Chapter 1 - Chris

“I know Pops, but I had one last exam to do and Summer really wants to go out with the girls tonight.”  I’m on the phone with my parents.  Both Papa and Dad are upset that Jared is home, but I’m not.  Honestly, I don’t think that it has anything to do with the fact that our 21st birthday is in two days and we’ll be taking over the pack, me as the alpha and my twin brother as the beta.

I should probably back up.  I’m Christine Loup, alpha heir of the Artemis area of the Moon Goddess pack.  Call me Chris.  I am the first born child of Alpha Zak Loup, Luna Charlie Loup, and Beta Brandon Snow.  My twin brother, Jared, is the beta heir to the same area.  Our mother died when we were babies while saving my best friend, Summer Thorne, from a group of witches called the Riding Hoods.  Dad, aka Brandon, and Papa, aka Zak, have been in charge of the Artemis area since the inception of the Moon Goddess pack.  

It’s been 20 years since then.  Dad and Papa have kept Mom’s memory alive and we occasionally get messages from her when Uncle Dev and Auntie Arya go to Goddess Realm.  Alexander and Rowen, Uncle Dev and Auntie Arya’s twins, will take messages back and forth, as well, since they were born in the Goddess' Realm.  The cool part about them going is that we can kind of hold a conversation, though they get bored of going back and forth fairly quickly.  It was pretty cool that they could take things back and forth as well, so we got to draw pictures for Mom, or show her things from school.  Though we didn’t get to have her with us all the time, we still got to talk to her and have her as a part of our lives.

Fast-forward 20 years and it is two days before my 21st birthday.  Jared and I are the first out of the original group of trios children to turn 21.  So much stuff happens to us when we turn 21: we get our goddess gift, we take over our roles within the leadership of the pack, and we have the possibility of finding our mates.  And we are finishing up our training at the academy, the college-like place that the pack government made so that witches and wolves could train, learn their affinities in the case of witches, learn how to use their Goddess gifts in the case of wolves, and potentially find their mates.  It’s for wolves ages 18-25 and witches ages 16-25.

I have just finished my last class today, taking an exam in interspecies politics.  Jared, the suck up, took his exams early and is already home, while my dads are upset that I’m still here.  Thing is, all of Jared's friends are already at the Artemis area, waiting to take him out tonight, while my girls are here.  So, of course Jared was home.  Had nothing to do with being with my dads.  

“I think what Zak is trying to say is that we miss you and we really want you here.  It’s been two months since you last came home,” Dad says.

“No, what you’re trying to say is Mémé Clara is driving you two insane with the ceremony preparations and you want to pawn her off on me,” I say sarcastically.

“Both things can be true,” Papa responds as if he’s all innocence.

I laugh at them, knowing that Mémé Clara is going to drive them bonkers until I get there.  And I’m going to love every second of it.  Especially since it will take some of the heat off of me.  Mémé Clara is a bit of a mad woman when it comes to planning ceremonies.  I mean, everything she touches comes out gorgeous and perfect.  But the build up?  Holy shit, it’s like being around a whirling dervish.

“I’ll leave here around 1:00 tomorrow.  I just have a few things to pack, but I’m definitely sleeping in,” I say as I continue working on my make-up for tonight.

“Shocker,” Dad mutters.

“Hey!” I say indignantly.

“Baby girl, we love you so very much, but an early riser is something that you have never been,” Papa chuckles.

I stick my tongue out, even though I know they can’t see me, but by the laughs that they both give, I know they know what I’m doing.

“Just be careful out there tonight.  Have fun.  Finish sowing your wild oats.  Kick anyone’s ass that messes with you.  Enjoy yourself, ok love bug?”  Dad says.  Both of my dads have always doted on me and Jared, treating us like the most precious things in their lives.  And with the way that they still mourn Mom’s passing, I think we are.

“Hey, have you guys given any thought to what we talked about last time?” I asked.

“Oh, don’t!  We don’t need to talk about that!” Papa complains, trying to stop me.

“I think it would be good for you two.  Even Jared agrees with me.  He was the one that found out about the ball,” I plead.

“Christine,” Papa says, and that’s how I know I’ve lost.  My family never calls me by my full name.  It’s either Chris, or one of the millions of nicknames that they have for me.  Not unless they're pissed or at the end of their patience.  I’ve lost before I’ve even gotten them to talk about it.

“Pops.  Dad.  You two need a third.  You’ve lived without being a part of a trio for 20 years.  We know Mom.  She knows that you love her.  She also knows that there has been something missing for you two since she’s been gone.   She talks about it all the time.  I just don’t see what the problem is with going to a second-chance mating ball.” 

It’s true.  Ever since Mom died, my dads changed.  Not that I know what they were like beforehand, I was too young.  But I’ve seen videos of them with Mom.  They were so happy, even when they weren’t together.  Carefree.  Light.  All of our aunts and uncles say the same thing.  And our grandparents often talk about how they used to be.  Not when they’re around, of course.  But when we are with them, they talk about how happy they used to be.  They need the other part to their soul.

I play the one card that I still have up my sleeve.  “Even Mémé Clara found her second chance mate.  Look at how happy she is.”

“We are happy,” Dad says.  

“Yes, but not as happy as you were or as happy as you could be,” I respond.

“No one will ever replace Charlie,” Papa says, his voice firm and edging on angry.

“Papa, I know that.  Mom knows that.  I’m not telling you to replace her.  I’m telling you that all I want is to see my two fathers as happy as they could possibly be.  You’re retiring in a few days.  And though Jared and I will always need you, you’re going to have a lot of time to yourselves.  Don’t you want to feel the same way that you did when you had Mom with you again?”

There’s silence on the other end of the phone for so long that I’m worried that we may have been disconnected.  “Dad?  Papa?”

“We’ll think about it, ok?  Let us…” I can hear Papa swallow hard.  “Let us send a letter to your Mom and see what she has to say.  If she truly wants us to do this…we’ll at least attend.”

“Really?” I’m so excited, but I’m trying not to scare them off.  “You know, you could have Rowen or Alexander take it to her right now.  Have a dialogue with her - “

“Let us do this in our own time, love bug,” Dad says.

“Ok.  Ok.  Backing off now,” I say, quickly.

There’s a pause before Papa says, “We will do it, baby doll.  We just…need some time, ok?”

“Ok.  I’m so happy you are even considering it,” I say.

“Have fun tonight, little one.  Don’t get into too much trouble,” Papa says, a note of weary happiness in his voice.

“Me?  Trouble?  Never.”  I smile at hearing their laughter.  “I love you.”

“I love you, too, Chris,” Papa says.

“I love you, baby girl,” Dad says.

I hang up just as there is a loud banging on my door.  I roll my eyes, “You know I have were hearing.  You don’t have to nearly break my door off its hinges to get my attention!” I call out.

“Yeah, well, I wanted to make sure that you knew we were here,” comes Summer’s voice from the other side of the door.

I scurry to the door to see my best friends Summer and the Guia twins, Josefina and Fatima.  Or as we call them, JoJo and Fati.

“Bitch, you ready to celebrate your 21st birthday?” Summer cries out, a bottle of champagne in her hand.

I laugh, “Not until after I finish my hair.  But I will take a glass of that while I’m getting ready.”

“Hell, yes.  Pre-game on!” Fati says, popping the cork of the champagne in her hand.

JoJo giggles.  “I’m gonna order pizza so that we’re not all drunk before we even hit the club.”

“Always so responsible,” Fati says to her sister.  “This is why I love you.  You are the Yin to my Yang.”  She plants a wet kiss on her sister’s forehead, which makes JoJo wince and she promptly wipes off.

I laugh and walk back to the bathroom.  Time to celebrate my birthday.