“I am serious, I think she needs to meet her” Darryl pleaded with his brother.

“I doubt I will have any say in who performs the ritual, we are just lucky we don’t have an elder in our pack.” Sara snorted at Terrance’s reply.

“As far as accountability is concerned, do you actually think that your father would take even an iota of responsibility? I believe it is precisely because we don’t have an elder that we are in this decade long mess.” Her voice was incredulous.

“Living on the far edge of the territories doesn’t help any” Darryl threw in.

“Yes, our location, our Alpha, and the relatively small size of our pack does limit our desirability, but you know that Father has been using his influence to surround and trap the pockets of our kind who still follow the old ways.”

“That is exactly why we need to find a way to get her here. Everyone thinks she is senile so sneaking her knowledge in would be simpler, and she is one of the very few who could help us restore contact with the Goddess.”

“Darryl, I understand what you are saying,” Terrance began.

“But there just isn’t enough time,” Sara finished gently. “How could we possibly devise a plan that isn’t obvious to move a senile old lady, that still has just enough power to be feared, into our area in less than 2 weeks, all while preparing Lydia.” Terrance stopped short at the end of his own statement when he heard the padding of feet on the floor above.

Sara heard too and sighed. “Darryl, I see why you feel so strongly about this, but I really think that we need to take this a little slower. The poor girl can’t even shift on her own yet.”

“And what happens when she shifts in front of the entire pack? What happens when they see the size and purity of her wolf? What happens when she makes eye contact with Alpha, or when Dominic puts his greasy hands on her? She asked me to bring her! They have to meet! You know exactly what they will do otherwise!” Darryl was seething with impatience and exasperation. When Lydia walked into the room, he only glanced at her and did not stop pressing. “I don’t ask for much, and I really feel like this is our only chance to get things smoothed over safely.”

Terrance groaned. “I really think this is a horrible, horrible idea. I can’t let Father find her.” He rubbed his face violently before announcing, “I will go talk with Kellar, meanwhile,” he jabbed a finger at Lydia. “You, crazy child, will stay here and get an etiquette lesson from Sara. I don’t know what in Goddess’ name you were thinking, but we will never-” this last word came out as an almost shout, hard and severe and everyone startled, “-never,” Terrance’s glare was piercing as he made sure she was listening, “pull a stunt like that again! Do you hear me?”

Lydia watched him steadily from under her brows before answering. “I will not submit to him, I am my own person and no matter what thick, oozing, sickly sweet popcorn smell drudges off of him, I will not do as he says or be touched by him.”

“Should we call this off?” The raw vehemence in Terrances tone showed he was barely under control.

“No, I still want to learn to be with Willow.”

“Then you must learn how to act so we can all stay as close to safe as possible,” he gave his ultimatum and left with a slam through the back.

“Is he usually like that?”

“Yes!” “No,” Darryl and Sara replied in unison.

“So, he is stubborn but not that volatile?” Lydia deduced.

“Yes,” they agreed.

“I knew full well I was making a stupid choice, but I wasn’t about to let him think I could be rolled over, and I definitely didn’t want him to think that smog he was giving off had any effect on me. How do you guys go near him? I can almost taste it!” Lydia ran her tongue over the roof of her mouth in memory of it.

“That’s the pheromones,” Sara clarified. “There are special ones only mates can smell on each other. You will be giving off your own unique scent to him as well, drawing him in. Once you touch, the bond will become physical too and your body will start to react as well.”

“Ew!” Lydia blanched, “Why do I smell it- like- um-” she scrunched up her face, curled her upper lip and waved her fingers in front of her nose, at a loss for words.

“We have a gland like cats and dogs that allows us to smell certain pheromones, its located under your nose at the roof of your mouth, if you ever automatically suck air in through your mouth with your lips pulled back, it’s because you detected something and are responding and trying to identify or locate the scent. When anyone smells their mate, there is a visceral urge to be near, touch and… continue from there.”

“That sounds like a nightmare!” Lydia shook her head in horror.

“Exactly,” Darryl responded.

“Darryl, we’ve talked about this, any girl would love someone as sweet and thoughtful as you, don’t let your parents ruin that for you.”

“I can’t give her anything she needs,” his resolute voice and the almost rehearsed flow of this conversation lead Lydia to believe that it was not the first or even fifth time they have had this conversation.

“Don’t be like that, how many times do I need to tell you status doesn’t mean anything to us women, as compared to men, in fact a lower ranking means you are more likely to avoid Alpha and his kind, which then means it is easier to keep our children safe.”

Darryl’s face was twisted in a dark way as what came out of his mouth was not completely what he wanted to say. “I still can’t give her anything she needs.” A muscle in his jaw jumped and he looked a lot older in that moment.

Sara sighed and began opening her mouth before she remembered the company, turning to speak more directly to Lydia. “Not everyone hopes for a destined mate. There are those of us who choose our partners for ourselves, like Terrance and myself.”

“The fated malarkey doesn’t override that?” skepticism permeated the question.

“No dear, not if you complete the marriage ritual. It cancels that out.”

“So, in theory, I just have to go quickly marry someone else and this would go away?”

The cynical laugh that escaped Darryl caught both women off guard. “No, once you meet, you meet, there is no changing it.”

“What’s so great about all of this that makes everyone follow along? All the hierarchy and everything, it is just a bunch of subjugating and abuse from what I can see.”

“It wasn’t always like this. The Goddess used to bestow proper blessings and marriages were personally blessed, we thrived and had a purpose. Mated pairs never have any congenital defects in their children, that still holds true. Originally, our people would help those without magic, would bring the lost home, hunt in the winter to keep people from starving and defend homes against invaders. We are a broken people now, we can’t say who we are or risk our spirits’ lives. Can’t even thrive without putting our children in danger, and the secrecy is making our people turn on each other. It is most likely best that you only stay long enough to learn who you and Willow are, how to function safely together, and then you live outside with only those you trust. The two of you seem to have such a unique bond that if you become able to function independently without another to help with the change, you may be able to have a life outside. Though Dominic would most likely hunt you down.” Sara said all of this, her anxiety snaking through her words until she reached the last careless sentence. She stopped abruptly, realizing. “Lydia, I am sorry, we will figure this out.”

“Don’t keep apologizing Sara, I am not upset by the suggestion of separation. Willow agrees in concept even though she still has that reaction to him in person. For now, why don’t we focus on that etiquette lesson so that I can pretend to react in whatever way that draws the least amount of attention to myself. Darryl and I can practice shifting and agility later.”

~

After a week, Lydia could change back on her own, though Willow still struggled to come completely to the front of her mind, which made switching alone thus far impossible. Lydia and Darryl spent most of their time together. There were papers full of notes, theories and plans constantly strewn all over the floor of Lydia’s room and the two figured out how to connect mentally from a distance, so they did not have to speak aloud, but it still required them both concentrating at the same time to open the channel.

Today Terrance took Lydia to practice exposing her to pheromones. “Alpha will use them just as Beta Gregory did to see if you are aggressive, defiant, or submissive. Both myself and whichever Elder is brought in will be watching and listening to your thoughts to see where you fall. We need you to be able to trick someone watching both of your reactions.”

“That will be a lot simpler than you think,” Lydia admitted. She continued to clarify when Terrance scowled. “Darryl and I have been working through this. Willow will be in charge in these moments. She instinctively submits and listens. I can shut out my own thoughts and only do as she wants. That is what I have been doing all these years, first in gymnastics, then soccer and of course running. I can zone out completely if I choose to, we have to build up to it but-”

“Wait!” Terrance stopped her with an uplifted hand, working through this information. His words came carefully measured. “Are the two of you that separate?”

“You’ve asked us this before, yes we are.”

“Yes, I understood your emotions and opinions were not connected. But what you just said implies that one of you can know things the other doesn’t.”

“Of course. As a child I had an eerie ability to know animal species names and random facts, and their general mood. Well, sorry it is a habit to speak that way and cover up. Willow knew these things and would tell me. We do not really do that much anymore,”

“So we could get you past certain things depending on who actually answered the question! When they ask where you grew up Willow can answer and tell them she grew up in a cave and it would not be a lie because that is where she spends her time! Darryl wasn’t wrong! This is a huge advantage I didn’t know we actually had.”

‘He doesn’t put much faith in Darryl does he?’  Willow commented.

Lydia disguised her response as a small hum. “Do you want me to show you the difference with us?” Terrance nodded and began releasing his pheromones when she gestured to do so. As usual there was no change. She just went through the motions and there was no real difference in feel when he mentally judged her intent. Until there was. Terrance balked. First, as Lydia she moved physically but mentally didn’t change, this time she stayed in the same physical posture but the mental shift when Willow was presenting was so different he instantly knew what she meant by them being completely separate.

Terrance bit the sides of his tongue as he pressed his magic into his pheromones, urging her to kneel. Willow used Lydia’s body and obliged. Happy to listen to her brother. He could feel the excitement at pleasing him sluff off her and the complete surrender made Oak panic. Terrance immediately withdrew and took a few steadying breaths.

“I won’t!” he informed aloud, startling Willow and calming Oak. “Sorry, we hate using our pheromones that way. However, I had to see if it would work.” Willow only nodded slowly to show she understood and took no offence. “Can you speak?” her hand came up to make a so-so gesture. “What do you mean?”

Her face contorted and she gave a shiver before she answered in one buzzing, distorted word. “Scary.”

Though decipherable, the noise was not a human one.

“Why don’t we try a few things,” Terrance continued.