Awakening
“Great! You’re still a virgin!” Melissa beamed.
Roxanne felt increasingly embarrassed with her mom’s mention of the word, and how it related to her.
“Just get to the point mom! How does this help me in any way?” She asked impatiently.
Melissa calmed herself after hearing Roxanne’s tone. She smiled at her ignorant daughter and gave her a reassuring look.
“The Awakening is supposed to take place at a werewolf’s coming of age ceremony. This signifies the werewolf is an adult, and will begin to take some responsibilities in the pack. Therefore it is expected that all werewolves to go through this ceremony are virgins, since they have not come of age yet. As untouched vessels, they become pure recipients of the moon’s light.” Melissa explained.
“So… What you’re saying is that you have to be a virgin to undergo awakening?” Roxanne asked.
“No, not at all! There have been unprecedented cases where minors engage in sex, resulting in them being disvirgined… But, that doesn’t stop the Awakening process. It just makes it longer and more painful for the vessel.” Melissa further explained.
“Painful?!” Roxanne asked, a bit nervous due to what she heard.
“Yes. The moon’s light expects to find the vessel pure. However, if such a person ends up being the opposite, the moon will take it upon itself to cleanse and purify such a person. This is a painful process where it seems your body is enveloped by fire. Of course, I have never gone through it, but I once knew someone who did. It’s not something I would wish for you” Melissa concluded.
“Ah, thank goodness I’m a virgin, right?” Roxanne laughed awkwardly.
“Yeah…” Melissa also chuckled.
There was an uncomfortable silence in the air as both of them stared at each other. They suddenly realised what caused the whole mess to begin with, and Roxanne remembered her mother’s affair with the man she saw.
“Mom, about the guy I found you with… You tried to explain to me before, but I didn’t listen. I’m ready to listen now. So tell me what exactly happened.” Roxanne asked her mother.
Upon hearing this, Melissa sighed. She knew she had to tell her daughter sooner or later, and it would be best to reveal it to her now that they were both in a truth streak.
“His name is Damien, and he’s a werewolf as well.” Melissa began.
“I kinda had the feeling” Roxanne commented.
“Not only is he a werewolf, but he is also… My second chance mate.” Melissa revealed.
“What does that mean?” Roxanne asked.
“You already know who a mate is, don’t you? The partner of a wolf, guided by fate and destined to be bound together. That is a mate. Usually, a wolf’s mate only appears once in a lifetime. That is why we werewolves take it very seriously. Once a werewolf misses a chance with their mate, they may have lost them forever. Refusing one’s mate will only lead to regret in the long run… That is, it is even possible in the first place.” Melissa explained.
“However, on very rare occasions, second chance mates appear. Your father died when you were 15, and I’m only just 37. Roxanne, do you understand what I’m saying here?” Melissa asked.
“You mean… You got another mate apart from dad?” Roxanne gasped.
“Yes. My relationship with Damien is a very rare occurrence that hardly happens even in our entire culture. The first time I met him was two years ago, and from that moment we both knew that we were meant for each other. But… I just couldn’t do it.” Melissa hesitantly said.
“Because of me?” Roxanne asked.
Melissa nodded slightly, affirming her words.
“I avoided him and tried to move on, but Damien is a very persistent person. Slowly, he began to close the gap between us, and as much as I tried to fight it, I couldn’t! The ‘Link’ between the two of us wouldn’t allow me” Melissa sighed.
“Link?”
“Yes. You don’t know this yet since you haven’t Awakened completely as a Werewolf. A Link is something both werewolves have between each other if they are mates. In such a situation where two mates find themselves, a Link is formed. This link can not be severed and both werewolves, even if they wish for it not to happen, will always feel drawn toward another. The attraction keeps building up and intensifying until they finally accept each other and ‘Bond’.” Melissa said.
“W-Whoah!!! Is that really true?” Roxanne said in disbelief.
“It is. I can say it for sure. I tried my hardest to resist Damien since I didn’t want to put you through any more emotional distress. But, no matter how hard I tried, it just kept getting stronger. The time when you saw us would be our first time doing something like that together. I was all alone in the house and I couldn’t control it anymore. It turns out it was the same for him as well. I called him and he came over… It wasn’t long before you arrived as well…” Melissa explained.
“W-Wow! That is… Wow. I don’t know what to say about this” Roxanne said, stunned beyond words.
Silence once again prevailed in the house, then a thought flashed through Roxanne’s mind. She looked at her mom, who still looked guilty, and asked.
“So, what do you plan on doing now?”
Melissa looked at Roxanne’s bright smile and finally understood. Her daughter wasn’t against her relationship with Damien to begin with. She was most likely just angry that she had hidden it from her.
“Well, immediately our lips touched, we Bonded already. There’s no way I can deny our connection now. After I finish training you and return to the house, I think I’ll call him over. It’s time I stopped running away from this like a scared teenage girl” Melissa smiled.
“Hey, why do I have a feeling you are talking about me? Besides, this Damien guy is nothing like Asher, is he? He doesn’t kidnap you or stalk you or grab your mother by the neck, does he?” Roxanne said in protest.
“No. No he doesn’t” Melissa laughed at that daughter’s words.
“But, you know… There is a reason you were chosen to be his mate. I don’t understand it either, and I can’t say I fully support it. But, if destiny wills it, you will end up together… That’s all I know” Melissa concluded.
“Well, here’s to destiny screwing itself, because I’m never even going to consider hooking up with a control freak like that guy” Roxanne gagged as she thought of Asher’s face.
She had to admit though, that when she saw him for the first time, she felt an undeniable attraction to him. Her body immediately reacted to his presence despite her initial disposition. She was so surprised by how she reacted, almost as though she had been smitten by him. It took every ounce of self control she had to suppress the feelings that raged within her. When he used his hands to touch her shoulder and placed his fingers on her chin, she felt she would pass out at any moment. Since she had not felt such an emotion in her entire life, she was so overwhelmed by it and panicked.
However, she wasn’t a fighter for nothing. She would rather swallow poison than give him the satisfaction of seeing her so flustered. At the last minute, she quickly changed the reaction she had on her face and reminded herself of every evil thing he did to her. By collecting her anger, she shoved down the foreign feelings she was having, and gave rise to the ones she had before meeting him.
Of course, his shocked face was amusing to her, giving her more confidence to rage against him. But even after all that, she still felt a lingering attachment and longing to see his face again. Was this the destiny crap her mother was talking about? And she said it would get stronger once she Awakened. This made her start to have reservations concerning actually going on with the whole thing, but she was never one to back away from a fight. Giving up now without trying would be like admitting defeat to Adrian.
“Besides, I’m not going to lose my one chance of becoming who I really am thanks to some stupid and arrogant werewolf king.” She thought to herself, already picturing Asher’s smug face.
“Tch, that guy…” She expressed.
Looking back at her mother, who merely gazed upon her patiently, she smiled and nodded.
“I’m ready then. Let’s get this thing started already, shall we? When do we begin?” Roxanne asked.
“Not so fast Roxanne! I need to rest tonight and so do you. The Awakening process is a very exhausting period. You’ll need all the strength you can get. After all, it’ll be your first transformation.” Melissa said.
“You know, I actually thought wolves could only transform on a full moon…” Roxanne expressed.
“That much isn’t false… But there are exceptions to that rule.” Melissa stated.
“The Awakening is just one of them”