Zeke
An hour later, there is a knock on Callyn door. Lucian’s grandfather pokes his head in. “I need to speak with you boys for a moment.” We file out of the room and into the hallway. “I figured it out,” he says without missing a beat.
“Figured out what grandfather?”
“Callyn.”
We all stand there waiting for him to say something. Instead, he reaches into the front pocket of his robes and pulls out a necklace. Letting the chain unravel, we see a pendant on the end. All of us move closer to take a look. It is a round silver pendant with a star in the middle. In the center of the star is a diamond. There is a black circle around the star. The symbol for air is at the top with an aquamarine diamond at the tip. Earth is at the bottom with an emerald, fire is to the left with a ruby, and water is to the right with a sapphire. Lucian inhales deeply.
“Is that what I think that is?” he questions.
“Yes.”
Lucian quickly meets all our eyes. “This is the symbol of the Alpha Queen. It was mentioned she wore a necklace made of silver, on that necklace hung this symbol. It was said to be passed down to the next reigning queen. The last Alpha Queen never had an heir.”
“That we know of. Remember, we don’t know what happened the night she met her end. I do need to ask Callyn how she came about this though. I just need her to confirm my suspicions.”
We nod, curious as to where he is going with this. We shuffle back into Callyn’s room. Her eyes going wide when she spots Elder Harris. He moves and takes a seat on the edge of her bed.
“How are you doing, sweetie?”
“The best that can be expected.”
“I came across something in your room. I’m sorry, first for going through your belongings, but I was curious to see if there was a clue to help us unravel the mystery of you. I saw the jewelry box hidden in the back of your closet. When I opened it, I found this.” He shows her the necklace.
Callyn frowns. “That’s my mother’s necklace. She gave that to me before she died. Why? What’s so special about it?”
“Before I tell you, did she say anything else about this necklace.” She nods her head.
“Yes. She said to never show anyone. When the time came I was to pass it down to my first-born daughter. She said has been passed down for generations and it’s a very special and valuable heirloom.”
“Do you know what this symbol is?”
“No.”
“I do.” Callyn lifts her head.
“It’s the symbol of the Alpha Queen.”
“Alpha Queen?”
“Yes, Callyn what I’m about to tell you will come as a shock. But I need you to listen carefully. Then I will let the boys take over. There are things that are still unclear to even us, bare that in mind. This necklace is said to have been worn by the Alpha Queen, handed down to their heirs when it was their time to rule. The last known queen to have worn this was around two centuries ago. She and her mates were defeated in a great war. Everyone thought that she bore no children, thinking that when she perished, so did her line.
Now, I’m not so sure. This necklace may just prove that you, Callyn Silvers, is a descendant of the Alpha Queen. The true ruler of all shifter kind. These boys, all four of them, are your true destined mates. Thus, making you all the first true alpha pairing in two centuries. Which also means, you all have a lot of responsibilities, and work ahead of you. The only way you are going to get through this is together.”
Maximus
Holy shit.
Could Elder Harris have dropped a bigger bombshell? Callyn being in possession of the Alpha Queen’s necklace practically cemented what everyone thought. Thinking and knowing are two different things. I’m a mate of the Alpha Queen. I’m basically royalty. Hell yeah.
“Shifters are real?” Callyn questions.
“Yes. The boys are shifters. Practically everyone in this town is,” Elder Harris answers.
“Okay, but I’m not a shifter. I mean I don’t have any other form besides this one.” She gestures over her body, and what a body it is.
“That I don’t know have an answer too. It could be your line is now too diluted with human DNA and you can’t shift. Another possibility could be, once you claim your mates it might awaken a dormant shifter gene. Only time will tell if you will be able to shift at all.”
“If I could shift, what would I be and could you tell about mates?”
“The Alpha Queen’s line, the heir anyway, always shifted into a phoenix. Your mates are in this room. All four of these boys are yours.”
“Aren’t phoenix’s like a myth? Mine. They are mine?” she gestures to all of us before a small smile appears across her lips.
“To humans yes, phoenix’s are a myth, but not to shifters. And yes, they are yours.”
Callyn may shift into a fucking phoenix. I don’t know a person alive that has seen a phoenix shifter. It makes sense then if it’s just royal blood that shifts into that mythical bird. Oh, man. I hope Callyn gets to shift, to see her spread her wings and fly. I bet nothing would look better.
“You know this sounds crazy, right? Shifters aren’t real.”
Elder Harris looks over his shoulder to Lucian. “Lucian, since your shifted form is smaller than the others, would you please do me the favor and shift for Callyn?”
He just nods. Lucian steps to the side, giving Callyn a full view. In a matter of seconds, the spot where Lucian was just occupying, now stood a red-haired fox. He moves to the side of Callyn’s bed before jumping up. He has his head lowered, tail tucked between his legs, a sign of submission. The shock on my face must match that of Callyns, but for very different reasons, hers from seeing a human turn into an animal, and mine because Lucian is submitting.
I look at the guys and see that they are just as shocked as I am. Lucian just submitted, to his queen, his mate. I look back to Callie. She lifts her hand tentatively. I can see her shaking from here. Slowly, she moves her hand toward Lucian. He lowers his belly to the bed and crawls slowly, meeting her palm with his nose before giving it a quick lick.
Callie giggles. “Can I touch you?” she asks him.
Lucian answers by crawling a little closer, nudging her hand with his snout. She places her hand on his head between his ears, before cautiously running her finger over his fur. In the quiet of the room, you hear a purr. What the hell Lucian? You’re purring now too.
“Oh, your fur is so soft.” Before I can blink, Callyn picks him up and starts to snuggle with him. “Oh my god, you’re just the cutest thing,” she says as she rubs her face on the top of his head, and the side of his muzzle.
The purring gets louder. Lucky, fucking bastard.