~~

Reece

~~

I stepped out of my office and saw the six men waiting for us. Her cousin had seen her first shift so he wasn't quite as curious, her grandfather knew about it, but as she was wrapped in a blanket and shifted back quickly after he hadn't seen her wolf yet, and the elders were waiting eagerly but patiently. They all stared at me with an expectant look as I left the bathroom first.

"Gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to my mate's wolf." My voice was filled with pride and affection as I said the words.

I watched as Trinity walked into the room full of elders and her family. I had thought that she might be nervous but she looked as confident as could be. Noah just smiled with pride, knowing what the wolf looked like already. Her grandfather's jaw dropped as he said just one word.

"Beautiful.

The elders all looked at her with strange expressions. They seemed to be excited, proud, nervous, and scared all at the same time.

"Reece, my dear boy, do you have any idea what this means?" Michael asked me with a voice filled with awe.

"What exactly are you referring to?" I asked him.

"Her wolf." Oswald answered.

"Do you know what her wolf means?" James asked me.

"I don't follow you." I told them.

"Those marks, son, do you see those marks?" Liam asked me.

"Of course I see those marks, what about them?"

"Those are Goddess marks." Michael breathed. "They mean she has been touched by the Moon Goddess herself. Your mate is meant for something great, that is for sure." I saw the other three elders nodding along behind him.

"Goddess marks?" Trinity asked, a note of skepticism in her voice.

"How did you do that?" Her grandfather asked.

"Do what?" She wondered.

"Trinity, you're not talking like a wolf does." Noah told her. "You're speaking to us inside our heads. The sound isn't coming from you directly, like it does from us, but more like a thought sent to us."

"Really?" She asked me. I just nodded in response to her. "I don't know how I'm doing it, I'm just talking to all of you."

"I wonder." Michael said.

"What?" Mr. Whitton asked.

"Is everyone able to hear it all the time, or can she talk to just one person at a time?"

"Good question." I told him. "Want to try it out?" I asked Trinity. She nodded, but seemed confused after that.

"Who should I talk to?" She asked.

"Someone other than Reece, I don't need to hear what you'd say to him." Noah joked, laughing at his own words.

"Say something to your grandfather." I told her. "A yes or no question, he can answer you without speaking. If we don't hear him then we won't know what he's answering."

"Alright." She turned to look at him directly and stared at him for a moment. After a few seconds I saw the old man smile and nod his head. I sensed a smile coming from Trinity's wolf, even though I couldn't see it, I knew she was happy.

"Well, I would say that's a success." I smiled as I looked around the room. "I didn't hear what she asked him."

"Neither did I." Noah smiled as well.

"I heard nothing, and I'm sure the rest of the elders would answer the same." Michael beamed. "You will be a powerful Luna for us, Trinity. I can't wait to see how you evolve." He leaned forward, bowing his head to her. The other elders followed suit making her feel uncomfortable.

"I'm not that special. Please, don't do that." She asked them.

"You're more than special. You're amazing." I told her.

After the elders left I had one last thing I wanted to take care of before I helped my mate shift back into her human form.

"Samuel." I called out to the elder Whitton. I would need to get used to using his name now, with what I had in mind. "We seem to be down one elder." I said when he turned to look at me.

"It would seem so." He looked calm, not worried at all. I liked that about him.

"I'm glad I can trust you to do what needs to be done." I grinned at him. "What would you say to filling our vacancy?" I asked him.

"You want to raise me to elder status?" He seemed shocked.

"That's right."

"Then I would say that I am honored, and I accept." He beamed proudly.

"Good. Noah, would you see your grandfather out. I have to help my mate." I watched as the two men left the room.

I went back into the bathroom to help guide Trinity back through her shift. I put my hand on top of her head and spoke in a calm voice.

"Close your eyes, picture your human form. Your skin, your hair, how you looked right before your shift. Imagine the muscles and bones realigning themselves. Ask your wolf to retreat for now, to hand control back over to your other form." I gently talked her through the shift, and soon I was looking her in the eyes again, smiling down at her naked body. "Perfect."

"That was a pretty amazing feeling. I've never felt that strong. Or maybe I did, but I barely remember my first shift." She was excited and full of energy, but I knew that she would run out of the shift high soon. We all suffered from it in the beginning.

"Come on, get dressed, we should head back to your room." She put her hands on my shoulders and kissed my cheek quickly.

"Thank you Reece." She smiled before getting dressed in a hurry. She seemed so much happier now.

~~

Trinity

~~

I dressed quickly and followed Reece out of the room. Grandfather, Noah, and the elders were gone so I didn't have to worry about running into them. I was surprised during the meeting. I wasn't expecting the revelation that had been dropped on me, on us all. Reece didn't seem surprised to hear it, and apparently it was planned. I'm just glad I don't need to worry about him coming after me now.

In truth, if it had been before this whole ordeal I probably would have felt guilty, or responsible for his death somehow. But now, after having shifted, and especially after having killed people myself, I couldn't bring myself to worry about it right now. I know that, if given the chance, Frederick would have come after me directly.

I might not go out of my way to kill someone. But I am not going to show remorse or pity for someone who would have been just as happy to see me dead. I don't know if that is an improvement or a set back, but personally, I don't care.