I awoke by the sound of guards banging on the cells. I jolted up realizing that today I was going to be apart of the Dark Moons pack. I was going to be a Dark Moons pack member. A week ago my pack and I were talking about how our enemy pack was very cruel and now look. Almost forty, minus the rogue now, thirty-nine, people from the Blue Bloods pack were going to be official pack members for our 'enemy' pack. After the ceremony of acceptance.
The thought made my eyes widen. Today I was finally going to find out about the ceremony of acceptance. I shuddered thinking of what could happen. Rose laid a hand on my shoulder probably thinking the exact same thing. Her face almost looked green but I wasn't so sure. I turned to my mom who was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
The guards woke everyone up before sliding a tray full of breakfast into each cell. I inhaled the delicious aroma of food. Eggs, bacon, sausages and pancakes. Without another thought, I placed what I wanted onto my plate and sighed in pleasure.
For the first time in fivw days, we were actually getting breakfast. I didn't care that we were still in a cell. OK, actually I did. My wolf was bothering me to be let out. I had to admit, we really needed that run.
After eating breakfast, the room was full of conversations happening here and there. Some people were anxious because, like me, they didn't know exactly what happened during the ceremony of acceptance. Others wanted to get this over with and majority of us wondered were we would be staying once we were accepted into the pack.
Back at our pack, most of the pack members who had families settled in their own homes, while some people who had no family whatsoever lived in the pack house. But don't think wrong, I said some people. Others lived in the pack house for many different reasons.
We stayed in the cells for a bit longer before we were let out by guards. Rose tapped my shoulder giving me a questioning look. Even though the ceremony was tonight and we had no access to the time, I knew deep down it was not time yet.
What if Alpha Thaddeus decided not to do the ceremony after all? What if he just changes his mind and makes us all become a rogue?
My wolf growled in fury at me. Don't you dare talk about our mate like that!
My wolf was anxious and annoyed. We hadn't shifted in almost five days and she was becoming angry. She wanted to be let out but I had to control her or else the next time we saw our mate, she'd force me to mark him.
The guards separated the males and the females. The females went with female guards while the males went with the males. I still had no idea were we were being taken to.
But the older female guards turned to us. "We are sending you all to clean yourselves and pick out appropriate clothing. The alpha decided to conduct the ceremony earlier than expected so everyone must look presentable in an hour."
The other guard behind her spoke up. "So just follow us. We will have to do this in order. So the young ones line up first."
She stood in front and waited for all the younger girls to line up. Beth and Savannah went ahead with six other girls between the ages of four to twelve.
The majority of females here were adults or elderly. To see that much females so young and lost broke my heart. They looked at everything as if they didn't know what was happening.
The other guard took the girls somewhere to clean and dress themselves. "All the elderly now may step forward."
The elderly all did step forward so they moved fast and sent them off. "The rest may come with me."
We followed her towards a big room where clothing was put out on the bed. They had at least seven bathrooms to go clean ourselves in. Immediately some girls headed towards the washrooms while most stayed to pick out the clothing.
"God, I'm nervous," Rose said as she looked at the pile of clothing. "This is actually happening."
I didn't say anything in reply to her comment. I mean, what was I suppose to say? That I was excited for the ceremony? I was far from it.
I picked out a light blue summer dress, noticing Roses look of approval. "It matches your eyes," she commented while continuing on her search for clothing.
I waited near one of the doors to take a shower. Just thinking of finally taking a hot shower after these past few days made me shiver with delight. I inhaled noticing that the scent from inside the washroom was familiar. Just before I could dwell on it any further my mom stepped out.
She looked alive and bright as day. The color was finally back in her cheeks which brought a smile to my face. Even though she was just in a towel in front of me, I wasn't disgusted. Werewolves tend to shift around each other and seeing a pack mate in the nude wasn't a disgusting thing.
But I did feel uncomfortable when Mason goes nude. He honestly does that to annoy me.
I stepped in the tub leaving my clothes on the ground. I sighed in absolute pleasure as the warm water pelted my back. I squirted some shampoo onto my hand washing out the dirt in my hair. It felt good.
I spent about twenty minutes in there before getting out and drying myself.
I slipped the dress on. It ended just above my knees and was slightly tight around my waist but I ignored it.
I let my wet hair down. It looked curly which I kind of liked but hated at the same time. I walked out to see Rose deep in thought.
"What are you thinking about?" I asked. I sat next to her on the chair. She didn't answer me so I snapped my fingers in her face. She looked at me startled. Her eyes were tearing up which I then knew it was serious. Rose hardly cried but when she did it was because of Mason.
I placed a hand on her shoulder in concern. "What's wrong."
She inhaled deeply before sighing out. "I don't know where my parents are."
A horrible realization dawned on me. I hadn't seen Roses parents at all. Masons parents were here, but not Roses. So while I was wailing about my problems, Rose had been keeping quiet about her own. I was such a horrible friend these past days.
I wrapped an arm around her. "Did you talk to Mason about this?"
She surprised me by snorting. "No."
"Do you think they're..." I trailed off not wanting to actually say it. Rose understood what I was trying to say because she shrugged.
"They could be," she stated going back to her silent crying. "They're all the family I have left."
"That's not true," I say furiously, "you have Mason, me, my mom, and my dad."
She didn't reply but she began wiping her tears away. Instead of saying anything else, she hugs me before leaving for the washrooms.
I really needed Mason to know about this.
I glanced around the room noticing that some females had already left. Where did they go? My mom included.
Instead of waiting for Rose to finish with her shower like I originally planned, I took to the door. The halls were empty except a few guards lingered here and there.
One guard looked up at me before pointing down the hall. "Everyone is gathered downstairs."
I said a brief thank you before practically sprinting down the stairs. I needed to know what was happening and find Mason.
It was actually pretty easy to spot Mason in the crowd. For some odd reason, he was speaking to one of the guards at the far left side of the room.
He turned around before I even took five steps in his direction. His eyes met mine and in an instant he was hurrying over to me.
"You look stunning, like always Ann," he complimented. "But my mate looks better."
He had a cocky tone in his voice which made me roll my eyes. I knew I wouldn't be able to win in our arguments so I usually just gave him an eye roll.
"Speaking of my beautiful mate," he says looking around, "where is she?"
"She's on her way," I stated. He pouted before rolling his eyes.
"What is with girls always taking years to change?" I scoffed. Well, I'm sorry us girls like to look a bit more presentable in front of our men. Mason shook his head as if hearing my thoughts.
"Oh and talk to Rose," I said seriously.
"Well, duh, why wouldn't I-" he caught onto the seriousness in my voice. "Did something happen?"
I shook my head. "Just talk to her."
He looked up at the staircase where Rose was coming down. She wasn't wearing a dress like me, instead she was wearing a plain white shirt with a jean skirt. Mason hurried in her direction.
I turned around looking for a familiar young girl with a younger sister. I couldn't find them so I walked around looking for my parents.
I found them with Beth and Savannah. I almost about awwed at what they were wearing. Savannah was wearing a puffy pink dress, while Beth wore a dark green shirt with a black skirt.
I immediately rushed forward catching them both in a surprise hug. Beth gasped while Savannah wiggled out of the hug.
"You both look so cute," I complimented loving the way Beths cheeks went a dark shade of red.
"Thank you," she muttered before looking at what I was wearing, "and you look really pretty too."
"Thank you," I replied carefully picking up her younger sister. Her eyes widened the size of gulf balls before she started wiggling out of my grip. I placed her down carefully. I guess kids just don't like me.
"Sweetie," I glanced at my parents, "you look absolutely gorgeous."
My mom opened her arms for me to jump into them. I hugged her tightly before moving onto my dad.
"I'm worried," he says looking me up and down, "you look amazing and I don't want unmated males looking at you like a piece of meat."
I chuckled along with my mom. "Thanks dad."
"We are ready to start the ceremony so everyone follow us and when we get there, form a line," I walked with the crowd and blew threw my lips. I was really feeling nervous now.
When we got to a big clearing, I immediately wanted to hide from the crowd surrounding the clearing. No doubt these were pack members. There were nearly three hundred people here, all observing the thirty-nine people who were about to become apart of the three hundred.
We immediately got into a line. I was in the middle along with Mason and Rose. My parents were ahead of me and Beth and Savannah were ushered to the front because they were kids.
My mom turned around and gestured for me to go stand where Beth was.
"Why?" I questioned.
"The alphas mate goes first, but if kids are involved she goes after the kids."
I glanced at the front before slowly making my way there. I stood behind Beth who turned around at my arrival. She gave me a questioning look but in return I gave her a reassuring smile. It was just best to get this over with.
The line was right in front of Alpha Thaddeus who was standing on a small wooden stage like thing with his hands behind his back. His eyes looked around before settling on me. I was too much of a coward to look him in the eyes so I played with my fingers. I could feel his gaze on me like lasers burning into my skull.
Finally, I felt his gaze move onto something or someone else so I snapped my head up to glance at him. My eyes widen in shock while my wolf growled lowly. It looked as if my mate was somehow even sexier than the last time I saw him.
He was wearing a grey fitted long sleeve which made his muscles bulge out. He wore dark blue jeans that made me wonder how he wasn't sweating in this burning heat. I was just in a dress and I was already sweating. Anyways, his hair was messily styled as if he ran his hand through it multiple times. I think I drooled a bit looking at his lips but I quickly diverted my eyes elsewhere. I did not want him catching me eyeing him up.
Finally as everyone aka some of the current Dark Moons pack, stopped talking, Alpha Thaddeus began.
"As everyone may know, we will be having more pack members as of today." I bit my lip from making a sound. His beautiful deep voice made my toes curl. I just couldn't hear enough of him and now I just wanted him to speak forever. His voice was like music to my ears. I sighed, the mate pull was getting stronger.
As he continued talking I didn't bother to listen to what he was saying. I just focused on his deep voice. I snapped out of it when the line began moving.
"What's happening?" I whispered quietly to Beth. She looked up at me.
"The blood sharing is beginning," she answered me. She looked back at the front. The younger kids were at the front with Alpha Thaddeus who had a small knife in his hand. He slit the palm of his hand making blood gush out.
I turned my head to the side knowing what was going to happen even if this was my first ceremony of acceptance. I heard the slight cries of pain from the kids as they were forced to do the same thing. After that everything got quiet.
I turned my head back up to the front. One by one each kid placed their hand on top of Alpha Thaddeus. It lasted about 30 seconds for each kid until they were ushered away by some guards.
Savannah was crying which made my heart break. I really wanted to reach out and hug the little girl but I couldn't. Next was a boy that looked ten years old. He winced when he cut his palm but otherwise made no sound. He placed his hand over the alpha and stayed locked there like the younger kids. After, Beth was up next. I squeezed her shoulders reassuringly before she walked up the steps to face the man who killed her parents.
She did the same thing as the others and soon enough she was walking down to where the rest of the kids were.
I took a deep breath before I walked up towards my mate. I stood in front of him. The only thing separating us both was the table. I hadn't noticed before but a bowl with symbols on it was placed on the table. A little bit of blood was in there which made me slightly nauseous.
Alpha Thaddeus coughed slightly to get my attention. I snapped my head up at him. His dark eyes flickered over my face. I couldn't help the blush that took over my face from his actions.
"State your full name," he told me. I don't remember Beth or the ten year old boy doing this. Maybe they did, and maybe I just wasn't paying much attention.
"Annabel Marie Hastings." I replied.
"Annabel Marie Hastings," I almost moaned at the way he said my name, it was as if he was testing it out, "do you accept your new Alpha?"
"Yes, I do," I replied almost about to hit myself. Damn it, this isn't a wedding.
"Do you promise to be loyal to me?"
"Yes," I replied.
"Let our blood be shared and let this mark remind you of your promise," he said. He picked up the knife and slit his palm again handing the knife over to me.
I did it fast not wanting to look like a coward in front of everyone. He stretched his bloody palm out over the bowl. I almost hesitated but without another thought I placed my palm onto his.
The shock of our blood together zapped me like electricity. I gasped feeling like I was on cloud nine. It felt so good. I'm guessing he had the same shock as me because he growled under his breath. He tightened his palm on mine making me try and do the same to his iron grip.
It should have hurt but it didn't. It felt pleasurable. But before I knew it, the time ended. He released my hand and that was when I figured out that's probably the only time I'd be that close to my own mate.
I turned my back on him and walked down the steps where the guards showed me where to sit. We apparently had seating arrangements rather than sitting next to whoever we wanted. As I passed some of the Dark Moons members, my new pack members, they gave me curious glances.
Murmuring erupted which made my mate stop what he was doing, to shoot looks at his pack. Immediately, the murmuring stopped. I felt his gaze on me but I turned my head away taking a seat next to Beth who was looking up at me with a curious expression.
Everything went by the same way except without the Alpha growling at anyone. I tuned out everything until Alpha Thaddeus finally announced us as the new official members of the pack.
He left shortly after that. Unfortunately, he had some pack work to do. I was upset about that but let it be. I really wanted him to approach me or say something that could indicate his true feelings but I guess that wasn't happening anytime soon.
After he left, some people approached us one by one to say hi and introduce themselves. Soon, afterwards more people kept coming up to say hi. A few came up to me but some lingered back listening to our conversations. I knew they were just curious but I couldn't help but feel annoyed.
I glanced around and found Beth holding onto Savannahs small hands while talking to one of the girls that had gone up first in the ceremony. She was probably around six years old.
Well, at least she was befriending someone. I narrowed my eyes looking for two certain mates. I found them both holding hands to my right side. Mason was talking urgently to his parents while Rose looked upset.
I was about to check up on them when a hand on my shoulder stopped me.
I spun around so quickly it took me about ten seconds to stop the spinning world around me.
"Oh sorry for that," I looked up at whoever it was and froze.
"Oh Beta-" I started but he cut me off.
"You shouldn't call me Beta because you're the Luna," he commented, "or soon to be Luna."
What was he going on about? Seeing the look of confusion on my face he added on.
"Your the Alphas mate," he stated, "correct?"
I hesitantly nodded. "How did you know?"
He raised an eyebrow. "I was standing to the side watching everything and I'm sure the growl the Alpha let out wasn't from anger."
"So that's how you found out we were mates?" I asked. It sounded sort of silly to me but if he found out like that than congratulations to him.
"I was there when he told that guy to get his hands off of you," he stated, "must I go on?"
I shook my head. "Oh I forgot, I'm Jay."
"Nice to meet you Jay," I said. He nodded before turning around.
"So anyways I gotta go, but welcome to the pack." He was almost five feet away from me when he turned back around. "And Annabel, I know the Alpha hasn't been welcoming towards you but in a while he will."
I gave him a smile before nodding. "Thanks."
One thing I was one hundred percent sure of at that moment, is that Jay seemed like the kindest person I've met in the pack so far.
So, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I wanted to give a shout out and dedication to an amazing writer who deserves much more readers on her story. Her story is titled, "The lone wolf" and her username is immortal-serenity. Check out her book!!
Comment. Vote. Fan.
~MissieA out!
♥