"What does that mean?" Emma addressed the question to Elam, standing beside her.

"It means there will be a challenge for Alpha after all. I was hoping there wouldn't be. Everyone knows Galen will be Alpha. The official pack rules say the spot is open to anyone, and any discontented wolf can challenge for the spot at any time. Traditionally, though, our pack has been happy to pass the Alpha position down along the blood line.

Even though we are both Thomas's sons, Galen is Thomas's blood. I'm an adopted son, my bloodline is unknown since I was found alone in the woods.

Galen has been groomed for Alpha since he was born. I personally have no interest in being Alpha, so I hoped that when Thomas passed on, Galen would take up the reins. Unless another wolf wanted to challenge him for it, the position would be his.

But Thomas has spoken. There will be a challenge. Galen and I will fight for the title, along with any other wolf who wants to take part.

Have you never shifted, Emma?"

Emma was surprised by his sudden change in topic, and it took her a second to address his question.

"Me? Shifted? What do you mean? Turned into a wolf? No. Why do you ask me that?"

"Your mother was Alpha, for a while. Humans, and non-shifting half-breeds can not challenge, but if you could shift, you could also challenge for Alpha."

"I didn't even know about my mother until yesterday. I'm grateful I've never shifted, it would have scared the shit out of me. Turning into a werewolf all of a sudden, out of nowhere? No, I've never... Is that even possible?"

"You are a little old, but yes. It is usually known by the end of the second decade. With a wolf mother and a human father, you could go either way. Some shift early and often, as a kid. Others are triggered by the hormone changes of puberty. But if you haven't shifted by say twenty, it probably won't ever happen. Being raised human, with no knowledge of us, could definitely put you behind. You have heard about females in a group eventually being on their periods at the same time?"

"Oh yes, periods syncing up is pretty common, especially in the dorms."

"It can be kind of like that. If you are the only female, your schedule is your own. But get two or more together, over time, and they eventually get on the same schedule. It can be like that with shifting as well. If you have the ability, but no knowledge of who you are, or no other wolf hormones in the air, you could stay as you are. Here, with not only the bloodline, but the knowledge, and the proximity of other wolves, their hormones..."

"Are you saying I could still shift?"

"It is possible. A few cycles of the moon should tell."

"I'm still adjusting to all of this. Learning that my mother was a werewolf is a huge adjustment. I'm surprised I didn't run off screaming into the woods when I saw Galen shift. Then to learn that mom held the highest honor of Alpha, and then abandoned her pack for some unknown reason is also huge. Then I learn that some are happy I am here, and some, like Ziva, are not. You add Kate mating with Galen on the first damn night, and now you are telling me I could still shift, and if so, could find myself challenging for Alpha of a pack I didn't know existed until yesterday? I think I need a drink."

"You're not old enough to drink." Elam said it with a teasing grin.

"I'm old enough to tie myself to a wolf pack forever, by having sex, like Kate just did. I'm old enough to run the damn place if I shifted and won a challenge, but I'm not old enough for a drink?"

His laughter warmed some hidden place in her heart, and she elbowed him hard in his side when she realized he was only teasing her.

And she immediately regretted the touch.

Flashes like the ones she saw last night flipped through her mind again. And again, she saw herself entwined with Elam in varying private and passionate positions.

Her breathing quickened, her skin flushed pink, almost as if she was really there with him. Really wrapping her legs around his waist and tugging his mouth down to meld with hers. Really tilting her head back and welcoming his bite as he impaled her with both his hard cock and his sharp, pointed teeth at the same time, marking her as his the same way Kate had been marked.

The pictures faded and she found herself staring into Elam's eyes instead.

He was watching her again, his brow furrowed in concentration. His nostrils flared as if he could smell the heated change in her body, the warmth now flooding her thighs.

"Your mother could do that, as well." Elam's words got her complete attention.

"Do what?"

"See the future. Know what was to come."

"How do you know that I saw anything?"

"I wasn't here yet when your mother was Alpha. Galen had just been born, when she left. It was right after Reine conceived you, and they hadn't found me yet, taken me in, but I have heard the whispered stories. How she looked when the possible paths were playing out in her mind. We have free will, nothing is set in stone, but some things are more probable than other things. I've heard that Reine had the gift of sight, and it seems that you do as well."

Emma just stared at him, trying to file away yet another tidbit of information about her mother.

"Does that happen to you often? Seeing?" Elam asked.

"No. Only twice ever."

"What possible paths did you see?"

"I saw only one thing, the same thing both times. And I highly doubt it was the future. Just my, I don't know, my stressed mind from everything here happening so fast."

"You saw only one path? Not the playing out of two?"

"I don't know what I saw. I mean, I know what I saw, I just don't know that it means anything."

"The way you looked at me...The way your scent changed...I can guess. You saw what I know to be true, didn't you? You and I? I didn't want to scare you off, but now I don't think that matters. You are to be my mate. My wolf told me it was to be when I first saw you trudging up here with Henry and Kate. You and I are to be one."

"No. You can't be my destiny, I don't believe in destiny. And I'm only here for a year."

"You said you've only 'seen' twice. When was the first time?"

Emma didn't want to answer him, but she knew from the look on his face that he already knew the answer to that question.

"Last night."

"The only two times you have ever 'seen' were the only two times we've ever touched?"

Her jaw stiffened with resolve, not answering him.

"Well then, let's see what happens when I do this."

With that, Elam leaned in and kissed her.

Emma had been kissed before, but never like this.

Elam's hands gripped her face between them, aiming her mouth just right before pressing his lips against hers.

She felt her lips part, inviting him in before her mind could rebel, but he didn't slide his tongue deep just yet.

He ignored her open mouth, concentrating instead on her plump lips. He teased them with the tip of his tongue. He bit her lower lip, causing a shock of electric heat to flow from the bite, shooting need from her lips to the very core of her.

He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth, the drawing and sucking on her lip forcing her eyes to close and her tongue to slide out, seeking his.

She heard him gasp as her tongue found his, and he pulled her tighter, one hand sliding behind her head, pressing her mouth more firmly against his, as his other hand dropped to her back, pressing her body against him.

She relished the differences, her soft curves against his hard plains. His demanding to her exploring.

She loved that he stood above her by inches. She usually had to aim her lips an inch or two lower, being taller or at most, equal to her boyfriends. Not so with Elam.

Elam stood taller than her, folding her into his arms, forcing her to aim her mouth upward to meet his skillful kisses.

She'd never known that feeling before, that feeling of being warmly enveloped by a taller, stronger male. She never would have guessed at the primal needs this kind of kiss would release.

She gave herself up to the feelings, glad to give up control, to let someone stronger take over for once.

He broke the kiss, nibbling once again on her lips as they broke apart.

Her mind hadn't fully recovered, she was still lost in the feelings Elam triggered when she heard words laughingly muttered nearby.

"It seems Father may get his wish to see us both mated before his passing, after all."

The voice was Galen's and he gave his brother a hearty slap on the back as he walked by them, aiming himself toward his own mate, who'd gone back to dancing around the fire with the other females after their father's announcement.

"I wish you two the same happiness I know I've found with Kate." He grinned as he walked by them, stepping between them and the still raging bonfire.

"See you at the challenge, my brother."