35. Chapter 35
My New Family
“Good morning! Most of you know me, for those of you that don’t though, I’m Alpha Sandra.
The council would like to thank all of you for being here today.
I know many of you are confused as to what is going on, but I hope I can rectify any confusion you may be having.
” She turns to look at the council, even making a note to look at Tandy, who is in line with the other Omegas.
Once all of them nod their heads to whatever silent question she asks, she smiles at all of us again then keeps speaking.
“A very long time ago, a rogue witch cursed the Shifter race. Because of the repercussions of that curse, we shifters were forced to change our ways to protect ourselves. Now, that curse is broken and it is high time we get back to the way we were supposed to be.”
Cheers ring out around the clearing. I know that the curse isn’t common knowledge, but I didn’t realise that Shifters changed their ways to accommodate the changes made by the curse. I am happy that the curse is broken, but I worry about what changes for the race could mean.
“Yes, we are all relieved to be free of the curse and the weight of extermination is now a burden we no longer carry.
With that freedom, the Alpha council has decided to step down.
Shifters, well, Supernaturals as a whole, were meant to follow their strongest Omega.
An Omega's whole purpose in life is to care for their pack, and the strongest of them wants to care for the race as a whole, as that is what they consider as their pack. We are happy to hand over control to the Chosen Omega, with the full belief that she will do what is best and with the knowledge that she can come to us for anything she may need.”
Shandra steps back, looking at Charlotte as if she is expecting the Witch to continue the speech.
Everyone in the clearing is whispering, a panicked undertone in the words.
Change is hard, but for Omegas, it is an anxiety inducing emotion that can consume us.
Now there is a whole Meadow full of Omegas that are facing the biggest change of their life.
Even me, who has gone through more change in the last two months than born Omegas usually go through in their lives.
“Hello again.” Charlotte addresses us, getting the attention back.
The Alpha Council is slowly moving back out of the limelight.
“I am Omega Charlotte of the Witches. I go by the title of High Priestess, the Goddess blessed me with the gift of seeing Auras and the bonds that form between people. This is why the Alphas asked me to come in and find the Omega that the Goddess intends to work with the rest of us.”
Now the Omegas, me included, are holding our breath, waiting to see who she felt the bond with, who she sees worthy of leading the entire Shifter race.
I’m struck with the same conflicting emotions I had last night.
I don’t want the pressure of being responsible for an entire race of people, especially one that I’m new to, but I’m also scared of what someone else could do.
The damage that one person could do if they are selfish is astronomical and the possibility scares me to fucking death.
Charlotte holds her hands out to her sides and the other two women who haven’t been introduced walk forward and clasp hands with her.
Together, the three of them start to walk towards the line of Shifter Omegas.
It's clear that they are heading in the direction of my side of the line and I peek out the corner of my eyes to see the Omegas at the far end of the line let out a breath. Clearly, I’m not the only Omega that feels a bit intimidated by the prospect of being the Chosen Omega.
Lost in my mind, I jump when I hear Charlotte say my name.
“Becca, will you do us the honor of Representing the Shifter race in our Council for the Supernaturals?”
Holy fucking shit!
Mandy and Ylva both squeeze my hand, smiles lighting up their faces while tears gather in their eyes.
Charlotte looks like a proud momma as she smiles down at me too.
I can feel my mates in my chest, their excitement and pride coming through loud and clear.
I hear all six of the dads whooping in excitement and a few of the Omegas around me clap and shout out congratulations, including Tandy, who is now resting in Sandra’s arms.
I can’t make any words come out of my mouth, but I can feel my head nodding of its own accord.
The three women in front of me engulf me in their arms, each of them hugging me tight.
I feel a resonating click deep in my chest with each new contact and I know that all three of them are going to be important people in my life.
My family just keeps growing and I love it.
Yet, there is still something missing, a piece of the bond that isn’t formed yet.
Sandra calls out that the other Omegas can leave, telling them all to spread the news and that an official statement will be released to the rest of the community later.
Mandy and Ylva leave me with Charlotte and the other two, going back to their mates and mine.
I glance up at Charlotte and I can feel all the questions in my mind burning through my gaze.
“It’s okay, Becca. This is Kahmil Valentine, Hive Queen of the vampires, and Jorja Winterfell, High Queen of the Fae. Both are Omegas and represent their races.”
Kahmil was a beautiful woman with snow white hair.
I can see the tips of her fangs when she smiles and my eyes get wide when I notice that they are lavender.
Her fangs are pointed and long like I expect a vampire to have, but they aren’t white like her other teeth, they are a light purple.
Her skin is paler than mine, a feat I didn’t think was possible.
Her eyes are a direct match to her fangs, a light purple that could possibly pass as blue if need be.
Beside her is a woman even taller than the Vampire.
Her hair is robin egg blue and her eyes are white, with a pale blue ring to separate her pupils and iris.
She has a tan skin tone that speaks to her hours in the sun and her smile is soft and sweet.
Movement around her neck catches my attention and I see a beautiful snake that is an unnatural shade of silver resting on her shoulders, its head nustled against her neck.
“Hello Becca. It is so nice to meet you. I hear that you have many plans for how to improve the relations between Supernatural Races and maybe a few to reconnect with the Humans. Would you be okay with us going back to your house to discuss? You live the closest.” Kahmil’s voice is deep for a woman and has an accent that hints towards a French ancestry.
“I’ll have to ask Mandy, it is her home, but I’m sure we have enough room to accommodate all of you.”
Turning I go back to Mandy. I’m quickly swept up in my mates arms, all of them saying they expected nothing less.
Mandy and Ylva snatch me away and hug me too, not saying any words, just holding me.
The dads take their turns and I can’t stop smiling.
I can feel the love of my family surrounding me and it makes this monumental change so much easier to handle.
I’m snatched from Bjorn’s arms and hugged by a man I don’t know. He is taller than Kahmil, with dark hair and complexion. He is massive, as big as Erik and August. His smile reveals his bright red fangs and shows his character. I can tell right away that he will be a fun addition to the family.
“Hi Becca! I’m Uncle Anthony, Kahmil’s mate.”
“Would that make her your niece Anthony, or your sister in law?” Charles asks, laughter in his voice. I get the impression that the two of them are close.
“Niece, brother, as she is your daughter.” Anthony smiles over at Charles and everyone else laughs, even me.
“It’s nice to meet you, Uncle Anthony. You know, I’ve never had an uncle before.”
A scoff comes from one of Charlotte’s mates and I look over my shoulder to see the three of them glaring playfully at me with their arms crossed over their chests. I believe their names are Hunter, Ridge, and River. If I’m right, River is the one that scoffs and speaks.
“What the fuck are we, Little Wolf? Chop Liver?”
I smile sweetly at him and amend my previous statement. “Fine, I’ve never had an uncle before I met those three, so I’m happy to have one more.” Anthony whoops, tossing me in the air like a baby. I’m giggling, but all five of the other Omegas around me start yelling at him.
“Okay!” I say when my feet are firmly back on the ground. “Mandy, Kahmil, Charlotte, and Jorja would like to come stay at the house so we can discuss the next steps.”
“That’s fine, Ylva and her mates are coming as well and Abby said she is going to meet us there as well, we can have a barbeque and everyone can get to know each other better.”
“In that case, would you mind if I invite my mates and son as well?” Jorja asks.
Mandy smiles, telling her the more the merrier.
Jorja waves her hand and the same purple light as before shines beside the group.
A cardinal flies down from the trees around us and hovers in front of Jorja.
The two of them stare at each other for a second, then the bird flies into the purple light, disappearing.
We all stare, transfixed for the short minute it takes for the bird to fly back through the light.
Right behind the bird steps out two men and two women.
One of the women comes over first, running over and kissing Jorja.
Then one of the guys comes over and does the same.
Both of them have pitch black hair, though the man has pale skin, almost as pale as Kahmil’s, and the man has skin as dark as Anthony’s.
The other woman, who has brown hair and bright pink eyes smiles at everyone, introducing herself as Shelby.
She is holding hands with a guy called Chase, and I can tell right away that they are mates, but I can’t tell what they are.
They feel very different from everyone else around me.
The last guy to come through the portal thing instantly takes all of my attention.
His hair is as dark as the other two, and his skin is a beautiful caramel tone.
He is tall, like Jorja, but thin. He is even thinner than Skylar, who is the smallest of my mates.
His eyes are a beautiful shade of brown and I can smell from here that his scent is like a cupcake.
So sweet it makes my mouth water. His eyes latch onto mine and it’s like everything else fades away.
My wolf is going crazy in my chest, but all I can do is watch as he makes his way over to me.
I can hear my mates asking questions, feel their confusion in my chest, but I just can’t focus on any of it.
All I can see, smell, or hear is the man in front of me.
His heartbeat is a perfect match to mine and his cupcake scent fills my lungs and clouds my mind.
His face takes up my whole vision and all I want is to feel his skin against mine.
My wolf keeps screaming in my head that he is our mate, and by now, I know that she wouldn’t lie about it.
I’m so confused though, because clearly he isn’t a shifter.
I didn’t know that I could have a mate from another race, but now that I do, it changes everything.
He finally makes it in front of me, his big hand cupping my face as he stares into my eyes. I smile at him, finally feeling settled. In the back of my mind, I’m worried about what my mates will think, but it's not something I can focus on right now.
“Mate.” His voice is melodic, like he is singing the words rather than speaking it.
“Mate.” I agree, the smile unable to leave my face.
My mates are suddenly surrounding us, or they may have been here for a while and I’m just now noticing them.
Either way, I look up at Skylar. I can see all sorts of emotions there, but the thing I don’t see is anger or rejection.
Shock, joy, and a bit of trepidation, but no anger or denial.
Glancing around I see the same in all of my mates.
Erik just smiles at the new guy, clearly happy to welcome him into the fold.
“Red, are you okay?” Skylar asks, looking into my eyes.
“He’s my mate.” That is the only thing I can think of to say.
“Yes, it appears so. My wolf keeps calling him brother. Let's get home and we will spend some time getting to know him, okay?”
I nod my head and grab my new mate's hand, dragging him to the van. Erik stops to speak to the other people in the clearing. If I had to guess, he is telling them that we will be with them shortly, that we just have to work out this new development. Hutch drives us home, a silly smirk on his lips the whole way. He keeps glancing back at us the whole drive home and I can’t help but roll my eyes.
We go to the Den when we get home and we all sit on the couch with no one saying anything for a second. Hutch is the one that breaks the silence and I don't know why I’m surprised that what comes out of his mouth is absolutely ridiculous.
“So, I guess we really do need to get a bigger bed now. We should probably just move out here, especially if all the parents are going to be staying here now.”
Erik chuckles a heated look in his eyes.
Skylar smacks Hutch in the back of the head, but the new mate just laughs.
I look at him, loving the sound of his laugh and it occurs to me that I don’t even know his name.
I try to hold it in, but there is no stopping the laugh that burst from my belly.
I laugh so hard that tears roll down my cheeks.
“What is so funny, Red? Surely it can’t be Hutch.” CJ tilts his head, a small smile on his lips.
“I ..” I try to speak between giggles and end up having to take several deep breaths before I can get it out. “I just realized I have no clue what my new mate’s name is.” More giggles ring out around the room and my mates all laugh with me.
“I’m so sorry, Mate. My name is Chancagu. My parents call me Cagu. You can call me anything you want, as long as you accept me as your mate.”
“Dude, that name is fucking cool.” Hutch says, plopping himself down on the couch beside Cagu.
We spend a few hours talking with Cagu. We learn that Jorja is his mother, and that he can read people's minds, even without a pack bond. He explains that he hasn’t been able to get anything from any of us and that is how he knew he was my mate.
He also introduces us to his familiar, Vivvy.
She is a tiny little mouse with the cutest little white spots on her red fur.
She reminds me of my wolf. Speaking of my wolf, when she sees the tiny little rodent, she claims the familiar as her child and when Hutch dropped her, my wolf lashed out, trying to snap at him in our minds.