The Supreme Alpha

Author's note: This is from Serina's point of view

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As the breakfast approached its end, Zoe asked me if we can have a word in private.

I felt all tingly inside as I anticipated my first serious mother-daughter talk!

Are we going to talk about contraception and family planning? Wedding plans?

Oh, no! I suck at party planning, maybe I should invite Mona. But Zoe asked me to talk in private so I will hear her out first before I suggest inviting experts.

The two of us went to the study, and before she could say anything, I gave her a big hug.

"Congratulations on your wolf and on your mate, Zoe. I am very happy for you. For both of you."

Zoe returned my hug, and I felt her relaxing on me. "Thank you, Serina. It all feels surreal."

I had to confirm a few mate-related facts. "Tell me, how did you find out that Luca is your mate? Did anything change about how you see him?"

Zoe and I sat on the sofa, turning sideways to face each other, and Zoe started with, "Thank you, Serina. If not for Zeiroi's assistance, my wolf wouldn't have enough energy to wake up."

I was surprised to hear this. "Why did you say that Zeiroi did something?"

Zoe smirked smugly. "My wolf told me, and I saw you giving him a thumbs up, so I know that you were part of it. There is no point in denying it. I am really grateful."

"Oh… OK.", I said awkwardly.

I hoped that she wouldn't notice. It's not that I didn't want to take the credit, but what if things went wrong? How would I explain myself? Zoe now knew that I kind of used her for an experiment. But Zoe seemed cool about it, and she continued talking about her experience.

"I was hit with the most delicious scent of apples. Luca always had a faint scent of apples around him, but last night it was so potent that it overtook my senses. My wolf told me that my mate is behind me, and I rashly assumed it was Ash. That was embarrassing. I kissed Ash and it didn't feel right. And then I realized it was Luca." Zoe frowned a little. "I saw that my action hurt him, but I panicked. How can the Moon Goddess pair me with my brother? I didn't even think about how my actions impacted Luca or Ash. I just wanted space…"

I listened to Zoe's story of how she shifted and ran through the forest, and then Luca found her, and they had a talk in the river, and then Ash showed up… Wait! Why was Ash there? What was he thinking?

Before everyone went for a run, Ash told us that Luca and Zoe are not related and that there is a big chance they are mates. Why did he go after them? Even if he bumped into Luca and Zoe accidentally, Ash was supposed to silently leave and not disturb them.

Zoe said that Ash left after they exchanged some words. She didn't give me details, but the way she avoided looking at me told me that it was not pleasant.

I couldn't imagine how Zoe felt at that time. She was confident that she will be labeled as a failure and outcasted, but then she got her wolf, found out that her brother is her mate, she went through a painful shift into her wolf form on her own, but it didn't end there because next she found out that her brother is not her brother, and she did this last part naked… it was already too much, and then Ash showed up.

If I was in her place, I would probably experience a mental breakdown (a memory 1of me blowing up half of the mansion came to my mind), but Zoe took it all like a champ. She is truly a brave girl.

"I'm sorry, Zoe. I know that you went through a lot, and then Ash made it uncomfortable."

Zoe shook her head. "Last night was nothing compared to this morning."

Eh? There is more? "What happened this morning?"

Zoe fidgeted for a few seconds before responding. "I slept in Luca's room, and I woke up with Luca pulling the comforter up to my neck. I was all woozy and wondering, what's got into him? I mean, last night he had no problems with me being naked, yet this morning he couldn't wait to cover me up. And then I saw Ash sitting on the bed and staring at me."

I couldn't believe this. "Luca let Ash into the bedroom while you were sleeping naked?" And they have suites, so the bedroom is a separate space from the living area. Even if Ash came for a visit, Luca could close the bedroom door to give Zoe privacy.

"No, no, he didn't.", Zoe quickly said. "Luca went to get breakfast for me, and Ash let himself in. When Luca returned, Ash was there, on the bed. I was oblivious to his presence." Zoe let out a shaky breath. "Luca and Ash started fighting and I wanted it to stop and then it did."

"What?"

"This is why I wanted to talk to you in private.", Zoe said. "I got my ability. I'm not a hundred percent confident what it is, but I believe that I can stop time."

That was big. "Start from the beginning. What happened? What were you thinking? Any detail could be important…"

Zoe told me that her wolf said how she can stop the fight, and how they did it together. Zoe dragged Ash out of the room, but she felt really drained. And the effect lasted only for about thirty seconds. After food and a bit of rest, she was fine.

I thought how that might be from my ability to influence werewolves. I did it on a few occasions, accidentally.

I wanted to practice it, but it's not like I can get specimens to practice and not expose my powers, and I don't want to use my fosterlings because I might hurt them. Also, so many other things happened that making werewolves halt their movements didn't sound very important, and it slipped my mind.

But then Zoe said how the clock stopped and there was an unmoving bird, frozen mid-air, outside the window and I was disappointed to confirm that this was not my ability. Or maybe it is, but a mutated one. After all, Ash can read thoughts and I can't.

I started thinking that Sergio was wrong about these power boosts that came with the blood oath. It seems that their abilities have nothing to do with mine or Duke's (assuming that he has some that are dormant together with his wolf).

My theory is that the blood oath ceremony only jolted their own innate abilities, opening the doors that were always there, but inaccessible. 

"You recuperated quickly because Luca was by your side.", I said to Zoe while focusing back on the topic we discussed. "When mates are together, they heal faster."

Zoe nodded in agreement before asking, "So, what do you think?"

"That sounds like an awesome ability.", I said honestly. "You should definitely explore it. I don't need to tell you to practice it in secrecy. No one should know about this."

"Luca knows.", Zoe said apprehensively.

"Luca is your mate. You shouldn't have secrets from him."

Zoe grinned at my words.

I thought for a moment before advising her. "When you practice, pay attention to the radius of your influence, and try to get a clear sense of how much time it gives you. See if you can turn it on and off. Can you affect only a specific area or a specific person? As much as it sounds fantastic, it can backfire in unimaginable ways if you don't know how to control it. Work with your wolf and make sure you don't overdo it…"

Zoe nodded earnestly and even though we didn't talk about contraception, I felt like a mother who was giving important advice to her daughter.

When I exhausted all the advice that came to my mind, I wrapped it up with, "This is your ability to explore and use, but if you need help, you can always come to me. I might not have all the answers, but two heads are better than one. Be careful who knows about this."

I thought that we were done, but Zoe was still looking at me, so I asked, "Is there anything else?"

"Uhm… About what Fynn said… that Luca is underage. Does that matter?"

I really wanted to slap Fynn until he resembles a pig.

Zoe was under a lot of stress lately and now that she got her wolf and her mate, she should be enjoying, yet Fynn managed to give her another issue to press on her.

Maybe he thought that it will be funny, but it was not from where I was standing. I will never understand werewolf's humor.

"Listen, Zoe.", I said seriously. "What happens between you and Luca is your business. I hope that you will not rush into things, but don't deny yourself happiness either. Didn't you hear Sergio, the wise shaman? He said that you were able to recognize your mate because you are ready, both of you are."

Zoe smiled at my words. "Thank you. I guess I should be going. Luca is probably wondering…"

Zoe grimaced and held her cheek. Now what?

"Are you OK?" It was a stupid question. Of course, she was not OK.

The next thing I know, Zoe clutched her stomach and groaned.

Now I was getting panicky. "Zoe? Talk to me."

"Pain…", she breathed. "Like someone punched me."

It was obvious that no one punched her. I was right here!

But why would she feel the pain? And then it hit me. Punching that came out of nowhere… it didn't come out of nowhere. It was the mate bond!

Duke! It was him and his foolish advice for Ash to vent his anger with a fight. 

Ash said that he will think about it, but it seems that thinking is over.

"Do you know where Luca is?", I asked with urgency. "I think that you are sharing pain with your mate. Come with me."

I held Zoe's arm for support as we made our way out of the study. 

I was confident that if we can find them, and they see that their scuffle is hurting Zoe, they will stop.

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