Lincoln

Have ever smiled so much to the point where my face physically hurts, but you're too happy and unconsciously continue to smile? Yeah, that’s me, ever since I laid eyes on Azura. I’m in the car with Lily, Jazz, Cam, and Alex and I can’t get over how beautiful she is, every feature of hers is literal perfection.

‘Moon Goddess knows best.’ Marc comments.

Yes, she does.

I get out of my thoughts when Cam, whose driving, begins to ask me a question, “So, what ‘s you plan? I mean like, what are you going to tell your parents? Are you going to tell your parents? Just so that we know what we can and cannot say.”

I hum, “Good questions. I actually wasn’t planning on telling my parents anything. But now that you mention it, I think I’ll tell them about Marc coming back.” I answer.

“Why not just let them know about Azura as well?” Jazz asks. Alex smacks her in the back of the head and Jazz lets out a pained ‘oww’ and ‘what the hell’ before looking back at Alex to see him shaking his head in shame.

“In all honesty, I want to tell them when I tell her about what I am and see if she accepts me. If I tell my parents any earlier they’ll be mad that I haven’t told her about what I am, ya’ know?” I explained.

Jazz with raised eyebrows and puckered lips nods in understanding.

Even though I’m an alpha by blood, I don’t have as much of a need to be in control as most alphas I know. Other alphas want to be idolized and looked up to like their god, but I’d rather just have their loyalty and respect. I just want the people in my pack to know my title and set the basic boundaries anyone should when speaking to someone of higher power. In reality, I don’t even expect the level of respect I’m supposed to get right now because I’m only 18 and still haven’t mated, so I won’t take over as the true alpha until my mating is complete, for traditional reasons.

‘Traditional reasons my ass.’ Marc scoffs.

I rolled my eyes at him. It honestly feels so great to finally be connected with Marc again. These past eight years have been difficult, our connection was lost during a large turning point in my life, right at the start of my alpha training. I had started getting involved with pack meetings and decisions, my transition into becoming an alpha was hard without Marc to support me and the obvious stares from the other soon-to-be alphas, only made my experience worse. They saw me as weak and incapable for not being able to connect with Marc, or for rather losing the connection.

*flashback*

It happened when I was 10 years old.

It was a regular just like any other, my parents, my younger sister, Clem, and I were spending a day at the park per Clem’s request. Everything was fine, I had been playing tag with dad, while mom made some sandwiches for lunch, and Clem had been digging in the dirt.

Then I felt it, a pain so horrible the wind gets knocked right out of you. There was a constant burning and throbbing sensation all throughout my body. The heat was unbearable and was spreading through my body like a wildfire, I collapsed to my knees. I couldn’t breathe, so I began to claw my throat: a useless action but I had no other options. I could hear my father yelling my name, but it sounded so faint. I couldn’t tell if my father was shaking me or if it was just me, my entire body felt nothing but the excruciating heat, everything else I was numb to. I couldn't understand why this was happening to me.

The pain had become too much for my ten year old body to handle, and it gave out but I remained semi-conscious. I could hear mom yelling my name as if we were at opposite ends of a tunnel trying to speak to each other.

‘Why am I in so much pain, Marc?’

No response.

‘Marc?’ I whimpered.

No response.

‘Where are you? Where did you go? Why aren’t you responding?’ I yelled.

I can’t hear mom, or dad, even Clem. I’m scared. I don’t want to be alone. Marc, come back buddy. He never answered my constant pleas, no matter how much I begged, there was no response from Marc.

*flashback end*

After that I don’t remember anything else, only waking up in a hospital bed with my family surrounding me, tears streaming down their faces. My mother was embracing me, kissing me, and thanking the moon goddess that I was alright. My father found a way to squeeze in a hug and appreciation of his while Clem remained a bit further back behind him.

It was only when the car stopped and we arrived home that I came out of my thoughts. We usually don’t drive to school because traffic tends to be a pain and also because we’re wolves who can just shift and run. Even though Marc and I weren’t connected mentally we were still connected physically, so I could still shift and go on runs, it just wasn’t out of his need.

When we got inside I was wrapped in the smell of cookies. When I walked into the kitchen, I saw my mom taking out a cookie tray full of chocolate chip cookies, my favorite. She hasn’t seen me yet so I sneak up behind her and firmly grip her shoulders.

“Oh, Goddess Lincoln! You scared me!” She yells as she smacks my shoulder with her kitchen rag.

I laughed and tried to block her swings. “Hi ma, did you make these just for me? You know they’re my favorite.” I ask, reaching my hand out ready to grab one.

“Oh no you don’t mister,” she smacks my hand away, “they are your favorite but they are for your father.”

“Just one?” I pout.

She eyed me wearily, before giving in and handing me two cookies. I kiss her on the cheek, and jump over the sofa to sit in between Lily and Alex.

“How was school for you guys?” Luis, the beta asked when he reached the bottom of the stairs.

“It was like any normal day.” Alex says, keeping his attention on the screen.

“Oh really? Didn’t you have a new student? One from cresent?” He pushes.

We side eye each other, trying to come up with something to tell him.

“Yea, I met her. I had to tour her around the school today.” Jazz muffles out in between her snacking.

Luis walks up behind Jazz and starts giving her knuckle sandwiches and laughing like a madman. Jazz is trying to pry his hands off her temples while yelling at him, everyone else is just laughing at their stupidity.

Luis was Jazz and Alex’s dad, which Jazz is very much like him in the sense that they both have short fuses, and tend to say or do things before they’ve thought about it clearly. Jazz also gets her childish manner from him as well. He’d be that uncle of yours that will go to a birthday party and not hang around the adults, he’d be the one back stroking in the ball pit, playing make believe with a bunch of 4 and 5 year olds.

“What’s going on in here?” a voice asks with interest.

Everyone turns around to see my dad on the last step of the staircase, Luis doesn’t notice him and continues to laugh like a madman.

“Luis,” my dad yells using his alpha tone, Luis freezes and slowly turns his head to face my father, “You done?” he finished with a smirk.

Luis stands up straight, avoiding eye contact, and mutters a ‘yes sir’ which makes all of us begin laughing again.

“Alright, enough laughing, let's go eat.” My mom announces.

About half an hour into eating, Maria, Luis’s wife begins to speak.

“So, is there actually a human attending the school?”

Suddenly there’s an awkward tension in the air.

“I know I’m not the only one wondering, and I know no one was going to say anything about it. But, I’m curious because I heard she’s from Cresent.” Maria defends.

“I’m confused as to how Harrison let this happen.” My dad comments.

“Is the human a girl or boy?” Kimju asks.

“A girl,” Lily gently lets out, “Her name is Azura.”

“Hmm.” Kimju hums out with a nod. He really is a man of few words, even in meetings he doesn’t speak more than a dozen words, if we’re lucky.

“You all met her?” May Li, Lily’s mom asks in surprise. I nodded my head and out the corner of my eyes I saw Cam, Jazz and Lily doing the same.

“Jazz had to tour her today.” Alex says absently with a mouth full of food. Cam gives him a swift back hand smack to his shoulder along with a glare.

All of our parents' heads shoot towards Jazz, while she stares at her food with pursed lips.

“How was it?” my mother asks gently.

“Not bad.” “Horrible.” Jazz and Alex said at the same time.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Jazz bursts.

“Nothing, I’m just being honest.” he shrugs.

“So what actually happened?” My father asks.

“Nothing.” Jazz says quickly.

“Alex?” he asks.

“She found out that Azura was from Cresent then proceeded to abandoned and avoid her for the rest of the day until the last period of the day which we all have together.” Alex summarizes.

I could see that Jazz was about ready to scream and pounce at Alex, so before she could do so, I decided to yell, “Oh! Mom! Marc and I are connected again!”

“REALLY!?” She jumps up from her seat and runs over to hug me, squeezing the life out of me.

“Is he really bad? You’re not just saying it to get Jazz out of trouble? This isn’t a prank, right? If this is a prank you are so grounded.” she rambles.

“Yes, no, no, I’m not grounded.” I answer.

My father abruptly stands from his seat, knocking the chair back, and walks over to me. He clasps my shoulder with ferocious strength and pulls me into a hug.

“I’m glad that he’s back.” even though he tried to hide it, I could hear the quiver in his voice.

“Hey, don’t cry.” I chuckled while patting his back.

He pushes me a bit and sniffles, “I’m not crying, idiot. I have allergies.”

“How did you find out?” May Li asks.

My parents look at me, obviously curious as well.

I let out a nervous laugh. How am I going to explain this to them without telling them that he came back because of Azura.

‘I want my mate to accept me before they know who she is, Lincoln.’ Marc notes.

‘I know that, I do too, but what am I supposed to tell them right now?’ I ask.

‘Make something up, you’re good like that.’ he says with a wolfy grin.

“Who cares, he’s back and that’s all that matters.” my mom suddenly stated.

I smiled at her, she didn’t realize just how much she helped me.

After lunch, me and my friends all made a b-line to ‘our spot’, which was just an abandoned corner of the library that we made into our meeting spot. Cam ended up being the first one to speak.

“So what do we do?”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“We were lucky today, your mom saved you, but what happens when she actually wants you, or one of us, to answer how Marc came back?” he continues.

I honestly had no idea how to answer his question with an answer that would satiate his worries because it all depended on time, and Azura. It would take time for her to even want to become friends with me and even more time for her to become interested in me, if she even does. Then I’d have to tell her what I am and if she didn’t accept it or was afraid of me, I’d be devastated. All I could do was wait to see Azura tomorrow and start my journey to my happily ever after, with Azura as my luna.