house.” he chuckles, and I nod. Gran loved her stories, but boy, was she strict! Only toys are allowed in the toy room. We could dirty that room as much as we wanted, but if we even spilled a speck of anything into another room or any other part of the house, she would have a fit before spanking the crap out of us. I remember when Aries raced his matchbox car across the rosewood coffee table. I shudder internally. He got an ass whooping so badly he couldn’t sit d