The Alpha's Reluctant Mate: An Intense Paranormal Love Tale

by Jade White

  “Come in,” she called out.

  Geri entered the tent and sat down respectfully. “Thank you for seeing me, Holda.”

  “Not a problem. You smell of blood, what happened?”

  “I killed a man; Astri, actually. He was trying to rape Gerda as she was purifying herself for our mating,” he said while looking downwards in shame.

  “So you saw her nakedness before mating. The motive was pure, at least. The spirits agree, at least, so I will cleanse you of that taint. Usually, I would just let you suffer with the disintegration of your mating, but the spirits want this union to succeed,” Holda said as she mixed some herbs in a pot and poured boiling water over them. She then dumped a handful of mysterious herbs over the coals in her brazier. “Get over here and inhale the smoke.”

  Geri did as he was bidden by the old crone and almost choked on the acrid smoke that rose from the brazier. “Gah! This smells of a skunk!”

  “Keep breathing until it is gone. It’s the only way to cleanse you of seeing Gerda’s nakedness before you were mated.”

  Geri sighed and kept breathing in the horrible smoke. He could feel his soul being scrubbed clean as he inhaled and exhaled the pungent aroma. He felt lightheaded and woozy as the last of the smoke swirled around his head.

  “There you go. All clean inside and out, almost. Take this water and go scrub yourself in the river. You’re going to do this again tomorrow before you’re mated. This is a sacred ceremony, remember that.”

  “Understood,” Geri said as he walked out.

  “Oh, I still have your father’s mating outfit. I’ll dust it off. You’re lucky you’re the same size as he was.”

  “Thanks, GranGran,” Geri said with a grin.

  “Don’t mention it.”

  Geri walked towards the river with the skin of warm soapy water. He would have to return to Holda tomorrow for another one. Luckily, he did away with that snake hiding in the grass, Astri, so he won’t have to worry about being ambushed by him.

  He found another isolated pool and swiftly disrobed. He decided to dive in without ceremony and let the shock of the icy cold water wake him up. He surfaced and sputtered as he felt his testicles rise into his body. Oh gods, that’s cold, he thought.

  As he scrubbed, he couldn’t get Gerda’s beautiful, curvy body out of his mind; tomorrow night it will be his. He started planning how he was going to proceed. She was a virgin so he needed to be gentle, despite what his instincts were screaming. Oh, he wanted to maul those soft, full breasts, suck on them, nip them and squeeze them. She was possibly the most stunning woman he had ever laid eyes on; despite the freezing cold water, he felt his manhood stir.

  He tried to distract himself by dunking himself into the cold water after he scrubbed himself with the musky suds Holda brewed up for him. The shocking cold did little to distract him from his desire to be with Gerda. He was done purifying for today so he climbed out and dried off with a piece of absorbent chamois skin he had brought with him for that purpose.

  After he dried off, he got dressed again and went to speak to his brother to plan the mating feast. It was the male’s responsibility to plan the feast, to show the father of the bride how well they could provide for his child.

  “Freki,” Geri said as he entered his tent. “Have you gone hunting for the feast yet?”

  “Just about to, why?” Freki answered as he sat there in his wolf form.

  “Would like to join you,” he replied as he shifted into the shape of a large, shaggy black wolf.

  “I don’t know; did Holda give you the okay? Remember you’re forbidden to spill blood until after your mating ceremony,” Freki cautioned.

  “Doesn’t mean I can’t herd the prey towards you and the rest of the hunters.” Geri paced a little. “Anyway, I already shed blood.”

  “Before or after your bath?” Freki asked.

  “Before,” Geri replied cocking his head quizzically.

  “Oh, that’s alright then. You can’t shed blood after your bath until you shed her blood so to speak,” his brother said slyly.

  “Well, as long as I don’t bite the prey, we’re all good right?” Geri asked.

  “Should be, let’s go,” Freki said as he padded out of his tent.

  Four more hunters were waiting at the outskirts of camp for Freki. “Why is he here?” one of the grey wolves asked as he pointed his nose at Geri.

  “He’s going to help us herd. He knows about the prohibitions about bloodletting until his mating night, Bargi,” Freki explained.

  “Good. We don’t want this getting spoiled,” Bargi replied. “Word got around about what you did to Astri, you’re lucky it didn’t happen after you were cleansed. Seeing Gerda like that.” Bargi let out an appreciative growl.

  “That’s enough,” Freki said, taking charge of the hunt. “Let’s make our way up and see if we can bag a couple of fat chamois. Another party is going into the woods for some deer meat. We’re going to try to eat well. Hopefully, there’s still some prey left, it’s pretty late in the season, and hunting has been slim lately.”

  The party nodded as they loped towards the mountains where the elusive mountain sheep resided. It took them the better part of the day to climb up the steep cliffs before they spotted a large alpha ram leaping gracefully from ledge to ledge.

  Freki looked at Geri. “You go up above it and startle it by growling and snapping at it. They always look down and never up, so when it falls we’ll be there to dispatch it.”

  “Understood.” Freki was the hunt leader; he was the one who took the hunters out, so Geri, despite being the Alpha, was wise to follow Freki’s instructions.

  Geri climbed up the narrow path that led up to the top of the cliff above where the mountain sheep was grazing placidly. He waited for Freki’s signal before scaring the animal off its ledge. He didn’t have to wait long before he heard the tell-tale clatter down below. The chamois tried to leap upwards but Geri was prepared with snapping fangs, snarls and barks. The terrified ruminant turned in mid-air and lost its footing on some loose gravel and fell down to the ledge below where Freki and the rest of the hunters were waiting. The sheep didn’t perish upon impact, so Freki’s razor sharp fangs pierced its throat, suffocating it to death in his strong jaws.

  Bargi changed back to his human shape. His barrel chest and tree trunk legs were clothed in the traditional furs of their people. His black hair gleamed in the setting sun as he pulled an obsidian dagger out from his waistband. He then butchered the sheep where they stood and loaded it up on the sledge he had brought with him. Having opposable thumbs really made quick work out of bringing the kill back to the pack.

  “This one was at least twice the size of your average chamois. The horns have at least three loops to it. We won’t have to go get another. There's at least eleven stones worth of meat here, not counting the bones and pelt. If the other hunting party gets a deer, we’ll have plenty of meat for the feast tomorrow.”

  “Good,” Geri said as he made his way back down the path. “Let’s head back to camp. I’m exhausted.”

  “Yeah you’ve had a pretty stressful day,” Freki said. “Best to be well rested for tomorrow. I doubt you’ll be getting much sleep after the ceremony,” he said as he bumped his shoulder playfully into Geri’s.

  “Exactly,” Geri said as they plodded along. Bargi was trailing behind with the sledge full of meat and Geri kept looking back to see if he was doing alright with keeping up. The last thing he wanted was something coming up and attacking them and stealing all their hard won food.

  They returned to camp well into the night and Geri crawled into his tent and fell fast asleep, without even changing back to his human form. He needed as much rest as he could get, for the next day would be filled with ritual preparation.

  ***

  The dawn broke and Geri shook himself out of his slumber. The smells of cooking meat made his stomach growl, but he was not allowed to eat until the wedding feast. He sighed and plodded over to Holda�
�s tent for more of that cleansing herb.

  He changed back into his human form and scratched at the door. “Yes, yes come in.” Holda’s wheezing voice announced. “Before I give this to you, have you touched or tasted blood?”

  “No.”

  “Lay with a woman?”

  “No.”

  “Have you spilled your seed at all, even in your bed furs?” Holda pried, as it was imperative he stay clean before getting the second round of herbs.

  “No.” Despite the vivid dreams of him and Gerda coupling, he managed to keep his furs clean.

  “Good, here’s the root. Go cleanse again. I have your tunic ready.” Geri took the soap. “You can put it on after you’re finished.”

  “Thank you, Holda.” Geri said as he left the tent.

  He repeated the cleansing ritual and dried off. He headed back to Holda’s tent and waited for her to emerge.

  “Here you go, young man. A nicely dusted and aired out wedding tunic,” she said as she handed him the folded leather tunic.

  “Thank you,” Geri said as he bowed and made his way back to his tent.

  He entered his hide tent and unfolded his father’s wedding tunic. It was dyed a deep black with white fox tails sewn onto the sleeves. The white ivory beads from the fabled snow elephant were sewn into abstract patterns. The whole thing looked very striking indeed and he couldn’t wait to put it on.

  He peeled off his battered fur tunic and stood in the dim lamplight. His muscular torso rippled as he bent down to pick the tunic up and pull it over his head. He had to sit in his tent and meditate, while smelling all the good food that was cooking for the feast. He knew he had a nicer pair of leggings at the bottom of his storage trunk so he poked around and found them. He pulled the sleek black fur leggings over his muscular legs and tied them on. Traditionally, it would be a cloth wrap and his legs would be bare, but it being so close to the first snow, he wanted to wear something warmer.

  The second hunting party managed to bring down a massive stag in the forest that bordered their lands, so the smell of both mutton and venison was enough to make Geri’s mouth water. There were a few hours yet until the ceremony and he was a bundle of nerves. He closed his eyes and cleared his mind. He breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth, while envisioning his future with Gerda. He knew that positive thoughts brought positive outcomes and that’s all he really wanted.

  He sat that way until the sun began to sink below the horizon when his brother came scratching at his tent flap. “It is time,” Freki announced.

  Geri took a deep breath and rose from his furs. “Alright, I’ll be out in a moment,” he said as he straightened his tunic out and sighed. He took his bone comb and detangled his unruly blonde hair as best as he could.

  Freki came in and sighed. “Let me get that haystack all done up for you,” he said as he took the comb from Geri’s hand.

  Geri winced as Freki tugged at the tangles in his hair. “You never did tell me why you refuse to take a mate. You’ve turned down every single female that has thrown themselves at you.”

  “Oh brother, you’re very unobservant. I have a mate, but it isn’t female,” he said as he started braiding sections of Geri’s hair.

  “You know it’s unseemly for the second to…” Geri said unable to complete the sentence.

  “Yes I know; that’s why I don’t announce it. Bargi and I are very content with each other,” he said as he tied off one of the braids.

  “That’s good. Everyone needs to have someone, even if it’s against the society’s views of acceptable.”

  “Exactly,” Freki replied as he tied off the last braid. “There you go, all distinguished and tidy looking. You want me to braid your beard as well? Your fingers are too thick to do it properly.”

  “It’s not long enough yet,” Geri said with a grin. “Anyway, Holda and the rest are probably waiting for us at the stone. We should get going.”

  They left Geri’s tent and walked towards the Speaking Stone. The large flat boulder had two sets of roughly hewn stairs on either side of it. On top of the stone were brightly burning torches and in the middle of them, stood Holda and Onris.

  Geri spied Gerda on the other side of the stone. She was dressed in the most dazzling white tunic he had ever seen. His jaw dropped. Her long, blonde hair was braided in an ornate up-do decorated with shell beads and animal teeth. Her lips were slightly reddened with berry juice mixed with animal fat and her eyes were shadowed with black kohl. She was the most spectacular bride ever.

  “The pair may climb the stairs,” Onris announced loudly.

  Gerda looked across the rock at Geri and was taken aback at how handsome he was. His brother gently pushed him towards the stairs as he nervously hesitated. Gerda smirked slightly; this wasn’t the time to show hesitation, Geri, she thought as she took a confident step towards the speaking area.

  She stopped in front of her father and Holda, bowing her head demurely. She pushed one of the braids behind her ear as she waited for the elders to speak. She did not dare look at Geri no matter how much she wanted to. Tradition dictates they cannot look each other in the eyes until they are mated.

  “We are gathered here today, to witness the mating of these two young people,” Holda began. “Under the moon, stars and sky that birthed our world, we are to witness the first step in the continuation of our way of life. During the beginning, we were one. We were both male and female in one body. Then, a great battle was fought between the Lizard Spirit of the South and the Great Spirit Wolf. The Spirit Wolf was wounded gravely by the Spirit Lizard and split into two separate entities to survive. That is how our race was born. Mating is how we regain that oneness with the Spirit Wolf, and is a sacred, solemn union. Through this union, our people will continue. During the physical act, we are temporarily one, once again. The sacred act shall not be profaned by force or coercion and must always be done with both parties' free will,” Holda said staring sternly at Geri.

  Onris tapped Geri on the shoulder. “Do you Geri Fenrison, accept Gerda Onrisdottir to be your mate? Do you vow to protect her, cherish her and provide for her when she is great with young for as long as you both shall live?”

  “I do,” Geri said as he raised his head confidently.

  Holda tapped Gerda on the shoulder. “Do you Gerda Onrisdottir, accept Geri Fenrison to be your mate? Do you vow to protect him, care for him, and comfort him in sickness and health, for as long as you both shall live?”

  “I do,” Gerda said as she raised her head confidently.

  Holda and Onris took a leather thong that had been dyed red and tied it around their hands. “You may face one another and take each other’s hands,” he instructed the couple. “As this thong binds the two of you, your souls are hereby bound together in the sacred union. If this knot gets severed, your union is over and you part ways, but you must never mate another. One mate for life, that is the law,” he intoned as he tied the thong around them

  Gerda looked up at Geri and almost melted as his gaze met hers. His mating outfit just highlighted his already good looks, and when his hands took hers, she felt her womanhood moisten as their flesh made contact. She remembered the kiss they had shared in the grove the previous day after he had killed Astri. She knew the mating feast would happen after this and couldn’t wait. She was absolutely famished from fasting all day.

  “As this thong binds you both, so it binds our two packs. As you two are one, so are we, let no one break this sacred bond,” Holda continued.

  “You are now officially one. You may kiss your mate and circle the speaking stone three times,” Onris instructed.

  Geri pulled her in and bent his head down to kiss her. Their lips met and she could barely contain herself. She wanted him more than anything right then and there. She wondered why she was so reluctant to mate this charismatic alpha; she was such a foolish girl sometimes. Not only that, she was now officially his equal. She felt his tongue gently tease her lips open as he passionately clai
med her, for all to see.

  The two packs let out a raucous mixture of roars and howls as the happy couple embraced. Geri broke the kiss and looked her in the eyes and smiled. They started their slow march around the Speaking Stone, showing their bound hands with a huge smile. The crowd whooped, howled and barked their happiness at the couple’s union as they made their rounds.

  After the third time around, they went down the stairs and walked towards the head table for the feast. During the day, the members of the pack crafted some rough tables and chairs out of wood they pulled from the nearby forest. After they were done with the feast, it would be broken up for fuel to heat and cook with.

  The pack ate, danced and sang all throughout the evening. The happy couple sat at the head table smiling at each other and patiently waiting until they could take their leave back to Geri’s tent.

  He reached under the table and gently stroked Gerda’s thigh with his sensitive fingers. She looked at him and smirked coyly as he stirred up her nascent desire. During the feast, they managed to extricate their hands from the thong without untying or cutting the knot. Geri placed it in the pocket of his wedding tunic, next to the still intact thong that belonged to his parents.

  Women of the Wolf People weren’t ignorant of sexual matters. They were taught that it was a sacred bond from the moment they were able to understand, and that this sacred bond was to be a very pleasurable experience.

  Men of the Wolf People were taught how to please their women a year or two after they entered puberty. Widows took on this duty, during the summer festivals. This was important for when males mated, so as not to hurt their mates during copulation

  After the requisite boasting and teasing of the newly mated couple, Onris and Holda walked up behind them and tapped them on the shoulder to dismiss them to their tent.

  “You have a choice,” Holda said as she handed Gerda a white rabbit skin. “Shed your blood on this and show it to us in the morning for proof, or we sit and witness.”