That feeling that you get when you feel eyes on you even though you can't see them; that's what this felt like. I could feel his presence before I saw him, knowing exactly where he was and how long it would take me to see him. Like the tension in a rubber band, the attraction of magnets, I felt the need, the pull to get closer.
My steps descending the stairs became faster, making me stumble over my dress, having to catch the railing for support. It did give me a small panic but my steps didn't slow. Hold of up my dress in one hand, the other keeping me steady by holding the railing, I continued to descend the stair case.
By the time I reached the bottom, my ankles had been twisted several times and I debated keeping the heels on. In a quick decision, I took a few seconds to slip them off, holding them by the heels on my fingertips. Taking another step forward, the wooden floors cold beneath my bare feet, I was stopped by a hand on my shoulder.
"Wait, Malia." The voice was soft but tense, just as the hand was on my shoulder.
"What? What's wrong?" I asked as I saw the worried look on Janina's face.
"Nothing's wrong, Sweetie. There was just something I forgot to tell you about the ceremony." She paused for a bit, worrying me. "You can't touch him."
"What do you mean I can't touch him?" My stomach sank. "Is he okay?"
"He's fine, he's fine." She assured me, rubbing my arms. "It's just part of the ceremony."
"I don't understand." I had already suffered three days without being able to see him and now they expect me not to touch him the instant I see him? Do they just want me to suffer?
"I know it seems unfair, even a bit ridiculous but that is how our ceremony has been performed for centuries. These tasks are supposed to show patience and control between the bonded. The longing during separation and what the male brings back to the female is supposed to show the importance of each other to the Moon Goddess. They are supposed to honor the Moon Goddess for matching them together without being overtaken with lust. It is also for the Goddess to ensure that her match has no faults."
"I don't think I can contain myself when I see him." I admitted.
"Yes you will. She assured me. "It's hard but I know you will manage."
"I just miss him. He scared me."
"I think the men always fine pleasure in going after things that could possible kill them. Now, are you that you are ready to do this? Once you start, you can't go back. It must be completed."
"I'm sure."
"Do you remember the last part of the ritual I told you about? I know you guys haven't mated and you don't have to do anything like that but it might be a bit awkward for you."
"I'm can do it. I'm ready." I said and she nodded.
"He's at the front door waiting for you." She reached out and gently took the heels from my hand.
"I don't think you'll be needing these anymore." She winked at me.
Navigating myself through the familiar hallways, an invisible force pulled me along the way. The instant his scent washed over me, the lingering pain ceased to exist. His head turned in my direction when I turned the final corner, a wide grin appearing on his face. His hair had been cute down a bit and he was wearing dress pants and a simple, white button up but he still looked as handsome as ever.
"Hey, Orion." I said as he opened his mouth, before he could say anything. I smirked at him before turning away, facing forward as we began to walk side by side.
"You were a fat baby."
................................................................
We walked in silence as I was afraid that I would be lured into his arms by the sound of his voice. Even though there was a small distance in between our hands, a spark was ignited as if we were touching. As much I wanted to reach out to him, his presence soothed me enough, assured me that he was fine.
I could hear the excited murmuring of the pack as we approached the ceremony. Everyone stood up as soon as we approached the furtherest row of seats from the front. As we got closer, I was able to make out the prey that Orion had brought back with him.
"A bear? Are you fucking serious, Orion? You could have gotten hurt." I whispered angrily to him. The few people that were near enough to hear it let out small chuckle.
"I think that's the first time I have ever heard you curse." He whispered back, amused by my reaction.
"What where you thinking?"
"I thought that he would make a nice rug..."
"I'm being serious." I about growled at him.
"So am I."
"You are so lucky that I can touch you right now, otherwise, you'd be dead." I said before climbing the wooden logs that led onto the stone slab.
The ceremony seemed to go by in a blur to me, not that it was long or anything. I sliced my hand with a sharpened rock and picked up a handful of dirt, bleeding into it. It was to signify that my life now belonged to the pack and that the pack was my life. I pledged myself to that pack, that I would protect them and serve them until my last breath. This was now my home, my pack, and were now lead under Orion and myself.
I could now feel a connection between everyone, stronger than it had been before. It felt as if I needed to be strong for everyone, to be worthy enough to them. They were my new family.
Once the heat of the moment died down a bit and the sun was long gone, Orion began to lead us down a path that I had not noticed earlier. Picking up the bottom of the dress, I made sure that it would not be ruined. Grass and weeds overtook the trail, indicating that this was not used frequently. The sound of nature surrounded us. The cold, moist dirt was in between my toes, making me giggle. At the sound, Orion turned his head back and gave me a gentle smile.
"You know, I didn't give you those pictures for you to make fun of me."
"Well," I said while stepping over a log. "Neither did I until I realized how fat you were as a baby." I laughed, making him chuckle.
At the sound of the water getting louder as we approached, I adjusted the way I was holding my dress and began to pull the bobby pins out of my hair. It ticked my neck and exposed skin as the braids came undone and now cascaded down in waves. The wind picked up as the trees began to clear, tossing my hair behind me.
The embankment soon came, sending me into complete awe. A fairly tall yet wide waterfall sent water down into a large decent sized body of water. It was crystal clear and I could see the silt sitting at the bottom, not a fish in sight.
"What is this place?" I wondered, mesmerized by the falling water.
"Flumen Luna Est Scriptor." The Latin rolled easily off his tongue.
"Also known as the Moon's River."
"Why is it called that?" I asked, turning my head towards my shoulder to look back at him.
"You'll see." I turned my attention back to the water. A hazy cloud of mist surrounded the bottom of the waterfall, the moisture clinging to the air. The crunching of pebbles sounded from behind me and heat radiated onto my back.
"I don't recall getting a chance to tell you how beautiful you are."
"Mm." I hummed. "Me neither."
"You're stunning." He whispered into my ear, making me shiver.
"You don't look to bad yourself."
"You don't say?"
"Although, I would have loved to see you with the beard."
"You're in a teasing mood today."
"Maybe." I drawer out and the pebbles moved around again, the heat now much closer than before, almost touching.
"Move your hair." He whispered in my ear, the heat making me shiver. Doing as he requested, I pulled my hair over one shoulder. The sound of my zipper soon followed, slowly going down my back. His fingers were careful not to touch my exposed skin, no matter how much I wanted them to. I moved my hands up to hold my dress up by my chest to keep it from falling.
Turning, I watched as he unbuttoned his dress shirt, it falling onto the ground. Next was his buckle, his pants soon followed, landing on the ground next to his shirt. He was almost exposed, his boxers still left on. Of all the times I have seen him like this, I was still amazed of how sculpted he was.
"Are you okay with this? You don't have to look and I won't look at you if you don't want me to."
"N-No, I'm fine. Just nervous. It's all new to me." I whispered, feeling the blush arise onto my cheeks.
"I know." He said. "Me too." I notice the dusting of pink on his neck and ears, that relieving me in some way. He tucked his thumbs into his boxers and that's when I turned back to the water, my eyes on the ground. I heard him walk in front of me and the sound of moving water. At the last minute, I looked up and couldn't hold back a laugh. His butt was cute.
"And what are you laughing about?" He asked, his body distorted by the moving water.
"I like your butt." I blurted out, laughing again and my face burning. He smiled and shook his head.
"I knew that you'd peak." He slowly turned his back to me whilst ducking under the water, giving me privacy. My hands shaking, I let the dress drop, leaving my chest exposed. Hooking my own thumbs in my underwear, I pulled them down. Walking down to the water, I expected it to be cold but it was surprisingly warm, almost like a bath. Slipping in quickly, I watched he resurfaced.
The silt was soft and slick on my feet, washing away the mud from before. Cupping the water, I ran it over my face, washing off all of the makeup they had put on me. As much as I liked the makeup, it just didn't feel comfortable on my skin.
"You look so much better without it." Orion commented as I struggled getting the mascara off.
"How will we know if the Moon Goddess approves?" I asked after accepting defeat that waterproof mascara is waterproof.
"Trust me, you'll know."
"Can't you tell me?" I asked, not wanting to be left in the dark.
"Come 'ere." He said and swam towards the one embankment to right of our clothing. There were large slabs of rocks underneath the water, deep enough to lay on and rest our head on the grassy embankment.
"This place is called the Moon's River because at a certain time, when the moon is rising, the waterfall and the moon meet. When that happens and there is a set of mates that the Goddess approves of, something beautiful happens. I'm not sure what happens because it is kept a secret between mates, keeping it special. Only those who are rightfully mated and experience it knows what happens."
"But why do we have to be un naked?" I asked, making him laugh.
It bares us to her, letting her decide our fate. It's us putting out trust in her hands for the future. I've also heard that it was supposed to be easier for her to look into our souls."
"Orion." I said very seriously.
"Yeah?"
"You do have a cute butt." He reached out to grab me but I shot away.
"Nuh uh. No touching."
"You're a tease." He groaned as he settled back down in his spot.
"You can see so many stars from here." I said as I settled back beside him.
"Do you know any of the constellations?" He asked and I shook my head no. Pointing up towards the sky, he began pointing out random constellations and what they meant.
"I don't understand how people look at little dots in the sky and then make them shapes."
"In our culture, we were told that the Moon Goddess would put their souls in the sky, others say it was the Greek Goddess Artemis." Looking around, he pointed towards the lower sky.
"Do you see the three dots making a line over there, that's Orion, the one I was named after. Orion was said to be Godlike and a strong hunter. My parents wanted me to be as strong as he was, a protector."
The moon began to rise the more we talked. When the top of the moon peaked over the waterfall, I was disappointed when nothing happened. As it continued to rise and nothing changed, I started to give my hopes up. It frightened me, thinking that I got attached to Orion and now the Moon Goddess didn't approve of us together even though she was the one who matched up in the first place.
When the moon just about peaked completely over, the water began to glow silver, starting from the moon and flowing down the water fall. It was almost as if the the water was flowing from the moon. Around us Iunae Lumen began to bloom and glow, further illuminating the night with a silver glow. Two hands grabbed my waist and pulled on on top of their lap. Chest to chest, he leaned down and planted his lips on mine with a searing kiss.
"I've been waiting so long to do that." Orion whispered. Threading my hands in his hair, I pulled him back down into another searing kiss. We were entangled with each other and I could feel him as we were pressed entirely together. His tongue slipped into my mouth and I let out a small moan.
I had him. He was mine. He was mine in the eyes of me, in the eyes of other and in the eyes of the Moon Goddess. Not even in death will we be separated for love never ceases to exist.