Chapter 9: The First Kiss


    "Where are you going? The feast is about to begin."


    Aurora parted her lips to speak but nothing concrete came out of her mouth. What could she possibly


    tell the boy? That she isn''t excited about the feast anymore after realizing what was on stake! That her


    greatest fears were about toe to life! Or what a horrible mistake she did when she thought of


    uniting two souls without assessing the repercussions.


    She should have listened to elder Odulf. Let nature take its course and be patient; meddling in its line


    of work will only cause chaos and anarchy, he said. She clearly undermined the terms of engagement


    of this union. But she thought that it would be a noble deed to coalesce two spirits as one. How wrong


    was she!


    "Are you even listening to what I''m saying?" Can was now being impatient to the non responsive


    behavior of Aurora.


    "Y..yes ca-lly.. Oh.. uhh Can." She was petrified and shaking, unable to form any words.


    "Are you all right? You are stammering. I''m concerned about you. Is it because of the rains? Should I


    take you home? I''m sure the healers will know what is wrong with you."


    "No... No Cally. Would you do me a favor though?" Aurora''s heartbeat was on the rise while she was


    shaking with fear. Her eyes clearly showed desperation.


    "Yes of course. Do you want me to apany you to the healers'' cottage?" Can was perturbed with


    his friend''s behavior.


    "That won''t be necessary Cally. I want you to go home as soon as possible. I know you want to wait for


    your parents and have a family time with them but you have to listen to me. Go home." Aurora uttered


    these words firmly and slowly to which Can only nodded with a confused look. Something was


    wrong. But he did believe in Aurora as she had always put his safety before her own. He thought about


    grilling herter though.


    "And one more thing; Stay away from the Alpha''s son." Aurora was now serious in her demeanor like


    she meant every word she said and it had to be followed.


    Can nodded vigorously when he looked at Aurora. She looked dominating and a bit scary at the


    moment.


    Aurora then made her way out of the Alpha vige. She knew that there would be a peculiar situation


    soon where everyone in the house would be clueless. They won''t be able to stop the onught that


    would ur as Can has not yet reached his full potential while Einar''s beasts have already made


    their presence felt. The moon had started showing its effect. She knew that she could not take control


    of the situation. Not alone.


    She had to bring reinforcements.


    ****


    Einar was nowpletely serene, but everything that was rushing through his mind was leading him to


    only one person: Can. He was dubious about his feelings for the boy and thought it to be as mere


    attraction but he could not refute the possibility of Can being something more than that. Sure he


    found other girls attractive but no one couldpare to the beauty, the charm and the god like looks of


    the boy. Everyone was attracted to him, the boy could take your breath away.


    So was Can only an infatuation? Or did he mean something more to Einar.


    "Gather around everyone. The moon is at its peak now and its light has bathed ournd. It is time. We


    shall now proceed for the run." The voice of his father caught Einar''s attention. His eyes frantically


    searched the boy. For some odd reasons his wolf desired to run with him.


    Ragnar wanted the night to be over as soon as possible. His son was showing great restrain so far but


    he may not be able to control it for long. Einar''s eyes flickered every now and then which showed that


    his beasts have surfaced; thankfully he was able to hold them back. But he knew that the moon will


    dominate sooner orter. It will bring out his beasts in its full glory and controlling them would be an out


    of the world task. To save his pack from any unforeseen tragedy he had to finish the celebrations at the


    earliest.


    "Einar, as the event has been called in your name I want you to lead the run today."


    "But father, I am yet to be the Alpha of this pack. I can''t do this. I am not ready."


    "You have to do this, not just for me but for the entire pack as well. They have high hopes for you as


    you are going to be their future Alpha. Don''t let them down son." Ragnar was stern in his voice. He


    wanted his son to take charge. Einar had to be ready sooner orter.


    The Alpha went to his mate while Einar was pensive again for reasons only he knew. His wolf was


    wing inside him. The beast was restless and wanted to taste that sweet aroma again. Restraining


    the wolf was bing a hectic task for him. While his treacherous mind was at it again, holding


    images of the boy continuously who he did not want to see.


    Umberto witnessed the dilemma of the Alpha''s son and was quick to inquire.


    "What is troubling you Einar? You have been awfully quiet the entire time. You speak only when spoken


    to like you don''t want to be here. Tell me what''s wrong?"


    Einar looked at Umberto and opened his mouth to speak but decided against it. He slowly lowered his


    head. The beta understood that a storm was brewing inside Einar''s mind, something was making him


    upset. There could possibly only one reason for his state: his mate. Maybe he was confused and did


    not know what was going around him. So the beta decided to lend a word of advice to him.


    "Are you worried because your mate has not shown up tonight?"


    Einar''s ears perked up hearing about his mate. His eyes brightened and his mannerism changed.


    "So it is about your mate." Umberto chuckled as he caught him red handed.


    "You are tensed about finding your mate, its natural. Don''t worry, she will show up soon. She may not


    be in the vige or in our pack altogether. But rest assured you will meet her when the time is right."


    When Umberto talked about his mate being a ''female'' Einar became even more distressed. It was


    obvious that everyone assumed his mate to be a girl. Hell even he wanted his mate to be a girl. But his


    heart belonged somewhere else. He prodded further for his own rity; he wanted to know what the


    probabilities were of his mate being ''different''.


    "How do you recognize your mate? How do you know she is the one?"


    "It''s easy. There are signs you know. You realize when a particr face is bothering your mind more so


    than often. Your eyes are only for her, like she is the most precious thing in the entire world. You want


    to be with her; touch her; feel her. The thought of seeing her with someone else makes you jealous and


    angry. You always think about her well being and safety before anyone else''s." Einar slightly faltered in


    his stance. The information had shocked him. All the signs were there, he had experienced them but


    they were not for any girl.


    Einar was now even more tensed because his thoughts directed its trajectory to only one person:


    Can. He did not wanted the boy to be his mate; but at the same time he did.


    "But you can feel these things for another person as well, who may not necessarily be your mate.


    Right?" Einar still hoped that what he was thinking was not true. His assumptions had to be false; that


    the boy was not the one who he thinks he was.


    "That''s where your wolfes into y. A wolf is governed by his instincts. He recognizes his mate by


    sight, touch and smell which are his core strengths. He can never be wrong in searching for his other


    half soul."


    "How is this possible?"


    Umberto chuckled and sighed "When I first saw Catherine it was like the world had stopped moving.


    My eyes could only see her and no one else. My wolf was restless and wanted to touch her; be with her


    always."


    Einar remembered the time today when he saw Can in the light of the illumination. He wanted to be


    close to him then.


    "The scent of your mate is aphrodisiac to your senses while the first touch brings you sensation like


    you could never imagine. This is the best feeling in the world! However these tingling effects continue


    only until the marking process. Once you have marked your mate the sensation is there but its effects


    are diminished."


    It was hard for Einar to process everything what Umberto was saying. How could he tell anyone that his


    outburst earlier was more or less because of the touch of Can; that his wolf wanted to graze his


    canines on his beautiful skin.


    "Lastly, a wolf''s primal instinct is to mark and mate as soon as he recognizes his other half. It is done to


    stake im, to eliminate any furtherpetition and this is where you have to be more alert. Our


    wolves are possessive animals and they can get barbaric to im their mate, hurting other people in


    the process. That is the reason we never keep a wolf away from its mate."


    "I-I was just thinking. What if my mate is not what everyone is hoping for?"


    Einar''s question baffled the beta while he pursed his lips with a frown. Einar had to try; he wanted to


    know if he could possibly have a future with Can.


    "I mean; what if my mate is not a wolf? What if she...."


    "Don''t even think about it." Umberto was quick to reply. "The council has specified the rules for a


    reason. Inter species mating in werewolf world is forbidden. It is necessary to keep the bloodline pure.


    While same-gender mating is a lost cause in itself, we neither talk about it nor have we heard about


    any such mating till now."


    "But..."


    "Don''t worry Einar. You are an Alpha wolf. An Alpha always has a strong she-wolf as his mate. It is one


    of the perks of being the leader as it is necessary to have healthy pups that could carry the bloodline


    and legacy forward. This is how the pack grows."


    The bloodline and the legacy. That''s what ites around ultimately. The pack needs an heir and


    Can cannot provide me one. But I cannot reject the boy as well; I don''t have the strength to do that. I


    have my duties as the future Alpha, I cannot neglect my pack. They have certain expectations from me


    which are just. They need a strong Luna and an heir. The boy cannot give me any of it.


    "Einare here." Einar''s thoughts were put to rest when he looked at his father who had assembled


    people for the run.


    Einar was sad, depressed for he juggled between his possible mate and his responsibilities towards his


    people. His face reflected his apathy while people assumed that he was tired after the events of


    tonight.


    Letting the wolf take control Ragnar surged forward and nudged his son. Soon the people followed,


    shedding their clothes and reigning in their beats they all gathered around Einar.


    Can observed this from the position he had been standing all along. He had to stay back with some


    other wolves because he could not shift and hence unqualified for a run. It made him upset that he


    could not be a part of this ritual. He watched Justus, who before shifting gave a weak smile of


    acknowledgment to his son, encouraging him to be strong.


    "My dear, are you ready to go home?"


    "Are you noting with me mother? You said we were going to be together after the feast."


    Mary lowered her eyes in shame as she could not fulfill her promise to her son. Not even on his


    birthday. "Zelda and Catherine want me to be with them. The feast will start soon and they will need my


    help. It will take longer than I expected."


    "I understand." Can replied with a dejected smile to assure his mother that he was fine. "I will leave


    with Meredith then."


    Mary widened her eyes in surprise and a knowing smile formed on her face. Can was blushing


    deeply.


    "The girl seems to be pretty interested in you. Do you like her?" Can nodded with his head hung low.


    He was embarrassed to admit his feelings for another girl to his mother. On the contrary Mary found his


    behavior endearing.


    "I do like her mother. She is pretty and she wants to befriend me. She even wished me on my birthday


    today while she is staying back and not joining the run, just to be with me."


    "Looks like someone will have a memorable birthday after all. I am happy for you my son." Mary kissed


    her son''s forehead and wished him happiness galore.


    Einar could see Can from a distance but could not make out the conversation he was having with his


    mother. His world lit up when Can blushed and smiled on something which Mary said. He had a grin


    of his own while he shed his clothes and was in his naked glory.


    With a long howl he slowly transformed into his magnificent beast. His beast was a sight to behold. His


    fur was shiny ck while his eyes resembled the night; dark and gloomy. A faint red mist had engulfed


    himpletely. He thumped his paw to show his dominance while he bared his teeth for anyone to


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    dare challenge him.


    He exalted power.


    All other wolves bowed in submission to the mighty wolf. It pained the beast to not be near his beloved.


    The distance between them was unbearable. But the beast realized that he had to prove his worth to


    his mate. With onest nce at Can he marched ahead swiftly leaving everyone behind.


    Can walked towards Meredith with the constant smile he had on his face. "Are you ready to go?"


    "Yes I am." she blushed "I''ll just let my mother know."


    Meredith and Can lived in the same vige which was near to the western boundaries of the blue


    moon pack. While Can lived at an extreme end, Meredith lived in the centre of the vige. They


    decided to leave the ce together as Meredith''s family would have to stay long to perform their duties


    like that of Can''s parents. In reality she only wished to spend some alone time with the handsome


    boy beside her.


    On the way home they had conversations about their everyday life and their hopes for their future while


    they were flushed every now and then due to their juvenile traits.


    When they were about to enter the vige Meredith raced ahead to be in front of Can.


    "What''s the matter?" Can asked with concern.


    "I have to try something." She was fidgeting and visibly nervous. She got hold of Can''s arms and


    ced them behind her back while she put one of her hands behind Cans head. With deep and


    anxious breaths, the distance between them was thinning. Their chests collided while she tilted her


    head slowly.


    They closed their eyes and Kissed.


    With that kiss Can set out for an unknown world. It was the same feeling when you hear the birds


    sing, see the melting snow, witness blossoming of a rose. It was euphoric. It was all he could think of:


    The kiss. His first ever kiss..!


    After a few wonderful moments both the juveniles parted their lips and rested their foreheads against


    each other. Can could see the crimson red color of her wet lips while her cheeks glowed with the


    blood rushing to it.


    "You are blushing!" Can could see the adorable look of Meredith. He smiled and pecked her lips once


    more.


    The rustling of bushes and voices of footsteps brought an end to the moment. It was dark and the only


    source of light was the magnificent moon. Can and Meredith were on the edge of their vige where


    he could see houses and open space on one side and dark thick forest on the other. He looked around


    cautiously and pulled the girl behind his back, shielding her. The cluster of shrubs was now making


    more movements. Something was approaching them.


    Can made his stance defensive and pulled out the dagger which he carried in his pocket. He


    signaled Meredith to call for help through her mind link. Themotion could now be heard from some


    other directions as well. They were in plural.


    Before Can could make his move he heard a deafening roar which brought chills to his spine. He


    looked to his left and saw two red eyes. It was Einar. But something was off about him. Can had


    seen the Alpha son''s wolf before, it was shiny ck and had serene features. But this right in front of


    him resembled a monster. It was bigger than what he remembered and looked more feral. His entire


    posture looked ready to Kill while his eyes solely focused on the boy.+


    The wolf looked pissed as he bared his teeth and made a dash towards Can.