Alpha's Solace (Black Moon Saga Book 1)

Coming of Age

Nine Years Later

It was two months ago that Marc finally turned 18, which as a werewolf, means he has officially “come of age” into adulthood. Now, he will be able to sense his mate simply by coming into her presence, if she’s the right age for it. And as an Alpha’s son, it also means that he will soon be ready to succeed his father as Alpha of the Spirit Moon pack, once he finds his mate.

Since his best friend and potential mate is a human, and therefore has been kept in the dark about werewolves, there is one other concern now. Even though aging for a werewolf up until the age of 18 is essentially the same as human aging – though wolves tend to grow taller, broader, stronger, faster, and with heightened senses, perfect health, and accelerated healing – after that a werewolf will age three times slower than a human. Soon, Marc might have some explaining to do if Kylie is paying attention.

Which is part of the reason why he is so eager to find out if she really is his mate. If so, then he will finally be able to tell her everything, and that makes today, the day she turns 18, possibly the most important day of his life. All he needs to do is see her and he will finally know. If she turns out to be his mate, his whole life will rapidly change, and so will hers as she finally learns the truth and becomes a permanent part of his world.

Kylie should be arriving any moment now for the big party in her honor that is about to start in the backyard, and Marc finds himself growing increasingly nervous. His palms are even starting to sweat from the anticipation, knowing that all he has to do now is put eyes on her and he’ll finally have his answer.

Of course, she’s not been informed about mates and has no idea about the real significance of this moment, but his father hasn’t shut up about it since she showed up at their door nine years ago. He and the others who know why she has been allowed to live among them all these years are anxious for answers.

Marc heads through the dining hall of the hotel to the back wall and exits through one of the sets of French doors that leads outside. Looking around at the dance floor, refreshment table, dessert table, and all the decorations, he muses that the party planners and decorators have really outdone themselves. It's funny how the production for Kylie’s party is well above and beyond what was here just a couple months ago for his own party, despite him being the future Alpha.

He doesn’t mind, though. Actually, he prefers it this way. She’s his best friend and the girl he’s been in love with for half his life.

Heading over to the refreshment table, he makes note of the purple, black, and silver twinkle lights dangling overhead.

Nice touch, he thinks to himself, marveling at how her favorite colors complement the night sky.

Then he notices that there are not only balloons and bouquets of various white, purple, and red flowers all along the area designated for the party, but the decorators also scattered purple and silver flower petals and confetti all over the stones of the patio. It feels kind of like a carpet and gives the place a surreal feeling. It’s just eerie enough to be beautiful, and he takes a moment to appreciate all the effort put into making Kylie’s night extra special.

Suddenly, there’s a tingling in his head that he recognizes is his wolf, Toby, preparing to tell him something. He’s only had contact with Toby for a couple months. Though most of the time it feels as natural as breathing, it still feels a little strange sharing his body and mind with basically a whole other person. He hasn’t shifted yet, though Toby has been dying to get out and run a little. Marc is determined to wait for his mate to join him so they can experience his first shift together.

Our mate isn’t here yet, Toby informs him. It’s time but I can’t smell her. Where is she? he growls restlessly.

Easy, easy, Marc attempts to pacify him. Look around. It will take her a minute to make her way through this whole production and all these people. We’ll find her, don’t worry.

He takes a few moments to greet some of the pack members and a group of his friends from school before finding himself a good vantage point to be able to see Kylie the moment she steps through the archway she’s meant to enter through.

But in true Kylie fashion, she won’t be coming that way. Always the last to know what’s going on around here, she doesn’t even know she’s expected to do anything specific or that Marc is on the verge of a panic attack worrying that something has gone wrong.

Earlier that afternoon, Kylie asked Pete, a boy from her school, if he would be her date to her birthday party. They’ve been good friends for the past two years, and though there has never been anything romantic between them, she thought it might be nice to have the friendly face of someone she knows well in attendance.

Her best friend will be there, but it is always a little annoying going to these sorts of events with only Marc. He always goes off to mingle with his other friends and people from his school that she barely knows. This time, she plans to bring her own buddy to socialize with, and she’s hoping her two best guys will really hit it off once she introduces them.

After parking her car in the driveway at her parents’ home, she leads Pete on a shortcut across a few lawns to get to the back of the hotel where the party will be. They can hear the music and see the lights from a little distance away. She loops her arm through his, knowing that once they become part of that chaos up ahead it will be easier to stick together that way.

Once they get a bit closer, she spots Marc standing along the back edge of the crowd facing away from her, and an idea pops in her head.

“Hey Pete,” she whispers to her friend. “See that tall guy over there with the dark hair in a ponytail?”

“Sure,” he whispers back. “Hard to miss him since he’s practically a head taller than anyone else.”

“Yeah,” she giggles softly. “That’s my friend Marc I was telling you about. I want to sneak up on him, but it’s hard to do with him. He has superhuman ears or something. So, let’s walk softly.”

“I’ll try,” he agrees. “Not sure that this will make the best first impression, though.”

“Yeah, but it’s my birthday so it’s fine. My special birthday powers include doing whatever I want and no one getting annoyed with me no matter what I do. Oh, and desserts have zero calories if it’s the birthday girl eating them. You just watch.”

Pete laughs and shakes his head but doesn’t challenge her. He is used to her antics and pranks, so really this comes as no surprise.

Her playful, adventurous spirit is one of the things he really likes about her. He also appreciates her tall, lean figure and long shapely legs that he gets to admire every day under the school uniform, the skirt hanging slightly short on her because of her height. He’s also fond of her quirky laugh, witty sense of humor, and big heart that just won’t allow her to pass up an opportunity to help someone, friend or stranger. He complains and pretends to hate when she volunteers him for random things at school, but secretly he loves all the time he gets to spend with her because of it.

Marc still has his full attention tuned the opposite direction from where Kylie carefully creeps up behind him. He also expects to smell her long before he sees her if she truly is his mate, so for the first time since she’s known him, she manages to sneak up on him without him sensing her first. She considers it a personal victory, without realizing that the fact that she managed to approach him undetected means so much more than that.

Before he knows it, two feminine hands are reaching around his waist as Kylie pulls him in for a hug and leans her head against his back.

“Guess who!” she announces.

Marc freezes, the shock of being surprised by her of all people washing over him. Then realization sets in. She smells the same as she always does. Everyone has always said that when you find your mate, their divine scent is intense and overwhelms your senses, especially the first time when the mate bond is identified.

He can feel Toby pacing in his mind again. No mate! Not here!

“Hey, turn around silly!” Kylie teases. “The birthday girl is here and it’s time to party!”

Marc does slowly turn around to face her and take in her beautiful smile and the vibrant hazel eyes accented by the long dark lashes that frame them. Her eyes appear especially bright with all the party lighting glowing and shimmering around them. He notes the lengthy, tangled mess of her ash-blonde hair that is always styled somewhere between beach bum and bed head, or like today tossed up haphazardly into a messy, crooked ponytail. He’s always found it endearing how little she cares about her appearance, and how oblivious she is to the attention she attracts from male admirers despite that fact.

But now, he searches for something else. A glimmer of recognition, a spark of something, or just anything at all out of the ordinary that makes him feel something more, but there’s nothing. It’s just Kylie, and as much as he loves her, he can’t help but feel disappointed to his very core.

Yeah, he solemnly agrees with Toby, not even trying to hide the disappointment. Not our mate.

Kylie notices him staring oddly and notes the change in expression and body language.

“Hey! What gives? Expecting someone else to show up and eat all this cake?”

Her demeanor remains cheerful, but inside she’s troubled. She expected him to be slightly annoyed at her always trying to sneak up on him, but there is definitely something more to the look he is giving her. It seems like the very sight of her made his whole body deflate. That’s a first. He usually seems excited to see her.

Marc chuckles half-heartedly, trying to compose himself quickly.

“No of course not, I’m just surprised that you’re over here,” he turns the top of his body to point the direction of the entryway arch, “and not over there where all of these professionals very carefully planned for you to be.”

Kylie turns her gaze to where he is pointing and does a dramatic facepalm motion.

“Doh! Of course, I’d screw that up. But hey, at least I finally got you!” she brags.

She also knows there’s more to how he’s behaving but decides to drop it for now and enjoy her party.

“Oh hey, by the way,” she turns and gestures to the friend she brought. “This is my friend Pete Reynolds. I know I’ve told you about him. He goes to my school, super smart, yadda yadda. Marc, meet Pete. Pete, Marc.” She gestures at each of her friends as she names them off, introducing them to each other.

Pete holds his hand out to Marc for a handshake. Marc stares at it for a second, stunned once again that his plans for Kylie did not go at all like he hoped tonight, and now she’s brought another guy into the mix.

But wait, if this guy made it all the way here without getting sick, he must not be human, Marc thinks to himself, attempting to discreetly sniff the guy out before deciding he’s a shifter of some sort, though he’s not exactly sure which kind.

Kylie studies his look, concerned once again that Marc is behaving strangely, and she can’t identify the emotions there. But after his brief hesitation, Marc decides to shake Pete’s hand and play nice.

“Hey yeah, nice to meet you, man. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Likewise,” Pete agrees. “It is pretty nice to finally put a face to a name. And wow, this looks like some party. Nice place too.”

Pete smirks ever so slightly as he regards him, which Marc does not fail to notice. He wonders what this guy is about and why he’s hanging around with Kylie.

“Yeah, my family owns it,” Marc answers with a smirk of his own, and then there is an awkward silence as the two men size each other up.

Kylie can sense the weird tension between them and decides to cut in and get the party vibe back on track.

“Hey, so, is there anything else I’m supposed to be doing, Marc?”

He snaps his attention back to his friend and smiles faintly at her, then puts his arm around her and pulls her in so he can kiss the top of her head.

“Yeah, probably should let Dad know you’re here so we can get the festivities officially started,” he tells her, wistfully thinking to himself how disappointing it is that they won’t be getting to the festivities that his dad had in mind anytime soon.

*************************

Marc couldn’t take anymore of being in that crowd. It felt like there was a growing horde of people pressing in on him from all sides, and he couldn’t breathe. He told Kylie he was going to step away for some air and left her to dance with Pete. She seemed to be having a great time without him, anyway. He was jealous, of course, but there was so much more to it than that.

As soon as he realized there was no mate bond pulling him toward her, it was like something snapped apart his connection to her in his mind and now he feels himself already drifting away from her.

Dad was so sure, he thinks to himself as he walks away from the hotel. I’ve never known him to be wrong about stuff like this. Something isn’t right.

He has no idea where he is trying to go, so he just takes off in a random direction and keeps walking.

He saw it, he felt it, and all these years I thought I’ve felt it too. How can it turn out like this?

Eventually he realizes he is headed toward the northeast forest trail and decides to just keep heading there.

She’s supposed to be mine! We should be going for a run together, my beautiful mate watching me shift for the first time and then riding along on my back …

Toby cuts into his thoughts, Well, I think that run sounds like a fantastic idea. If she’s not for us, then what are we waiting for?

Marc considers this for a moment, concerned about what kind of trouble he’d be in for running around by himself at night, but decides he doesn’t care.

You’re absolutely right. If she’s not my mate, then I can’t show her this anyway. Might as well just do it.

Once he makes his decision, he finds a somewhat discreet area of bushes and trees along the outermost edge of the forest and starts to strip off his clothes. He secures them to one of the bushes for safekeeping, and then lets Toby take over in his mind so that he can control the shift.

It is the strangest feeling he has ever experienced, taking a backseat in his own body so that he is aware and can feel what is going on, but isn’t the one doing any of what is happening. He hears the loud snap and crunch of bones rearranging followed immediately by an intense pain that he knew was coming, but it still catches him off guard.

Breathe, Marc. It’s almost over, and next time will be a breeze, he reassures himself.

A few moments later the shift is complete, and Marc can feel the changes all over his body. His senses are heightened so much more than in his human form, and he takes a moment just to appreciate the smells. And his snout. The earth smells so good and feels like heaven beneath his paws. His paws! He can smell prey everywhere around him and begins to pant and salivate, something he has never experienced before but it feels right. He wiggles his paws around to see what that feels like and realizes he can also feel the breeze rustling his fur.

He can sense that Toby is waiting for him to signal that he is ready, so he concentrates on communicating his eagerness to him. He's not used to not being able to just talk to him, but he knows his wolf can still sense how he feels. After a moment of letting Marc adjust to the change, Toby dashes off into the woods ahead of them.

*************************

Kylie is still dancing with Pete and a few others from the town who have joined in with them when Adam approaches her, concern written all over his face.

“Kylie, do you know where Marc is?”

She stops dancing and turns her attention to the man she has so much affection for and has admired most of her life.

“Well, a little bit ago he said he was going to step away for some air,” she tells him. “But it seems like that was at least a half hour ago, and he didn’t say where he was going. I figured he’d be back by now. He’s missing the whole party!”

“Yeah, that’s not like him at all. Did he say anything else?”

“No, but he was acting weird earlier, almost like something is really getting him down. This didn’t seem like the time or place to ask him about it, though. I figured we could talk later. So no, I have no clue where he went or what’s up with him.”

“Hmm,” is all Adam has to say about that. He still looks concerned, perhaps even more now than when he came over, but he tries to mask it with a genuine, though somewhat strained, smile. “Hey, happy birthday, kiddo!”

She smiles back and reaches up to hug him. This guy always gives the best hugs, so warm and comforting.

“Thanks! This is a pretty great party. It’s almost too much. You didn’t have to do all this.”

“It was nothing,” he assures her, “but I'll allow nothing but the best for the girl who has been attached at the hip to my son for almost a decade. Really, we love you, Kylie.” Then his attention drifts to the boy she has been dancing with, and he frowns for a moment before recovering his smile. “Hey, who’s your friend here?”

“Oh, this is Pete from my school. I thought it would be fun to have one of my other friends here. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, of course, sweetheart. He’s always welcome here. Nice to meet you, Pete,” Adam shakes hands with Kylie’s friend.

It seems to her that they also exchange some sort of knowing look between them, but she can’t be sure. Then Adam pulls her in for one last hug.

“I’m going to look around for my son a bit more, but you guys keep having fun,” he says, leaning in to peck her on the forehead before turning and disappearing back into the crowd.

*************************

The party was a hit with all who attended, except one. Marc spent a couple hours running the trails through the forest, clearing his head and bonding more with Toby. He missed the rest of the party, but he didn’t really care. He had shown up, told her happy birthday, had some cake. She had her new bestie to keep her company anyway, so it’s not like she missed him.

That whole thing was such a disappointment, so he couldn’t stand to be there thinking about how everything was all wrong and sulking because now he had no idea how long it would be before he found his mate, or what he planned to do with himself in the meantime.

If it’s not Kylie, will it really be someone worth waiting for? Shouldn’t he just go out and experience life some, date some of the girls from the pack, maybe go to college, or go on some road trip to nowhere?

After his run he finds a nice quiet spot to sit and think for a while, considering whether he should just mate with Kylie anyway. She has always been the one for him and just because some mystical bond isn’t there doesn’t mean there is nothing there. But then he thinks about how it might be too risky for a human who is not his true mate.

To complete the mating ritual so they can have children and produce heirs for the pack, he would have to mark her. The bite would turn her into a werewolf during the next full moon, assuming she survived. A true mate of an Alpha has a pretty good chance of survival because of his strength and the magical powers of the true mate bond, but for a chosen mate it is risky. In that case, the mate bond doesn’t kick in until after it is over.

Besides, Kylie has always been sickly. Sometimes it seems like she gets sick again immediately after recovering from an illness, especially in winter. Lately she has even started complaining about pains all over her body. Her hands get stiff in the morning and her knees swell and become painful just from walking up and down the stairs a few times.

It breaks his heart knowing how she suffers. Marc hoped that she would be his true mate so he could turn her, and she wouldn’t have to deal with all that anymore because such afflictions don’t affect werewolves. The fact that he can’t is perhaps the most heartbreaking realization of all.

He doesn’t find any of the answers he seeks, and still doesn’t know what to do about Kylie, but he does feel better after his nice long run. When he returns to the hotel, the party is over and there are only workers left outside cleaning everything up. He finds his father on the phone in his office, and Adam abruptly hangs up once he spots Marc entering.

“There you are! I was just calling around seeing if anyone had eyes on you recently. Where did you go?” Adam demands of his son.

“She’s not my mate, Dad. You were wrong.”

Adam closes his eyes, exhales a breath, and runs his fingers through his long, unruly hair. Then he looks at his son once again.

“I figured that might be the case when you disappeared, and she told me you seemed upset. And I’m sorry. I know you’re disappointed. Hell, I’m disappointed, and so very confused. But that wasn’t what I asked.”

“I wasn’t going anywhere in particular. I just needed to leave. When I figured out it wasn’t her, I just couldn’t be here anymore. And that guy she brought, like, what was that about?”

“I don’t know what he is to her, but I can tell you he’s a fox-shifter. I’m familiar with his father. Good people as far as I know, but no idea what interest he has in Kylie. I just know his dad owns some restaurants and used to trade here awhile back, but I haven’t seen them in some time now. To my knowledge, foxes can’t mate with humans, so maybe he is what she says he is. Just a friend from school.”

“Yeah, whatever. I didn’t like him.”

“You’re just upset, and maybe even jealous because you’ve never had to share her with another guy.” Adam puts his hand on his son’s shoulder and squeezes gently. Then it looks like something occurs to him and he narrows his eyes. “So, where did you end up anyway?”

Marc hesitates for a moment, contemplating whether he should just be up front and tell his father that he underwent his first shift, alone, and went running through the forest at night, also alone, both being serious safety violations that his dad will likely be upset about. Then he decides what the hell, why not. The night has already sucked so might as well add a bit of punishment on top.

“I didn’t intend it when I left, but I ended up shifting and running through the forest for a couple hours. I know it was dumb, but I needed it. Toby needed it.”

Adam considers his son in silence for a few moments. It is these moments when his father is still and silent when Marc is most anxious about what is about to happen. The calm before the storm, it feels like.

But to his surprise, Adam simply says, “You know what you did wrong, and you will not do it again. You hear me?”

Marc exhales and agrees, “Yes. It won’t happen again.”

Adam exhales his own calming breath and asks, “What does Toby look like? Since you deprived me of seeing him the first time.”

Marc resists the urge to roll his eyes. “He’s all black, with sort of long, shaggy, wavy fur. Massive. Might be bigger than yours,” he taunts his father. “Oh, and his eyes are pale blue. I think that was the strangest part for me. I’m used to staring into my own dark brown eyes, but when I stepped to the lake to drink, my eyes were pale.”

“Interesting. Your mother had fur like that, though it was brown. And of course, Kieran has shorter black fur with gold and green eyes, so I know what you mean about staring into a completely different eye color. It does take some getting used to.”

Adam pauses before continuing, “Now as for all the other stuff, I don’t have a clue what next. If she’s not your mate, then how is she even here? Why is she so drawn to you and you to her? How do we convince The Council to let her stay?”

Marc thinks for a second before answering, “I don’t think we need to. We’re both done with high school in two weeks, then she’s planning to go off to college in the fall. That last problem kind of solves itself, which is ironic, because I had planned to talk her out of going to college to stay here with me.”

He smirks sadly as he considers that last bit, then composes himself before continuing, “As for the rest, maybe we have some more mysteries to figure out. There’s no other Alpha here besides you, and you already know who your mate was. There has to be some other explanation.”

“Maybe you’re right, son. We never did solve the mystery of her parents’ disappearances and the secrets they were keeping. Maybe it’s worth another look.” Adam returns to his chair and lets his weight drop down into it, his exhaustion showing through. “Not much we can do in the middle of the night, though. I’d say it’s time for us both to head to bed and puzzle these things out later.”