Alpha's Solace (Black Moon Saga Book 1)

Cuddles and Questions

The pair spend the morning after breakfast cleaning the kitchen and enjoying each others’ company. Though Kylie is eager to learn all she can about werewolves and the parts of Adam’s life that have been hidden from her until now, she also heeds his suggestion to not rush anything. She has to admit, it does feel good to spend some time focusing on something else for a bit.  Eventually, though, her curiosity gets the better of her as she and Adam are sitting on the couch watching TV and cuddling.

“Hey, I have a question,” she informs him as she pulls away from him to turn and face him.

He chuckles as he moves the arm that had been around her shoulders so that he can put his hand on her knee instead. “I wondered how long you could go without giving into your inquisitive mind, which I love, by the way. Ask away.”

She smiles and blushes, not expecting him to compliment her for asking questions. “So, you said you used to run the hotel and that came with other responsibilities in regard to supernaturals, but now Marc has those jobs. Is that how jobs work for werewolves? Are they inherited from your parents?”

“That’s an interesting question, actually. The simple answer is yes, but there’s more to it than that. It’s not the jobs that are inherited so much as your role in the pack, which is largely based on biology and genetics.”

“Okay …”

“Hold on, I feel like I’m explaining this badly. How about this. If you’re a baker, your children do not have to be bakers unless they want to be. But an Omega wolf will generally have children who are also Omegas, which is a term that refers to size, strength, and other natural physical capabilities as well as a role in the pack, which can be simplified to basically being a service worker, and they might end up being a chef, housekeeper, groundskeeper, nanny, or have a trade such as being a baker or a mechanic. That’s a drastic oversimplification but gives you a basic idea I hope.”

“Sure, it makes sense, but it doesn’t really explain why Marc has your job now.”

He laughs, which makes her smile up at him. “Okay, well there are other types of wolves too, like the Alpha and Beta of the pack. The Alpha would basically be the overall leader of the pack, and he’s responsible for the pack’s welfare and keeping it running. The Beta is his second-in-command, and he oversees pack security and warrior training. Pack warriors tend to be big, strong, agile, or fast, but preferably all of those. That’s true in human form but also carries over into wolf form, and the Alpha tends to be the biggest and strongest of them all, followed closely by his Beta.

Now to your question, I was the Alpha of the pack when you and Marc were kids. This pack happens to be located on a territory that is special to supernaturals, protected from human interference, and it is where all sorts of such beings gather. That means the Alpha of this pack has responsibilities above and beyond most other Alphas.

To clarify, an Alpha is born an Alpha wolf, referring to physical characteristics, but being the Alpha of a pack is an inherited position. There’s no set time when that has to happen, though usually it’s when the eldest son of the reigning Alpha comes of age and is mated. Marc was lucky and found his mate pretty soon after coming of age, so we went ahead and made the transition then. Actually, it was shortly after you left for college. Now, I get to be a retired old man who does as he pleases because my duties as Alpha have been fulfilled. How’s that for an answer?”

Kylie giggles, and chews over all the information he just piled on her. “Pretty good, old man. Pretty good. But now I have more questions.”

“I figured you would.” He leans over to kiss her, then lets her contagious playfulness take over as he blows raspberries on her cheeks to make her giggle and laugh harder. Then he pulls away and resumes his position next to her. “Ask away.”

“Okay, a few things actually.” She holds her hand up to tick questions off on her fingers as she asks them. “First, you said a couple things about a ‘mate’ and though I can kind of guess what you mean by that, please explain. Second, you told me last night that Jonah is Marc’s second-in-command, so does that mean he is the Beta? Third, every time you talked about the Alpha, you said ‘he’ as though it is always a man. Aren’t there any female Alpha wolves? And last, how old are you, ‘old man’?”

His eyes widen as he takes in her rapid-fire questions, then he smirks and tries to organize a response. “Yeah, that’s a few things alright. Kind of all over the place, too. But okay, I’ll do my best. Easy questions first, I guess. First, yes Jonah is Marc’s Beta.”

“He told me when I first got here that he took a job as ‘head of security’ for the hotel, which I guess is kind of true from what you said.”

“Yeah, that’s a decent human-friendly explanation for it. Okay, next one I guess is my age. In human years, I’d be about 40.”

“And human years are not the same as werewolf years?”

“Well, we follow the same calendar, so in that way they are, but I’m mostly talking about the aging process. My body has experienced about as much aging as a 40-year-old human. I’m not sure if you want to know my actual age, though.”

“Of course I do! You should know by now that I want to know all of it, everything you can tell me.”

“I know,” he chuckles, “but it might shock you a little to learn that I’m actually 84 years old.”

“Well damn,” Kylie looks him over, seeming impressed. “You look amazing. Actually, you look amazing for 40. Do you dye your hair?”

He laughs, mostly because he’s amused at her comment, but he is also relieved that she didn’t react badly to learning his true age. “I don’t, but werewolves enjoy exceptional health and vitality, and gray hair doesn’t start coming in until later in life. Up to the age of 18, which is when werewolves ‘come of age’ into adulthood, the aging process is similar to humans. After that, we age about three times as slowly. So, you think I look younger than I am, but for our kind it’s pretty standard.”

“No wonder everyone thought I was human. I guess the ‘exceptional health and vitality’ genes skipped over me.”

“Well, Anya is still investigating what exactly is going on with you, but we’ll come back to that. I still have two questions to answer from your list.”

“Do ‘mate’ next. I’m super curious because I have a suspicion about that.”

“What’s your suspicion?”

“I asked first!”

“But if you tell me, then it might also help me answer in a way that tells you what you want to know.”

“Okay, that’s fair. My suspicion is that Britney is Marc’s mate. Something weird happened before my graduation ceremony, but if it was some werewolf thing, then I think you can finally make it make sense.”

“Tell me what you saw.”

“Before the ceremony, Marc and I were talking and goofing around, and then suddenly he spaced out. It was like he was in a trance, and all he could see and think about was Britney. So, I took him over to introduce them, and she had that same look as soon as she turned around and saw him. Then they just started groping and making out in the middle of a room full of people like they weren’t complete strangers. And now they’re married and have a brood of kids, so something definitely happened there.”

“You’re completely right about that, she is his mate and that was the moment that they recognized each other. But let me backtrack a bit. A ‘mate’ is similar to what you might know as a ‘soulmate,’ but it’s kind of a mystical phenomenon for werewolves guided by a higher power. Each wolf has another person chosen for them by this higher power, which we call the Moon Goddess. She selects two people who complement each other with their personalities, their strengths and weaknesses, their vision for their lives, and so on. Sometimes, mates immediately make perfect sense, and sometimes they seem like complete opposites, but true mates are destined to be together, and have the potential to have a powerful and unbreakable bond if they both accept it.

In some cases, two mates know each other as children and that bond starts to form early, but in most cases, they don’t meet until they are adults. Once they’re both of age, the bond can be recognized if they come face-to-face. They can smell it, they can see it in each other’s eyes, and their wolves can sense it, plus once they touch, they experience sensations that only happen between mates. When true mates meet, a scene like what you witnessed with Marc and Britney is usually the result. They accepted each other instantly, and by the time he left that room he had already marked her and started the process of the mating ritual.”

“The mating ritual?” Her voice turns up a bit at the end of her question, as she is picturing all sorts of weird rituals she has seen in movies.

“Yep. In order to complete and strengthen that bond, the male marks his mate by biting her in this soft spot here,” Adam reaches over to touch the marking spot between Kylie’s neck and shoulder, “and then to complete it, the pair has to mate. Which, of course, means they need to have s*x. Completing the ritual links the pair together, changing their scents so that other werewolves can tell that they are mated, but also opening a connection between them so they can communicate with each other telepathically, kind of how you and Kieran communicate in your dreams. That sort of communication also happens within a pack, though. All members of a pack can communicate with each other, and the Alpha and Beta can link to larger groups at once.

It’s unique for mates, though, because they can also communicate empathically. Each can sense what the other is feeling or experiencing, both emotionally and physically, and when the bond is strongest they can even sense each other’s thoughts, though that can be limited or even blocked entirely so that they're not constantly in each other’s heads. That would be too distracting.

I should add that rumor has it that true mates who have completed the bond enjoy the most incredible s*x together. All of the linked feelings and emotions, plus the sensations caused by physical contact with one’s mate, combine together to make it pretty intense. Which is how you get a pair of young wolf mates like Marc and Britney who can’t seem to keep their hands off each other and have the children to prove it.”

Kylie laughs, internally applauding her friend for finding that level of happiness with someone. “That seems about right. And honestly, having a mate sounds wonderful.”

“It is,” Adam smiles at her fondly, reaching out to rub his thumb across her cheek. “At least, my experience so far has been fantastic.”

Her eyes widen with realization, and she reaches up to put her hand over his against her face, the significance of the comforting warmth she always feels when he touches her finally sinking in. “Wait, are you saying that I’m your mate?”

“You are. And I couldn’t be happier about that.” He leans in to kiss her softly on the lips, before pulling back to watch her reaction to this news. She looks at him, but her eyes aren’t focused on him. She seems to be lost in her thoughts, and he enjoys the view in silence.

She thinks of some of the things he just told her about mates, many of the small mysteries of her life finally making sense. She has known him since she was a child, so that bond started forming early, which is probably why she always had an inexplicable crush on her friend’s father instead of her friend who looks remarkably similar to him but is closer to her own age. Though she and Adam never interacted romantically when she was younger, even when she was away from him, she couldn’t bring herself to be interested in someone else the way she was interested in him. It just didn’t feel right.

Then she thinks of Kieran, and wonders aloud, “Since Kieran is part of you, does that mean he is my mate too? Is that why we have those dreams together?”

“He is, though technically, since you are a werewolf, he would be your wolf’s mate. He thinks you do have a wolf, but we just have to figure out what’s suppressing it. Anya is on it. She thinks a curse is to blame, but she doesn’t know much about it and told me she plans to work tirelessly on figuring that out because she thinks it might be responsible for your physical condition.”

Kylie sits back, looking like she just got punched in the gut, and exhales a breath she didn’t know she was holding. “A curse? Who would do that to me? And why?”

He reaches out to bring her to him so he can hold her close. “I wish I had that answer for you and could somehow put your mind at ease, but I don’t. She thinks it’s linked to your birthmark. Since your mother had the same one, my guess would be that it’s not just you that was targeted. But we’ll figure it out, sweetheart. Anya is the best at what she does and works for The Council, so she has practically endless resources available to her.”

“Okay, I’ll try not to freak out about it, but that’s asking a lot.” She leans into him to soak in the comfort of his protective arm around her.

“I know. You should have seen me when she told me about it all. But I’m not someone with the skills and knowledge to be able to do much about it, so we have to trust in her and hope she has some answers soon.”

“Yeah, okay.” Kylie takes a breath and tries to think of more werewolf topics to distract her. Though initially learning that Adam was a werewolf was an unsettling shock to her, now she is fascinated by it all and wants to know as much as she can. “So, when you were telling me about mates, you kept saying ‘true mates’ are this and ‘true mates’ experience that, so are there other kinds of mates?”

“There are. Every werewolf has a true, fated mate out there somewhere who they are destined to meet at some point in their lives if they’re patient enough to wait, but not everyone is lucky like Marc to meet them right away at the age of 18, and not everyone is patient. Plus, in some cases, there are other factors that lead to them deciding either to reject their true mate, which breaks the bond permanently, or to choose someone else to mate with. Sometimes it’s convenient to choose someone close by who there is already some relationship with, and sometimes a mate is chosen by parents or for other circumstances where a union between two wolves who are not true mates would be beneficial to the pack or the family in some way. So basically, there are true mates who are chosen by the Moon Goddess, but also chosen mates, who are chosen for a variety of other reasons.”

Kylie sits back and taps her chin thoughtfully, considering the significance of whether someone is fated or chosen to be with someone else. “I’m guessing the experiences of true mates and chosen mates are not really the same in the end.”

“No, they’re not. The nature of the mating bond is different for chosen mates. True mates who accept each other and complete the mating ritual will have a strong, unbreakable bond and enjoy full benefits of the mating bond, while chosen mates have a weaker connection, even after completing the same mating ritual. They can communicate telepathically, but they lack the empathic connection that is crucial to the strength of the bond and connecting with each other. The biggest difference is that the bond between chosen mates can be broken, where basically they ‘fall out of love’ with each other and grow distant. Their marks might even fade if it gets weak enough, and you’ll see chosen mates separate more often than not.”

“Oh,” Kylie chews her bottom lip for a moment, “So, your marriage to Marc’s mom?”

“Yeah, that was sort of an arranged mate and marriage. Melissa was my younger sister’s best friend and we basically grew up together, so my father suggested that I choose her since she was the only woman I was close with. He was the Alpha before me and was pressuring me to find someone to mate with so he could step down. His father was actually the founder of Solace Hotels, so he was interested in moving on from running this pack and managing just this location. He was offered a position helping to expand the hotel chain in other areas and was eager to be free to do that.”

“Ah, I see.” She thinks being forced to marry someone sounds awful, and adds, “Being the Alpha actually doesn’t sound very fun. Lots of pressure and responsibilities.”

“It is, and yes those are some of the drawbacks. Constantly being in the public eye and expected to act a certain way and follow certain traditions is a lot of pressure. At the same time, though, an Alpha is usually raised knowing that’s in his future and groomed for the position. I didn’t have a problem with being asked to do what I already knew I needed to do. Melissa and I were good friends, so it wasn’t terrible being married to her or anything like that. I suppose my only complaint is that we had to mate because producing an heir was the whole purpose. It was awkward at first having to have s*x with someone I had always viewed as another little sister. We got used to it eventually, especially since it took some time for her to finally get pregnant. We managed, though, and somehow remained friends through it all.”

Kylie had liked Marc’s mom when she met her, but even then had felt jealous that she had any sort of relationship with Adam. Hearing him talk about their s****l relationship makes her grimace and feel a bit irritated, but she fights it back, remembering that she loves Marc and he wouldn’t exist if that relationship had never happened.

Adam sees the irritation dance across her usually smiling and cheerful face, and chuckles to himself. “You are a wolf, there’s no doubt about it,” he comments with a smirk.

“What’s so funny about that?” she snaps at him, not appreciating that he finds this humorous.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be enjoying this. I think you’re jealous, though, and it’s kind of cute. It also feels nice to have someone staking such a claim on me that talking about something that happened decades ago makes you jealous, which I’m sorry to say, is a wolf trait. We’re very territorial.” He leans in to kiss her lips. At first, she freezes him out, but it only takes a second before she melts at the feeling of his lips on hers.

“Okay, I’m over it,” she states, resolved to let it go. Technically, she asked the question that led him to tell her about his relationship with Melissa, so she knows it is unfair to hold a grudge. Then an old memory pops in her head, and she giggles.

“Now what’s so funny?” he asks, amused.

“Speaking of territorial, it just clicked for me what happened in the parking lot when you saw me kissing Peter. Remember that?”

Now he is the one who grimaces. “Yes. Not my proudest moment. To be fair, though, it was Kieran who freaked out about that. I think he sensed we were mates long before I did, and he did not like seeing another shifter with his hands on you.”

It was not lost on her that Adam referred to her friend as ‘another shifter’ instead of ‘another man,’ which surprises her. “Peter is a werewolf too? He’s not even from here.”

“I told you this area attracts a lot of supernaturals. But no, he’s not a werewolf. There are other kinds of shifters out there. He’s a fox shifter, actually. His father is quite the businessman and comes to the hotel often to meet clients and other contacts. He used to bring Peter and his brothers when they were young, so I recognized him when you brought him to your party. Of course, neither of us could tell you about all that.”

“Small world, I guess. For the record, I wasn’t into him like that. We were just friends for years, until suddenly he kissed me that day. I’d never been kissed before, so I was curious and wanted to try out the whole making out thing, especially after just witnessing Marc and Britney having so much fun with it. It was fun for a minute, but nothing special. Honestly, it was awkward from start to finish and I still regret it, especially the part where you caught us.”

“Well, if you still want to try out the ‘making out thing’ then I gladly volunteer,” he teases her, and she laughs.

“You’re so much better at it, too.”

As if to prove her point, he leans over to capture her lips in a kiss again, but this time he lingers there and runs his tongue across her bottom lip as if to ask for permission. She leans in and deepens the kiss, relishing the tingly feeling spreading across her face, and opens her mouth slightly to allow him entrance. He plunges his tongue into her mouth to seek out hers so they can tangle together in a hungry fight for dominance.

Suddenly, she pulls away and looks into his stunned face only inches from hers and exclaims, “Wait! You forgot my other question.”

He chuckles and leans forward to rest his forehead against hers for a moment, then pulls away and settles back into his seat beside her. “I didn’t forget. I’m just in no hurry, and I wanted to make out with my mate for a moment. It feels pretty incredible, doesn’t it?”

“Oh yeah. It takes over my whole brain and all I can think about is that feeling. It’s kind of addictive.”

“And that’s without your wolf traits, so it’s not as intense for you, and also without completing the bond. Imagine what it feels like for Marc and Britney.”

“Yeah, no kidding. But that’s a good point. When are we going to do that?” She asks excitedly.

“Slow down there, Little Miss Hasty Pants.” She scoffs playfully and rolls her eyes at his nickname for her, and he smirks back at her and continues to explain. “You’re still learning about all this, and there’s no rush. Plus, I want to talk more to Anya and see if she thinks it might be dangerous, considering your curse and all that we don’t know about it.”

“Okay, yeah, good point,” she agrees, disappointment evident in her voice. She’s a little surprised at how quickly she has accepted all this werewolf stuff, and now is even eager to participate and experience more of it. It’s starting to feel like everything Adam tells her gives her more of the missing pieces from her life that she never realized she was living without. She thinks again of the remaining question she asked him earlier and feels eager to hear his response. “Alright, then tell me more about Alphas. Are there females?”

“There are, but they are exceptionally rare these days,” he tells her, and it reminds him of the similar conversation he had with Marc the other day. “That’s probably because of how much more common chosen mates have become over the generations. An Alpha female can only be born from a union between an Alpha male and an Alpha female, unlike an Alpha male who just needs one Alpha parent. It used to be common that an Alpha male’s true mate would be an Alpha female, but that doesn’t mean they would meet when they were young. More and more, Alphas mated with whomever they needed to in order to have a mate and be able to take over their packs sooner rather than later.

And beyond that, tradition favors the males over the females when it comes to lines of succession. An Alpha is much more concerned with making sure he has a son than a daughter, and there’s a weird trait of Alpha males that makes that more likely if they don’t take a female Alpha as a mate. An Alpha male’s firstborn child will always be a son, unless his mate is also an Alpha, but an Alpha female’s firstborn child will always be a daughter, though the girl will only be an Alpha if her father is as well.

I know it seems complicated, but the short answer to your question is that there are female Alpha wolves, but they’re rare enough I’ve never met one. Those still living are from older generations, probably even Elders at this point. And even if a female is an Alpha wolf, she probably wouldn’t hold the Alpha position. More likely she would be the Luna, or the reigning Alpha’s mate. It’s still a high position, giving her influence over everyone in the pack except the Alpha, who would still be in charge. Ideally, though, an Alpha and Luna rule together as a team.”

“And a Luna doesn’t need to be an Alpha wolf?” Despite all the information Adam is giving her in a short amount of time, Kylie manages to follow what he’s saying.

“Nope. Britney is our Luna, and she’s not an Alpha wolf. Her wolf is actually pretty small and dainty, though she is nimble and agile. And she has a powerful personality, which makes her a good match for Marc. He’s a lot to handle.”

Kylie remembers her playful, rambunctious friend, reminiscing about their prank wars and his powerful bear hugs. “Don’t I know it. I love what a goofball he is, though. His son Dimitri kind of reminds me of him, although I didn’t know him at that age specifically. He just always had a big personality like that.”

“Oh, he’s definitely just like his Daddy. Marc was a force at that age. Constantly moving, constantly chattering away. I think he didn’t start to settle down until right about when he met you. You seemed to capture his attention and calm him down. Honestly, I thought you would turn out to be his mate. Never would have imagined that you would be for me.”

She thinks back to earlier in the conversation when Adam told her that his wolf figured it out before he did. “Apparently Kieran did, though.”

“He did, though I don’t know if he was consciously aware that you were our mate until recently. If he did, he would have told me and demanded I go claim you. Instead, he demanded I protect you, scare away the competition, and did whatever he could to be close to you as much as he could. I should have seen it, but it seemed so farfetched at that time.”

“Honestly, I’m kind of eager to see him again. Do you think you could show me your shifting ability now so I can have some time with him?”

Adam smiles at her, sensing Kieran urging him to agree to her request. “Sure. I feel so much better about it today than I did last night. I don’t think you were ready then, but today you seem much more comfortable with all of this. I’ll warn you again: The shift is a bit graphic. My body changes completely from one form to the other. It can be a shock to people seeing it for the first time.”

“Maybe so, but I still want to see it. Especially if this is something that I could be able to do someday.”

“Alright, if you’re sure you’re ready then I’ll move over in front of the fireplace so there’s space. It’s best if I remove my clothes beforehand, or they’ll get ripped to shreds.”

“No complaints here,” she encourages him coyly. “I like it when you get naked.”

He chuckles and begins shedding his clothing as he moves to the space he indicated. She moves to the easy chair so that she can have a better view. Once he is completely naked, he meets her gaze and asks one more time, “You ready?” She nods. “Okay, here goes.”

She watches as thick black fur begins to cover his entire body, and his wolf form begins to emerge. First his feet shift into his back haunches, then his front paws join them on the floor and his head and body transform into that of the stunningly gorgeous wolf she remembers, with the silky fur and green and gold eyes. The whole process takes only a couple seconds and sounds worse than it looks. She takes it as a good sign that Adam didn’t scream in distress and Kieran seems unaffected by the shift as well. Though she expected to be uncomfortable about seeing it, instead she’s excited and awestruck.

Kieran trots over to her chair and rests his head in her lap, looking up at her eagerly and with a slight wag of his tail. She gently strokes his face and scratches him behind the ears with her good hand, and then wonders if that is even the right thing to do.

“You know, I always treated you kind of like a pet, but it occurs to me that maybe that’s not the right way to go about this since you’re so much more than that. Maybe I shouldn’t be petting you like you’re the family dog.” Kieran growls slightly in warning and pushes his snout into her hand demandingly. “Alright, if you insist. Pets and more pets it is.”

After she finishes with his face, she moves on to vigorous full body petting, leaning forward at the front edge of her chair and balancing against him with her head resting against his neck. She is surprised when she feels a similar warming sensation where her bare skin meets his body to what happens when Adam touches her. Then she sits back to look him in the face. “Hey, what do you think about coming with me to the bedroom to lie down for a rest and cuddles? If you’ll fit in the bed, that is.”

He licks her hand and turns to lead the way into the back bedroom. She grabs her crutch and follows after him. Once she gets there, she sees that he is already up on the bed in the spot where Adam usually lays. She smiles as she works her way into the bed and positions herself next to him, working to find a way that she can wrap her good arm around his neck. It’s not long before the soothing comfort of his body next to her lulls her into a peaceful sleep.