Star Crossed

The awakening of a new day

“What is happening to my children?” the voice, a bit shaky, but firm demanded. Langa pulled his eyes from the moon outside.
“Their wolf’s blood has been awakened.” He told her. She frowned. The two women sat alone clutching each other.
“What does that mean?” the sister demanded. Langa sighed, he stroked Reki’s hair.
“They are shifters. I’m pretty certain the twins will be just fine. They will change. They will become apart of my pack. I will treat them as my family.” He stated firmly. The small bodies shook with the pain of their blood awakening.
“I fear for my mate.” Langa whispered as he, once more, changed the cloth on the fevered boys head.
“Reki, is your …” Koyomi began.
“Mate, yes. We have shared out lives for so long. I am able to dream walk with him.” Slowly those soft blue eyes turned to look at the ladies.
“I wanted to give him time to make his choice. I didn’t want this forced upon him. My grandfather passed tonight. He was the old prime.  I have inherited his power, and the clans. Reki was to be my mate. Apparently my grandfather knew his time was short. For his last act on this plane, he gave me my mate. His bite ignited the wolves blood burning in your veins. You have carried it all your lives.” Langa told him.
“Then, the stories my mother told me…” Mrs. Kyan began.
“Are all true. You were once shifters.” Langa stated. He stood. Looking them both in the face, he shifted to his wolf form. The clothing he wore fell away from his body. He stepped to them, pressing his furry head into their hands. Absently each one stroked him. He changed back, redressing himself.
“So, Reki and the twins will be able to…” Koyomi began.
“The twins for sure, yes. Reki is close to the age of maturity. He may not come out of this change like me.”
“Meaning?” the mother demanded.
“We may have to kill him if he is a werewolf.” Langa stated barely holding in the pain those words elicited in his body. He doubled over holding himself tightly. A hand touched his shoulder.
“Reki has always been a fighter.”  Koyomi reassured the prime. They took up their vigil once more. Koyomi fell asleep in the early hours of the morning. Langa never pried his eyes from his mate. Even so he knew the boys mother watched over her three children while stroking the hair of her fourth. The young girls head rested on her mother’s shoulder.
The sun’s rays was just bring light into the room, when they heard a tiny growl. Langa blinked. His eyes pulled from Reki’s tortured face. A small reddish brown pup was looking at the prime with wide childlike eyes.
“Good morning, Nanaka, do not be alarmed. You are a shifter. You have transformed into you wolf self. If you wish to become human again, just recall what you looked like.” Langa smiled at her. She frowned. “I can help you but you need to learn to transform for yourself.” The prime continued.
As if she was in deep concentration, or constipated, her face scrunched up. She tried hard to inflect the change. Tears wetted her face.
“Do not fret, little one. It is different for everyone. Now, change.” The prime’s command could not be denied. The young girl sat looking up at him. He smiled lifting her from the bed.
“You must be very hun…” a growl stopped him. He grinned back at the bed where another wolf pup was just sitting up. Although, Chihiro, was the same reddish brown as her sister, the darker patches around her eyes made her appear to be wearing glasses. Once more Langa explained to the child what had happened and how to transform back.
Her twin reached out to hug her. As they cuddled together, suddenly it wasn’t just a girl and a puppy, but two small girls hugging each other.
“Very good. Your bond will help you understand this new life. Now, you must be very hungry. Lila?” the healer appeared looking worn. “My apologies but we have two new members of our pack. Could you show the family where the dinning room is?” the prime held out one twin. The healer took it. Their mother scooped up the other. She handed this one off to the oldest sister.
“Go, eat. I will wait for Reki.” Once they had left, Langa turned to her.
“He may not awaken for some time.” He warned. She simply nodded. Langa changed the cloth on the boys head. His body was so warm now. The prime sighed with worry. Kojiro came in half an hour later. He carried a tray of food for those watching.
“Prime, you need rest. My mate and I will take up the vigilance.” The alpha bowed to the child.
“I… don’t...”
“Sir, if I may…” Kaoru began. Langa nodded. “In sleep you maybe able to ascertain just what is going on inside him. You are his chosen, you could dream walk, sir.” The beta explained. Langa smiled tiredly.
“I haven’t thought of that. But he is in my…”
“We have fixed rooms for all.” Kaoru explained. Kojiro made sure they ate. Then a servant for the prime took the others out to clean rooms. Kojiro took the prime's seat. He changed the warm cloth on the boys head.
“If he changes under the moonlight, how bad would that be?” He asked his mate.
“Very bad. He should change in the sun. We all change for the first time in the sun…” Karou’s voice trailed away as a tear slipped from his eyes. His mate took his hand.
In his room Langa gave way to sleep quickly. He searched out his mates dream. When he entered it he was shocked. Nothing was right. It was like some odd surrealism painting. Things melting, blending together. All in bright hot colors. With a wave of his hand, Langa inserted the cooling colors of blue and frost white.
He strolled through this nightmare desert landscape in search of the boy. Finding him shaking and confused under a boulder. He was trying to stay away from the blistering heat of the sun.
“Do not fear the sun, my love. It is what gives us life.” Langa held out his hand. Reki’s golden eyes shined with fever. “Come, I can cool you.” The prime smiled at the scared boy. Slowly, he extracted himself from the boulder. Langa curled his cooler arms around him. The boy sighed into his neck.
“You always know what to do, sir Langa.” Reki spoke softly.
“Mm, not this time. A beta had to instruct me.” He smiled. “Even I have to learn new things.” As the couple embraced, Langa noted the melting landscape began to reform.
“Reki, I am sorry the choice was stolen…”
“No, I chose you.” He whispered. Langa looked surprised. “I was walking through my house to say my good byes. When I came back to my room, I was planning to wait for your return.”
Langa sat them down on chairs that appeared out of no where. “But, grandfather was there.” He smiled encouragingly at his mate. Reki nodded.
“He was glad I had made my choice. Then he bit me.” Reki shivered at the recollection. Langa chuckled.
“I’m sorry this change will be difficult on you.” He informed the boy.
“Why did it take you so long to help me?” Reki whined a little.
“Because I’m an idiot. I forgot I could evade your sleeping mind. Kaoru recalled this gift to me.” Langa stroked his hair. He leaned forward to kiss his forehead. As he sat back he saw the redness leaving the boys skin. He seemed cooler now. His breathing evened out.
“Sleep for a while, but you must make the change before the moon rises.” Together they wrapped up in each other’s arms.
Back in Reki’s room Kojiro noted how the boy seemed better. He wasn’t as warm, his breathing was easier. He smiled. Maybe he would come out of this ok. The prime slept nearly all day, as did his mate.
“Kojiro, it is almost night fall. Reki hasn’t changed yet!” Kaoru wailed.
“Go tell the prime!” Kojiro commanded. When he was alone with the boy, he hissed into Reki’s ear.
“You need to change, Reki. If you don’t, then I fear what will happen to the clans. You will become a werewolf. Please….”
“Reki, change now!” the booming command came from the prime in the door way. Kaoru was just behind him. The face of the huge alpha’s mate registered shock. Kojiro leapt to his feet backing away from the huge beast in the bed. Instinctively, when an alpha is protecting its mate from another alpha, they change. The beast in the bed, though huge, was no where near the size of the black wolf.  It had shifted, growling, to protect its mate.
“Relax, Kojiro.” The prime purred as he stroked the dark head. He breezed past the large wolf. The beast on the bed sat down. It’s reddish gold fur relaxing in soft waves over its body. “It appears the Kyan clan has an alpha once more.” Langa smiled as he cupped the face of the wolf. He brought its snout up to his own. His lips touched the black wet nose.
Kojiro watched as Langs placed their foreheads together. “You had me so worried, love.” A whimper came from the wolf. He had changed without knowing how. He had done so on his Prime’s command.
“Reki!” a cry came from behind the black alpha. He shifted out of the way as his mother surged into the room. She froze staring at her son. Kojiro shifted back, snagging his clothing. He redressed in the hall.
“He’s OK. He won’t be a werewolf.” He reassured the girl hugging herself, close to the doorway. She looked so forlorn.  
“Don’t worry, life will change, but you still have your family.” Kaoru told her.
“I always knew he was different. Look at him.” She smiled tears leaking out of her face. “My brother is perfect.” She cried. Reki’s ears twitched. His head came up as he saw his sister. Leaping from the bed he padded up to her. She knelt hugging him. “I love you, Reki.” She whispered. Kojiro moved as fast as he could, snatching a blanket from the bed. He tossed it to Kaoru. Only the briefest glimpse of bare leg was visible before his mate cover that of the prime’s.
“I love you too, Koyomi. I told you I would never leave you.” He whispered to her.
“Smooth.” Langa giggled in the huge alpha’s ear.
“It looks like you have twenty one alphas now.” Kojiro informed him. He smiled a nod of his head.
“My mate is the alpha of the smallest clan I have ever seen.” He giggled happily.
“You’re wrong there.” We looked up. Miya was walking in. He was leading about two dozen wolves. Before reaching the prime, he too transformed. He shifted as if he was born with it. One step he was a boy, another he was a tiny black and green wolf, a third and he had reformed into the boy once more.
“The blood awoken in all of us, as soon as our alpha was bitten. Once he changed, so did we.” He smiled. Reki lifted his head to the prime.
“I vote to follow you.” He stated. Langa laughed. He hugged the boy and his sister to him.