Love Needs Loyalty

Chapter: Joining

Chapter 1

"Isla!!, where are you?!" hollered the Luna, my mother

With a huff of frustration the slowly trend my way through the forest back to our village. Once reaching my mother i question what all of the fuss was about.

'You are my only child, Isla. I cannot have you running off to who knows where, when you have an image to up hold!'

Oh, thats what this was about. I hadn't done my chores or made an appear to the males of the village. Its annoying really, im just 16 winters and already they want to breed. I get that our numbers are lowering at a rapid rate but its only because we can't mix with the other tribes. Being a lycan, you can only have a pup if you truely love your partner and usually the only other being that we can truely love is our mates. But on some rare occasions people have children without their mates, a prime example of this is my parents.

At first they were coupled together for the good of the tribe but it soon blossomed and they had me. But thats not enough, unlike all the other tribes we only have the one dwelling, thats how little of us are around.

So now my parents push me toward the males as often as possible hoping that one day something would blossom and i can start popping out pups. I don't agree with this, i want to go out to the other tribes, i want to explore. I want to learn the English language, im not even aloud to hear the others speak it for petes sake. It taints a females over all value, according to my father. It doesn't matter that everyone can speak it but they are all under the Alphas Law not to speak English around me.

It angers me, but all i ever get when bringing up the subject of wanting my mate or wanting to speak English is that its for the good of the tribe.

Screw the good of the tribe.

Why cant i do what i want for once? I cant even go out into the woulds and look at the winter roses or the new young of the animals in spring. Its like a natural prison here. I. HAVE. NO. FREEDOM.

'Ma, you know i don't think of them that way. And besides three have joined with females in the past 5 days!' i burst out

'that doesn't matter,Isla. Go be around them, show them what your worth, my dear. Its only a matter of time...' Gaia, My mother, trialled off.

'Before what, Ma? You and i both know that the chances of me finding my mate lower everyday father keeps that damned law in place.' I say softly to her.

'Its for the good –'

'-of the pack, yeah i know.' I sigh, turning and heading towards my friends hut.

'I love you' i hear her whimper as i walk away from her. I felt bad but i just don't understand. Its not like there would ever be cross breeds between the tribes, a child is born like one of the parents, not a mixture of both.

As i neared the east end of our village, i could see the familiar set out of my best friend, Mia's hut.

But as i neared closer it was unusually quiet, it started to worry me. I rushed towards it and burst through the closed flap that made up her entrance.

I screamed at the sight before me, which then earned scream back. There on Mia's furs was one of the village hunters joining with Mia. And by the looks of it he had knotted inside of her already. Well...this was awkward.

'I am sp sorry!' i cried out, making a quick escape and left them to what they were doing. Let's make that 4 newly joined couples.

After that ordeal, i went and helped the older women prepare for the nightly meal that was being held in celebration for the newly joined couples. It was an elaborate celebration, there was dancing and drinking, laughs, stories and singing. And once the children were sent to bed, the couples would have the honour of joining in front of the elders, this would be my first year witnessing this though, because you must be a certain age to appear during this particular part of the ceremony. And it usually ended with all but the unmated lycans, joining under the moon in hopes for the moon goddess blessing them with a child.

I, myself wasn't looking forward to this part but it was a punishable crime to not attend once you are of age.

The only thing i wanted to hurry up and happen was the meal. I loved this time when we all gathered and shared our best recipes, it was like a competition for the elder women. But all in good soul.

'Isla, can i talk to you?' said a gruff voice from behind me. It was Nico, our best tracker that our tribe had produced. He was good looking for his age of 32 Falls. Tall, nearly 7 ft 3", with black hair that contrasted beautifully with his pale skin. He was wearing dear skin trousers today, which was unusual, with us being lycans, we don't feel the could. There was usually just enough to cover our special areas.

'Sure Nico.'

Excusing myself from the gathered women that were to busy preparing to care, i followed Nico tot the edge of the village, just in the tree line.

'Isla, now i know your views of mating with someone other than your mate... but please hear me out?'

With a sigh i nod my head, knowing all to well where this was going. And to think i was almost scot free from my parents finally letting up on this whole mate with the tribe thing.

'im not getting any younger, my mate has never come around yet and she may never. And you, well you're young, beautiful and highly fertile,'

He just lost all the respect i had for him.

' , now i know that we cant have children without love but all we will have to do is work on you, my dear. This being because i already love you, more then someone who isn't your mate should an-'

'No.' I whisper.

'Just listen, ple-'

'NO!'

This couldn't be happening. I couldn't believe that he had the balls to even think that i would even consider joining with him. The whole village knows my distaste for this joining law but yet he still approached me about it. My beast wanted to come out and teach the slime ball a serious lesson but before it could i turned around and ran into the woods, toward the river. No one would be around there at this moment, they would all be too busy with the joining ceremony preparations.