Chapter 3 Syndra

Remi comes to stand next to me in the open closet doorway. The large walk-in closet is full of clothes that I detest, and he lets out a chuckle when he sees all the clothes that our mother had packed in there. He gives me a hug, then leaves my side. 

I can hear the thud of one suitcase as he moves it to the floor. Glancing over my shoulder, I see he is now lying on my bed with his arms up under his head and his feet crossed at the ankles. Why does he get to relax, and I have to pack? 

Lucky for him. 

“Pick out all the clothes you like and at least one that you know she would prefer. Wear that one on the first day. It will make both of you happy,” Remi tells me.  

His idea is good, and I was thinking the same thing. I let out a sigh, then start grabbing all the clothes that appeal to me and toss them over the back of the chair at my dressing table. It will take longer to decide on which outfit to pick that will appease my mother. 

“What brings you up here, Remi?” I ask him as I walk out of my closet so I can look at him. 

He sighs, then sits up. His eyes grow serious as I walk to the bed and sit down. I am not sure I like that look from my twin.  

“What is going on, Remi?” 

He runs a hand down his face, and then I watch in surprise as his shoulders slump. My concern for my brother washes over me. What is so bad to cause him to look so sad? 

“I know that there is a very real possibility that you will find your mate at the gala, or that I will find mine. Our lives as we know them will no longer be the same afterwards, Syn. I am not ready for the changes that I know are coming.” 

“Remi, I don’t want to go either. I hate the idea of meeting my mate and being forced to be a Luna. None of my dreams can happen if I am locked in an office all day.” 

He sits up with a frown on his face. “Do you really think the Moon Goddess would give you a mate who would crush your dreams?” 

I look down at my hands as a tear slips from my eye. That is exactly what I hope doesn’t happen, yet part of me knows that when I find my mate, I will have to give up some of my dreams. As a female alpha, I have been told many times that my mate will be a powerful alpha, which with make me the luna of his pack.  

I have never wanted that, but as my mother has been drilling into my head every day for the last month, it is time that I grow up and face reality.  

“Hey, look at me,” Remi says as he puts a finger under my chin to lift my face.  

When our eyes connect, there are no words needed. We have always been able to just know what the other is feeling when emotions are high. Fear and anger being the ones that come through more easily.  

“I will always be there for you, Syn. No matter what happens at the gala, I will always have your back.” 

“I know that Remi. Same goes for me. Womb to tomb, I will always have your back.” 

“Damn straight.” 

He gives me a tight hug, then gets off the bed and walks to the door. “I am going to apologize to Raph now. Love you, Syndra.” 

“Love you too, Remi.” 

I sigh, then flop down on my bed after I hear the door click shut. So many things hinge on the outcome of the coming Mate Gala. Too many unknowns fill my future, and I don’t like it.  

Please, Moon Goddess, give me someone kind who will love me for who I am.  

I am so lost in thought that I don’t hear the door to my room open. Nettie’s scent hits me as she sits on the edge of the bed by my hip. She puts me at ease just by being here. If I have to leave when I find my mate, I would love to take her with me. 

“Come on, girlie, let’s get you packed. We both know that your mother will be up here in a few hours to make sure you are doing what you were told.” Nettie says the last part with a laugh. 

“Ugh, you are right.” I sit up. 

You will be fine, a voice whispers in my head, making me pause as I swing my legs over the side of the bed.  

What was that? 

Say nothing yet, but I am your wolf, Dyna. I am early because you and your brother and special. He will meet his wolf tonight as well. I will tell you more when your friend leaves. For now, act normal.  

“Syn, are you alright?” Nettie asks. Her voice is filled with worry. 

I shake my head as if to clear it, then smile at her. “Just a little dizzy. I think I sat up too fast.” 

She nods her head, then follows me to my closet. We spent the next few hours picking out what I like out of the mess my mother bought me. I followed Remi’s advice and packed a few outfits I knew my mother would expect to see.  

The ballgown she picked is atrocious, so I picked one I would be comfortable in and that is more to my taste. I will deal with her when I have to wear it. For now, I am satisfied with everything I have packed. All my toiletries and accessories will be packed the morning we leave for the capital. 

“Are you nervous?” Nettie asks once we are done. We are lying on my bed with a bowl of popcorn between us and the sounds of an action flick coming from the TV.  

“Very. I have so many fears, but I know that there isn’t much that I can do about them. I want to talk to you about something, though.” 

She leans up on her elbows, then glances over at me with a raised eyebrow. “Is it about the mating ritual after you find your mate? Is that one of your fears?” 

Sex?  

I hadn’t even thought about that until she brought it up. No, I am not afraid; nervous, maybe, but not afraid. Alpha’s need their heirs, and that is something I have had drilled into my head since I hit puberty.  

“No, that is something I know is my duty. I wanted to ask you to come with me when I meet my mate and have to move to his pack. That is if I meet him at the gala.” 

Nettie looks surprised by this request. “You want me to come with you?” 

“You are my best friend, and if my mother allows it, then yes, I want you to come with me. That way I will have a familiar face around me, and you will get to leave this place for somewhere new. It is a win-win for both of us.” 

She sits up full then throws her arms up in the air as she lets out a loud, happy squeal. I sit up laughing, but my laughter is cut off as she turns and throws herself at me. This was a good idea; now I just hope my mother will allow it. 

And my mate. 

“I hope your mother lets me go with you.” 

My father will. 

“I will just talk to my father. Since he is still the alpha, it is his decision, not hers. Do you really want to go with me?” 

Nettie nods her head, then hugs me tighter. “I would be so lost here without you. I mean, I know I am just an omega, but I have been so grateful for your friendship. With my aunt gone now, I have no family.” 

Her parents were from a different pack and died in a rogue attack when she was a kid. Her aunt Margo took her in, and we have been friends since she came here to live with Margo. A year ago, Margo died, leaving Nettie alone.  

Taking her with me would keep us together. Maybe she will find her mate in whatever pack I end up in. That would be amazing.  

“Does it make me selfish for wanting to keep you with me?” 

She pulls back from our hug then just stares at me like she is surprised I would ask that. “Syndra, I understand why you would want me to come with you. Meeting your mate and moving packs will be stressful. Having someone you know and are comfortable with will help the transition. Besides, you are my best friend too, and I would follow you anywhere if you let me.” 

I nod my head.  

We spend the next two hours dreaming about what our future might look like. When midnight comes, Nettie yawns then left shortly after. I changed into my nightclothes, then went to brush my teeth.  

As I was standing in front of my bathroom mirror putting on my face cream, I was startled when my eyes changed to gold then back to my normal green after a few seconds. I feel this sudden restless energy rush through my entire body. 

Go to your clearing now. A voice in my head says, causing me to gasp in surprise.  

“Dyna? What is happening? I don’t feel so good.” 

Go now! 

This time I don’t ask questions. I rush to the French windows that open onto a large balcony. Once out there, I climb over the stone railing and onto the trellis along the side of the house. I climb down as fast as I can, then as soon as my feet touch the ground; I take off running towards my little clearing by the river. 

My body feels so hot as I run, and it feels like my skin is on fire. Is this how it feels right before a lycan’s first shift? Why am I experiencing this two days earlier than I should? 

Every instinct I have is telling me to call out to my twin, but then I remember something that my wolf said earlier. She told me that Remi would get his wolf tonight too. Would his lycan urge him to come to the same place mine has?  

Pain like nothing I have ever felt before slams through my body, causing my steps to falter. I trip over my feet, nearly falling to the ground, but I stay upright. My body is trying to shift, but my mind is fighting it. 

It is too soon, and I am not ready.  

After what felt like hours but was only a few minutes, I finally broke through the treeline and into a small clearing. I fall to my knees when I reach the center and curl into the fetal position as I feel the shift hit my full force. 

I scream rips from my throat as I feel my bones start breaking, then reforming. Tears pool in my eyes as I feel the tips of my fingers split open and claws rip through. I can’t do this alone. Where is Remi? 

Let go, Syndra. Stop resisting and let me be free. Your brother is close, and so is mine. Let go. 

With one last whimper, I do as Dyna tells me. Once I stopped fighting it, the transformation hurts a little less, but it still hurts like hell. I lift my head to the moon and let out a pain-filled howl. A moment later, another similar howl is heard off in the distance somewhere to my right. 

Remi. 

I can feel him getting closer, and the pain is less intense. When my skin starts to split and fur replaces it, I scream in pain one last time before I close my eyes and pass out. I have no idea how long I was out, but something nudging my side causes me to stir awake. 

All my senses come alert at once.  

When I open my eyes, everything is so much clearer. My sense of smell is heightened, and the first thing I smell is the coppery smell of blood. It is heavy in the air all around me. 

I take in my surroundings as I stand up on four paws instead of two human feet. On the ground beside me is a huge white lycan in wolf form. I know who it is without having to ask. Remi came like my lycan told me he would.

His lycan is strong, like his human. Your twin’s lycan is my twin too. Helios.  

My lycan says softly as I watch his lycan stand and shake out his fur. Together we raise our heads to the sky and howl. Twin souls with twin lycans. Has that ever happened before? 

Is that why my lycan told me we were special? 

No, you are special for more than just that. Dyna says quietly. Go and play with your brother and mine. Let the four of us form the bond we were meant to. Then, later, I will tell you why you are special. 

I nod my head and then run towards the water at the edge of the clearing. I want to see what my wolf looks like more than anything else right now. Remi follows right behind me.  

As I lean over the water, I am presented with a pure silver wolf. Silver and white are very rare in lycans and werewolves. They are said to be moon-blessed, and sometimes they have special powers.  

Take Helios back to the clearing, and we'll have that chat, Dyna says firmly after a few hours have passed with Remi and I bonding with our lycans and frolicking around in wolf form. 

I follow Helios as we slowly walk back towards the clearing. When we get back, I walk to a tree and open a small trunk that I keep there. I throw Remi some clothes then grab some for myself and get dressed. Once we are both dressed, we sit beside each other and wait. 

“Helios said we are both special and rare. I always thought silver and white lycans and werewolves were just a myth. Do you think we will have special powers like the myths say?” 

I look at my brother, then shrug. “I am worried about what will happen now that we have shifted. We can both find our mates now. Will they be in this pack?” 

From the look on Remi’s face, I can tell he hadn’t thought of that yet. I have, and I have no clue what I will do if I find my mate tomorrow. On the one hand, it means I will stay in my home pack if he is here.  

Part of me knows that he isn’t.