“I guess this means you are the new Queen of the Werewolves, if Hunter is the King,” Winston said with a grin.
“I wonder how that will work.”
Everyone looked at Susan, who only shrugged. “I mean, what with her not being a werewolf. I wonder how the other packs will take to her being their Queen.”
“About that.” Hunter’s lips curled up in a smile. “She is also a werewolf now, too. I guess when I marked her, I turned her into a werewolf. She is now one amazing tribrid … the most powerful luna the werewolves have ever seen, and that is including my mother.”
“No way!” Jin bounced up in front of Freja. “That is amazing! Is it because she’s your mate? Or is it anyone that you decide to mark? If you mark me, will I turn into a werewolf too?” A strong arm swooped around Jin and pulled her into his embrace.
Chasen growled lowly. “He gets those fangs anywhere near your neck, and there’s going to be trouble.” Jin flashed a smile up at him and giggled.
“I’m guessing it’s maybe because of what Susan mentioned. My Queen would need to be a werewolf. Now, I don’t know if it’s mate specific or not, but this is something interesting. If a werewolf takes a human mate and they want to become a werewolf, I could always see if I can change them. I think I could mark their wrist instead of their neck. Not sure if it would work, but maybe it’s something we can try one day.” Hunter was intrigued by the idea. There were times human mates wished they were a werewolf so bad, just to share the same long life as the one they loved. Maybe now it would be possible. As the first werewolf king, he had a lot to learn.
“Can I see your wolf, Freja? Please?” Jin begged as she bounced back in front of Freja.
Freja smiled and laughed quietly, shaking her head. “You really haven’t changed at all, have you, Jin?”
Jin smiled and looked at Freja. “You haven’t changed as much as you think you have, either.” Jin could see the pained look in Freja’s eyes and she reached for her hand, grabbing the one that was not intertwined with Hunters. “Freja, you’re still you. I see you. You were always one to overthink back then, and you’re doing it again now.” Jin giggled and winked at her. She might have followed a path of vengeance, but she knew Freja. She would have only killed those who deserved it. She liked to hide behind a facade, pretending to be stronger than she was. She even did it as a child. The truth was that Freja was actually a very sweet person. She loved her parents deeply and was just severely wounded. Freja needed a family, a constant in her life to keep her grounded. She had that now, here … with Hunter. She just needed to open her heart and fully accept it. Jin was going to help her see that she was the same Freja. The girlwho protected baby bird eggs from a snake. The girl who cried when Jin skinned her knee. The girl who secretly loved cute and cuddly things.
Freja’s eyes watered but she didn’t say anything. Jin believed in her more than she believed in herself. Inwardly, Jin’s words stirred a part of her that she hadn’t allowed herself to feel since she was a child. She squeezed Jin’s hand and offered her a small smile. She would try. She would try to be the person that Jin could see. Who knows, maybe she still was that person. Maybe she could be a demon killer and that person.
“Let’s go see your wolf.” Jin tugged on her gently.
“I guess it isn’t official until I shift, right?” A genuine smile reached Freja’s lips as she felt Hunter’s warm hand squeeze hers. She tilted her head and met his kind eyes.
“I’d like to meet your wolf, too.” Hunter looked at the others. “We’re heading to my personal training grounds for her first shift. You’re welcome to join us if you wish.”
“I’m coming. I can’t wait to see what her werewolf looks like!” Sam said in excitement and Renee nodded.
“Count us in, too. I want to see what kind of werewolf gets created by our alpha,” Adam said, and Winston grinned in excitement.
“Sues?” Hunter asked, already knowing Chasen and Jin were coming.
Susan’s shoulders lowered in a small sigh. A small smile spread over her face. It hurt because she really liked Hunter. But Freja was his mate, and she would have to accept that, even though she’d hoped maybe she was Hunter’s mate. She had her own mate out there somewhere. She needed to be happy for him, and she wanted to accept her new luna as well.
She nodded. “Of course. I want to see her as well. I wonder what a tribrid will look like.”
Freja looked at Jin and bit her bottom lip. “I hope I don’t mess this all up.”
Hunter gently tugged her toward the door. “You’ll do just fine, Freja. I’ll be with you every step of the way. Trust me.”
Freja smiled and leaned into his touch. She did trust him. Just like his sister, she could sense he was very caring and trustworthy.
Freja stood in the center of a large, grassy field. The others stayed a few feet away while Hunter kept his arm around her. She felt a bit nervous and didn’t know what to expect, despite the fact that Hunter had given her a step by step rundown of everything that he knew about shifting.
“Freja, you will need to concentrate on your wolf, Ember. Allow her to come forward and push yourself back. She can also help guide you.” Hunter reached his hand up and tucked Freja’s hair behind her ear. He was enjoying touching her every opportunity he could, keeping his arm on her, too. He needed the touch of his mate. He wasn’t going to force things, but he still needed to touch her. It helped keep him calm and it would calm her as well. Tonight would be a challenge. He wasn’t sure what to do about sleeping arrangements, but he would come back to that later. Right now, he was going to help his mate shift.
Ember,Freja called out, inviting the wolf to speak to her.Ready to try shifting?
Tell them not to be alarmed. We may look a bit different than they’re used to,Ember answered her.
Great … something else that makes me a freak,Freja thought to herself wryly. She looked into Hunter’s stormy eyes. “Ember said that we might look a bit different than you’re used to, so don’t be alarmed.” She watched a grin spread over Hunter’s face. He leaned forward, brushing his hot lips against her forehead, and she briefly shut her eyes at the contact. Herbody tingled from his touch, and she felt an involuntary shudder ripple over her. She looked back into his eyes as he pulled away.
“I would never be alarmed by how your wolf looks.” Hunter took a small step back to give her some room to shift comfortably, but not too much room. He wanted to be close in case she needed him.
How different are we going to look? You looked normal to me in my head.
We’re different. We’re a witch, vampire, and werewolf combination. I’ll be a bit different in certain aspects. Don’t feel ashamed of us. We’re powerful, Freja.Ember knew how Freja felt about being an outcast in the werewolf world.Trust me. We are exactly what is needed as the werewolf queen.
