8 His Proposal

I couldn't recall the last time I slept so soundly, not even waking at the sound of neighbors enjoying their afternoon. It was peaceful, like it always was here, but there was also this other feeling.

An extra feeling today. I cannot say exactly what it is, but there was definitely something more. It was as if I felt more grounded and strongly connected to the earth and nature around me.

As my senses awakened, glimpses of yesterday flashed in my mind and I immediately pull the blanket to cover myself.

That was when I noticed blood staining the sheets. Atop the stains, sat a very large curved fang that definitely could cut me if I wasn't careful.

Upon the surprise discovery, I quickly got changed and decided to pay Diane a visit since Ralphie was nowhere in sight.

From my tent to hers, there was notably less human traffic. However, among those who were present, I received frequent stares and overheard a few comments about me though I couldn't make sense of it.

Boy was I glad when I finally reached the vicinity of Diane's lodging where I could hide from the overwhelming attention.

"What brings you here so early?" the wolf goddess teased as she brought me a warm cup of milk.

I carefully reach into my pocket and present the hand-size fang left on my bed this morning.

Diane only smirked as I raise my eyebrow in question.

"Is this supposed to mean something? I went to look for Ralphie, but when he's gone he's gone. And the rest of the pack was looking at me funny."

"So they know too..." she hummed while pulling out a seat and taking a sip from her own cup.

"Know what?"

"That there," Diane said as she pointed at the object on hand, "is Ralphie's proposal."

"Proposal?" I ask a bit skeptically.

"Once a wolf meets his mate, he's found someone compatible. But when a strong wolf believes with all his heart that he found his soul mate, he mates for life. The fang they offer is a symbol of their lifetime devotion."

Lifetime devotion...

"What's with the wide eyes, Alvena?"

"Sorry, it's just so much to take in..."

To think that there would be someone as great as Ralphie who'd offer up so much to someone like me. Just the thought makes me want to cry of joy.

"But that Ralphie," Diane comments in a more critical tone before rolling her eyes. "He's too confident."

I look to her for an explanation.

"It's pretty common knowledge that the fang proposal is the ultimate confession of love. But technically you do and still have the right to reject him."

"Reject him?"

"Yes, meaning that you don't have to choose him as your mate."

Seeing the befuddled expression on my face, Diane proceeded to educate me on their culture.

"Just because he proposed, doesn't mean you have to accept. You know, it's quite common to be attracted to more than one wolf."

"What? Really?" I ask, profoundly surprised.

"What do you take us for? Eternal virgins until we find our mate? More common than not, wolves don't find a mate. So we change partners, test partners, experiment partners, meet partners, and simply carry on life. There's no rule that we must settle on only one. But of course, that's a matter of personal choice."

"So Ralphie proposed to me...does that mean he's giving up the right to be with anyone else just so he can be with me?"

"That's why it's considered romantic," Diane adds. "But just because he proposed and vowed his life only to you, doesn't mean you can't hook up with the others."

"Oh no no no! I don't plan on cheating..." I wave my hands around in embarrassment.

"It's not cheating really. We're a pack so we're basically family. No pretenses. We want we get we share."

"That sounds so family-like," I beam in admiration of such a bond.

Diane's beautiful blue eyes narrowed, almost as if what she said was a bad thing.

"It sounds good on the surface, but..." she trailed off, debating whether to continue. In the end, she chose to.

"Our bond is strong indeed. But you must also keep in mind our hierarchy."

"Hierarchy?" That word always leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. "Aren't the wolves all equal?"

The wolf beauty offers a sad smile. "Equality...doesn't exist anywhere honey."

"What do you mean? The wolves treat each other like family and like you said, we share and don't discriminate against humans," I defend fervently. That's why the wolves are so different from the vampires.

"And to keep things in order, there still needs to be an alpha to govern. A beta to execute. And so forth."

"If we all live in harmony...that should be okay right?" I find myself asking in a softer voice.

"Harmony comes at a price Alvena. We share, but what happens when there's not enough to go around?"

I look to the ground.

"The one who is more worthy gets it first," Diane finishes for me. "Do you get it now? If one day one of the Alphas decide that they want you..."

My eyes dart to Diane in shock though she doesn't seem the least bit affected.

"Even if I'm already Ralphie's?"

"Even if you accept him, if an Alpha wants you, you belong to the Alpha. Those below him must submit. That's how you keep harmony because families don't fight."

A gasp slips from my mouth. "Then what's the point of a mate..."

"Companionship. But mates can die and new ones can come along," Diane assures me calmly, though it's not reassuring at all.

"Say...I don't want anyone but Ralphie...can I reject the Alpha?"

"And destroy the harmony among our pack?" Diane responds rhetorically.

I'm starting to see where she's coming from. It's kind of scary, how the perfect image of wolves that I've developed for the past years suddenly suffered a crack.

"I...don't know how to feel about that..." I say in defeat.

"You don't have to worry because Ralphie proposed."

"But does that change the fact that I can be taken away?" I ask, a bit more hopefully.

"No...now don't sigh just yet. Like I said earlier, only the strong wolves propose. More like, only the stronger ones have the right to propose."

Yes...from my time here, I can discern that Ralphie is among the few who can shift to Lycan, something that not even some alphas can manage. But still...

Diane clears her throat after realizing that I'm still lost.

"You see, once a wolf proposes, he's offering you all that he is and has. Ralphie left this morning without saying anything. In other words, he went off to challenge an alpha to a fight."

"Oh my goddess! Diane!!! How can you tell this to me now?"

"Calm your whiskers..." Diane seemed unfazed as she chuckled at her own attempted joke, playing at the fact that I absolutely don't possess such attributes and couldn't care less at the moment.

"Ralphie didn't say a word to you...meaning that he intends to win."

"But during the last fight...he..."

I winced at the memory of his injuries from the last mock battle with the alpha.

"Do you know what it takes to challenge an Alpha?" Diane inquiries seriously for the first time.

I shake my head.

"The intention of becoming one."

"Ralphie wants to become Alpha?" I ask beyond bewilderment.

Diane kept her eyes locked to mine. "He intends to become one to protect you and your future. That's the only way to ensure that you're his and his only."

"But Diane! How can he fight after giving me this?" I lift the sharp-tooth in my hand.

"We can regrow them when we shift," Diane brushes off casually. "Knowing Ralphie, he probably had one growing out before he even yanked out the first one."

Well, that's a relief...

"Can you please take me to him?" I ask on the verge of tears. "At least let me be there to support him," I plead.

Diane put a warm hand on mine.

"You can't go. Everyone can except you."

"Why...?" I could feel tears welling up and blurring my vision of the woman sitting in front of me.

"Because, in the case that he dies, you'll witness it. And we don't allow that. It's the same for anyone who has been proposed to."

If it's like that, I'd rather he not propose. I just want him safe and sound by my side. That's more than enough. Was it because of what I said yesterday? Did I cause this?

Seeing the distraught in my face, Diane lightened the mood by giving her own two cents.

"Ralphie is a wolf in sheep skin. He may seem nice and harmless, but trust me. All my brothers who fought him can testify that he is definitely Alpha material."

"Diane...I seduced Ralphie. It's my fault. He wouldn't had I.."

"Don't be stupid. You released him. Before you came, he fought all the time. Now he just has a better excuse. Here have more," Diane poured more milk into my barely-touched cup.

Suddenly I find myself gripping the fang in my hand harder.

Like always, come home to me safely, Ralphie.

"You just have to have faith that your warrior will come back victorious," Diane commented with a wink.

As the sun showed signs of wanting to set, Diane kindly invited me to join her for supper. She knew I was still dead worried, but her efforts did calm my nerves. But before we were even half way finished, an unannounced guest appeared before us.

There, standing bare-chested and covered in sweat, was the sight that I longed to see for the torturous hours that he was absent from my side.

"Ralph-"

I was hoisted up in a minute and thrown over his shoulders. He directed a nod to Diane before turning and heading back home, taking big strides, half in leisure and half in impatience.

He didn't say a word and I didn't know how to start a conversation so I quietly stayed still in his firm hold of me.

There was a nasty gash running along his leg and a few extra bruises and cuts decorating his torso, but no signs of displaced bones or missing limbs. That was better than I hoped for.

When we returned back into our tent, I was laid down, back flat against the bed.

I stared at him, who still hasn't spoken a word to me, and still wearing that unreadable expression.

Is he upset? Did he lose?

As long as he's okay. It doesn't matter.

I extend my arms to wrap around his neck, to give him the comfort that will always be there for him, but with one hand on my chest, he pushes me back down.

Following that, I was surprised by a forceful kiss—rough and demanding. When we somehow broke out of that one, I look into his glistening emerald eyes, filled with so much life.

"Why are you crying?" Ralphie asks as he wipes a tear from my face. "You were worried about me?" he asks innocently.

I nod.

"Alvena, a Luna mustn't cry so easily."

Luna?

"She must have faith in her mate as he does in her."

Shuffling a little underneath his enormous body, I finally dig out the fang he left this morning.

"I'll keep this with me, always," I said, much to his satisfaction.

He then leaned in for a kiss and I closed my eyes, but it was only a peck on the forehead.

"I'll let you rest tonight, can't have you waking up mid-day," Ralphie teased.

"Sleeping in isn't a crime," I defended.

"Oh right. Forgot how productive we were," Ralphie said with a wink.

I don't even know if I should get mad at him or not.

"But you must rest well tonight, tomorrow will be our inauguration."

"Inauguration? For announcing the new Alpha and establishing the pack's power hierarchy while redistributing the members?" I ask, quietly praising myself for piecing together Diane's lectures.

"Yeah that stuff," Ralphie brushed off to my slight dismay. "But more importantly, it's when you will be officially mine."