Another double update for you guys, so make sure to check out chapter Forty! This is one of the longest chapters I've ever done, but It's one of my favourites I hope you guys like it too!
Wolfsbane
Epilogue
My fingers felt the sheets, trying to feel for Toby. He was gone, but my hands grazed some paper. My eyes slowly adjusted to the light filtering in through a gap in the curtains. It was his familiar handwriting, messy and scribbled.
Bran,
Today's the big day!
I wish I could see you but we have to wait until later.
I can't wait to see you, but please don't over exert yourself.
Toby.
I smiled and tried to sit up. My chest was still tight but nothing I couldn't handle. The crutches stood against the end of the bed, goading me.
It was so important, but it was gonna be a long day.
"Alpha!!" Voices half-sang, and I smirked as four women entered the room. My grandmother Elizabeth, Sienna, and two others armed with metal suitcases I've only seen hairdressers carry.
Oh no.
"This is Cherry and Louise, my hairdressers. They're here to help, sweetheart." Elizabeth soothed, a warm smile gracing her face.
I hadn't seen her since the pack hospital visit. She said she'd keep her distance as I healed, but I was happy to see her. In the end, she couldn't see us, and it must have broken her heart. Today was a family ceremony, and they needed to be here, and afterwards, they were off on their year of travelling after twenty years of trying to keep watch over their old pack lands.
"Now, we've got four hours to go, and we need to make you look like Luna herself! Let's get to work!" The redhead, who I assumed was Cherry approached the bed, and helped me over to the dressing table while everyone set up around me, I was handed a robe.
"Now we will cover your leg so you can have a quick bath and I'll wash your hair," She explained," Don't worry, I'll give you something to cover yourself with."
Sienna hovered in the background, uneasy around so many new people. She looked confused as to why she was here, until Elizabeth walked over, whispering gently and leading her to the window seat to watch from a safe distance.
After my bath, hidden under a drenched towel to hide my battered body, Cherry had done a surprisingly good job of avoiding my injuries, while also making my hair smell of flowers I had no name for. I was led back to the dressing table in my underwear and robe, and then they really went to town on my hair and face. Their hands were gentle, though, and I drifted in and out of sleep as they worked.
A knock on the door jolted me awake, and my Grandmother laughed.
"Don't panic, dear. It's just Gwen, delivering the dress." She let in a human woman, swamped by a large, gold garment bag.
"Good morning, Alpha," I was shocked when she knew my title," Our family have served this pack for centuries, and your mate told us how special it is to have a female leader," She handed the bag to Elizabeth," We've made this dress our most intricate and beautiful that I've ever seen."
My face flooded at the mention of Toby, he'd organized a custom made dress?
"When did he do this?" I muttered.
"He reached out to us while you were in recovery. We're so happy to serve this pack again." She grinned, leaving the room and returning with another bag, this one smaller. She went over to Sienna, who sat in one of the armchairs. She'd been silent most of the morning, just watching from her place by the window. There was already too many in the room for her to be comfortable, I hoped today wouldn't be too much for her.
"This one is for you; the alpha's family is just as important." Gwen hooked it on the curtain rail next to her. Even from here, I could see Sienna's eyes go glassy. She'd probably never had a dress like this before, and neither had I.
"Thank you." She whispered, her hands reaching out for the garment bag, her bottom lip wobbling.
"Ready to see?" They asked, after what seemed like days.
"I guess." I mumbled.
"You'll only have to stand for a minute, dear, to get the dress over your head. Can you do that?"
"Might as well, I've got to stand for the ceremony." My chair was wheeled over to the mirror that they'd covered. Elizabeth helped me to stand on wobbly feet. I raised my arms with eyes shut as they slipped layers of silk and lace over my head. My leg started to shake as they tugged the fabric into place and laced me in. My grandmother smacked my hand lightly when she saw me breathing in to tighten their ribbons.
"Now...open!" She cried, practically squealing with glee.
I giggled and looked into the mirror, my laughter dying in my throat as I took in my reflection.
I'd never seen anything like it. I thought a gold dress would look way too gaudy, flashbacks to episodes of My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding floated through my head all morning, but this couldn't be further from the truth.
It was like a princess style wedding dress, but was a pale gold, chiffon flowed in layers down the skirt, with embellishments in the shape of leaves, with tiny jewels that caught the light. The bodice clinched me in, showing me a waist more curved than I'd ever seen it. The sleeves hung off the shoulder, but were thin, delicate lace that seemed moulded to my arms, ending halfway down my forearms.
My hair had been tamed, silky, shiny curls were swept into an elaborate style, plaits and twists pulling hair from my face, disappearing into the back, and I could see flowers woven into the length. My face was coated in light, delicate makeup, except the eyes. They were covered in golden eyeshadow spreading all around my eyes up to my brows like an elaborate mask.
The reflection's red lips wobbled. I really did look like Luna.
"Ohh don't start the tears, cariad. This is a happy day."
I was lowered into my chair once again, and the bathroom door opened. Sienna emerged in a stunning silver gown, floor length and full-sleeved to cover my self-conscious sister. Her hair was styled like mine, though not as intricate. It was the closest I'd ever seen her look like me.
"You look beautiful, Sienna." I smiled at her, and she gave me a small one in return.
"You look like a princess."
"Are you sure I'm ready?" I asked Uncle Sam, as we walked along the white rose path.
"I wouldn't put you through this in pain if I didn't have every faith that you were ready for this." His warm arm squeezed my elbow, and I felt a rush of gratitude for the man who so smoothly stepped into the place of my guardian, my tutor into the werewolf world. My leg was already throbbing, but I forced the pain away, I could deal with it, just for the next hour.
"I wish Terra could see this."
"She's here, just locked away." He soothed, helping me turn a corner.
"The ceremony itself is only half an hour long, and I'll be holding most of your weight the whole time, don't stress yourself further. Toby will be seated to your left, Rowan to the right, and the family in the front row." He explained what I already knew, but having him repeat the words soothed my soul.
I heard soft harp music play, and the chatter of people stopped as they all stood. I clutched his arm in response.
"You can do this."
The path gave way to an aisle through a clearing, flanked by centuries old trees, wrapped in thousands of lights. A canopy twenty feet above was hung with white hyacinths in every crevice, making it look like I was walking through snow. I saw my new pack, all wearing tan, clean clothing, smiling back at me.
More and more faces became recognisable as I walked past the rows.
And there he was, at the left of the arch of twisted oak trunks. My mate stood proud, his hair messy and carefree, dressed in white. He wiped his eyes, and I felt a jolt as I realised he was crying.
Looking to my Beta and Delta, It was clear he wasn't the only one.
I finally made it to the arch, where my grandfather stood. He smiled warmly, gesturing for the crowd to sit. My leg envied them.
"Who wishes to ascend?" He asked, beginning the ceremony.
"Branwen Elizabeth Warren." I said proudly.
"Who gives their blessing?"
"Samuel Christopher Warren, brother of blood." His voice boomed throughout the clearing, holding tight onto my arm.
"Branwen Warren, do you give your blood to the safety of this pack?" My grandfather held out a ceremonial dagger, older than any of the trees around us, and I tried not to think about how one so similar to this had almost killed me just weeks ago. He held out a strip of ancient cloth, stained with the blood of past Alphas. He'd said before that I had to cut my palm and bleed on it, to show my sacrifice. Flashes of that night in that stupid wedding dress threatened to come to the surface, but I held my hand out firmly.
"I give my blood."
I made quick work of this one, pressing my palm into the fabric. He smiled and patted my bleeding hand, wrapping a clean strip of cloth around it due to my lack of healing factor. I watched as he set the Alpha cloth on the table, and I wondered about the generations of my family that had already come and gone, ruling the pack until their sons came to take their place.
"Branwen Warren, do you give your soul to the care of this pack?"
I pushed a message through Uncle Sam, I give my soul.
"Warren Pack of old, do you accept the rule of the ascender?"
They spoke in unison," We accept their rule." Toby and Rowan's voices were the loudest.
Christopher stepped forward with a second cloth, this one much larger, with barely any gold visible, coated in the blood of the pack. He wrapped it around my neck.
"Kneel, Branwen Warren."
Uncle Sam helped me to my knees gracefully, and I felt my grandfather press his palm against my forehead.
"Luna, Goddess of Life and Protection, Jupiter, God of Soul Cycle and Thunder; do you give your blessings to the ascender?"
A golden light rippled throughout the clearing, the late summer breeze gracing my body. A tear almost escaped, but I kept my face calm and respectful.
"I, Christopher Llewellyn Warren, third of my name, 34th Alpha of my blood, take my ascension to the role of Alpha Prime, and my debt to the pack is repaid. I release my right to the land, and give them with a steady hand to my successor, blood of my blood."
I felt a strange jolt as power passed from my grandfather to me, the power to command and lead the land properly, with no challenge from outsiders.
I heard him sniff, and I saw the tears in his gold eyes as his wolf passed on the power. He walked over to the table, and grasped the Alpha's crown. A heavy object, made for males, my hair had been styled to take on the extra weight. It was gold, coated in glittering diamonds, moulded into the shape of leaves, neither truly masculine or feminine.
"The crown of the Alphas of old rests on your head, ascender Warren. With it, the responsibility of leadership and care of others. Wear it well."
He gently placed the crown on my head, and I held back a sob.
"Rise, Alpha Branwen Elizabeth Warren, first of her name, 35th Alpha of our blood. May she reign in the Goddess' stead until the stars reign down from the plane."
The crowd suddenly burst into joyous cheers, and a smile broke across my face. I had done it.
After being congratulated by every pack member, the group moved into the pack ballroom, where the party began. I was seated at a wide table, like a top table at a wedding. My leg screamed in relief when Uncle Sam helped me into the chair. He moved to sit at another table with his wife, who was holding their newborn daughter in her arms.
"Do you need any painkillers?" Toby asked, taking a seat on my left.
"I can't for another two hours. It's time for the feast anyway, I'm not planning on moving." I grinned.
"You look breathtaking." He exhaled, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
"I'm still here, under all this." I shrugged.
"I saw you walk down that aisle, and I can't wait to see you wear white."
My mouth fell open as he smirked and turned to talk to Keagan.
After a magnificent feast, the crowd slowly went quiet, and more and more faces turned in our direction. It was the moment I had been dreading. A hundred people; men, women and children, watched my movements as I gripped the sides of my chair. Toby's hand twitched, but I shook my head. I had to do this.
I took the crutches that had been placed against the back wall and made my way to the wooden plinth where my speech lay, rewritten and scribbled out time and time again until I couldn't bear to look at it anymore. Words I had tried to convey that I could be trusted to protect them, to lead these poor souls that were just as lost as I had been. I wasn't sure they were enough.
I shuffled the papers with one hand unnecessarily, and took a deep breath, closing my eyes against the beautifully decorated ballroom, painstakingly restored to its former glory by a legion of talented wolves and humans alike.
Even the plinth I so anxiously gripped was original. Keagan had spent most of yesterday polishing it to a high shine, and it was as I focused on my speech I noticed dents in the wood, faint, but clearly imprints of nervous Alphas past. They were panned out too far for me to match with my own hands, so were clearly visible and inch or so above my shaking digits.
How many stood in this very spot, shaking before their pack, before I had? Thirty-Four men had ruled the Snowdonia pack lands before I was even born, did I have the right to stand in their shadows?
I felt a warm hand against my waist, anchoring me to the Earth. Toby stood to my left, closer than he had at my naming ceremony, but not too close as a mate's position, not yet.
There was a glint at the table to my right, and I saw my siblings, clean and happy, though clearly as nervous as I was. The tiny redhead, who we'd called Freya, had been spinning a fork around, noticed Sienna's tiny head shake, and let it clatter to the table, a blush spreading across her cheeks.
That small action brought a smile to my face, and I met Sienna's eyes briefly, and she gave me her own in return. It gave me the strength to speak out.
"First of all, I want to give my most sincere thanks to the Ostwall pack, without whom I wouldn't be standing here today. Samuel Warren leads his pack with the strength and grace I wish to replicate here. I promise you this, Uncle, you will always have allies here should you need them."
I met his eyes from his seat next to his wife, and he nodded solemnly, his eyes shining for the briefest moment.
"My warriors three, including my mate, will forever be thanked for their blind respect and faith in me, even at times where I didn't deserve it. You rescued hundreds, and you cemented your places as warriors in your very first battle. I can never repay you."
I looked back and smiled at my friends, Toby looking down, trying hard not to smile.
"For most of you here, this is the first ceremony that you have attended. Through no fault of your own, you have lived very sheltered lives, but this does not mean that you are weak. You have endured...terrible hardship at the hands of someone who was supposed to care for you, and he twisted the nature of the wolf to support his own vile needs."
I paused, looking down at my speech again, trying not to lose track. I didn't want to miss a single line. It was all so very important.
"My Father, If I could even call him that, turned his back on Luna, his people, and his very children so that he could lead. He hurt every single one of us here, and some who are no longer with is paid the ultimate price for his cruelty.
"Should I have done what I did? The answer is still unclear. His damage runs deep within me, and it has for eighteen years. I was foolish, and ran to him without a second thought, putting the pack in danger, and needing another pack's help to rescue me. These...injuries...I will gladly bear with a smile, because I deserve them. They serve as penance for my stupidity, and I will learn from them."
Toby's fingers twitched against my back, but he remained silent.
"I guess this is not the uplifting start to a speech you are all expecting, but I wanted to admit my mistakes. Mistakes, however big or small, are more important than the victories. You can learn from them, run from them, or change your whole perspective on life from a simple mistake, like missing a bus...to walking down an alleyway on the night of a full moon.
"The day this pack was re-established, I promised I would never let it die. We rebuilt this place together, as a monument to those that had to flee, and to show those who dared stand against us that we would not surrender to their archaic ways just so we weren't alone. You were taken by force, but I will never hold you here. Should you wish, I'd let my Uncle take you all back with him.
"But if you do make the choice to stay, I promise, with every fibre of my being, that you will be safe. I am the thirty-fifth generation Alpha, it was written by Luna herself. I was able to channel the power of a Goddess and ensure your tyrant leader did not harm another child. My faith saw her put her trust in me, and I hope in time I will show you all the same."
"Now, I know the next few years will be...bumpy to say the least. Most Alpha's train for years before they can take their place as leader, but we know why that can't happen. We will learn together, to bond as a pack the way it should be. It's a learning curve for all of us, and it will bring us that much closer as a people."
"Now, it's time to truly start the party, and I give you now to my mate, Toby White, and I thank you all for listening."
I wasn't expecting it, so I blushed deeply when the crowds began cheering, the silent room bursting with noise. Rowan helped me to my chair, and I noticed Toby hadn't given his toast. He was watching me, waiting until I was comfortable.
He smirked at me, and then turned to face the crowd, holding up his glass. There was a horrible sound as a hundred people scraped back their chairs at the same time. Everyone was on their feet, from the toddlers to the seasoned warriors who swore their allegiance. I watched my mate through a sea of people, swelling with pride as he spoke in a proud and clear voice of a leader.
"To our Alpha, Branwen Elizabeth Warren, long may she lead us!"