Tomorrow was the day Clara had been waiting for her whole life. The day of the ritual. Her 21st birthday. That morning she woke up with butterflies in her stomach. Her family had a lot to do in order to prepare her for the following nights ceremony. Tomorrow would decide her destiny.
Clara rolled out of her old wooden bed that creaked with every move she made; her Mother had laid some clothes out on the chair for her to wear that day. Clara made her way out of her room and to the bathroom. The house her family lived in was not very big, they were not rich and so it was very basic. There were only four rooms upstairs, hers, her sisters, her parents and the bathroom. Then downstairs was an open space containing a kitchen and a small living space. It wasn't much but it was home for the four of them.
When Clara walked into the bathroom, she washed her face in the sink and then looked at herself in the mirror. Her blue eyes were glowing brighter than they ever had before. It was almost time for her to begin her life. Tomorrow night she would have her final meal with her family before leaving her home at midnight and heading into the woods. A smile grew on her face as the excitement grew in her stomach. She finished off in the bathroom before heading back to her bedroom to get ready for the day. She could hear her Mother making breakfast downstairs, she could picture her Father sat at the kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee whilst reading the newspaper while her Mother stood over the hob cooking some eggs and bacon for everyone. Usually her Father would be off to work in the mines for the day, however, he'd managed to get a few days off work to spend with his daughter before she had to leave. Her Mother was a stay at home mum, this was the norm in their town. The men would go out and work while the women stayed home, it was an aged tradition but it's just how it worked around the town.
After she had gotten dressed, she tied her dark hair back into a ponytail and headed downstairs to join her parents. Jane, her sister, would probably still be asleep. She was only 13 and was currently going through the lazy teenager phase of her life so she wouldn't be up until at least midday. Just as she'd pictured it in her head, her Father was sat in his usual spot at the head of the kitchen table, his glasses on the bridge of his nose reading the local paper. He looked up at Clara when she walked into the kitchen and a huge smile grew on his face.
"Morning honey, how are you today? Are you ready for tomorrow?" As he spoke to his daughter her Mother spun round with the same wide grin on her face. Her Mother was truly beautiful, she didn't look a day over 30 but she was closer to 50 years old. She had the same dark hair that Clara had and the same blue eyes. People often said they looked alike, you could even think they were sisters if you didn't know better.
"Morning guys, yeah I guess so. I've got a lot of things to do today but I'm ready." Clara sat down at the table with her Father as her Mother made her a cup of coffee and began plating up their food.
"Okay, so first things first we need to get you to the hairdressers. I want that mop on your head sorting out, and then we will go into town and get you a nice new outfit for tomorrow night. We'll get a few bits for dinner tomorrow." Her Mother sounded more excited about the whole thing than Clara was and that was almost impossible.
The family lived in a small town in England called Lakeside, this wasn't a normal town. Nobody ever moved there, and nobody ever left. Over a hundred years ago a treaty was signed by the Mayor of the town at the time with the man-wolves that lived in the woods. Whenever a person in the town turned 21 they would be part of a ritual. They would spend the day preparing themselves with their family, making sure that every detail of them was perfect. They had to look their best for the ceremony, then in the afternoon they would go out to the woods as a family and prepare a small area with flowers, candles, food and wine. They'd lay it out before heading home for the final supper together. After they'd had their final meal as a family, they'd say their goodbyes and then they'd head back to the are that they'd prepared earlier in the day and wait. Wait for their future to arrive. One of the wolves would come, their mate.
Clara dug into her breakfast, thinking of how she wanted to get her hair done and what kind of dress she wanted. She had to look perfect. She did not want to disappoint her mate. It was a huge honour to be taken by a man-wolf. Many were not chosen; they either did not have a man-wolf mate, or they were rejected by them. If that happened, you were to come back to the town and live your days here. She had to make sure everything was perfect, she couldn't face the shame of coming back to the town, especially if she had been rejected.
Once they had finished their breakfast, both Clara and her Mother got their coats and began their walk into town. They often made the walk to get groceries together. Once Clara was gone it would be Jane's job to help her Mother out with these things, but Clara was worried that she wouldn't do it.
"Mum, can I ask you something?" Clara asked quietly, she was nervous to ask her Mother the question, but it had been playing on her mind for a while and she needed to know the answer before tomorrow night.
"Of course, honey, what's on your mind?" Her Mothers soft calm voice helped settle some of the nerves in her stomach.
"Will I ever see you guys again? You know... if I get chosen tomorrow night?" Her Mother sighed after the question and waited before she answered. The wait made Clara even more nervous.
"I don't know, dear, it depends. If you get chosen by those of the lower ranks in the man-wolf pack, probably not. They have to follow the orders of an Alpha, and it can be dangerous for you to leave the pack once you have found your mate. If you are chosen by a higher-ranking pack member, such as the Alpha or a Beta, then there is a chance." It was very rare to be chosen by a higher-ranking pack member, and that's if you were even chosen.
"Why is it dangerous to leave the pack once you have found your mate?" Clara knew all about the ceremony, but her family hadn't told her much about what would happen afterwards, mainly because they didn't know themselves.
"See, when you find your mate you are linked. Anything you feel they can sense, if any harm comes to you, they will feel your pain. It means that if you are ever in danger, they will know and come and help you. But there is always a chance that they won't get to you in time. A man-wolf only has one mate in their entire life, if they lose their mate, they often go insane and a lot of them don't survive the loss." Clara nodded her head and tried to understand what her Mother had told her. The idea of never seeing her family again was terrifying but she couldn't change that, and she couldn't argue it either.
They continued their walk in silence, enjoying each other's company; after all this was the last time they would make this trip together. Clara admired to views of the hills peaking over the tops of the trees in the forest. The sky was cloudy and there was a cold brisk autumn breeze. She loved the orange and red leaves on the trees, this had to be such a beautiful time of year in the town. The autumn brought such a vibrant colour to the rest of the dull boring town. A lot of the shops and houses were worn down and scruffy, but she only thought is added character to the town. She thought it made the town more cosy and loved than if everything was pristine and brand new.
They reached the hairdressers and were welcomed with enthusiasm. It was always the talk of the town when someone was about to turn 21. Clara's usual hairdresser smiled when she saw her and led her over to the washbasins where they'd wash her hair. Whilst the lady washed Clara's hair and asked her how she wanted it doing thoughts were buzzing around her head. How had she woken up so excited and was now so nervous she was feeling sick? The more things became real the more nervous she grew. What if it wasn't what she expected? What if she didn't like her mate? What if she wasn't chosen? All the worrying thoughts were swimming round he head, but she tried to block them out.
She sat and watched as her locks were trimmed and shaped to perfection. It was rather satisfying watching the hairdresser work. When it was done Clara felt fresh and new. She had gone for a basic trim with a few layers and some highlights. Her Mother settled the bill and they headed to one of the few dress stores in town. Clara rarely wore dresses but for the ceremony she wanted to look her best and her Mother had always said she looked lovely in dresses.
They got to the first store and both began looking for the perfect dress, but everything Clara saw was just... okay. Nothing stood out to her. So, they moved on to the next shop, where her Mother picked out a few that she thought were nice and Clara picked a couple. They headed to the dressing rooms where she began to try them on. She slipped into a light pink dress; it was tight at the top with a floating skirt that came just about her knee. Straight away she hated it, pink was not her colour. She took it off and moved onto the next one, again a no. When Clara picked up the next one that her Mother had picked, she smiled and hoped it looked right because she was already in love with it.
She slipped into the tight scarlet red material and did up the zipper at the back. It was a strapless skin-tight scarlet colour with black lace around the rim of the bust area, down the side there were black flowers embroidered onto it that ran along the bottom. She looked at herself in the mirror and all she could think was... sexy. Clara pulled the curtain open from the dressing room and her Mother was sat waiting to see. As soon as she looked at her daughter her mouth dropped open and eyes grew wide.
"If you don't get chosen in that then these man-wolves have something wrong with them! That is the one! You look stunning darling, absolutely stunning!" Clara grinned and looked down at herself. The dress hugged her curvy waist perfectly, it came down to the middle of her thigh, so she didn't feel too exposed.
"Okay, get changed and we will get you some shoes." She closed the curtain again and quickly changed back into her jeans and top. She grabbed the dress and headed out of the changing room. Her Mother took the dress and paid for it at the till before they headed out the store and off to find the perfect shoes to match the dress. As they walked down the street to the store her Mother grabbed her arm and pulled her to a stop.
"There's one more thing we need to get, but your Father can't know." A mischievous smirk grew on her Mother's lips, but Clara was confused. What else did she need? Her gaze went from her Mother to the shop that was behind her.
"MOTHER!" Clara was shocked, her Mother was stood outside a lingerie shop. These are not the sorts of things you wanted to be buying with a parent, but Clara knew she needed some and this would be her last chance. She had to look perfect both clothed and not, her mate could reject her at anytime before he claimed her. She didn't want her underwear to be the reason she was rejected.
"Can you wait out here while I go and pick something? It feels weird buying this kind of stuff with you." Her Mother laughed and nodded her head. She got her bank card out of her purse and handed it to Clara. As soon as she walked in the shop, she felt a little overwhelmed. A lady that worked there walked over to her with a smile.
"Hi, can I help you today?" At this point Clara didn't care that she was about to let a random stranger pick her underwear she needed help.
"Yes, see I'm turning 21 and I need the perfect underwear for the ceremony, can you help me?" The lady's eyes lit up and a huge grin spread across her face.
"Congratulations, yes, yes, of course! Follow me." After a few moments of looking through different sets, the lady pulled out a red lacy set. The bra was strapless and had a corset fitting to it, and the pants... well they were virtually non-existent. There was hardly any material to them. Clara looked shocked but knew it was perfect. She had a feeling that anything red or black would be perfect.
"That's the one!" The lady let out a small squeak and headed to the till. Clara paid for the items with her Mothers card and began to head out the store.
"I hope it all goes well!" The lady from the store shouted just before she left the store. Clara smiled and thanked her before heading back out to her Mother.
They quickly picked up the last few bits before heading back to the house. Clara knew her Mother had spent too much money and she felt guilty about it. But she also knew that her Mother would not have it any other way. When they got back home, she took her things up to her room and then headed back down to spend the night with her family. Jane was sitting in the armchair of the living space reading her book and her Father was in the kitchen helping her Mother put the groceries away.
Jane was beautiful, like her Mother and Clara, but in a different way. She still had the same dark hair as her older sister, but rather than it being lose waves it was tight ringlets that exploded around her head. He skin was fair, and her eyes were like her Father's, big and brown. Jane took after her Father in a lot of ways, they both loved to read and write. Jane dreamed of being an author, and unlike her sister she hoped she wasn't chosen when she turned 21. She despised the whole concept of it all and she didn't understand why everyone got excited about it.
Clara joined her sister in the living space, and they sat in silence together for a while. Jane continued to read her book while Clara watched her. She had always been fascinated by her sisters love for reading, she could never really get into it. The log fire was keeping the two of them warm and the cracks of the wood offered a peaceful sound. She would miss this. She would miss her sister and her parents. But most of all, she would miss the comfort of home.
"Are you ready for tomorrow?" Her sister asked her as she closed her book.
"I think so, I'm just... starting to get nervous." Jane smiled at her sister and went to join her on the sofa. She gave her a hug in an attempt to comfort her.
"Don't be. You've been so excited for this. It'll be okay. Why are you nervous?" They maintained the hug for a while, Clara didn't want to let go. Not yet.
"I don't know, I just keep thinking about all the things that could go wrong and it's making my insides do somersaults. And... well, I guess... I'm scared of leaving you guys behind." Jane sighed, there wasn't much she could say to help her sister. All she could do was offer comfort.
"Girls, dinner is ready!" Their Mother called from the kitchen, the two of them stood up and began to head over to the kitchen but Clara grabbed Jane's wrist to stop her.
"I love you sis, you know that, right?" Jane smiled and nodded her head before giving her sister another quick hug.
"I love you too." They entered the kitchen for dinner and took a seat at the table. Her Mother had used the scraps from the fridge to make a stew. She was saving the nice fresh veg and meat for their dinner tomorrow. They ate in silence and when everyone was finished Jane gathered the bowls and began to wash the pots. Clara sat at the table with her parents for a while, and they talked about meaningless stuff. After a while Clara's Father vacated the kitchen and went to sit in the living space with Jane. Clara and her Mother began to prepare the food for the ceremony tomorrow. They had a basket and placed several chunks of bread in there, with some fruit and baked treats. Her Mother got a bottle of wine off their very empty wine rack. She'd been saving it for the occasion. She placed the bottle of red wine in the basket and then closed the lid.
"I think we're all ready for tomorrow. Why don't you head off to bed and get an early night? You have a long day tomorrow; you don't want to be tired." Clara nodded her head and took her Mother's advice. She gave her a tight squeeze before going to say goodnight to Jane and her Father. This was it. Possibly the last time she'd sleep in her own bed under the same roof as her family. Clara took a deep breath and headed up the stairs to her bedroom to try and get some sleep before tomorrow.
As soon as her bedroom door closed behind her she let her thoughts take over. She didn't have anything else to distract her from them. She tried to picture what her mate could look like, would he have dark hair or light hair? Would his eyes be blue or brown? Would he be tall or short? All of these questions filled her head, but so did the worry. If she had to return to the town tomorrow night what would people think? Her life wouldn't have the excitement and adventure she'd dreamed of. As much as she loved her family and her Mother, she didn't want to have the same life as her, she wanted unimaginable happiness and love with someone she was destined to be with. Someone that was her soulmate. She tried to push all thoughts aside and get the sleep that she needed to prepare her for the following day.
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I have added a picture of the dress I imagine Clara to buy. It would be slightly shorter than that on the model, however this is pretty much what I envisioned.