Niel stood anxious in front of a mirror. It was his sixth time fixing the collar of his dress shirt. He went for the seventh time when two large hands stopped his trembling ones. "You look fine, now stop fidgeting."
The teenager turned around, stepping away from the werewolf. "Is there still a chance for me to tap out? I think I am not ready yet, maybe next time, I-" Niel's rambling was stopped by Atlas grabbing him by the shoulders.
"Niel, this isn't some sort of test as Charlotte makes it out to be. I will be there with you the whole time, don't worry... By the way, are you keeping that on?" Atlas pointed at the tiny cross dangling from Niel's neck.
The teenager immediately grabbed it. Even though his trust in the beliefs he was thought to follow had lessened, he still treasured the necklace his mother gave to him when he started playing competitive soccer games. It was the last part, the last thing that reminded him of who he was and where he come from. And well, to let him know this world that he had entered was real and not some weird dream. Although he wished it to be a couple of times.
"W-what's wrong with it?"
"Uhm..." Atlas didn't know how to voice out his thoughts. What he wanted to tell him was to take the necklace off as many hunters are Christians and the origin of the hunter's existence lays in the said religion.
It all began with the witch hunts, they were the first supernatural people who got discovered by humans. During this time â almost â everybody was Christian and of course, the witches weren't like everybody else. And when something doesn't fit it's scary, weird, or even dangerous to human's minds. And after the witches, the werewolves were discovered and that's when humans started to organize to get rid of the supernaturals.
But Atlas also knew the importance of the necklace. Niel had told him one evening when the two of them were just lying in bed, relaxing after a long day. So the Alpha sighed and shook his head. "Nothing, now let's get going we are getting late."
Atlas had a few words next to the two jeeps with Levi before leaving. The Beta would be the one in charge when the Alpha couple would be away. Rogues had been seen a couple of miles away from the pack borders and Atlas wanted to make sure security was tight when he was away.
In the corner of his eye, Atlas could see Niel was practicing the names one more time in the car. He admired his mate's efforts.
When the two men were done talking Atlas entered the back jeep. In the car in front of them were two warriors, the same amount of warriors the couple had in their car. Normally Atlas was fine with only two wolves joining him, but seeing the circumstances he wanted rather be safe than sorry.
Luckily the Midnight Pack was only one hour drive away so Niel didn't have to worry for all too long, thought Atlas. His mate kept on repeating names. Most of the time they were correct but sometimes they weren't and it happened more the closer they got and the longer they were in the car. Atlas said a small prayer inside his head to the Moon Goddess, wishing that his mate wouldn't make any embarrassing mistakes.
The packhouse of the Midnight Pack was much smaller than the one from the Black Lake Pack. This pack was more focused on the families than the pack as a whole as forming families, bearing children, and supporting your parents and grandparents were important values to these werewolves. So Niel and Atlas passed by many cabins on their way to the packhouse where the gala was being held.
Upon arriving at the packhouse Atlas and Niel were met by the pack's Beta. "Quinn, it's good to see you again." Atlas greeted the Beta.
"The pleasure is all mine Alpha Atlas." They both shared a smile after they both bowed their heads.
"Are you part of the welcome committee?"
"Unfortunately yes."
Atlas laughed. He knew Quinn was a fighter and that formalities weren't her thing. "Hopefully the others will come soon so you can join us. But before we go I want you to meet my mate, Niel."
The Alpha had put his hand on Niel's back and pushed him forward.
"Ah yes, I heard about him, the human." The shewolf bowed her head again and said, "The name is Quinn, Beta of the Midnight Pack."
"Nice to meet you, I am Othniel, but everybody calls me Niel." The teenager said uncertainly. He did remember to bow his head but he felt his introduction could have been better.
Quinn hummed in response and the Alpha led them further into the pack house. They were heading for the grand ballroom which was located on the east side of the building. The closer they got the more nervous Niel got.
"You know, if somebody introduces themselves while mentioning their title, it's customary to say your own as well," Atlas told Niel.
"What do you mean?"
The Alpha sighed. "I mean that when Quinn mentioned her title as Beta it would have been polite for you to introduce yourself as the Luna of the Black Lake Pack."
"Ah okay."
The couple walked in silence until they arrived at the ballroom. It was grand, huge chandeliers were dangling on the ceiling, long silver curtains decorated the walls, and the windows were stained with flower patterns.
Niel followed Atlas around as he was his only safe line he got this evening. There was no Rain or Levi to help him out. The first stop they needed to make was the hosting couple, Alpha Boaz and Luna Lena.
Niel noticed the Alpha couple soon. The Alpha was even taller than Atlas, not much, but still compared to his own he was huge. He had a long beard and long hair like Atlas, only his was put up and the sides of his head were shaved. Next to him was a tall woman holding an infant. She looked gracious with her long red hair that reached the back of her thighs.
The teenager searched the names of the couple and their newborn son in his mind. He knew their names except for their sons. A slight panic settled into Niel's body.
"Atlas, welcome. I am glad you could make it together with your mate," Boaz coolly said. Niel had a feeling the two Alphas either didn't like each other or that his presence was unsettling to the couple.
Atlas nodded his head towards Boaz and turned towards Lena. "Congratulations on the birth of your first pup, Lena."
"Thank you, Atlas. We feel very blessed. We had to wait for too long to meet him."
"I can imagine," Atlas sighed. He knew the couple had some fertility problems, a topic werewolves didn't like to talk about as it rarely happened.
"Please let me introduce my mate to you two. Meet Niel, the new Luna of the Black Lake Pack." Again Niel was pushed forward. He awkwardly smiled, "It's nice to meet you both." And bowed his head.
Alpha Boaz grunted in response and asked Atlas for a private conversation. Niel panicked. Atlas had promised him he wouldn't be left alone, but without another word, Atlas left together with another male and the three of them walked off.
"Don't worry, he will come back. Please, have seat next to me. I am far too tired to keep standing the whole evening." Lena asked.
Feeling obligated, Niel sat next to the Luna who was now comforting her son as he grew restless. The teenager felt awkward. He had no idea what to say. It was his mother who always did the talking when there was a baby shower or a newborn in the community. He always stood next to her, taking credit for her words. If only he had paid more attention.
"Uhm, you have a beautiful son, I mean, pup." Niel stammered.
"Why thank you," Lena laughed. "You don't have to be so nervous, you are doing great. It must be hard assimilating to the pack life."
"Y-yeah," Niel exhaled a long sigh, relieved at the kind words from the Luna.
"W-what did you name him?"
"Oh, we named our pup Darrion. It means gift because he truly is our greatest gift." The baby cooed right then, making Lena smile. When she looked back up at Niel, the glistening from his necklace caught her attention. Her smile turned into a frown. "Are you a hunter?"
"Huh, what?" Niel was thrown off his guard. "What do you mean?" Multiple people were now looking in their direction.
"Your necklace..." Lena pointed at the cross.
"Oh, that, I got it from my mom when I was a kid."
"So your family aren't hunters?" Niel could see how the people around them visibly relaxed from their tense stance but still, he could see he wasn't popular or wanted there.
"Uhm no..."
Lena looked skeptical but accepted the answer. Horrible memories flashed through her mind, that cross reminded her of so much pain. She shook her head in an attempt to get the terrible images out of her mind and talked about something else.
"So, you and Atlas, are you two thinking about having pups?" Again Niel was thrown off his guard.
"Uhm, what do you mean?"
"You know, as humans say it, having children. Are you two already planning when you want to have them? I would start early as it can sometimes be a bit of a hassle when two males are involved-"
"Wait, wait, wait, are you suggesting that we have biological children?"
Lena quirked up a brow, not understanding why the teenager asked something that was so evident. "Yes, of course, what did you think?"
"But we can't have children, we are both men. We could adopt, I guess, but I don't think I want that." Niel mused.
"No, I don't mean adopting. You do know that with the help of magic, witches and warlocks can put a uterus in a male body. I know many same-gendered couples who have children of their own... wait you haven't talked about this yet with Atlas?"
Niel turned pale. 'Putting a uterus in a guy', was all he could think about. It sounded so, so wrong. They wouldn't do that to him, right? Niel's mind was filled with worries and Lena noticed.
"I don't understand why you are worried about this. It's your job as a Luna to carry the future heir of the pack. Did no one tell you this?"
Niel couldn't answer. He felt like he was about to throw up. "Excuse me," Was all he said as he stormed off, stumbling against some people while doing so. He was looking for his safe line, feeling terrified. The moment he saw Atlas he let out a sigh and approached him, not paying any attention to the tension between the three Alpha's who were discussing a matter of importance.
"Atlas, I need you, right now."
"Not now Niel, I am busy." The Alpha waved him off.
"No, I really need you right now. I am going crazy here."
"Can't you see I am busy here?" Atlas angrily whispered to Niel. The teenager saw the displeased look on his mate's face, which matched the faces of the other Alphas.
"Are you going to put a uterus inside of me?" If Atlas didn't want to listen, Niel needed to use the direct approach.
"What?!" Atlas sighed. "Fine, let's go somewhere else. Gentlemen we will have to discuss this later I am afraid." The Alpha grabbed Niel's arm and dragged him out of the ballroom.
When they had found a place to have a private conversation Atlas turned toward Niel and screamed, "What the fuck are you talking about?"
"Don't yell at me, you are in the wrong here. You lied to me again!" Niel huffed.
Atlas pinched his nose. "What didn't I tell you?"
"That I have to carry children! I am not doing that Atlas. First of all, I am not a girl. Second of all, and I told you this, again and again, I am not gay! I don't want a uterus and I don't want to have sex with you!"