Love And Betrayal | ✔️

59. The night before last

I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the Ages of the world alone.

—Arwen Undómiel
(The Lord of the Rings)

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WOLF MOON NIGHT arrives sooner than I would've liked.

I had spent the next few days overseeing the progress of the labyrinth. The remaining entrances from the three Pack-houses were found and dug—credits to Cerberus who had been breathing down their necks until they did.

Meanwhile, Ariana and I weren't speaking times. Our bond had grown so silent over the last few days it was painful. I know she's angry. But even more so worried. She channelled all that pent up emotion into training harder than ever.

With each passing day the security reports had grown more extensive. The Guardians demanded daily briefings. Exhausted and drained, and I've lost count of the number of coffee cups I emptied on a regular basis to simply keep my eyes open.

The perimeter is secured. Every member is trained. It didn't matter if you're is seven or seventeen, self defence is a crucial. Because Greyhound doesn't make exceptions. He's unhinged enough to slaughter just about anything with a pulse.

The Initiation Ceremony ended six hours ago. A low key event—with only Ariana, Ashton and I along with the elders of our Pack.

And now, arrives the daunting moment.

The hour before midnight, when the full moon will be at her highest.

I stand in front of the mirror, in the black combat suit. Sleek and metallic, the fabric gleams in the light. Daggers strapped to my thigh and in the inner lining of my boots and swords on my back—I'm ready.

Except, I don't feel I am.

The reflection in front of me is not of a twenty year old girl, but that of a Luna responsible for her pack. The truth weighs heavily on me.

"You were born for this." I remind myself, when the girl in the mirror falters. "It is why you became Luna."

The crowd is growing as I descend the stairs. Tension coils around my people like a python. Fear looms in the shadows. Eyes glance towards the main doors ever so often.

To an outsider, this may look like a normal event—a simple gathering on the night of the first full moon of the year. But we werewolves know better.

It's a ruse; a facade.

And we all have our parts to play.

Aden is waiting at the foot of the stairs in his suit, the emblem of the Dark Wolves is pinned to his left shoulder. In black leather gloves and a holster strapped to his waistband, he looks every inch an Alpha.

It's astonishing how easily he had managed to integrate himself into every aspect of my life without even trying.

His grey eyes soften when he sees me. "Hey."

He can hear every thought I share, feel every flicker of emotion I feel. The bond that bound us together had only strengthened over the last week. Kinda romantic and dangerous.

He wraps his arm goes around me and pulls me towards a secluded corner of the room. "Ariana came to me." He cuts right to the chase. "She had some interesting things to say."