Under the Skin

Chapter 13

Two days later, as the full moon was settling high in the night sky, Jonah, Alec and Moira walked the path to Yvanna's den. 

The hair on Jonah's arms were standing straight, but not because the omega was afraid. The air seemed to be filled with energy, calling to their nature. 

Every werewolf was aware of that the moon had an effect on them, and the full moon especially made them more prone to fall into their instincts. Wolves spent the entire night running, playing chase or grooming each other. For this reason, nights of full moon were a chance for a pack to strengthen their bond together in their wolf forms. 

Tonight, however, the three of them stirred away from the pack's gathering to have a ceremony of their own. It would be the first night they would attempt to regain some of Jonah's memories.

Yvanna had explained the other day that the best time to try would be during a full moon, where the line between wolf and man was the most thin. She did not expect the process to be entirely successful the first time, and they would probably have to repeat the ceremony a couple of times to be able to regain all of Jonah's memories as well as his connection with his wolf. 

The old woman was waiting for them outside of her den. She stepped forward and put her hand on Jonah's shoulder.

"Are you feeling nervous child?" Jonah bit his lip as he nodded. 

"It's quite alright, but don't be afraid. I'll be there to pull you out of the trance if things get too much." Jonah nodded once again, and the small group began to follow her further into the forest.

Soon, they arrived in a small clearing, where the moon was shining straight down upon them. The rays of the moon also brush upon the large slate of rock, where snow had appeared to have been brushed off, standing in the middle and making it look like it was glittering. Four torches were placed around the slate at each of its corner. 

"The previous healers used to come here to pray to the moon for good harvest and before large hunts. The rock you see is considered sacred, blessed by the touch of the moon." Yvanna explained. If you looked closely, one could see several intricate carvings that had been done on its surface.

Yvanna went around to light each of the torches, before she called for the small group to come closer. 

"Jonah, you can come sit on the rock. You can keep your coat on." Once the omega did so, the produced a small pouch from where she extracted what appeared to be seeds. 

"Those seeds are used by healers to get into trances." She placed two of them in Jonah's upturned palm.

"Is it safe...?" He asked while looking down at the seeds, seeming unsure. 

"Don't worry, I've used them several times myself. However, you might feel nauseous when you become conscious again."

"And how do I come back up from the trance?" Yvanna squeezed his free hand and offered him a reassuring smile. 

"I will guide you back to us." Jonah exhaled loudly and nodded. Alec came up to him and hugged him. 

"I'll be here the whole time too." The omega let himself melt into the embrace, and when they pulled away from each other he smiled warmly at him. 

"Alright then, let's begin while the moon is still up in the sky." She turn to look at Moira and Alec. "I'll ask you two to change into your wolf forms and stand at the sides. This can help coax his own wolf to come out." 

"You can take the seeds now, Jonah." Once he did, she told him to lay down and close his eyes. 

"Try to empty your mind of any thoughts and listen to my chant. The seeds can take some time to work, so you may have to wait a bit for anything to happen. Trust me, you'll know when you're under."