"Are you ready?"
I turned to face Dad; his light brown eyes stared at me as pride swelled in them. The subtle wrinkles on his face became more prominent as a broad smile grew until his pearly, white teeth showed. His blond hair gelled back per usual, and his grey suit appeared flawless.
"Yeah," I reply, and I mean it. Tonight was the night I had spent my whole life preparing for. Tonight was the night I took over as beta of our pack.
Dad's hand moved to grip my shoulder, a symbol of his love. His head moved down towards mine until our foreheads were touching.
"You're going to do great," he whispered.
I hoped so. After years of training for this, I couldn't afford failure now.
Dad moves back, and as if on cue, the brown wooden door busts open, revealing Foster and Gray. Dad slips out the door but not before greeting the two. Once he's out of sight, Foster's attention turns to me, and a vast grin overtakes his face.
"The wolf of the night!" Foster exclaims as he makes his way toward me. I stand up just as he reaches and pulls me into a hug. "Congratulations, bro."
Gray watches the scene play out from his spot in the doorway. His eyes catch mine, and he offers me a nod, one of his few signs of affection.
Gray was the alpha of our pack. He came to power a little over three months on his eighteenth birthday. He's always been the silent type. His raven black hair was the first thing people noticed, and his ice-blue eyes caused most to fear him. Gray never wore his emotions on his face, so you never knew what he was thinking. Because of this, most pack members were intimidated and scared to talk to him.
Foster, on the other hand, was the opposite of Gray. He had a big personality that filled a whole room; he always smiled and wasn't afraid to start a conversation with anyone. His blonde hair and welcoming brown eyes made most comfortable enough to talk to him when they were too scared to speak to Gray, or I wasn't around. Being the gamma of our pack, the three of us had grown up around each other, but whereas I used to be hesitant to talk to Gray, Foster never feared him.
"You scared?" Foster teased, I usually would've rolled my eyes and brushed him off, but part of me was afraid.
"You have no idea," I said with a slight laugh.
"You'll do fine," Gray said as he joined the conversation.
I look up at him, and his blue eyes stare into me as if they're looking into my soul. The ordinarily empty blue eyes fill with an unrecognizable emotion, making me feel better.
"Yeah, who knows? You may even find your mate tonight!" Foster encourages.
I smile at the two of them. Maybe I will find my mate, and the idea has me excited. A mate was something I had wanted ever since my mother told me about them as a pup, and now I'm finally of age to meet my own.
A knock on the door catches all of our attention. I turn my head just as it opens, revealing Gray's mom, Annabelle.
"It's time," she says, and the three of us stand up.
I take one more deep breath before making my way toward the door. Tonight I would officially become the beta of the Dark Woods Pack, and I couldn't be more excited and scared simultaneously.
As I try to slip out the door, Annabelle stops me and pulls me into a hug.
"You've grown so much over the years, Gaius," she whispers. "You're going to do great; your mother would be proud."
My heart beats faster at the mention of my mother. She always wanted me to succeed in life; if only she could see where I am today.
"Thank you," I tell Annabelle. She's always been like a second mother to me, so hearing these words from her fills me with joy.
"Alright now, let's go," she says as she steps back and swipes her hand under her eyes.
I move past her before walking down the hallway and towards the doors.
This was it.
"You got this," Foster says one more time as the black door approaches.
I offer Gray and him a smile before I raise my hand to the door and push it open. The eyes of the pack members are the first things I see; most smile at me as I walk out. Turning away from them, I gaze toward the middle of the stage, where Dad stands proudly. Once he notices me, his smile grows, and I take one last breath before returning it.
"Here goes nothing," I whisper as I walk entirely onto the stage.
Tonight I will be the beta of the Dark Moon Pack, and I can't wait.