Chapter 4 Part 2:
The first person, surprisingly, my eyes laid on was Noah, who strode up on the stage ahead of everyone, including their mother who was a small but tall brown haired woman. It's funny, because looking at Noah now made me just shake my head at his confident attitude, while yesterday I was shaking just being in his presence. Behind the Alpha Female was a flowy girl, probably my age, with long honey brown hair. Bringing up the rear was Casey, who walked up confidently, with a smirk on his face. His mate was finally going to belong to their pack. He could finally have a secured, guaranteed Alpha Female.
I rolled my eyes, letting myself watch the flowy girl. She was taller than me, for sure, with long, lean legs, and pretty brown eyes. She wore a small party dress, with tons of eyeliner and eye shadow glowing against her tan skin, and black open-toed high heels, making her tower over her mother. I didn't remember Casey and Noah having a little sister, but she is obviously intermediate family, otherwise she wouldn't have to accept me into the pack.
Alpha Damien spoke again and I tore my eyes from the girl- who was holding her arm as she look to her feet, twisting them boredly- to look at the handsome man. "I want to thank everyone for coming tonight, and welcome you to the Pack House once more. Not a very common occasion, though, why we are here. Tonight, we are gathered here to get a pledge of Allegiance from a Ravenswood-born werewolf, named Beth Carolyn O'Conner."
I could hear the murmuring of my parents' names, as they all looked around, looking for the poor orphan child of their old friends. I snuck closer to the stairs, which were covered by a purple curtain, probably to protect the wood from weather damage.
"Without any further adue, I'd like to invite Beth up to the stage."
My legs started shaking, my palms sweating. I rubbed my hands on my skirt before slowly ascending the stairs, my fingers gripping the hand rail. It was dead-quiet, and I could hear my heels clicking against the wood. When I neared the top, the Ravenswoods came into my view, and I saw all of their beautiful faces staring over at me. I knew they could hear the beat of my heart speed up.
I placed my left foot onto the stage first, and I saw them all smile kindly at me at once, as if they had planned it. I looked over at the crowd nervously, seeing nothing but dark silhouettes from the lights that shone at the edge of the stage. Suddenly, as I came to a stop next to the Alpha, loud cheers and claps came from the rest of the pack below.
I just gave a small wave, before I remembered the words of the werewolf who led me to the stage 'Kneel in front of Alpha Damien and his family'. I turned from the crowd, and got onto one knee in front of the Alpha, who now stood, talking to his wife quietly. Casey looked at me, slightly amused, and I bit back a sly smile, bowing my head to look at my feet.
"Miss O'Conner, why is it you left Ravenswood?" The Alpha asked me, and I cleared my throat, keeping my head down.
'Because of your son,' half of me wanted to be cocky, since Casey was watching me with what could only be described at arrogance. But what I said was, "Because my father got a job on the wolf Council, Sir."
"Hmm. Did you pledge Allegiance to the Council?"
"I didn't need to. I was only five years old, too young to have an Allegiance, Sir." It was true. After you were ten did you officially belong to a pack, as that was the age most wolves turned.
"Ah, yes, but your tenth birthday was celebrated in Council Territory, was it not?"
"Yes, sir."
"So technically, you pledged Allegiance to the Council. When you were old enough to have an Allegiance, you lived in the Council, not in Ravenswood."
I didn't know if he wanted me to respond, so I just nodded and stayed quiet, tracing the wood grains on the floor boards with my eyes.
"I'm only trying to protect my pack, Miss O'Conner." His voice seemed softer, almost fatherly. "If my family accepts you, you will be under my protection as well. Are you sure you want to leave the Council's protection for mine?"
Besides the fact I didn't have a choice, Casey was my mate, and if I somehow could refuse, I would be shunned by my mate and this pack forever. I couldn't do that, especially since my mate being here makes this feel almost... like home. Surprisingly without the bullying. "Yes, sir. I do."
I looked up as he nodded to himself, and saw him standing protectively in front of his wife, his mate, with his hands clasped behind his back. "We'll start over here." He walked over to Noah, who stood taller and stiffer when his father approached. "Do you, Noah Harrison Ravenswood, accept Beth Carolyn O'Conner as a member of our pack?"
"I do."
I couldn't help but smile, and feel as if a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I started to relax as he walked to his wife, and they shared a smile. "Do you, Elisa Natalie Ravenswood, accept Beth Carolyn O'Conner, as a member of our pack?"
"I do." Her voice range around so sweet and soft, and the two mates smiled again at each other before Alpha Damien moved to his left, to the girl.
"Do you, Shanie Alyin Ravenswood, accept Beth Carolyn O'Conner, as a member of our pack?"
My heart almost stopped when she didn't reply, and she looked at me with her brown eyes, as if checking to see if I would tackle her or something. "I do." Her loud, but girly voice met my ears, and her face twitched into a smile.
Finally, he walked to Casey, who I saw was staring at me. "Do you, Casey Colston Ravenswood, accept Beth Carolyn O'Conner, as a member of our pack?"
His eyes met mine as he looked long and hard at me. Suddenly, my heart sped up. What if he said no? What if he didn't want to be my mate? I mean, it looked to me as if he was going out with that blonde girl at the moment.
'Don't be stupid.' His voice rang through my head, and I felt my eyes widen. The mate mind link...
"I do." Casey said to his father, taking his eyes from mine for a second to nod to his father.
"I Damien Mason Ravenswood," He held his left hand up, "Accept Beth Carolyn O'Conner, as a member of our pack." His voice silenced all of the murmuring from the crowd, but once he finished, they all cheered again. I let out a smile of relief.
"Please stand." I did as the Alpha said without question, and felt the pride fill me. I was in the pack; I was under the Alpha's orders. He seemed to notice this too and smiled, then motioned for me to move over to the right side of the stage, which held a large, fancy bowl. The stand was stone, with wolves etched onto either side, and the stone bowl was filled with water.
The Alpha grabbed my left wrist, and held it up for the crowd to see. They all squinted, and moved closer to get a better look, before rising into another fit of whispers. The Alpha kept my wrist in his hand as he studied it with confusion and surprise. "Ravenswood?" He whispered to himself, before shaking his head.
"You know, your mate is supposed to join us for the skills ritual in the forest." The Alpha whispered to me as he lowered my wrist into the lukewarm water. The mark started to glow, sending an electric blue glow throughout the bowl. Suddenly, Casey's image appeared in the water, causing the Alpha to jump back and release my wrist. With a quick look at Casey, he regained his composure and said loudly, "That water's cold!"
There were some nervous chuckles from the crowd, before I whispered to him, "He is here."
Alpha Damien sent me a small smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling up. "I'm guessing you don't want too many people to know yet."
"Please, sir. Don't tell. We don't even know what to think of it yet."
"It's alright, Sweetie. Just tell Casey to meet us at the forest." He let go of my wrist, wrapping it in a bandage. It was now I realized my wrist stung. I held it in my hands.
"What was in that water?"
"Some herbs. If mixed right, it can take the spirit of your tattoo and show an image of your mate, if you already found them. Cool, huh? Sorry if it hurts. Alpha's View is hard to make, and sometimes it affects werewolves badly."
"No, it's alright..." I said quietly, looking down as I continued to squeeze my wrist, hoping it would just numb and I wouldn't feel anything.
"Everyone, please welcome Miss O'Conner into the pack!"
...
'Meet you in the forest in ten.' I sent to Casey through our mind link, pushing through the crowd in hopes of finding Alice somewhere.
'Why?' He sent back, obviously confused.
'Because, your father knows we are mates, and it's tradition for you to be there!'
I stopped once I hit the food table, and even though I hadn't eaten anything all night, I wasn't hungry. Just nervous.
"Beth, hey!" I turned, seeing Noah walk to me with a smile on his face. He grabbed my hand and led me back into the house. "There are some people I want you to meet!"
When we hit the staircase with the glass wolf, he turned to the right, taking us into a large living room. There were two couches, one on either side of the room, with a few chairs around. A fireplace stood across from us, and a TV playing pop music to the right. But, pacing around the room, were four teenagers, all around my age.
"See? Told ya you could meet her!" Noah said, causing all of them to look at us. Three of them were girls, while one was a guy.
"This is Jordan Smith." He pointed to the guy, who has short, blonde hair, and blue eyes. He was tall, with a strong jaw line, and high cheekbones. He has his arm around a girl with long, curly blonde hair, and big, warm blue eyes. Her skin was fair, and she has a small smile on her face. "And his girlfriend, Mackenzie Reyes."
"And that's-"A girl with blonde hair past her chest, framing her face, and big blue eyes, with long legs and a tall body, cut him off.
"I'm Madelyn Forbes." I held back a gasp as I saw her cold glare. It was that girl who had cut in and danced with Casey. "Casey's unofficial girlfriend and Alpha Female-to-be." She warned.
"Hi, I'm..."
"Oh, we know who you are!" The last girl said. She has small brown eyes, and tan skin, with a petite frame and wavy brown hair that fell over her shoulders. "You're Beth! Hi, I'm Kellan Wilson! We were in kindergarten together!"
I shook her over-excited hand, and she laughed. "But you probably don't remember. It's all good. But, I heard we are neighbours! Well, distant neighbours. So how about I pick you up tomorrow morning and bring you to school?"
"Uh, yeah, sure, that'd be nice." I smiled sincerely at her. I did remember Kellan, surprisingly, and it would be nice to have an old friend here.
'Are you coming or not?' Casey's voice rang through my head.
"I have to go. But it was nice meeting all of you." I said, backing out of the living room slowly.
"You too." Jordan smiled at me, but Mackenzie was too busy seeing what Madelyn would do, and Madelyn was glaring at me.
I turned and quickly walked out of the Pack House, and passed the dance floor to the edge of the forest. At first, there was no sign of Casey or Mr. Ravenswood. I walked along the lush green grass, just outside the forest line, looking in the trees for any sign of anyone. Nothing.
"Hey."
I jumped, spinning around. Casey stood there, hands in his jeans pockets. Crossing my arms, I looked at him with narrow eyes as we stood, facing each other. "How do we have the mind link already?" I asked him. "Doesn't it usually take a few days to develop?"
Casey shrugged. "Usually."
To tell you the truth, I was starting to get annoyed with his moods swings. Before, he was all flirty and fun. Now, it was like he was a child who didn't get his favorite treat; talking as little as possible. I narrowed my eyes even more, trying to think of a reason he would change his attitude.
"What?" He asked, giving me a weird look.
Then it hit me why he was being distant. "Who was that girl you were dancing with?" I asked, and by the way his eyes looked downward towards his perfectly mowed yard, I knew I hit the spot. The topic he didn't want to discuss.
"What, I can't dance with other girls?" He asked, narrowing his own eyes. Here he was: the old, defensive, always-picking-a-fight boy I knew and hated. Casey seemed to be dodging the main topic, though. "We aren't telling people we are mates, I should be able to enjoy my freedom a little longer."
"Oh, shut up Casey. You know that's not what I was talking about." I paused, glaring. "The way you were practically begging me to see that you were a changed person hardly makes me think you are enjoying your freedom."
Casey ignored the last part of what I said, replying with, "Then what are you talking about?"
"That girl!" I screamed, throwing my arms up in annoyance. I was about to say more when he interrupted me.
"So I can't dance with other girls." He said again, as if it was the simplest statement in the world.
"Not that girl!" I screamed once again, "Madelyn!" Casey's eyes widened. "Yeah, I met her. She threatened me!" Well, not really... "She says she your 'unofficial girlfriend and Alpha female-to-be."
"She threatened you?" Casey said, with wide eyes. But, his eyes slowly went back to normal. "I mean... you could've used your Alpha Female power on her and make her back down."
"I don't have it yet! If you haven't noticed, I haven't exactly accepted you as my life-long partner. But that's beside the point! She's a rude stuck up girl who needs to know I'm here to stay."
"I'm sorry if my life continued when you packed up and left... when we hated each other!"
"I know you had a life. One that I wasn't in," My voice seemed to soften even though I really didn't want it to. I felt my heart squeeze a little at the wonder of how things would have been if I didn't move away. "And I don't expect you to give anything up for me, okay? So don't go acting like it's a crime. But when Madelyn" I spat her name like a disease "comes and tells me stuff, like how she is going to take my destiny of being Alpha Female away from me just because she was maybe with you in the past, that's not okay. We are mates, we were made for each other. We need to respect that and realize that us being together is a good thing."
Casey opened his mouth to say something, which was probably going to be dumb and make me regret saying that nicely, but his father jogged up to us, his face flushed. Alpha Damien wore similar to his two sons; dark denim jeans that were low on his hips and a long sleeved, crisp white dress shirt with a tie loosely around his neck.
"Sorry I'm late kids," he said, ruffling his messy dark hair even more. He looked between us, noticing the angry silence. "Well, let's get going, shall we?"
"Yeah," Casey said, taking his eyes off me, finally. He looked at his father, who gave him a stern look. Casey just nodded, and ran off into the cover of the trees to change.
Alpha Damien looked at me, before smiling. "Come on, Beth, Casey isn't that horrible, is he?"
"No..." I laughed, and we both started for the treeline, before he led me over a fallen tree and deeper into the woods. As I stepped over branches and weeds in the unfamiliar territory, he was slow and stayed with me, leading me. "There are just some responsibilities... I will have to take over. And it seems not everyone will be so kind to me when they find out that it's me who is supposed to lead them one day."
"Well, I accept you. And Casey accepts you. What more do you need for now? When your bonds with the pack grow, so will their trust in you." Alpha Damien squeezed my shoulder, before pulling me to a stop as we entered a long, narrow strip. There were no twigs or weeds, just patted down dirt, down the long strip that went down in front of us between two neat lines of trees, before disappearing down a hill.
"Okay, so, when you shift Casey will have to talk to you through your mate link, as you haven't been part of a pack long enough to get the pack link, understand?" I nodded. So that was why mates were required at this part of the ceremony... well, if you had one. "Okay, you can leave your clothes behind that boulder back there."
Walking through the thin patch of trees off of the clear strip, I ran quickly behind the large, grey rock as to not keep them waiting. I stripped my clothes quickly, feeling the smooth, light material of the white sports bra and underwear that covered me just enough, finding its way onto my body. After neatly putting my clothes out of the dirt and onto a branch by my feet, I walked out into the open strip again, Alpha Damien nodded to me, and then Casey, who was in his wolf form, moved off to the side to watch.
His wolf was huge, almost twice the size of mine, I'm sure. His back was muscular, with thick legs and broad shoulders. His eyes were the same electric blue as they always were, and they stood out against the dark, fluffy brown and red coat that covered his body. I immediately recognized him, as I had seen him that morning outside my kitchen window. He really was beautiful. Well, handsome.
"So, Beth, the first part of training is in your human form. But, if anything happens, we need you ready to shift." Alpha Damien explained. As an Alpha, he was able to wear a white shirt and boxer shorts, as Alphas were the most powerful of all wolves. When I become an Alpha Female, if I do, I'd wear a short white dress. "First, we need to see your speed and endurance."
For werewolves, it wasn't difficult to run. It just got tiring when we were pushed, just like humans. Alpha Damien made me run a few laps up and down the strip, that went down the hill and into a darker part of the forest, which made me run faster, then back up the hill and over to Casey, who counted my laps. After I finished my dozen, I was starting to get short breaths, but not enough to make me have to stop.
"Average. Not too bad. Now, the second part is hand-to-hand combat. Usually, we save that for group training, which we have on scheduled Thursday nights, unless you have patrol." I mentally marked that day down off the schedule. "So we can skip right to the wolf stuff."
I quickly shifted into my wolf, as did Alpha Damien, and I stood next to both guys, my nostrils filling with the musky cinnamon scent of Ravenswood. Through our link his mind was vulnerable, as it was open to his dad's and mine, as he had to repeat to me what his father told him. I could sense his internal-self remembering my vanilla smell.
'My dad wants to see how well your fighting is. He says that will be the only other thing he wants to test today.' Casey said, looking at me with amused eyes. I was confused at first, before he sent me another thought.
'You want to go down to the end or will I?'
I let out a low growl. 'No! I am not fighting you, Casey!'
'Scared you'll lose?'
'I know I'll lose. But that's not the point!'
'Then what is?'
Suddenly, I felt my anger take over. I could beat him. Even though I didn't believe myself, I suddenly wanted to sink my teeth into his neck.
'Fine, you take the far side.'
When Casey reached the opposite edge of the forest as me, Alpha Damien stood off to the side, watching like Casey did before. I could sense a little touch of worry in Casey's voice as he told me, 'I'll charge you and all you have to do it dodge me. Then just follow your instincts.'
'Okay.' I replied, and I could hear his fast breathing in and out as he pushed himself to run faster. His body turned into a blur, and I couldn't see him until he slammed his body into me, sending me to the ground. I felt his paws pressing on my chest harshly, as the force of the impact still tingling into my body.
'You were supposed to dodge me.' Casey said, groaning slightly.
'You're the one complaining? I feel like I just got tackled by the hulk!'
'That wouldn't have happened if you had dodged me. Now, try again.'
The next time he ran towards me, I was more ready for the fast pace. When I saw the blur of his body pass Alpha Damien, I slowly inched to the side, his paws just missing me, his fur touching the ends of mine as I jumped to the side. But Casey flipped around quickly, his jaws wide open, and before I could fully turned around, he bit into my side, causing me to whimper out loud. I was pushed by his strong jaw, and tripped over my own legs and onto my un-injured side as he finally let go.
'Shit, Beth!'
'This is your fault!'
"Relax, you two," Alpha Damien said, back in his human form. "It's not serious, probably just a few marks on your flesh. Try it again, but be careful, Casey." He said, emphasising the word 'careful.'
Casey went back to his position, ready to knock me over again.