made a face and picked at a loose thread on her sweater. “I can give you the whole explanation, but honestly? Right now you both kind of look like I threw a toaster in your bathwater.” She made a face, scrunching up her nose in concern.
“That actually sums up how I’m feeling,” Tate admitted, blinking fast.
“Too much, too fast?” Lulu asked with a laugh, absently running a hand through her long hair. “Sorry. It’s just so normal for us. It’s been awhile since I had to explain this to anyone, and I forget that it can be overwhelming.”
“It’s definitely a lot to take in,” I said slowly, willing my brain to finish processing all of that information she had just dumped on us.
“I mean, I get it.” She made a face. “From what I’ve heard, American packs aren’t big on female empowerment or letting females set the tone, so it’s no wonder there’s barely any second gen pairs in your country.”
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