Tensions are running high in my pack. We've all been edgy for days. It's finally time for me to step in and resolve the issue that is affecting all of us in one way or another. When I invited Lark to join our pack four months ago I knew this day would come and I anticipated it with mixed feelings. Today is the hard part. I'm beginning to feel like an outcast in my own pack. It's been nearly six years since we last had this issue and though it was difficult at the time, our pack is stronger than ever now.
"Shayna, you know how much I hate being away from you. I need to know that you will be all right." I pick up the satchel with my clothes in it and look at my mate standing at the closet, trying to decide what to wear. Shayna is stunningly beautiful. Her rich, mahogany hair falls in soft waves past her shoulders. She's currently wearing one of my t-shirts that cover almost half of her long, sexy legs. At nearly six feet tall, no one could accuse my mate of being petite, but she is still several inches shorter than I am. She turns around and her bright green eyes pierce into me.
"I'll be fine Jaxon. I will be a mess for the next several days, but eventually I'll be fine. I just need to find a way to deal with this. I'm sure it will come up again at some point in the future."
I walk around our bed and pull her into my arms, hugging her tightly. "You know I love you Shay. You and our baby are everything to me." I love the feel of the slight bump in her belly against me. I can't feel our son moving yet, but Shayna assures me she feels him fluttering inside her often. "I'm willing to step down if I need to. If my duties stand in the way of our happiness it isn't worth it."
"No Jax. I don't want that. You're a born leader. Our pack might be the smallest, but it's also the strongest and most stable. And that's all because of you and Brock. We survived Raine joining the pack years ago, and we'll survive this too. I can't go out to the common room with you though. I just don't feel like talking to anyone right now. Just know that I love you despite anything I might say or do in the next few weeks."
Her words make me smile a little. In some ways my mate is stronger than I will ever be. If our roles were reversed I could never handle this situation with the grace and fortitude that she displays. I kiss her quickly and leave our bedroom before I change my mind and decide to lose myself in her again.
I enter the common room to find most of the pack has arrived. Brock is standing alone not far from the front door. As beta of the pack, he will be in charge while I'm away. His mate, Raine, is sitting next to Lark. I think Raine understands better than anyone else in the room how difficult this is. Her loyalty to Shayna is unwavering, but six years ago she was in the same situation that Lark is in now. She has walked a fine line the past several months, showing love and support to her best friend and at the same time making our newest pack member feel welcome. A job that normally falls to my mate, but it just wasn't possible in this situation, and no one faults Shayna for shirking her duties.
"Lark, are you ready?" No reason to stand around making awkward conversation. We need to leave.
"Um, sure." Lark and Raine both stand and Raine hands a small satchel to her. Lark thanks her and looks around nervously. She has no idea what is going on. I will have to explain it to her, but not here.
I follow closely behind her as we leave the house and walk to my truck. I've never had a conversation like the one we're about to have and I really don't know where to start. By the age of twenty-one female shifters know what to expect. But Lark was raised as a human. Her entire pack was viciously murdered when she was a baby. The human couple that found her alive took her to California and raised her in secret, fearing that whoever murdered her pack might come after her. They were aware that she was a shifter and would eventually need to return here to another pack, but the couple died in a car wreck before they could finalize preparations to send her to us. Fortunately they had already contacted me and I arranged for Lark to join the Danvers pack. But just before Lark arrived Scott Danvers, the pack alpha, informed me that there was unrest in his large pack and it wasn't a good time to introduce a new member.
I wasn't on good terms with the Barber and Mason packs, so sending Lark to either of them wasn't an option. I met with Shayna, Brock and Raine to discuss our only option. As alpha I didn't need their approval. Packs aren't a democracy, the alpha is always firmly in control. Our meeting was a courtesy on my part, letting them know my intentions before sharing the news with the rest of the pack. Within days of our meeting, Lark arrived and was welcomed into our pack. She has spent the past few months learning about her heritage and learning to shift, but no one explained what's about to happen to her over the next couple of days, that's up to me.
"So Jaxon, where are we going?"
I drive out of our compound and onto the paved road. Our compound consists of the main house that belongs to me and Shayna. It's more than twice the size of Brock and Raine's house right next door. There are eight smaller houses behind ours for the rest of the pack. Most packs have up to one hundred members, but since Lark joined us we're now at twenty-three. We have a lot of room to expand though and I'm sure we will continue to grow.
"We're going to a small cabin I own at the far edge of the compound, just a couple of miles away from here." The cabin is on pack property, but far enough away for privacy. Both Brock and I bring our mates there from time to time. I'm thankful I won't need to bring Shayna there for a while. "You and I need to have a talk about what's happening, but since it will just take a couple of minutes to get there, I'll wait until we get to the cabin to explain."
Lark remained silent until we entered the cabin. It is one large room with a king size bed in the far corner and an attached bathroom, a sofa and chair across from the bed, and a kitchen and small dining table on the other side. I close the door behind me and use the key to lock us in. Lark is too busy looking around the room to notice. She finally looks back at me.
"Why are we here?"
"We're here because you're in heat."
Lark's eyebrows shot up and her eyes rounded in surprise. "You mean I'm in heat like a dog?"
I had to chuckle. "No, I mean you're in heat like a shifter. There's a difference – and there are some similarities to our K9 friends. As with dogs and wolves, you give off a scent when you're in heat that attracts males to you. All males, mated or single, feel a pull to you so it was necessary to remove you from the rest of the pack until your heat cycle is over. It only lasts 48 hours."
"But you're here with me."
"Yes. This is your first time in heat. The first time is very difficult. Your wolf will try to surface throughout the cycle, and though we've encouraged you to shift the past few months and embrace your wolf, it is imperative that you maintain your human form until the cycle is finished. If your wolf manages to take over at any time while you're in heat, she will see that as a sign of weakness on your part and you will never have control of her. As the alpha I can help you hold her at bay until this is over."
"You said males are attracted to me while I'm in heat. But as the alpha, you aren't?"
"On the contrary, I am very much attracted to you, more so now that we're here alone. But Brock and I are the only two members of the pack who have the discipline to control your wolf and the discipline to not fuck you for the next two days. The beta can fill this role if necessary, but generally the alpha takes care of his females."
"By taking care of me, you mean just staying here with me to control my wolf?"
