Filed To Story: Destined Bond with My Forbidden Alpha Novel (Alpha Alexander & Selene)
Corrine laughed.
“By the time Selene was born, my parents were gone,” Corrine said. “Axel knew them only briefly, but he always loved to hear the stories they would share about our life before Winter. After they passed, I took on many more responsibilities as Luna and mother. So when Selene showed little interest in the past, I let it go.”
Fiona nodded in understanding. She had also held back on sharing a lot of her parent’s history with Alexander for similar reasons.
“I’m confused,” Selene said, “I thought you were a Winter wolf?”
“I became one,” Corrine replied. “But I didn’t start out that way.”
“So, which pack did you start out in?”
Corrine smiled and looked around again.
“None,” she said.
Selene was stunned.
“What? What do you mean?”
“I mean, when I was born, my parents were nomadic,” Corrine replied. “And for the first fifteen years of my life, so was I.”
“Nomadic?” Selene furrowed her brows. “You mean… you were a rogue?”
Corrine smiled.
“Technically, yes.”
“But… you… you aren’t like them at all….”
Corrine and Fiona both laughed.
“Selene,” Fiona called her attention. “Summer, Winter, Spring, and Autumn. Among all the packs, these four are known as the ‘great’ packs. Why?”
“Because our packs were formed by the original werewolves, those blessed by the Goddess to lead the wolves against the Fae,” Selene replied.
“Correct,” Fiona smiled. “So, then we are all the same, right?”
“Well… no,” Selene replied. “I mean, yes, we share the blessings of the Goddess, but the fours packs are very different from each other. We each have our own cultures and histories. We lead entirely different lives.”
“Right,” Corrine nodded. “These four packs share one important thing, but otherwise are very different. The same is true for the lesser packs and the rogues.”
Selene took a breath.
“But every rogue I have ever encountered has been hostile, some practically feral.”
“But have you really encountered that many?” Fiona asked.
Selene had fought in several minor skirmishes along the borders over the past three years. But in reality, except for the large-scale attack on all the great packs, the previous attacks were all relatively small.
“The rogues, you know, are the ones we concern ourselves with because they cause problems. And usually, they are the ones that started in a pack and either were kicked out or had difficulty fitting in,” Corrine said. “But in reality, many more are simply not interested in living within the pack system.”
“Most live in small groups of either a single family or at most two or three families,” Fiona added. “The wild type, like your mom said, are generally the ones that have been kicked out. They need discipline and the strength of an alpha but don’t want to recognize that. So, the wolf sort of takes over.”
“Okay… I think I understand,” Selene said. “So, what about your parents, then? Were they the kind who got kicked out?”
“No,” Corrine laughed. “Nomadic wolves simply don’t enjoy being in one place. My mother and her parents came from a long line of nomads. My father was born in Blue Reef. His parents, and his siblings, all remained.”
“Blue Reef?” Fiona asked, “I didn’t know that….”
“Yes,” Corrine said, looking away. “I had cousins there still….”
“I’m so sorry, Corrine.”
Corrine gave a nod but said nothing else.
“When my parents felt the pull of the bond, he chose to join her,” Corrine continued. “He traveled with her and my grandparents for a time, and then when I arrived, my grandparents set off on their own for their twilight journey.”
Corrine smiled at the last words.
“What’s that?” Selene asked.
“It’s the final journey,” Corrine said. “It’s the time when nomadic wolves feel the end coming. They know that soon the sun will set on their final day. So, they make one last trip. It can be anywhere, but most often, it’s the only time a nomad returns to where they were born.”
“That’s kind of beautiful,” Selene smiled.
Corrine nodded.
“I would like a twilight journey,” Fiona said. “But not to the place of my birth.”
“Where to then?” Corrine asked.
“I want to visit the western plains,” Fiona smiled, “I’ve only ever heard about them from you, and they just sounded so peaceful.”
“They are that,” Corrine smiled. “For me, I would like to honor the tradition of returning to where I was born.”
“Where is that?” Selene asked.
“Blue Reef,” Corrine replied. “I was born within their territory. It was my mother’s decision so that my father’s family would know me, no matter where we traveled after.”
“How did you end up in Winter?” Selene asked.
Corrine swallowed and looked away.
“My mother,” she said. “When I was fifteen, she got sick. Very sick. She was sure she would die, so she asked to make her twilight journey. She had been born in the south of Winter.
“We found a small corner that seemed hardly traveled or patrolled, and we set up a camp. We lived there for almost two months before we were discovered.”
“That must have been scary,” Selene said. “Winter does not like trespassers.”
“It was,” Corrine laughed. “But, in the end, your grandfather convinced the patrolman not to take any drastic action. So instead, we applied to join Winter.”
“Was your mother okay with that?” Selene asked.
“By that point, her mind was a bit lost in the sickness,” Corrine said softly. “We were lucky, we were accepted, and they took care of my mother immediately. They treated her, and she was well on her way to recovery after a few more months. Of course, she wasn’t happy about our decision at first, but in the end, she said she would still be completing her twilight journey by staying with Winter.”
“Loophole,” Fiona joked.
Corrine and Selene both laughed.
“Indeed,” Corrine said. “We stayed. I eventually joined the military and went north. Then, when I was twenty-two, I met Wyatt, and the rest is history.”
“Wow…” Selene sighed. “I can’t believe I didn’t know any of that.”
Corrine smiled and put her arm around her daughter.
“Sometimes, it’s nice to just take a moment and learn something about each other that we never knew.”
After the tour was over, the three women returned to get ready for the party.
Selene looked at herself in the mirror.
She wore a simple flowing red gown with long sleeves. There were no flourishes or accents. Simplicity at its finest.
Her hair was down and slightly curled, and her makeup was lightly done.
Corrine knocked at the doorframe.
Selene looked back over her shoulder.
“Come in.” She smiled and turned to show her mother her dress.
Corrine smiled and tilted her head to the side.
For her part, Corrine’s hair was braided and knotted much less extravagantly than usual. Her dress was long and simple like Selene’s. However, it was a deep burgundy, and she wore a large dark leather belt as an accent.
“Did Alexander pick this?” Corrine asked.
Selene nodded.
“I wasn’t sure what to pick,” she said, turning back to the mirror. “But it’s nice.”
“It’s lovely,” Corrine smiled. “Now, take it off.”
“What?” Selene asked with surprise.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?