Chapter 70

Zara

My aunt, Tabitha, had answers for us. Once she finally stopped laughing. It turned out that Lycans often didn’t shift until they took their first bond. It was quite the experience.

Running with my mates, all of us in wolf form, was something I would never forget. I made sure to do it as often as I could convince them to join me. It never took much more than a grin and a raised eyebrow. Lucian and Kieran loved indulging me in every possible way.

Over the following days, I learned a lot about myself, and my kindred, the Lycans. I learned that there were few of us left; my clan and two others were the only ones Tabitha was certain of.

I learned that I had not been an accident, as my father always claimed. My mother had sought him out, as the most compatible of all her possible bondmates, in the hopes of bringing the werewolves and the Lycans together as one people, the way we had been before the Barrier separated us.

My father had accepted her into his bed, but refused to form a bond. She left, only to find herself pregnant. She carried me among her kindred, but for reasons known only to her, fled to the werewolf lands to hand me off to my father’s pack.

Tabitha didn’t know exactly what had made my mother make that choice.

“Danielle was always guided by the moon’s whim,” Tabitha explained. “She was certain her path was the only one she could walk, even though it claimed her life so young. She was certain that you, her daughter, would be the link between our worlds. Maybe she was right, who knows? I’m only glad we’ve finally found you.”

Lucian, Kieran and I made plans with her to visit the rest of my Lycan family. Sandra promised to keep the pack lands in one piece while we were gone. And she did a fine job. Lucian knew how to choose a beta.

Lucian and Kieran stabilized after we bonded. Kieran’s nightmares faded, and soon he stopped hearing the voices. When Tabitha learned what had happened to their original pack, and the guilt Kieran carried, she suggested he speak to one of the Lycan healers, one who specialized in wounds of the mind and soul. Kieran accepted the offer, and slowly began to heal. Lucian was more hesitant, but he did agree to speak to the healer at least once. His headaches faded over time, and his wolf never again took full control of him. He eventually managed to forgive his brother for his part in what happened to their parents. He had been a child, after all. It took longer for Lucian to forgive himself. He would get there eventually, with my support and Kieran’s, and he would always have that.

Over time, things began to change among the werewolves. The return of the Lycan sent a thrill through the packs. Trade and alliances began to bloom in place of Challenges and skirmishes on the border. No one wanted to look like squabbling monsters in comparison to our peaceful, powerful counterparts.

One major difference between the Lycan and the werewolves was that the Lycan were matriarchal. Instead of a Luna, submissive partner to my Alphas, I was a Queen, with Alpha consorts. And I learned from my Aunt and my many new cousins that I was, eventually, expected to choose more bondmates. Polyandry was common, even expected, for the more powerful Lycan. And my mother had been convicted that I would turn out to be one of the most powerful of all our kin.

I don’t know if she was right, but I suppose someday I’ll learn.

When I talked about that to Lucian and Kieran, I expected they would be upset. Keiran teased me cheerfully about building a harem. Lucian, though, became thoughtful.

“You know,” he said, “I’ve been thinking about forming new alliances, perhaps with Gregor’s pack, to stabilize our connection to the human territories. His Alpha is young, and I’m told he’s attractive.”

“Yes, and?” I asked.

“And, you do object strongly to claiming packs by murdering their Alphas, right?” Lucian asked.

I nodded. “I’d really, really rather you not ever do that again.”

“Then, perhaps there’s another way to add their land and strength to ours. Say, through an alliance. Or, through a bonding.”

“You want me to court their Alpha?” I yelped.

“Well, first be sure he’s compatible,” Lucian said. “But you heard your aunt. It’s expected. And isn’t this a better way?”

“I… I’ll think about it,” I said.

I thought about it. And then I sent a letter to the Alpha through his beta, Gregor, who seemed very excited at the possibility of our packs joining. Personally, I think he hoped for the opportunity to court Sandra. I wished him luck.

Closer to home, there were some loose ends to deal with. Namely my former fiance, Adrian, my half-sister Chloe, and my step-mother, Charlotte. Chloe had after all tried to murder me, and Adrian tried to force me to bond. Charlotte wasn’t technically guilty of any crime, but her only reason to remain with the pack was her daughter. If Chloe was executed or banished, we’d have to deal with Charlotte, too.

In the end, Charlotte suggested she return to her birth pack, and take her daughter with her. We allowed it, on her word that neither of them would ever return. Adrian was offered the chance to go with them, but he chose execution instead.

Lucian carried out the sentence. I didn’t attend. I thought I would feel something, the last vestiges of our mate bond fading out. Kieran held me close in anticipation of it. But I felt nothing but a distant wistfulness, and that was probably in my own mind. My wolf didn’t seem to care at all. She was too interested in the scent of several new Alphas who had come to visit.

In place of a Mate Ball, Kieran and Lucian hosted an Alliance Ball. Instead of she-wolves dressing their best and primping and prepping for weeks to present themselves to the Alphas in hopes of becoming someone’s mate, Alphas came to present themselves to me, and to Lucian and Kieran.

Alliances were forged, some through the promise of bonds and some through mutual benefit and negotiation.

Not everything was perfect, of course. There were still the Rogues to contend with, and some of the older Alphas refused to even consider the new ways. Alpha Silvestre remained a thorn in our side.

Still, there was good news. The Lycan found compatible bondmates among the packs. And I soon found myself ready to add to our dwindling numbers. I wasn’t sure whether the pup was Kieran’s or Lucian’s, but we were all excited to meet them.

Tabitha taught me the history of my people, and instructed me through my first hesitant use of magic. The first spell she taught me was the one that let me keep my clothing when I shifted. That was a relief. I’d never quite gotten used to being naked in public, the way the werewolves did.

I learned to heal, and to weave the magics which allowed the Lycan to walk freely among the humans, invisible to them and yet a part of their society.

Someday, maybe, the Barrier would come down. Someday, the humans would join our world and we would join theirs. I thought that day might come soon. Their technology grew by leaps and bounds, and eventually the Barrier would not be enough to keep us hidden.

I wasn’t afraid, though. The humans weren’t our enemies. They were just different. We could learn from each other. Or we could destroy each other. But I chose to be optimistic.

I had my mates. I had my pack. Now, I had my family and my answers. I could face anything that the future held.

For the first time in my life, I belonged. It was a strange feeling. Strange, but good. I wasn’t a mistake, a half-blood foundling abandoned on my father’s doorstep. I was a Lycan, a Queen, and a were-wolf. I had my mates, I would soon have my child, and at long last I knew who I was.