Alpha King and I

Chapter 31: New Clothes

I hadn't even touched the morsel he'd handed me when the conversation began. It looked like a cone-shaped sweet bread but smelled like a mixture of scents reminiscent to grapefruit and kimchi. Each breath I took in the small guest quarters of his bakery further forced the odor across my throat. Leaving a minor burning sensation which deterred me from daring to try it anyways. I needed to stay focused on what was being said. Prince Tei went on about it.

"Of course it's customary for the Queen to go into wolf form during the festival. It's basic ettiquette! Not actually required though... but every queen since the first festival has done it except one." How come I never read about this?

Although he held himself up against the bare wall beside me, Prince Tei's tone seeped more confidence in his words than I found comfortable. Walking here, I'd been thinking more and more about this situation and was finding it harder to comprehend the need to keep this from me. Having it validated that what I was told was true, and therefore it was indeed kept from me, just dug at my insecurities that followed me here. My hands felt shaky and my chest was heavy and light all in one, then back to heavy again with each new bit of information.

I tried to comfort myself with another question. Hopefully validating what I already knew.

"Prince Tei what about my being an Omega? Can't we not shift?" His eyes perked up. Hair slightly fluffed and shimmering from the small amount of light which showed through the small window behind us. Prince Tei responded with the same tone one responds to for an offer of free ice cream.

"We can totally shift. It's just really internal. Watch." His eyes continued to show the excitement of the naive as he stepped away. He started cracking each of the joints in his fingers, loud and slow. Suddenly a soft hum rippled from his lips and he closed his eyes. He started rotating his neck while stretching his arms up high and back, before dropping them.

The humming stopped.

A low deep growl came from his throat. Deeper than anything I'd even heard from Cadeth. My hands grew still but my eyes became glued onto his tense expression.

Prince Tei opened his eyes.

Black orbs glowing like neon stared at me. He was now a wolf. The shift happened so fast my eyes couldn't process it even without having blinked. A gasp escaped me.

Prince Tei was terrifying. Closer in appearance to a rabid fox than the regal authoratative looking wolf of both Cadeth and the others I'd seen. Although his height on all fours matched mine sitting down, his fur was at least a hands length longer and looked like it had been cut using a razor. Jagged and uneven. Just like his teeth. Two on each side almost as sharp as blades at the tip and far longer than his mouth. His ears were pointed and long with the inside pigment matching the outside fur color of muddy black. As I followed the fur coloration down his spine my eyes rested on the oversized way too fluffy tail that had specks of copper coloring throughout.

I questioned, stammering, "Wi-will I look like that?" I could hear a chuckle even though his mouth never moved. His ears twitched and he was human again. Lacking any grace Prince Tei fell back into the wall, this time at a steeper angle. Looking somewhat rediculous.

His words came out like a ramble.

"Naw I have a genetic mutation because someone -cough-grandpa-cough- claimed a mixed kitsune as a mate after his real mate died before consumation. Kitsune's have like super strong genetics, just as strong as werewolves. Hence some of us got a fox-wolf appearance in our wolf forms. Her human form was painted in one of the rooms of the Castle. I'll show you some time, but that's beside the point. You saw right?! I shifted! Super cool!" He was smiling now. My chest became light again. I returned the expression with as big a smirk as I could muster. It probably didn't look like much though. I'm not sure if he could tell that I was smiling back, in fact.

His sudden standing and even more sudden running to the couch parallel to me with a now blank expression indicated he probably didn't notice it. I sighed at the thought.

Near chirping, Prince Tei spoke again, "Time to get super technical. My favorite! Just like baking." I nodded.

He continued, "Unlike other werewolves, omegas often are partially disassociated with the innate magic that allows us to seamlessly shift. In order for an omega to shift you have to close your eyes and manually search inside your concious for the form, it often takes the appearance of yourself but more vicious and is usually hidden in a particular specific spot. The viciousness is the magic, not actually you. Since innate magic can attack your psyche instead of just causing physical pain. Once you find it, you'll just need to touch it physically with a regular version of yourself you created with your memories or imagination. Then you will shift into your wolf form. Warning you might not be the same eye color as your human form and also the innate magic version of yourself will have similar color differences as your wolf form. The eye issue is a common side effect of the disassociation. Also just in case we're gonna want to use some magical barriers for your first shift because omegas lose their senses when they first shift, and can accidentally hurt people around them, or kill. Yep. So lets get started!"

I watched as Prince Tei put one hand in front of the other, making an L shape with them. Around me, what looked like a force field starting to show. I lifted up a hand to touch it, a sensation like cold glass chilled my fingertips.

Prince Tei snapped, "Relax!" I let my hand drop onto my lap. My lungs filled with air for a deep breath, then I slowly released it, counting back from ten.

He commanded, "First step, close your eyes." I closed them.

"Second step, go to your concious." Does he mean the darkness? The voices, the images? Memories? Yes, this must be what he means.

"Third step, imagine yourself there." I did so. Like I was in a dream, there I stood, staring down at my own hands. The darkness at my feet. But as I further imagined myself outlines of some sort of surfaces made from textures in my memory filled my surroundings. I could feel the ground as bumpy and rough, the air as heavy and dry, and what I could only describe as stale wind pushing agianst my face. Prince Tei's words were just like an echo now.

"Fourth step, search." I ran around, running past memories, sounds, and getting lost to walls I didn't know existed. Finally, I found a door. The handle felt like cork, but looked like a smooth circular seed. This must be where it is. Slowly I open the door.

There's nothing there.

I step inside. My ankles feel wet. So I look down.

Blood is smeared against it. An arm lays beside my feet. There's a purple stone also smeared with blood, in the center of the palm. Darkness consumes the rest. I feel something sharp stab me in the shoulder.

My eyes shoot open. Prince Tei stops the barrier spell. Immediately I check my shoulder. It's fine. Yet a cold chill runs down my spine. Prince Tei has his eyebrow raised and his hands cupped together, looking perplexed. I get up to leave.

"Too hard my Queen?"

"I'll get it."

I force myself to walk home. The urge to run, battering at my feet with each step. My stomach is aching and hot as I took in what had just happened. I wasn't going to give up, but deep inside I knew.

Something was wrong.

A/N: Kimchi: A pungent pickled cabbage that has a spicy flavor. It's very yummy, but mixed with grapefruit would be odd. lol Try it my dudes, if you haven't already!