No sooner had the thought crossed Keion’s mind to speak to his father than his dad knocked on his door and walked in wearing sweat pants and house slippers.
“Dad,” he sighed, falling back against his pillows with relief.
“Good morning, son.”
I heard you calling me. Is everything okay?
“Good morning, Dad.”
I had the weirdest dream. My heart’s going crazy.
Setting his large frame on the bed next to his son, Msia Hamadi put his hand on the boy’s chest. What he had sensed from his own room came into high definition clarity as he connected with his child and the wolf that had seemed near giddy a few seconds ago.
No wonder his child was confused. Msia’s wolf responded to the near panic and assured the younger wolf, sharing his peace. Feeling Keion’s heartbeat slow, he looked into his handsome son’s face.
“Did you sleep well?” he asked with his hand still on his son’s chest.
“I think I slept alright, thanks.”
Your mom said you had an eventful night at the party.
I didn’t do anything!
You kissed 15 girls, young prince, and you let more kiss you.
Keion winced, hearing his father’s droll response.
Are you disappointed in me? Nancy didn’t mean for it to get that ridiculous.
Msia laughed quietly. “Good to know your night out didn’t wear you out too much. We’ve got a full day.”
Is this feeling going to go away? I feel like I’m about to cry and laugh at the same time and I didn’t even want to wake up this morning. I wanted to stay in that place with that light. My wolf has never felt so...
Complete?
Keion’s head jerked up as his eyes met his father’s.
Yes! Dad, what’s happening to me? Is this some teenage hormone thing no one ever told me about?
Hahaha, no, my boy. This is not some teenage hormone thing... I think you might have met your mate last night.
Keion’s wolf perked up at the mention of a mate.
Keeping the external dialogue going, Keion groaned, “Why can’t we just spend Christmas like a normal family that opens presents and sits around in our pj’s all day?”
“Because the crown on your head requires your presence elsewhere.”
Will I even manage a social event at this stage?
Thankfully, even wolves have some sense of decorum and presence of mind. But just in case it doesn’t, we can give you something to calm you down. Tell me about your dream.
Keion relayed the details of the dream and as he got to the end, his wolf literally leapt in the air at the memory of racing after the light and his heart jumped and started racing again.
Well, that is quite a Christmas present, isn’t it, my boy?
If this is what it feels like, I’m afraid I am going to go crazy. It might be years before I officially get to be with her.
I guess the consolation is that you didn’t actually see her and you will learn to rein in your animal instincts.
Running his fingers through his dark curly hair, Keion closed his eyes, as if having a conversation with the part of him that this discovery overwhelmed.
Before he could ask his father any more questions, his little sister Malaika barged into the room, jumping up and down.
“It’s Chriiissstmassss!” Then she put her hands up and smiled sweetly at her father. “And Kwanzaaa!”
Launching up onto the bed, forcing the two men to make space between them for her, she kissed her brother on the cheek. “Merry Christmas, lover boy. Sorry I forgot my mistletoe in my other coat.”
Eyes bugging out Keion asked, “How in the world do you know about that already?”
Rolling her eyes, his fourteen-year-old sister said, “Cicily’s older sister is in your class and she hasn’t stopped talking about you since she smooched you.”
Laughing again, Msia patted his son’s knee and got up.
Good luck trying to find her after that stunt!
Just great...
The Hamadi family left their home dressed for official business. Keion helped his two siblings into the second vehicle, carefully buckling his little brother’s seat belt in the back of the town car before telling the driver they were ready to go.
“Care package two ready to go,” the bodyguard said into his mouthpiece.
After a brief pause, Keion saw the car in front of them roll out after the larger vehicle at the front of the motorcade. Their car followed and they were on their way.
“Care package two on the move.”
These trips always amused him because on most days of the year he was just a normal kid with normal parents and siblings. But today was Christmas Day and the people expected to see a show. Being a prince, as his father had said, required him to be interested in the welfare of others and to avail himself for public appearances. Thankfully, he didn’t really mind.
Prince Keion was proud to be the son of a king like his father. Msia was the first supreme alpha to be established in over thirty years. There were many great alphas with obvious strength and wisdom and their wolf packs were very well taken care of, but natural selection and right timing did not reveal a supreme alpha. He was an alpha acknowledged to have divine capabilities to keep peace and protect the rights of all wolves, even beyond the pack that he was born into or that formed around him. It was the choice of every autonomous pack alpha and their elders to submit to a supreme and the fact that people had come from far and wide to cede their authority in alliance was a miracle. Those near them who had not ceded complete authority had voiced their wish to live in harmony, and this was the largest conglomerate of wolf packs living under the same leader that had existed in centuries.
What Keion loved about his dad was that even though leaders of packs had given him the supreme authority over their matters, he still let them run as they traditionally would. King Msia only intervened when his spirit was disturbed about the nature of leadership rising in that pack or the welfare of wolves and so far he’d experienced minimal problems rectifying any issues. The young prince often wondered about the weight of such a burden, being responsible for the welfare of hundreds of thousands. Keion knew he still had a lot to learn and he was glad he had such an outstanding example to follow. More than that, he was glad that he didn’t have to worry about taking over from his father as Alpha any time soon.
Looking at his little brother and sister, Keion felt warmth and pride fill his chest. Not only did he have a kingdom to protect, he also had siblings he would die for and he wanted to be a good example, so he would take Christmas social events as a chance to learn and show them how to be better leaders in the future. As a memory of his dream last night popped into his head, Keion decided he wanted to be good enough for his mate too... she deserved the best version of him he could be and he couldn’t wait to show her just how worthy his wolf could be.
A few years ago, a commission had been issued that allowed autonomous packs to decide how young wolves were governed once they knew who their mates were and the kingdom had taken a unique approach. Though most wolves shifted for the first time around sixteen, the discovery of mates was happening towards the end of high school and most people were grateful that the Moon Goddess had seen it fit to delay the hormonal overwhelm until after high school.
The guardian’s council had then proposed that the process of marking and mating be further held off until a couple was past their teens, to give them a chance to mature and go away for school if they wanted to. There were ways to mark a mate without fully imprinting and they thought that it ensured better rounded development of the citizens of the kingdom. It had been working and Keion thought it was a smart measure to respectfully monitor the population and also give wolves the chance to bond organically. But it also meant he would have to wait, too and after what he’d felt in his dream, he wasn’t sure that was going to be easy.
“It’s unusual for an Alpha to travel without his pack, or at least a small detail,” muttered the old man. “Shh,” his wife whispered, glancing at their guest, “if he’s an alpha, you know he can hear you speaking about him.” The old man grunted and turned back to the fire. “If he could hear what really matters, where was he when they stole our son from his bed as he slept? Will he bring back our Samuel?” The woman’s wolf hung her head, and tears filled her eyes. “Will you constantly remind me of my pain?” “Is the pain yours alone, woman?” he responded, his voice thick with emotion. Before she could respond, the lone wolf they had welcomed into their small home bounded up the steps gracefully. “Mother, Father, is there anything you need me to do, this evening?” “You’re a guest in our home, you really shouldn’t have to do anything,” the woman said kindly. Grinning, the young man with the light brown eyes leaned against the door jam
“Did you sell your son to dangerous men for power?” Reyan demanded. Walter stood up angrily, “How can you accuse me of such a thing? We love our boy!” The use of present tense wasn’t lost on Reyan, but he needed to make sure. Staring right back at the alpha of a tiny pack he said clearly, “Before they snatched him Samuel recognized someone in the group of people who orchestrated his kidnapping.” That stunned him. Falling back in his chair, Walter’s hand blindly groped for Barbra’s. His wife clung on for dear life. “I felt his hope shatter into pieces as someone he knew appeared but didn’t save him.” His voice sounded strangled to his own ears as the emotion of the little boys washed over him again. “Who?” Walter whispered. Walter's demand had compelled Reyan to reveal who he was and how quickly the tone of the conversation had changed from there. Everyone knew of Nyanga and the capture of the Queen who had been reigning
While everyone was seated, Reyan announced he wanted to tag along with Kano as he travelled the world. Walter looked at him sharply, but this time it was Barbra who spoke tactfully. “I thought you were going to stay with us a few more days before you moved on.” “I can always come back, dear mother.” Pause. “I want to learn as much as I can about the ways of the world before I am stuck in leadership.” The chair creaked under Kano’s weight as he laughed and leaned back, a toothpick clamped lightly between straight white teeth. “Aren’t you just raring to go...” Reyan grinned, too. “You could mentor me, aKaitano. What do you say?” “Do you know Europe is cold, young man? It’s not like the sunny plains of Africa.” Leaning in eagerly, “I have heard, but I would love to go see it for myself. I can pay for my own way–or work, whatever suits you best.” There was a long pause as Kano stared at Reyan, almost as if testing the sinc
“I’m fine Mrs. Cosby, I just want to get some air. I’m also assuming you might have some important things to discuss with aKaitano, so I’ll go sit by the fire.” “Alright, dear. We won’t be long,” the older woman, smiled at him. Once outside, Reyan shook his head. “What is it with these older women?” he muttered, heading to the fire pit where they had all conversed before the meal. He sat down calmly and waited. The moment they said his name, he became privy to their entire conversation. Kano mentioned him first. “Reyan is a fast learner. His age and his rank could be of great use to us.” “Is he a safe asset? Where are his parents?” his brother asked him. “Dead. He was roaming the rural areas of northern Zambia, clearly looking for purpose and excitement. He has no one.” “Can he be trusted?” “That’s why I brought him here tonight.” Pause. “A decision needs to be made. Do we train him or trade him?”
Ceanna woke up on the first day of school after winter break as reluctantly as she did every other day. It was another day to get up and go back to her life as a quiet nobody who made no significant impact in the world. She wondered as soon as that morose thought crossed her head if her mother would have interrupted her and said something affirming. It was something she wondered often, as she went about life- what it felt like to have the telepathic connection with one’s own kin. She’d heard her friends and other people talk about how annoying it was, but because she’d never truly experienced it, it was something she longed for. Throwing back the covers, Ceanna nearly knocked the picture of her family off her nightstand and immediately the guilt crept in. It was almost as if the Moon Goddess heard her moping and decided to remind her of what she had. Mama and Daddy Daley did their best to make her feel wanted, loved and fully accepted. When they had taken her
From the moment he stepped out of his car, Keion didn’t expect more than a moment to himself. Going to school had started feeling like a full time job around the time his voice had dropped and peach fuzz had appeared on his upper lip. People didn’t look at him like a prince at Alcombey High School, but he was the track star and captain of the basketball team. He had quit football because his mother had complained of headaches after a series of grueling matches. A part of him felt that was her way of getting him out of contact sports, but he wasn’t complaining. Groups of students waved and called out to him as he walked purposefully toward the front doors. He smiled and answered but he kept moving. His agenda was to get inside and stay warm. Everything else was secondary. As he reached the first set of doors, he breathed a sigh of relief, his breath creating mist in front of him. Before he even considered taking off his jacket, his coach called him from down the hall.
Everything was changing way faster than Ceanna could have fathomed. She had gone from inconspicuous and uninteresting to the center of attention and the name on every high school senior’s lips in a matter of hours. All because Prince Keion had put his arms around her and called her his girlfriend. Nobody even knew the back story to that! They were all just running with it... how can they even believe that he would pick an obscure girl like me? Because of fireworks?! Blowing a stray curl out of her face, she crossed her arms and looked at herself in the mirror. Honestly, she had tried her darnedest to remain nondescript, and nothing that she saw in the reflection called particular attention to her. Her hair was dark and curly but easy to manage and the bun she’d barely twisted up didn’t yell, ‘Hey, I’m cute!’ The baggy jersey was a vintage acquisition from Daddy Daley and hung on her the same way a car cover draped over a bicycle, pre
Msia Hamadi smiled at his head of security when he walked in. “Good morning, Chief.” “Good morning, your highness.” His smile faded slightly. “Ah, so it really is one of those visits.” He gestured to the chair across from his. “Have a seat.” “Thank you.” Msia’s PA came in and offered the chief of police a variety of beverages. When he declined, she left as quietly as she had come in and Msia had given Chief Ruthers all his attention. “I’m all ears.” “Nomusa Chule’s behavior recently changed.” “So I’ve heard. Is there something you think I need to be aware of?” “She’s watching a child.” Msia frowned. “A child?” Placing a piece of paper on the desk in front of the king, the chief of police added, “Someone who interacts with one of your sons.” Reading the transcript, Msia’s lips pursed and he looked out the window for a short moment. “It’s alright Paul. I know exactly who this is about.”