Chapter 19
"I can't do this," I announce before attempting to rise from my seat. Attempting being the operative word. Three sets of hands push me back down into the seat.
"Yes, you can," Tori asserts.
"More importantly, you will," Hazel adds, giving me a serious look.
"But–"
"Farrah, dear, you can't possibly be thinking about leaving your mate at the altar?" Linda says, raising her eyebrow challengingly.
"Well when you put it that way," I grumble. They laugh and continue pulling and teasing my hair. In case you didn't get it, today is it. The day I have been waiting for. The day I have been dreading. The day of the Lunar Ceremony. "I'm gonna puke."
A trashcan is immediately shoved into my arms and I rest my forehead against the edge of it. They are all already dressed. Linda is wearing a beautiful, gold wrap-dress. Tori has on a light pink cocktail dress. Hazel, since she is the only one in my actual Ceremony company, is wearing a light purple dress that falls at her knees.
"It's fine to be nervous, sweetie," Tori assures me. "I was terrified when I was performing the Ceremony with Trevor––and you have six times as many people as I did."
"Tori, I am sure you meant for that to be comforting so I will allow you to feel as if it worked," I retort, my voice sounding weird because of my head being in a trashcan.
"My point is that you have nearly every werewolf in the world wat––"
"Tori," Hazel says warningly.
"Not helping?"
"Not. At. All," I moan out as another wave of nausea hits me. The only good thing is that I at least already had the conversation with Keenan about our bond. I told him that since I was sure I was going to be emotional enough for the both of us, I wanted to cut it off until the Ceremony starts. He was very opposed to it, but I finally wore him down. Now I am very glad I did. I seriously could not take two emotions right now.
I feel one set of hands in my hair stiffen. "The alpha is coming down," Tori announces. With out warning my nausea disappears.
"What?" Hazel screeches. "He can't see her until we are done."
"Why don't you try and tell him that?" Tori snaps back. Because Keenan is the Alpha of this pack, he has the ability to communicate with every member telepathically. Once this Ceremony is over, I will be able to do the same thing.
"Ladies," Linda chides. "It's fine. We will simply blindfold him." There is a pause while they all consider that, but before anyone can agree or disagree, I feel warmth spread through my body.
"He's outside," Tori and I say at the exact same time.
On cue a loud knocking starts, "Open the door," Keenan demands.
"Just a second!" Linda chirps out as I put the trashcan down. There is scrambling before Linda pulls out my scarf and slips out of the door. There is a heated, muffled conversation before silence. Then the door opens and Linda sticks her head in. "Farrah, darling close your eyes, too." Sighing, I close my eyes tightly. A second later, I am enfolded in a very familiar embrace. Just like that, my nerves and fear disappear.
"I was worried about you," he whispers into my ear. "You were panicking so much and then I felt nausea."
"Yeah, I was about to throw up when you came in," I admit sheepishly.
"Why are you so nervous, cupcake?" he asks me, his fingers running through my hair. I bet Linda and the others are gonna be irritated about having their hard work destroyed, but I can't bring myself to care.
"I'm about to commit my entire life, and afterlife in front of a thousand people," I respond. "That's a lot of pressure not to trip."
"You have nothing to worry about," he assures me. "I'm going to be there, waiting for you, and that's all you need to focus on. This isn't about them. This is about us." I let his words sink in for a moment, and then with my eyes still closed, and completely forgetting that we were not the only ones in the room, I press my lips to his.
"Thank you," I murmur against his lips. I feel him smile before he goes to deepen the kiss. A loud cough breaks us apart.
"Alright now, save that for the Ceremony," Linda says jokingly. We chuckle and pull apart. She leads him back outside, and once I hear the door close, I open my eyes. The three of them look at me.
"Feel better?" Hazel asks.
"Much."
"Good, now sit down so we can fix your hair," Tori says, rolling her eyes, with a big smile on her face. "Again."
A few hours later, I am all done up and they slip my dress on. They all made me close my eyes, not wanting me to see the finished product until they said so. After a few moments of fussing over small things, they finally step away and let me open my eyes. When my eyes adjust and I see the girl in the mirror, I almost want to cry.
I know it's me. The familiar blonde hair, blue eyes, button nose, and full lips tell me so. But, this, this is a version of me that I never thought I would be. My blonde hair, that has grown out over the month that I have been here, is curled and piled on top of my head. The dress is as beautiful as ever and hugs my body as if it were sown for me. My make-up is just smokey and dynamic enough to add drama to my look, without overdoing it. I am elegant and sophisticated, beautiful and sexy. I don't look like an eighteen year old girl. I look like a strong, sophisticated woman. This looks like a woman who could lead a pack. This looks like a woman who could survive a prophecy.
"This is amazing," I breathe, turning to them and forcing down the tears. "Thank you so much." They pull me into a hug and we stay like that until a soft knock on the door breaks us apart.
"Come in," Linda calls. Lorenzo enters and freezes when he sees me.
"Wow, Farrah, you look stunning," he compliments, making a small blush come to my cheeks.
"Thank you, Lorenzo," I respond.
"I came in to get you guys. The Ceremony is about to start," he turns to Linda and Tori, "You two need to head down and take your seats. And you two need to get ready to process in," he says, addressing Hazel and me now. We all agree and follow him out. Once we get to the cafeteria, Lorenzo leaves us so he can process in with Keenan, who will be entering from the other side of the cafeteria before I do. Linda and Tori wish me good luck before they leave to find their seats. That leaves me and Hazel, who will process in with me.
"You ready for this?" she asks me as she takes her bouquet of flowers in hand. I won't carry one because this will be a very hands on experience for me.
"I am," I respond, and I realize that I am being completely honest. No matter how nervous I am about this Ceremony, or what comes after, I am more than ready to finally have my chance at a happily ever after. After spending eighteen years of my life being treated like I am worthless, I have finally found the person who makes me feel beautiful and cherished every single day. I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life, and the rest of my afterlife, with him.
"Good." From inside, we hear the piano start playing, and she takes my hand giving it a reassuring squeeze, before letting it drop. I take a deep breath and turn the link back on.
Immediately, I feel him there. His excitement, nervousness, and fear. But, most of all, I feel his happiness and love. A smile spreads across my face. When the doors open and I start to process in, I don't think about the two thousand eyes on me. I don't think about the girl from his past standing on the stage. I don't think about the Council or rogues or my possible fate. The only thing I see, the only thing I think about is the man standing there smiling at me. Because really, that's all that matters.
I finally come to stand beside Keenan and he takes my hand. "You are breathtaking," he whispers to me, giving my hand a squeeze. I blush but whisper back thank you and we both turn to Anita. She looks ethereal with her long white robe and flowing brown hair, but I don't feel threatened by her anymore. Not only because Keenan clearly can't keep his eyes off of me (although that certainly helps), but also because I can feel his love for me. She was his past, but I am his forever.
"Kneel," she instructs us, her expression blank, but her eyes clouded. We obey and kneel in front of her. She speaks into the microphone on a stand by her, her voice filling the room. "Tonight, on this full moon, we gather to witness the joining of souls. Oh Goddess, Blessed Mother of the Moon, Ruler of Our People, we ask that you bestow your blessings upon this couple...." And that is how the Ceremony begins. After her opening prayer, she has both of us hold out our palms, and she pulls out a silver dagger. This is the part that Keenan dreaded, but he remains stoic the entire time. On the inside, I can feel his swirling emotions, but on the outside, he complies. She cuts the figure of a half moon into both of our hands while chanting in Greek. She stops and says in English, "They unite their halves to create one whole being under the blessing of the Moon Goddess," before telling us to put our palms together. The moment our palms touch, I stop worrying that I will heal before she finishes, I stop thinking about the pain, I stop focusing on not messing up the ceremony. Because in that moment this heat begins at our joined hands and travels up and up my body, completely overtaking all of my thoughts and assaulting my senses.
She is so beautiful.
My eyes widen and snap to Keenan's. Did you think that? I think at him and his eyes widen too.
Yes. You heard me?
Yes. It's happening.
"Where you were once two souls, you now exist as one," Anita continues and we turn our focus back to her. "Where you were once two bodies, you now breathe as one. Where you were once two hearts, you now beat as one." She beckons for Hazel and Lorenzo to step forward. They hold out two boxes to her, the ring boxes. She has them open them and I see with awe that Keenan's ring for me is beautiful. The ruby stone is trapped by a silver band that snakes and winds around the gem as if it were made of vines. "These rings are blessed and they serve as an outward symbol of your eternal union." She hands them to us and we put them on each other's finger. The moment that ring settles onto my finger, it is like a wall just crashes down in my head. I can feel his presence inside of my head. I can feel his heart beating. I can feel each breath he takes. I truly feel as if Keenan and I have become one body, one soul, one mind. "The union has been made." Cheers erupt from the crowd and Keenan immediately pulls me in for a kiss.
It is amazing to me how hard it hits me. I love him. I've known it for weeks, and I know that he knows and feels the same way. But, I've never really thought about it or processed it. We've never even said the words to each other. It was always just understood. Yet, here in this moment, I truly feel it. The love I have for him is practically overflowing and I can tell that he feels the same way.
I love you. I think to him as his lips move against mine. He breaks into a smile and kisses me more passionately.
I love you, too.
We pull apart, still beaming, and stand, turning to the crowd. I see that our pack has the whole first section reserved for them, the only exception being that the alphas and their lunas hold the first row seats. In unison, our entire pack kneels before us. I feel a pushing at the corners of my mind, and I know that it is my pack. Now that I am officially Luna of this pack, I will share a telepathic connection with every member. It won't be like Keenan and I. I can't just invade their minds, nor can they do that to me. But, I can communicate with them. The pushing grows and I imagine a wall coming down. The sound of three hundred voices declaring their loyalty to me––to us fills my head. It's a bit overwhelming, but I don't mind really. Keenan and I acknowledge and thank them and they all rise.
"So that's it, huh, cupcake?" Keenan says, smiling at me. I shake my head and he gives me a very confused look. "What now?"
"Now, you have to dance with me."
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OMG!!!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY FINALLY DID IT! Okay, so maybe I can, considering I wrote it, but I am absurdly happy right now. That chapter took me so long to write because I just couldn't get the wording right. It either felt too fake or too unlike them each time I wrote it. Sooooo, I had to go all the way back to the very beginning and reread their story all over again. Once I relived their journey over again, the words just flowed. Plus, I made a playlist of love songs and just listened to those as I wrote. The playlist included:
"All About Us" by He Is We (I actually want this to be the song I dance to at my wedding)
"Ours," "Sparks Fly," and "Love Story" by Taylor Swift
"Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sheeran
"Never Alone" by Shawn Mendes
There were also a few oldie goldies, a couple 80s songs, quite a bit of country, one or two songs by The Vamps, 5sos and One Direction, and one song by P!nk.
Anyway, this author's note is getting way too long and I highly doubt most of you read this, so imma wrap it up. Make sure to leave a COMMENT and show that you liked this by VOTING.
Love ya dweebies!
~F.L.