The moment Jin ran off—probably to go terrorize the kitchen staff for extra desserts—Nene turned back to her mother, only to find Li Xiu watching her far too closely.
Nene narrowed her eyes. "What?"
Her mother took a sip of tea. "You're about to turn eighteen."
Nene rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know. That's literally the entire reason for this stupid party."
Li Xiu set down her cup. "Which means you're about to experience your Alpha growth spurt."
Nene paused.
Her what?
She blinked. "I—hold on. That's a thing?"
Her mother sighed. "You were raised away from packs, so no one ever explained it to you. But yes, for female Alphas, eighteen is a major biological shift."
Nene stiffened. "What kind of shift?"
Li Xiu leaned back slightly, giving her that infuriatingly patient look she always had when explaining something obvious.
"Your scent will change," she said. "Your strength will increase. Your instincts will sharpen. It's not immediate, but it will happen over the next few months."
Nene tensed. "That sounds… inconvenient."
Her mother gave a small smirk. "It can be. Especially if your body is unprepared."
Nene groaned. "Great. Anything else?"
Li Xiu nodded. "Your sleep might be affected."
Nene paused.
Something about the way her mother said that made her stomach twist.
Sleep problems.
Like randomly waking up in a certain Alpha's bed with no memory of how she got there?
She cleared her throat. "Define 'affected.'"
Her mother studied her carefully. "If you were unclaimed, you'd probably just experience mild restlessness. But if your body is reacting to something—"
She stopped.
Nene stiffened. "To what?"
Li Xiu took another slow sip of tea. "That depends."
No. Nope. She didn't like that answer.
Nene scowled. "You're being vague on purpose."
Her mother gave her a pointed look. "You'll know soon enough."
Nene hated everything about this conversation.
She dragged a hand through her hair. "Fine. What else do I need to know about being a female Alpha?"
Li Xiu's expression softened slightly. "Mating."
Nene choked. "I—what?!"
Her mother did not flinch. "Your body will push you toward an Alpha that fits you. In normal cases, that's a choice. Your grandparents, for example—"
She gestured toward the grand hall, where the two powerful Alpha leaders were still mingling with the guests.
"They chose each other based on compatibility," Li Xiu continued. "They built their relationship, merged their strengths, and maintained separate packs because your grandmother was more dominant than your grandfather."
Nene stared. "Wait—Grandma is the stronger Alpha?"
Her mother smirked. "Obviously."
Nene needed a second to process that.
She had just assumed their packs were separate because of political reasons.
But no.
Her grandmother had simply been too dominant to merge.
That was—strangely impressive.
"Anyway," Li Xiu continued smoothly, "that's how normal Alpha pairings work."
Nene narrowed her eyes. "And fated mates?"
Her mother was silent for a moment.
Then, very carefully, she said, "Fated mates are… different."
Nene leaned forward. "How different?"
Li Xiu exhaled softly. "It's rare. Very rare. And the first sign is usually sleep disturbances."
Nene's stomach dropped.
No. Nope. Not thinking about that.
She forced herself to stay neutral. "And if someone does find a fated mate?"
Her mother's gaze hardened slightly. "Then they are legally bound to them."
Nene blinked. "Legally?"
Li Xiu nodded. "The moment a fated mate bond is confirmed, the law recognizes it as an unbreakable marriage. There are specialized agencies and legal processes in place to ensure protection for both parties. It's considered the strongest bond a werewolf can have."
Nene's pulse kicked up.
She did not like the sound of that.
She swallowed hard and forced herself to sound casual. "So if someone… doesn't want a fated mate?"
Her mother's gaze was sharp. "Then they don't have a choice."
Nene froze.
She did not like this conversation.
She did not like what it was implying.
And she especially did not like the memory of waking up in a certain Alpha's bed completely unexplainably.
Her mother sipped her tea again, looking far too knowing.
"You'll understand soon enough," she murmured.
Nene rubbed her temples, already regretting this conversation.
"You said my body is about to change," she muttered. "How bad is it?"
Her mother set her teacup down. "You're an Alpha, Nene. That means your instincts will sharpen. You'll become more aggressive, more territorial—"
Nene stiffened. "Territorial?"
Li Xiu nodded. "It's normal. Alphas guard what they consider theirs."
Nene frowned. "But I've never been like that before."
"You were raised among humans," her mother pointed out. "You didn't have pack structure around you to trigger it. But now that you're legally bound to a powerful Alpha, your instincts will catch up."
Nene's stomach twisted.
She did not like where this was going.
"So you're saying… I'm going to turn into some possessive, territorial Alpha?"
Li Xiu smirked. "That depends on you. Some Alphas are more controlled. Some…" She raised an eyebrow. "Are like your grandmother."
Nene paused. "You mean the woman who refused to merge packs with Grandpa because she was too dominant?"
"Exactly."
Nene blinked.
Okay, that was… actually kind of cool.
"Your grandmother was stronger than my father," Li Xiu continued, "but their mating was still a choice. They decided to work together while leading separately."
"So mating isn't just… claiming someone?"
Li Xiu shook her head. "For normal Alphas, it's about compatibility. Strength. Political alliances. You choose someone who complements you, and you decide how to build your life together."
Nene exhaled slowly. "Okay. That makes sense."
Then, hesitantly—"And fated mates?"
Her mother's expression shifted slightly.
Nene couldn't place it, but something about it made her uneasy.
Li Xiu took a slow breath. "Fated mates don't get a choice."
Nene's pulse jumped.
Her mother continued, voice smooth and calm, but firm.
"The bond is recognized by law the moment it's confirmed. Once two wolves are proven to be fated, they are considered married under werewolf law—regardless of their personal opinions on the matter."
Nene's stomach dropped.
"Wait—so you can't reject a fated mate?"
"You can," Li Xiu said. "But it doesn't change the legal bond. Once recognized, it is permanent. The only way out is death."
Nene froze.
That was… a lot.
Way more than she had ever realized.
And worse?
She could feel her own body reacting to something lately.
The sleep problems. The restlessness. The way she kept waking up in places she didn't remember going to.
She swallowed. "And what triggers the bond?"
Li Xiu studied her carefully. "The first sign is usually sleep disturbances."
Nene tensed.
No.
Nope.
She wasn't going to think about that.
She forced herself to sound normal. "And if a fated mate bond isn't confirmed?"
Li Xiu sipped her tea. "Then it doesn't exist."
Nene exhaled, forcing herself to relax.
Good.
She wasn't going to think about it.
She wasn't going to let herself panic over nothing.
Because fated mates were rare.
And she?
She was completely normal.