I laughed woodenly. “Hell no. My last pack was proof of that. There wasn’t a single bonded couple in our pack. I didn’t even know what bonding was until I came to Blackwater. Everything in Long Mesa was forced.”
“It’s hard to find a mate in those conditions,” Lulu commented. “Without those initial pairings, second gen bondings are a bit tougher since their mate is never in their pack. It took the pack here a long time to realize that.”
My head snapped up. “What?”
“Yeah, it’s this cosmic way of keeping packs from becoming too inbred or some shit. Nature keeps a balance.” Lulu explained, waving her hand. “First generation bonds usually happen within the same pack, but second gens almost always come from separate packs.”
“Seriously?” Tate asked skeptically.
“Yeah. I mean there’s always a few exceptions to the rule, but that’s not the norm,” she confirmed. “The first second gen pair came from this pack and one in Turkey a few hundred years ago. No one knew second gens were a thing until then.”
“Remy and I are from different packs,” I murmured, absently rubbing my bottom lip. “The only reason we met was because I escaped my last pack.”
“See? Here we’re used to it now that several times a year, packs will hold a Conclave. All unbonded second generation wolves in Europe, Asia, and Africa attend to see if they can find their mate.”
“The Bachelor: Shifter Edition,” Tate remarked with a snort as she rolled her eyes.
“Basically,” Lulu agreed with a grin. “There’s a giant gala before everyone shifts to see if they can find their mate. It’s actually kind of cool to watch them all interact, especially when they see their mate for the first time.”
“And it happens that fast?” Tate’s eyebrows lifted.
“Second gens are a love at first sight kind of deal,” Lulu answered, shrugging. “When you know, you know.”
“We bonded the first night our wolves saw each other,” I said absently.
“It’s why the annual Conclave is such a big deal.” Lulu gave me a warm smile that made her eyes sparkle. “Second gens find their mate immediately if there’s a match there. We’ve had less and less each year, but I wonder if that would change by adding American packs to the mix.”
Tate’s head bobbed slowly in agreement. “Maybe.”
“Remy and I have the same markings, but opposite,” I said suddenly, fixing my attention to Lulu, remembering the first moment I saw his wolf the night we bonded. “Is that normal?”
“Not especially. But, I will say that a star or contrast marking on a solid colored wolf is usually indicative of the wolf’s standing in the pack. Alphas, in particular, have those kinds of markings.”
“Stars,” I murmured. “We both have stars, but my coat is white with a black star and his is the opposite.”
“You said he’s an Alpha, right?” Lulu waited for me to nod. “Then it makes sense you both have that kind of marking. Your father does. His coat is black with a white marking on the center of his chest.”
“But I’m a girl,” I reminded her.
Lulu’s brows rose dramatically. “And? The very first Alpha of this pack was a female. The Narodnaya pack has been led by more females than males. It’s why you’re so special, Skye. You're the first female born into the Dashkov line in over two hundred years. Two-hundred and twenty-six years, to be specific. By all accounts, you should be Alpha of this pack when the time comes. It’s your birthright.”
My shoulders stiffened. “I have a pack already. I’m not looking to change that.”
“Still, I would have loved to see the look on the faces of those ancient Council members when they found out you were an Alpha,” Tate added with a wicked grin that I couldn’t help but return.
That quickly, the smile died on her lips and then mine.
There was no Council because they were all dead in the same explosion that killed Luke.
Tate looked away from me, her shoulders hunching slightly as she tried to protect herself from pain of the memory.
Lulu watched us both before turning to me. “That’s your decision if you want to embrace your position here or walk away, but in this part of the world? We’re quite accustomed to female Alphas, bonded or not. Hell, most even come with their own harem if they aren’t bonded.”
“Harem?” I repeated, my eyebrows shooting up.
“A female will take multiple mates to essentially make up the perfect mate. Like if one guy is super strong, another is super smart, and another is good looking or something. They have a primal urge to take on as many people or souls as it will take to complete the mate they’re seeking. Kind of like a shifter buffet.”
“But can a girl bond to more than one guy?” Tate asked quietly, her hazel eyes solemn as she rejoined the conversation. “Or would she only have one mate?”
“No,” Lulu said quickly, shaking her head. “It happens often with twins since they share a soul. A female bonding with male twins, or triplets, isn’t uncommon. I’ve also seen a female bond to four unrelated males. That’s more rare, but it’s about the souls and the connection they form. Usually those bonds take years to develop. They’re trickier, and often people don’t want to put in the work that those bonds require, especially men.”
“What do you mean?” I frowned.
“Think of a bond as a circle,” Lulu said, dragging a finger through the air to make a circle. “Every person bonded has to be inside that circle. It can’t be a line where the female is in the middle with a male on either side. The males have to connect to form that circle. Meaning they have to have a connection with one another outside the one with the woman. That’s why it’s easier with twins since they already share a bond.”
My mind turned that over. It made sense. It made a lot of sense.
“Men can get territorial, especially over a woman. More times than not, they can’t get out of their own way to complete the circle so the bond never completes itself,” Lulu finished.
Tate leaned back, silently contemplating that.
“But you know that already,” Lulu added at the last minute, shrugging one shoulder as she watched Tate.
“I do?” Tate asked, arching a brow.
Lulu’s eyes narrowed and her head angled to the side as realization dawned. She winced. “You haven’t bonded to them yet.”
Tate’s eyes went wide and round. I was pretty sure I was wearing the same expression.
“I can sense it.” Lulu’s voice softened, almost apologetic. “The bond you share with … is it two men? It’s there. You’ll bond to them soon.”
“How can you know that?” Tate whispered, her voice cracking with emotion.
“I just can. It’s like an aura. Your soul is so deeply entwined with theirs, I can practically see it around you. They love each other as much as they love you?”
Tate nodded, her throat working as she blinked back tears. “How soon is soon?”
“I can’t say for sure when your bond will snap into place. It could be a few weeks or a couple of years, but you found your mates. There’s zero doubt in my mind from the waves you’re giving off,” Lulu told her, reaching out and squeezing her knee. “Hold onto that, Tate.”