Connor

"Well shit. I'm definitely dead." I mutter to myself and Crisena laughs.

'Kneel you idiot!' Dax yells at me and I drop to my knees and bare my neck in submission.

"There's no need for that, sweetie. Please stand." I do and meet her blue eyes. They hold a feeling of familiarity, but I can't seem to place it.

"You're killing me, lady. Am I dead or not?" I ask, my eyes pleading. She giggles and shakes her head.

"You're not. I'm sorry about all of this, but I needed to talk to you." Realization clicks and I narrow my eyes at her.

"Did you take my strength? Is that why I felt so drained?" I ask and she nods solemnly.

"Yes, I'm sorry but I needed to speak with you and I can only do so to someone on the verge of death. But Hope is healing you and you'll be fine." I scoff and cross my arms.

"Once again she has to save me. I thought I was supposed to be her protector, not the other way around." I spit bitterly and Crisena gives me a knowing look.

"This was necessary, Connor and does not speak ill of your abilities to protect Hope." She says kindly and some of the tension eases from my body.

"You couldn't just come to me in a dream like a normal deity?" I ask her and she giggles.

"That power was taken from me." She waves her hand by her face and scrunches her nose in discontent. "Something about misuse. Apparently scaring the crap out of dishonorable wolves in their dreams is 'inappropriate'." She says making air quotes around the word and I chuckle.

"Now, let's chat." She says taking my hand gently and leading me up the rock and sitting with her feet dangling in the water. I follow suit, ignoring my nakedness. She's basically my mother.

"There are some things you need to know about Hope." She says ominously and I stare at her waiting for her to continue.

"Hope is not a normal wolf." She says and I nod.

"I know. She's a healer." I say and Crisena nods.

"She's not just a healer, Connor. She is the most powerful healer to have ever walked the earth." She says gravely and I feel my heart rate kick up a notch.

"What do you mean?" I ask and she pats my knee, sensing my anxiety.

"Hope has more powers than she is aware of. Than she probably ever dreamed of. I had hoped to give her more time, to realize these things on her own, but danger is quickly approaching and she needs to be prepared. As do you." She says and my brain is spinning. I run my fingers through my hair trying to calm my agitated state.

"What powers does she have?" I ask and Crisena smirks, seemingly all too happy to tell me.

"She has already discovered one. The power to shield. She can create a force around anyone she chooses that is impenetrable, protecting the person from attack." I shake my head and look at her.

"She hasn't discovered that power. She's never said anything about it."

"No, because she just used it for the first time. To save you. She did it unknowingly and she'll need you to explain it to her. She's kind of freaking out about it." My eyes widen and I nod to her in understanding.

"What else?" I ask and she sighs before holding my hand.

"After your Alpha and mating ceremonies, she will be flooded with the power of an Alpha. Your power. That combined with her other gifts will make her the most powerful wolf in the world." She says seriously and my jaw drops in amazement.

"She won't just be a Luna, Connor. Hope will have an Alpha aura more powerful than any before. The Alpha of Alphas. She will have the power to force every wolf on the planet to submit. It's important you complete the ceremony as soon as possible. She needs this power, Connor. It is essential to her survival. And she needs to survive." Crisena stops to smile warmly at me before patting my hand. "Your pups are very important, Connor. They will be powerful and are essential to the survival of all werewolves." She says gently, as if trying to soften the blow of this information. I breathe deeply, attempting to settle my thundering heart and swirling thoughts.

"You're blowing my mind, lady." I murmur and she pats my shoulder.

"I know, and I'm sorry. But I wouldn't have chosen you if you couldn't handle it." I look into her crystal blue eyes and smile.

"Hope says that too. Sometimes I wonder if you see something in me that's not there." She shakes her and tsks her tongue. She looks at me as if considering something then nods.

"I'll probably get into trouble for this, I've already told you too much but it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission." She giggles a little as her eyes twinkle with mischief.

"Wolves, as you know, are assigned a mate at birth. Correct?" She asks and I nod in agreement.

"Hope was not." She says and my eyes snap to hers.

"What do you mean?" I ask and she smiles at me again.

"Hope was too important, too precious, to take the chance of her not having the ideal mate. Things happen sometimes, circumstances can twist a good wolf and they grow to be selfish, greedy, angry or abusive. We could not allow that to happen to Hope. Too much hinges on her. Not just her life, but her happiness. Her spirit. Her giving nature. So I did not assign her a mate when she was born." She takes a deep breath before she continues.

"Instead, I scoured the earth for her perfect mate. Someone to not only protect her. But to love her, cherish her. Treat her as the gift she is. The little treasure she is." She smiles a knowing smile at me and I grin back. "And then I found you. The perfect mate for my Hope. I know I'm not supposed to have favorites, but you and Hope are my best pairing. Perfect for each other in every way. I knew that for certain when she healed you from afar without even meeting you. She's incredibly powerful, but the fact you were that intune with each other is a testament to your bond." I nod and ponder on all she's told me for a moment.

"Does this mean I had a different mate originally?" I ask and she nods.

"You did. I broke that bond and formed a new one with Hope when you proved yourself worthy." I felt a little guilty about that. This girl living a mateless existence.

"Is that girl... is she alone?" I ask and she shakes her head smiling.

"No. See? That's one of the reasons I chose you. How thoughtful and caring you are. No she is not alone. I created a bond with another man who's mate was killed before he met her. As far as they both know, they are each other's only mates. If you think about it, she's much happier this way than if I hadn't chosen you. You would have died in that rogue attack if you weren't mated to Hope and she would have been mateless. Win, win!" She says with an excited smile and I chuckle in response.

I decide I like this lady.

And then it clicks.

"She looks like you. Hope. The eyes, the hair, the smile." I say trailing off while studying her. She nods and smiles again.

"She does. She is the closest thing to me on earth."

"Does that mean she can't die?" I ask hopefully and Crisena sobers.

"She can die. Unfortunately she can't use her healing powers on herself. That is why her protector is so important and why I chose an Alpha. Once she has your power running through her and can force other wolves into submission, she will be much safer. But until she receives her powers and learns to control them, you need to keep her close. You need to protect her. I know your allegiance is pulled between her and your pack, but until she is fluent in her gifts she needs to be your priority. It will benefit your pack and all of our kind in the long run. I promise you." She smiles warmly again and hugs me close.

"Alright, my boy. Time to head back." She says going to stand. I put my hand on her arm to stop her.

"One more question?" I ask and she nods before sitting again.

"Why me? Why did you pick me for Hope? I'm not complaining. I'm incredibly grateful. She's perfect and I love her more than anything. I'm just curious." I say looking into blue eyes that I love so dearly. She smiles brightly and chuckles a little at me.

"Because you're you." She says smiling. "You're kind, intelligent, warm, loyal, trustworthy, affectionate, thoughtful, strong, powerful but most of all, you love with your whole heart. You hold nothing back. Hope needs that. She needs that love and devotion to get through the difficult days ahead. To keep her bright view of the world and continue using her gifts, rather than hiding them in fear of the consequences. She needs a man to make her feel confident and powerful as well as loved and cherished. You do all of that and more. Even if I didn't assign you to each other at your birth, you and Hope are more well suited for each other than any pair of mates to exist in history. I should know." She says smiling and I smile back, rubbing my chest where my heart feels full.

"Can I go home now?" I ask smiling. "I miss my girl."