Chapter 43 43
Chapter 4 – Something Great
I stepped outside the tents, away from the festivities for some air. The music was still playing, and the dancing continued. I needed to figure out what to do, and some time to think.
My fingers pressed over my kiss swollen lips. That was the best kiss of my life, but he did it in front of everyone. He did it with such possessiveness, there would be no doubt if I claimed he is my mate.
“What should we do?” I asked my wolf.
“He’s a strong Alpha, and would make a good mate,” she replied. Azura had yet to meet his wolf, but I knew she wanted to see me happy. It would take time for any wolf to win her trust, which was understandable.
Would I be able to let my family believe Santino was my mate? I wasn’t obligated to clarify if he was my fated mate or chosen mate. What difference would it make at this point? Everything I had done, I had done to protect them from the hurt and disappointment.
The sound of heavy footsteps approached me, and I turned to find the cold gray eyes of Alpha Aleksei Volkov. The infamous uncle from Russia that Aleksei was named after.
“I didn’t mean to startle you,” he apologized. “Alpha Volkov,” I nodded my head.
“Anabeth, my nephew confided the truth in me months ago. I know what happened.”
“Are you here to change my mind or tell my parents?”
“I have no intention of telling anyone.” He continued in his thick Russian accent. “I do not blame you for your decision. My nephew was foolish and must live with the consequences. Whether or not Alpha Santino is your second chance mate or chosen mate is of no concern to anyone but you.”
“I see.”
“If he is a choice, I want you to be sure of your choice. Aleksei will be returning to Russia with me for a while. It is my plan to find him a suitable chosen mate, everyone will naturally assume she is his fated mate. It is best for our families if the secret remains a secret.”
“He may still be granted a second chance mate. I was the one who spoke the words of rejection first.”
“It was his actions that warranted the rejection. If the Moon Goddess takes pity on anyone, it would be you. You kept a painful secret to protect all the families involved. If anyone deserves a second chance mate, it’s you.”
“You speak with certainty.”
“I do. Against my better judgment, I was forced to deny my first mate. My father wanted me to mate with the daughter of another Alpha.”
“He made you reject your first mate?” In our world, it was dishonorable to interfere with the wishes of the Moon Goddess.
“Dah,” he nodded yes with his head. “Kazimir is the youngest and was lucky to leave when he did, our father had plans for him as well.”
“That’s terrible.” As meddlesome as my mother could be, she respected the mate bond.
“My mate spoke the words of rejection and freed me from the bond… it felt like a piece of my heart died that day.” He paused for a moment. “Three years later, she found her second chance mate. I had selected a chosen mate, the daughter of an Alpha, and my father was happy. Despite all the attempts, we were only able to conceive one pup. A daughter who cannot be an heir.”
“Why can’t she be an heir? She’s the product of two Alpha parents. Some female Alphas are strong enough,” I fumed.
“Perhaps…” he considered me. “But it is not the way of our world. A female Alpha would constantly be challenged by dominant males.”
“I wish Aleksei all the best, but I will not change my mind.”
“Change her mind about what?” My brother Damien asked as he approached us.
“I was telling Anabeth she should consider a trip to Russia. We have an intense training regimen, she would enjoy training with our warriors.”
“Thank you again for the offer, Alpha Volkov. Now that I have found my mate, I’m afraid I’ll be making a trip to Italy soon.” I smiled what I hoped was a convincing smile.
“Yes, of course. The Moon Goddess has certainly blessed Alpha Russo with a gem.” Alpha Volkov nodded his head before he returned to the party.
“So, it’s true!” Damien said.
“Is mom making a big deal about it already?”
“She already has Papa Diesel and Uncle Ranger talking to him.”
“Why didn’t dad stop her!” I whirled around and made my way back towards the tents.
“It was his turn to dance with Anya. You know how mom gets,” he let out a hearty laugh.
I returned to the party and Leona rushed to me. At just seventeen, she was already dreaming of finding her mate next year. Though I hoped for Uncle Hades’ sake it would be a few more years. She was the apple of his eye, and he would have a hard time giving her up.
“Is it true? Is that hunk of an Alpha really your mate? Oh Goddess, he’s gorgeous!” She could hardly control herself.
I felt his arm snake around my waist and his body pressed possessively against me.
“Are you going to answer her, or should I?” He asked as he pressed a soft kiss to my bare shoulder.
I could feel the heat rising in my face. All I could do was nod and smile.
The sound of traditional Greek instruments filled the air, and the bouzouki played a familiar tune. We turned our
attention to the dance floor as Kyros moved to the center. He placed his wine goblet on the ground, stretched out his arms, and started to perform a Zeibekiko dance.
All the male members of my Greek family knelt on one knee, in a circle around Kyros as he danced. They clapped along to the rhythm of the music. My father was flanked by his Beta Niko and his Gamma Alec. Damien, Lukas, and Angelo knelt with my Kappas cousins, Leonidas, Lykos, and Leandros. Uncle Hades and Ninos joined in on the fun as did my other cousins from LaRue packs who were part Greek.
There was something special about the bouzouki. The beloved instrument produced such dynamic and uniquely Greek music that it called to every person with Greek blood pulsing in their veins. I watched as everyone continued to clap along while Kyros twisted, turned, and kicked his feet up in a rhythmic pattern of dance.
Seeing all their faces in this moment of joy and celebration warmed my heart. I love my family. Sure, they were loud, intrusive, and overbearing at times, but they were mine. The idea of leaving my home both scared and excited me, but it was time.
I leaned back into Santino as he held me tighter to him. Something about Italy felt right, and I owed it to myself and my wolf to find out.
It was early in the morning when I heard the rustling noises in my room. My eyes shot open, and I found my mother rolling in two large suitcases. Scratching my head, I was certain I had locked the door last night. One thing was for sure - I was going to miss her, but not her constant intrusions.
“I can’t believe it’s finally happening,” she choked back a sob.
“Is she finally awake?” Thea asked following her into the room.
“You know, this was my room when I lived here,” Aunt Odessa said wistfully. “I can’t believe it will be vacant again!”
“Mom, what are you doing in here so early?”
“Alpha Russo is downstairs with your father, grandfather, and uncles,” mom practically sang.
“And your brothers, a few cousins… oh and my mate,” Thea gave me an apologetic look. “It’s going to be great having you in Italy. Of course, we’re in Sicily, and you’ll be on the mainland, but we can always meet for a girl’s day in one of the cities.”
“Alpha Santino wants to give you some time to settle in and get to know the pack before your Luna ceremony,” my mother chimed as she moved to my closet.
“My what?” I can’t believe this was happening so fast. “Fated mates remember!” Azura reminded me, and she
was right. First mates and second mates wouldn’t be able to
stay away from each other. I needed to remember to play the part.
“Luna ceremony… you know your mate is the Alpha of a pack, right?” Thea laughed.
“Honey, I packed some of Alice’s dresses for you. She obviously won’t be needing them anytime soon, and I doubt
the Alpha will want to see you in training clothes all the time,” my mom continued stuffing the bags.
“I doubt he’ll want to see you in any clothes,” Azura teased.
“How many packs are in Italy?” I asked Thea.
“Three. Dante has the Sicily pack, Alpha Santino Russo has Nightshade pack in northern Tuscany, and his uncle, Alpha Carmine Russo, has Alpine Mist in the far north of the Alps.”
“So, they’re like us! The three packs in Italy are all family packs.”
“Yes, but they’re nothing like the five packs of Greece,” Thea told me. “Dante’s mother was a Russo. Prior to finding her mate with the Sicilian Alpha, the packs had been at war.”
My mother moved to the door just as a knocking sound came. I knew who it was, and I was hoping to avoid this moment. The door was pulled open, and Alice stepped into my room. So few words had been exchanged between the two of us over the last two years and I was thankful.
“May I have a few moments alone with Anabeth?” She asked.
“Of course,” Thea replied, and mom reluctantly left with her. We stood in uncomfortable silence until we were certain she was out of earshot. My brothers often joked mom had sonic hearing.
“Anabeth, I’m so happy you’ve been given a second chance mate…” she started in a low voice.
“I don’t care what makes her happy,” Azura scoffed.
My wolf blamed Alice as much as she blamed Aleksei. If Alice hadn’t been sleeping with our mate, we may have been able to work through it. If Alice had been able to keep her legs closed, things may have been different.
“I never meant to hurt you or Azura—”
“Don’t worry, the secret is still safe with me. Santino knows we’re not first mates, and he has no intention of telling anyone.”
“I’m very sorry, Anabeth. You know I stopped seeing him the second we discovered you were mates.”
“And yet you were the one who was rewarded with your fated mate a few weeks after. The moment he laid eyes on you, he showered you with love and affection. I had to watch you sail away into the sunset with your Alpha mate. Azura was devastated and I had no idea what I had done to deserve it.”
“Nothing. You did nothing,” she pleaded. “It was all me. I should have waited for my mate, but I was stupid.”
“Can’t argue with that,” Azura breathed.
“I need to get ready, is there anything else you needed?” “No. I just wanted to wish you eternal happiness with
Alpha Santino, you deserve it.” She gave me a smile before she turned to leave.
With her relocation to Spain, we had been able to avoid conversations such as these in the last two years. I suppose once she heard the news last night about me finding my
mate, she panicked. Having already found my fated mate, she assumed Alpha Santino was my second chance mate. This would mean I was also his second chance, and he would know I had a fated mate before him.
She was worried about herself and the secret getting out.
An hour later I was showered, packed, and dressed. The dressing part took longer than expected thanks to my fashion crisis. I was far more comfortable in activewear or jeans, saving the dresses for special occasions. But things would be different in Italy now. I had a mate, and I was going to be Luna. I needed to play the part.
I settled on a cream dress with tiny blue flowers and a denim jacket. Of course, the dress wasn’t my biggest obstacle, it was my underwear. Half my underwear drawer was full of boyshort panties and sports bras. The other half was a small variety of cottons and lace. Worried Santino might see my underwear, I opted for the lace. Then I took them off because the thong felt like it was flossing my ass cheeks. I finally settled on simple white cotton panties but kept the white lace bra on.
Get it together Anabeth!
I moved to the door and pulled it open. To my surprise, my grandmother was standing there.
“Grammy,” I smiled.
“Sweetheart, may I come in for a moment?” “Yes, of course,” I stepped back to allow her in.
“It feels like just yesterday Raven was packing her bags and running off to study in Athens,” she smiled. “It nearly
broke your papa’s heart when he lost her to your father.”
“Mom moved around the world. I’m only going to be a two-hour flight away.” I wasn’t sure if I was trying to convince her or myself. The thought of leaving my father cut me deep.
“You are going to be a fantastic Luna, Anabeth. A Luna is just as important as the Alpha you know. Without her, he is nothing,” she said as she considered something deep in thought.
“Thank you, Grammy. I don’t think I’ve ever imagined myself becoming a Luna.” Probably because I had been so infatuated with Aleksei and thought I’d be moving to my cousin’s pack.
“When you shifted two years ago, Lia could sense how strong your wolf was. You’re the first Theodorus female to take the large shape of the Theodorus Alpha and you’re elemental. I thought the family prophecy was destined to be your path…”
“But Lukas received a second elemental gift and he’s not even eighteen yet. His wolf is the Alpha of Alphas,” I reminded her. The last thing I wanted my family to know was that I also had two elemental gifts.
My grandmother’s wolf, Lia, was golden and magnificent. One golden wolf was born every century and was believed to have descended from the god Apollo and the she-wolf Leto. My family tree was impressive. It twisted with royals, gods, and elemental wolves. Thanks to an old prophecy, my family tree was a culmination leading to some war or possible extinction of our kind.
Witnessing all the pressure this weighed on my brother Lukas, it was a burden I had hoped to avoid.
“What I’m trying to say is… Lia knows you are destined for something great.” She gave me a confident gaze that made me nervous.