Alpha's Arbitrium

Chapter 4 ~ Surprise!

I stood there. I just stood there, with my mouth stretched open for millions of miles. That picture. It was a picture of a blond woman, silently shifting into wolf form, and my dad stood next to her, with a proud smile. That's not my mom is it? Please be a no. I turned to my mom only to see her walk out the door with her face covered. Well that "exploring" went well. I rolled my eyes and ran after her. She had stopped outside the house, and I took her hand in mine, and gently smiled, letting her know that it's all ok. She smiled back, but that smile was soon wiped off her face as if it hadn't been there to start with. I sighed, and took a deep breath. It was going to be a long conversation I'm guessing. Ever since my dad had me locked up in that room away from my mom, I'd always imagine how our first conversation would go, if it ever truly happened. And none of which were similar to what this one was going to be. At all.
"Mom? Is this picture of you?" I started, with a teasing grin. She looked at me and giggled.
"It is me. There's a lot of things you don't know about Aria. Many of which I wanted to shield you from forever," she began. "This topic is one of them." She stared glumly at the grass, and sat down. I sat down next to her.
"So? What's the wolf doing there? Is it Photoshop or something?" Yeah, that was a dumb example. But I couldn't think of any other way to put it. I mean, there must be some sort of a logical explanation.
"Aria, this is going to sound crazy, and you're going to think I'm demented. But I'm a wolf, Aria. So was your father," she took a deep breath. "And so are you." Not so logical now is it?
"Why didn't you tell me about this earlier? Why'd you keep it from me?" I wrapped the grass around my index finger.
"I just wanted you to live a normal life. I didn't want you to live with the harshness that I had to put up. There are a lot of things about werewolves that aren't the easiest to handle, Aria. I think this time is as good as ever to tell you about who you really are, don't you think?" She grinned, and I smiled. Why not? Keep it coming.
"So?" I asked impatiently.
"Well, let's start with basic shifting, how I change from human to wolf, or from wolf to human. When I was thirteen, at about your age, my mom woke me up for school. It was really early in the morning, and I wasn't an early bird. I decided to take a shower that day. And when I looked in the mirror, I saw my wolf fur, and almost screamed my lungs out. My mom eventually came and explained that at a certain age, I become a werewolf that can shift, and that I'd master that later. It took me a while, but I learned how to do it. I went to a special werewolf school, and I was taught how to shift forms. And from that day on, I loved being a werewolf. And sometimes, the color of your fur means something special." She winked at me, and I stared thoughtfully at my hand. Let me get this straight. I'm a werewolf?! Ok, much better.
"So how did you and dad meet? Ignoring the fur color thing which I'm entirely sure what you mean by that." She chuckled, and squeezed my hand in between hers.
"Well, this is getting to lean towards romance. Wolf-way. So do you know how some animals have a mating season to produce offspring?" She asked. I cocked one eyebrow up at her, and nodded.
"Well, werewolves are sort of similar. Instead of having boyfriends and girlfriends, werewolves have 'mates.' Mates are your lifelong soul mates, who you live the rest of your life with."
"So like a wife or a husband?" I asked. She nodded.
"Just like that. Except, mates are bonded by a special feeling. Once you get near your mate, you feel a special bonding that attracts you to them. A male finds his mate at around sixteen. Most of the time, it's by sense of smell, since werewolves have a tremendous power of smell. Females, on the other hand, will only find out if her mate touches her. If she feels an electric shock, with a better feeling of course, she automatically knows that's her mate. Once you find your mate, you are to live with them in the pack house."
"What's a pack house?"
"It's where the pack of wolves live. They all live together in the same house," she replied. Whoa, personal privacy.
"Anyhow," she continued, "once you find your mate, the male wolf has to mark his mate. He basically bites you on your neck, letting everyone know that you're taken as his mate. Once you've been marked, you can have offspring, and so on." She ended with a long sigh, as if a burden had been taken off of her shoulders. Which technically it has, but only half way.
"So what if a mate doesn't like his mate? Then what happens?" I questioned. My mom got a flicker of sorrow in her eyes, but quickly hid it again.
"Then the mates can reject each other, by basically saying the mate's name and 'I reject you.' That way they dot have to live together, but usually the mates never find a partner, since every wolf has a mate. Unless they find a human partner, which is complicated. And in special cases, and werewolf and a human can be mates!" Weird.
"But I still don't get it. How did you and dad become, a thing?" I asked with uncertainty.
"Well, for starters, let me say, my blond hair and perfect hair can catch any guy," she said giggling. I laughed. Of course she would. She's so frickin' pretty! In contrast, I looked nothing like her. I had peach-blond hair up to my hips, and my eyes were a dull blue. I didn't have freckles, I had "clear skin" as my old friends used to say. I was about average height, and wasn't really strong in particular. Not to mention very un-athletic, if that's a real word.
"But really and truly, how did you guys get together? You were mates, right?" I questioned.
"Not exactly. When I said that a mate is a lifelong soul mate who will love you unconditionally, I also mentioned rejecting a mate. Usually, you start shifting at thirteen, and you find your mate when either of you turns sixteen. Sometimes, you can be a late bloomer, and will be later than most wolves. So when your dad turned eighteen, he found his mate. Or rather, his mate found him. Her name was Vanessa Alex. She was the cutest little girl, and she was as pretty as heck, too. Your father, however, rejected her, and from that day on, I hung out with him more. One day, he invited me to a cafe his dad owned. It was the grand opening after being rebuilt. So we ordered a drink and a pastry, and when I was eating my pastry, I found a metal ring inside. Or at least I thought it was. Turns out, it was a diamond studded ring with a gold outline. He asked me if I'd become his girlfriend that day, and I agreed." Wow, there's a lesson learned from that one.
"So is dating someone who is not your mate always end in a bad way?" I asked again. She shook her head.
"No, sometimes there will be troubles, since your mate will love you more than anything no matter what. But other times, no problems will be encountered. Your dad- he was always, and tempered person. His family and friends told me that after our wedding. It was too late to cancel it, and I couldn't divorce him immediately. I just decided to go along with it. I guess I shouldn't have done that, should I?" She laughed nervously, and I can see the hurt in her eyes. So, I decided to change the subject.
"So when will I go to school? And will there be werewolves?"
"When do you want to go to school? And do you want there to be wolves?"
I sat thoughtfully for a moment, then nodded eagerly.
"I want to go to school soon, and yes, have there be werewolves." I grinned.
"Well then, it's all set," she replied, as she stood up.
"Aria Lynn, you are going to Blue Moon High. And I'm going to be in contact with your principal," she stated.
"Yes ma'am!" I confirmed, as I raised my hand to my forehead and saluted her. We both erupt into fresh perks of laughter.
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Hi everyone!
I hope you're enjoying my book so far, and that everything is going well. XD

EARLY UPDATE!! (Don't think this is going to be my usual style. With high school, things are going to get messy.)

Sorry the chapter seemed so boring. Not much happening. The next chapter may or may not have some good information ;)

*Please note: This chapter is not edited, and may contain some errors*

So Aria's parents' relationship?
Any thoughts on how Aria's mate might turn out?

Thanks for keeping up with me everyone ;)
Have a great day/night!
~Twilight