Today was the day Jonah would formally be accepted into the pack.
The ceremony was fairly simple. Jonah would have to swear his allegiance to the pack, and he would then have to exchange blood with the alpha of the pack in order to form the bond.
When Alec had told him the news last night as they walked back from Melissa's cabin, Jonah had felt more anxious than excited. He was reluctant to stand in front of such a big crowd, since he already had a hard meeting new people in general. He also knew that he had made a bad first impression, and that most wolves were weary of him. This made him worried they would not accept him into the pack.
These thoughts lingered on his mind all day. Even as Zoe chatted away beside him as they spent the afternoon salting the meat, along with some fish a group of teenage pups had caught while they had made a successful attempt to fish on ice. If Zoe noticed he was distracted, she didn't say anything and Jonah was grateful for that.
Just before they left for the ceremony, he told Alec his concerns when the stress became so much that he had to share its burden.
After asking if he wanted a hug, the beta wrapped in a warm embrace and tucked his face against his own neck. Jonah could feel some tension leave him as he inhaled his mate's reassuring and comforting scent.
"As the beta of the pack, I have to be close to the front, so I won't be far if you need me. As for the pack members, I think they'll trust Thomas judgement as their alpha. They know he wouldn't let just anyone join the pack, especially if he thinks they're a threat. I'm confident everything will go well."
Jonah thanked him for reassuring him, and Alec simply told him it was only natural as his mate to do so.
Right now, Jonah was waiting with the other members of the pack for the alpha to arrive. As the beta of the pack, Alec was standing in front of the crowd. When the two of them locked eyes together, the beta sent him a wink which made Jonah blush.
The younger male kept rubbing his palms onto his pants to try to remove the sweat that had gather on them because of the nervousness he felt. His chest felt tight and he almost felt light headed when Thomas finally came out of the pack house along with Zoe.
"Good evening everyone, I gathered you here today because we are welcoming a new wolf into our pack. Jonah, you can come forward."
Jonah took a deep breath and began to step towards the front. Whispers became louder as the crowd parted to let him through. He tried not to focus on what they were saying, and chose instead to look at Alec, who was smiling at him.
Once he stood beside Thomas, Jonah kept his eyes on the ground since he couldn't bring himself to look at the crowd.
"You have probably all heard about the rogue who came on our territory two weeks ago. After talking with Jonah here about his situation and how he came to be here, I decided that he wasn't a threat to our pack and he could join our pack."
The crowd broke into whispers once again. When Jonah dared to look up, he saw that some of them were staring at him in disgust, and he quickly looked down again.
"But he attacked Melissa, one of our pack members!" Jonah felt his shoulders tense as more voices shouted their discontent.
"That is true, but he had only done so because he was frightened. he had no ill intentions towards her." Those who had heard Jonah's story knew that wasn't the truth, but Thomas knew that revealing Jonah had been with hunters would make the pack even more agitated.
"I know you may feel wary, because we do not have a good history with rogues, but I wouldn't accept Jonah into the pack if I wasn't sure he would be a reliable pack member. Some of you may have seen him already helping at meat house," A few tentative nods were seen as the alpha continued,
"That is why I won't tolerate any insults thrown is way or any harm done against him, because those who do will face severe consequences. I do not condone any form of violence between pack members. Is that clear?"
The people remained silent except for a few hushed whispers. Thomas nodded, satisfied.
"Good, we can begin the ceremony."
The rest of the ceremony went relatively fast. Jonah repeated the words Thomas recited, and each of them made a cut in their palms before clasping them together.
When the alpha announced that he was officially a member of the pack, Jonah felt his heart sink when he saw most people clapping half-heartedly.
The heavy weight he felt on his chest lifted slightly when he came to join his mate who was talking with his mother. Vivian gave him a tight hug and made a point to show him how happy she was to see him, which also helped to brighten his mood.
As Jonah and Alec walked back to the cabin, the beta tried to reassure him once again.
"They may be wary for a while, but once they get to know you it will fade away. You just have to give it time."
Despite knowing what Alec was saying was probably true, and that the pack's reluctance was only temporary, there was still this thought in the back of his mind that his problems wouldn't go away so soon.
They were only a couple of cabins away from their own when they saw a man approached them. Jonah recognized him immediately and he stiffened before stopping in his tracks.
Eric went to stand in front of them. His face was serious and he was looking directly at Jonah. Alec was tense as he watched the man, ready to defend his mate if he tried anything.
Without a word, the man got on one knew with his head bowed. "I came to apologize for my actions the other day. I was acting out of anger and wasn't thinking rationally."
Jonah couldn't help but be surprised at the sudden display and was quick to tell him to get up.
"I... I understand where you came from, and I forgive you." Eric inclined his head in recognition.
"You're welcome to come to our cabin anytime you want," he addressed Jonah before looking at Alec. "Good evening to you both."
The pair both stayed silent for a moment as they watched him walk away.
That night as he laid in bed, Jonah thought to himself that although the issue was behind them, he would still prefer to visit Melissa while her mate was absent. It would take some time for him to warm up to Eric's presence.
With that in mind, he laid on his side and let himself be lulled to sleep by Alec's steady breathing.
Zoe had decided to bring him along with her to the nursery today. That was where the pups went during the day while their parents were working.
Jonah felt quite overwhelmed when he first came in to the place. There were pups running everywhere, screeching and laughing, and he had the urge to place his hands on his ears to block out the noise.
"Come, I'll present you to some of them."
They approached two pups who were playing on the ground with some blocks. They were giggling as they exchanged blocks and made some towers which would eventually fall, making them burst into laughter.
Zoe came to crouch in front of them, and Jonah simply stood there not really knowing what to do.
"Hey guys, this here is my friend Jonah." The two looked at him but didn't say anything as they appeared shy. Zoe then turned to him and pointed at the pups.
"This is Milo, and this is Rebecca. These two are best friends, aren't you." They both nodded.
"Milo is my bestest friend in the whole entire world!" Rebecca claimed loudly, which made Milo turn red as a tomato. Both adults laughed at this.
"Can I leave Jonah with you? I have to go check on the other pups, and I need someone to show him how to build the best towers." Jonah was startled when Rebecca grabbed his hand and made him sit down, but the young girl wasn't fazed. She looked at Zoe with a determined face.
"Don't worry Zoe, Milo and me will teach everything we know!" Zoe thanked them profusely and winked at Jonah before leaving them.
The whole time he was with the pups, he didn't really have to think too hard about what to say or do like he was worried about, because Rebecca talked enough for the three of them. The little girl sure was busy as she instructed Jonah on how to place the blocks, and didn't hesitate to scold him if he did anything wrong.
At some point, Jonah leaned back and let the two pups play together. This allowed him to see how carefree and happy they seemed. The sight made him wonder if he had been this happy as a pup. It also made him sad that he had missed out on his childhood, since he only remembered as far as when he was a young teenager.
It was well in the afternoon by now, and the parents were starting to come in and get their pups home. Jonah was busy helping Rebecca to clean up the toys when he heard a woman's angry voice.
He turned around a saw her approaching them with a scowl on her face. She grabbed Rebecca by the arm and pulled her away from Jonah.
"Mom, what's going on?"
"Don't ever go near this man again you hear me? He's dangerous." Rebecca argued with her mother as they walked away, but Jonah was too shocked to listen to what they were saying.
He didn't realize he had sat back on the floor when Zoe kneeled in front of him looking worried.
"Jonah, are you okay? What happened?" Jonah swallowed the lump in his throat and shook his head.
"Nothing, don't worry."
After he had said goodbye to Zoe and began to walk back to the cabin, his thoughts turned somber again as he wrapped his arms around himself.
He couldn't help but think that whatever he did, he would never be able to fit in.