The palace feels weird. Gavin doesn’t know if he’s the only one who thinks and feels that way, but the palace feels really weird these days.
For the past days, the palace moved in preparation for the coronation. Packs who gathered for the tradition took this time to explore the pack grounds more, something they were not able to do during the grieving period. They met for small pack gatherings, joined each other for moon dine and even discussed exchange of pack products. It was harmonious. Even Moon Valley Pack’s elders and pack leaders joined in the fun. Gavin, on the other hand, spent his time mostly resting, joined by his stubborn alpha who refused to leave his side no matter how much he told him that he’ll be fine.
“The Pack Alpha might want you to be there, Ainar. It’s a chance to know more pack leaders and build relationships. I’ll be fine in my room, you do not have
Gavin is not fine. Well, a little maybe…okay, not really. He feels nauseous, saliva pooling under his tongue and he feels dizzy. He swallowed for the nth time. He feels warm. Too warm. He’s sweating under the dark robe he’s wearing, using its sleeves to wipe the droplet of sweat he felt trailing down his temple. He feels sick, and he should probably tell Ainar, but he really wants to attend the coronation so he ought not to. The alpha might be able to smell it still anyways, but fuck it.The robe he’s wearing is another old robe from Tundra’s Pack Luna. Just like the white grieving robe he wore before, this one also fits him perfectly, as if tailored to his size. It’s smooth and soft, cozy and comfortable. It smells like it had been in store for long. Just like the first time, the palace tailor—Omega Shaun, looked at him with critical eyes. The Elder Omega regarded him with something unreadable in his gaze
Maybe he stood up too quick, or maybe he’s really sicker than he thought.Gavin scrambled for purchase, hands darting out to grab somewhere to grab onto, in his case he thinks it’s Ainar’s robe he managed to clutch onto really tight. The moment he moved to stand up, his vision turned black, rendering him blind for a few moments, a flash of burning pain, before his vision came back like nothing happened. There’s a ringing in his ear, making him want to cover them. But then it subsided, replaced by the sound applause of everyone present as they welcome the leaders of Tundra. His hearing felt muffled, as if there was cotton pushed in his ears, making everything sound like it’s coming from far away. He shook his head in an attempt to clear the feeling and suddenly, he can hear clearly again. He belatedly realizes that Ainar had been calling him the whole time. When he came back to his senses, the alpha’s face flooded his vision, eyes full of worry. He looked around and they’re already sea
Presentation is a process all shifters, or at least alphas and omegas, go through once in their life. It is equivalent to puberty for betas. During this process, pups develop their scents, which is the apex of their identities. This stage helps them identify their sub-gender, their rank and standing in the pack, and of course, their duties.Unfortunately, as much as this process is natural, it is also quite painful, inevitably so, since this is when their bodies change to accommodate their also growing wolves. Some shifters fall sick before their presentation, which is quite a common symptom. Their senses become sensitive as they mature, their joints would hurt, and sometimes, they would even sleep longer to catch on with the changes. It’s a slow process, but eventually, the final stage of presentation would end by shifting, showing their now more matured wolf and fully developed identity and of course—their scent.
The following days were not fun, to say the least. Gavin had spent them literally just on the bed, writhing and groaning in pain, breaking into tears when it gets more unbearable and fighting off the dizziness and nausea that came with it. He almost wished he would have just passed out for maybe six more days just so he could escape the pain. He had never really felt such pain before. It kept him awake during the night, just occasionally blissfully passing out when his body could not handle it any longer. All this pain is making him second-guess if he really wanted a wolf, but at the same time, he can’t help but feel a different kind of relief knowing that he wasn’t a freak anymore, disregarding his still obvious different appearance. He has a wolf now, and it effectively shuts out the voices calling him an embarrassment for not having one before.He found that Beta Leticia was serious when she said that no one was allowed to visit him
As soon as Alpha Lucy walked away to open the door, Gavin’s head whipped so fast to face Ainar. There was a terrified expression on his face, and his scent had gone haywire in his distress. “It’s about the coronation, isn’t it?” he frantically asked in a whisper. His hand holding Ainar’s is squeezing tightly, but the alpha let him, squeezing back just as tight in a quiet assurance. “In a way, it is. But you do not have to worry—” “Why not?” Gavin is borderline hysterical now. His heart is pounding so hard in his chest, his scent has almost gone bitter, making their earlier scenting useless as it almost completely overpowered Ainar’s scent on him; his body is slightly shaking in anxiety.“I ruined the coronation! They must have had been waiting for this for such a long time now and I just ruined it!” “Gavin—” Gavin let go of the alpha’s hand to bring his hands up to grab at his hair, pulling lightly as if to ground himself. His eyes are focused somewhere on the floor. Even the pain
The room is silent save from the occasional sniffling of Pack Luna Alice, and some more quiet ones from Gavin. They have calmed down, well, Gavin would like to think at least they did, as he himself is still quite practically panicking inside. He’s sitting at the foot of the bed, while the two leaders sat on a chair Ainar got from them somewhere. The revelation had left him confused. That feeling of believing something for so long, your whole life, and then someone just comes to say that what you believe in is not the truth—that’s how Gavin feels.There was a light squeeze on his hand from where it is held inside Ainar’s. Gavin turned his head to look at the alpha and received a small smile. He hasn’t said anything for a while, no one dared to speak. They just sat around each other, waiting for anyone to break the silence.The Pack Luna Alice decided to do it herself.
The rise and fall of Ainar’s chest pressed against his back is a soothing feeling. They’re lying on the bed—his bed, he had come to know that now. Turns out, the room where he woke up in was supposed to be his room if he hadn’t disappeared before. His parents told him so. With that new knowledge, Gavin had come to notice the details more. The empty shelves that he had only bypassed before now looked different to him, the table beside the bed, the furs—how everything is white because it screams of him. He sees everything in new perspectives. He wonders if his parents go to this room every time they think of him, trying to grasp a semblance of him in the things they thought would fit him the best if only he was there.His parents.Huh. Saying it still feels strange. And it makes sense, it has only been hours since everything was revealed to him.And it
Gavin stepped out of the bathing room feeling refreshed. He has his towel draped on his shoulder to get his tunic from getting wet from his still dripping hair when he closed the door behind him. He was greeted by Ainar’s hunched figure on the floor, the alpha sitting and seeming to be tracing patterns on the cold floor before he arrived. “You’re done?” Ainar asked, peering up at him. Gavin smiled at the sight before nodding. The little light casted by the torches illuminating the long hallway are painting orange and yellow glows on Ainar’s honey skin, making the alpha look almost glowing in the badly lit place, and Gavin thinks he has never seen anything more beautiful. “Hmm,” Gavin hummed. The alpha stood up from his place on the floor, arms reaching out to the towel on Gavin’s shoulders.“What are you doing?” the omega asked confusedly, though not stepping away from the alpha. “I’ll help you dry your hair,” Ainar answered, sounding almost too innocent, as if that was the only obv