Lakota It is the day before my birthday and I am hiding away in my office; I don't want to see or hear anyone right now. Since reading about Jake's life and getting to know the male that was supposed to be my second chance at happiness, I have felt better about the idea of moving on. Something Lotus and I have discussed a lot over the past year, but for some reason we both felt we weren't ready and didn't want to think about taking a chosen Mate just yet. Last night we decided to give the Goddess a year to find another Mate for us; if she feels I don't deserve or need one, I will think about a chosen Mate. Lotus is convinced that she will grant us another chance to have a Mate, to have a family of our own, and to finally be happy. I hope I will be granted another Mate, but I am not sure if I am willing to wait for very long, and that is why Lotus and I agreed to wait until after I turn twenty-four to look for a chosen Mate."Do you want some company or should I get the hell out of here?" Lance asks through the mind-link, and for a second I want to tell him to get lost, but Lotus tells me to talk to him about my thoughts. "Come in, I could use someone else to give me an opinion," I reply, and he walks in with a small smile on his face. "Okay, from the sound of it you have been dealing with Lotus. Either the two of you disagree or she gave you something to think about. Either way you need someone to listen and maybe give you something else to think about," he says before he sits down next to me on the couch, placing his hand on top of my hand. I stare at our hands as I try to find the courage to tell him what is on my mind, what I have been trying to wrap my head around, and just hope he doesn't think I have lost my mind. I take a deep breath before I start telling him that I couldn't stomach the thought of taking a chosen Mate. "I was never sure if it was because I wasn't ready or if somewhere deep inside me something was stopping me. All I knew was that it made me feel uncomfortable if I thought about it; I couldn't even be too close to a male for too long or let a male touch me for too long. The only ones that didn't make me feel that way are my Father and you. It never made sense to me and Lotus why we didn't pull away from you and Bolt, and it still doesn't make sense to us, but I am grateful that I was able to lean on you whenever I needed you. After reading Jake's journals it felt as if I finally closed a book, finally able to open another book with new possibilities, and last night Lotus and I were able to talk about maybe taking a chosen Mate. Lotus is adamant that the Goddess will grant us another Mate to be happy with, to start a family with, and I really hope that she is right. Because I am not as convinced as her, we agreed to wait until after my birthday next year to even think about taking a chosen Mate," I finally throw all the words out and just wait for him to start laughing. He pulls me in his arms before I hear him take a deep breath. "Lakota, I think that you never really came to terms with losing Jake, and deep down you probably felt that you couldn't be happy after losing Jake. I read his last words before coming here, and I know he meant what he wrote down for you. He loved you without ever meeting you, and he knew you deserved to be happy. I agree with Lotus; our Goddess will grant you another Mate, and I know you deserve another Mate," he says as he holds me close. "I am glad that Bolt and I could be there for you whenever you needed us." I can feel that he is uncomfortable, that there is something on his mind, and I turn towards him to ask him what he is thinking. "Do you want me to stay with you tonight?" He asks, and I know he wants to be there if my nightmare returns; I nod my head before I tell him my nightmare from last year. "Fuck, Lakota. Why didn't you say anything?" He asks, and I tell him I didn't want him to worry about this, that it was bad enough I had to deal with it. "Sweetheart, if you had told me we could have talked about it, and you wouldn't have been worrying about this all by yourself," he mumbles into my hair.I feel better telling him about my last nightmare, and I know I will sleep better knowing he is right there with me. There is another reason I am not looking forward to this birthday, because like five years ago my birthday is during the Days of the Full Moon. This year it will be the first day of the Days of the Full Moon. After dinner I excuse myself to head to bed; I am exhausted from worrying the past few days, and I think I was asleep before my head hit the pillow. I know I am dreaming when I stare into Jake's eyes, and I can feel the tears stream down my cheeks when I hear him say that he will always love me, but that it is time for me to move on. Tingles on my body wake me from my slumber, and I slowly open my eyes to see that I am lying on top of Lance's chest. I slowly move my hand, feeling the tingles move across my hand, and I quietly sniff the air. "Mate, Mate," Lotus yells in my head, and I feel tears in my eyes, happy and sad tears. Sad tears for Jake and everything we never shared, happy tears for Lance and everything we will be able to share. I feel Lance stir beneath me, and I can hear him sniffing the air just before he wraps his arms around me tightly. "Happy Birthday, my Mate," he whispers near my ear. I look at my alarm clock and see that it is just past midnight, my twenty-third birthday and the first day of the Days of the Full Moon. He pushes me onto my back and his eyes drift towards my lips, making me lick them in response. He growls just before he claims my mouth. One of his hands travels towards my breast, and the moment his finger touches my nipple I gasp, giving him the chance to deepen the kiss. I moan as our tongues touch, snaking my right leg around his waist, and I hear an approving groan as I press myself against his body. His left leg ends up between my legs, and he presses it against my core as he starts trailing kisses down my jaw to my ear. "You are all mine, Alpha. By the time we leave this room you will be mine in every sense of the word," he whispers next to my ear, and I moan as I realize what he means with his words. He kisses his way down to my collarbone while his hand starts pulling my shirt up, and I arch my back to make it easier for him to remove it; I look at him as he leans down to suck my nipple into his mouth. He hasn't stopped putting pressure on my core, and as he sucks my nipple harder I feel that I am about to fall into the abyss. My hips are moving in rhythm with his leg pressing against my core, and when he softly bites my nipple I tumble over the edge, screaming his name as I come undone. He slows down rubbing my core as I come down from my orgasm. "I like the way you scream my name, Alpha. I will make you do that a few more times tonight," he says. I start pulling on the hem of his shirt because I want to feel his skin under my hands, and he flips us over, making me straddle him. His rock-hard cock pressing against my soaking wet pussy, and I start moving my hips back and forth, feeling his cock pressing against my clit. My hands are resting on his exposed chest, and I let them travel towards his shoulders, making me press my clit harder against his cock. Lance shreds both our underwear, the last piece of clothing that was separating us from one another, and as I am finally able to kiss him I feel him slipping a finger inside me. "So wet for me, I am going to worship this body for the rest of my life," he says against my mouth as he pushes a second finger inside me and starts pumping them in and out of my pussy. I push back on his fingers as I want more of him, and I feel my juices dripping onto his cock as I am still rubbing my clit against his cock. We both pick up the pace, and with his right hand he grabs the back of my head, turning it slightly to deepen our kiss. I feel another orgasm building inside me, and I moan into his mouth as he adds a third finger, stretching me even wider. "Lance, I.. I am going.." I can't finish my sentence as I shatter to pieces, clenching his fingers as I come, and before I have the time to get down from my climax he pushes his cock into my pussy. I scream as he breaks my hymen, then he holds still deep inside me and I feel the sting slowly disappear. I move my hips to let him know that I am ready, and he starts guiding me up and down his cock. "Fuck, this feels so good," I growl as I slam down on his cock, and he grips my hips tighter to push his cock hard inside me as I slam down on his cock, making me whisper for him to move faster.He flips me onto my back and spreads my legs as far as he can. "Ready for me, Alpha?" I hear a familiar voice ask, and when I look into his eyes I see that Bolt is near the surface. "Bolt," I whisper, and he slowly pulls his cock out of my pussy until just his head is still inside, only to slam hard back into my core.