“At the next moon, you are going to mate her properly I take it?”
Since he had not talked to Laurel about it yet, it was rather hard for him to answer her question right then. He was beyond embarrassed and tried his best not to show it. Why did she have to say it so matter of fact like that?
“What is she talking about, Nathan?”
“I was going to talk to you about it later, Laurel. It seems Mom has jumped the gun.”
“Later? Son, you don't have much later. The full moon is in two days.”
“What is it are you two are talking about? I feel like I should know about it, if you are going to talk about me like I’m not even here.”
“We’re talking about the mating ceremony. The old way is with a virgin and a full moon. I have a feeling that he wants to have an old-school mating ritual. It would seem fitting, considering that with your marriage, he will become Alpha of the Fire Islands, and you my dear, will become their queen.”
“I thought the Fire Island was a myth?”
“No, it's where you're from and now that the curse is lifted, you can go back home, in your proper place. We have not been able to go back for twenty years now, because of the witch’s curse. Our enemies took our land. For so long they held us back and now we will finally get to go back. We must get everything together before the full moon. It needs to be fit for a king.”
“Nancy was convinced that we needed months to prepare.”
“When you really love someone, and you have been true to yourselves and waited, I don't think there is much that is needed for a wedding. I think that Laurel would be just fine with a small affair, won’t you? I would imagine that you’re eager to get a move on?”
Laurel's face turned red and Nathan hoped that she was thinking along the same lines that he was. Why else would her face turn completely red like that? The wait was torture and soon to end, thankfully.
He liked to believe that his assumption was right, even if it wasn’t. It made him smile.
“Small affair it is.”
They only had a couple of days to wait, but all of a sudden at the homestretch, it felt like forever.
***
The couple left even more confused than when they started. Nathan hadn't really thought that he would get all the answers that he needed, but instead he got more than he could prep for. It was definitely more than he had bargained for and he was feeling overwhelmed. What was he even supposed to say to any of that?
They were quiet as they walked for a little while. They would soon find a place to go for the night. For once, Nathan wasn’t thinking in a sexual way. He was instead trying to consider everything that had been told to him. He believed it of course, even as crazy as it sounded. He needed to know how Laurel felt about it all. He also needed to ask her a very particular question. While he didn’t like how his mom ratted him out in front of Laurel, it was still a question that needed to be asked.
“So, are you going to tell me what that was back there?”
“Honestly, I have no idea what the hell that was. It was definitely more than I thought was going to happen when I planned this side trip.”
“Is it true?”
He shrugged. “My mother doesn't lie. I believe her, but I still don’t believe it, you know?”
“What are we supposed to do about it? About any of it?”
“Well, I had this great romantic plan percolating in my head, but I think the next step is for me to ask you to marry me.”
“Just like that? You're ready to marry me?”
“Pretty much.”
“I don't know how I feel about that. It wasn't but a few days ago that you were supposed to marry someone else.”
“It is true, but at the end of the day, you heard it all. I couldn't have made it up if I'd wanted to.”
“I know, Nathan, what does that mean, though?”
He stopped her in her tracks and stood in front of her, making it so they were looking eye to eye.
