Half of You

Lemon Cakes and Losses - Twelve

The Alpha and Luna's desk is crafted for two. Rather than a single seat in the middle, there is one on either side, so that they each hold equal space. It's antique, finished pine, with Redfawn's crest carved on the front and two sides. By expert hands it seems. There's just as much detail, if not more, than the crests carved on either side of the packhouse entrance.

They wear different clothes than the ones at training. The Luna is dressed in a soft pink dress with tendrils of light purple licking down the shoulders and onto the torso, her hair pulled up tight. Little diamond studs shine from her ears. The Alpha wears a light grey shirt that's rolled up at the elbows and denim jeans.

The Luna's eyes glance over her son, then me next. Her grey gaze is intent, watchful, like the Moon the other night. The Alpha doesn't hide his curiosity as he takes us in as a pair.

"Is there something you needed to discuss son?" His voice is a mix between a father casually talking to his child, and an Alpha asking a question and expecting an answer. Olive colored drapes are pulled aside so that glittering sunlight can stream through the window behind the desk.

"Yes, actually." Payne says with an apprehensive smile on his face. "Do you remember the question I asked you? The night everyone arrived back from Deadpaw?"

"I do." He glances at me. I immediately look at Payne, wanting to know what question he's talking about, and how it relates to right now.

"It was Thea. I don't know how but - she's my mate too." That too at the end just seems a twinge uncomfortable for him to say. I can't help but feel the same way. Why couldn't we have skipped all of the hurt and just found each other first? Matias, well, he was just like Kassidy said, and Payne's mate.. she just might be the same. But that was their loss.

The silence that follows makes my palms sweat, all of us looking between each other. I'm nervous for what they're going to say, because I know how ridiculous it sounds. I'm not sure I would even believe it if I didn't feel it pulsing through all of my being.

"Are you sure son? I've never heard of that happening before. How does a wolf even have two mates?" The Alpha is not subtle with his doubt. I don't blame him. I don't say anything, not when Payne looks at him so seriously.

"I know without a doubt. Every fiber in my being screams that it is so." His father nods like he believes us, but at the same time, can't comprehend how it's true. The Luna leads forward, crossing her hands over the top of the desk that is meticulously clean. She looks between us, and it's not only my eyes that go to her.

"That makes sense." A look that starts with Payne and ends with me. "I have heard of something similar before." My brows press together on my forehead. In all of my history lessons, in all of the talking that the elders did about mates, I had never heard of such a scenario. There were times where a mate would die, and the surviving one would eventually remate. Or wolves that never found mates would choose a suitable suitor and mark them. But never a case of a wolf having more than one true mate bond. At least not that I have been told about.

"When? Is there a book on it? We were going to try and find information about similar things happening. To see if it would help us understand." Payne clarifies, watching his mom. One of her thumbs rubs back and forth over her pointer finger as she looks at us for a moment.

"No books, no. But it was one of our ancestors." Payne says what I was thinking, "Which one?"

"Sursh." I remember the lake, with all of it's beautiful flowering plants and tiny fish, the way the Moon reflects off of the surface. A wonder of nature.

I'm the one who speaks next. "Sursh from the lake?" I try to make connections, I want to understand the history here. Especially if I'm to be Payne's mate. And with that thought, it hits me like a train. If I'm Payne's mate, then that makes me.. future Luna. I don't know if I'm good enough for that kind of position. I don't know how I could ever compare to the woman before me now.