I’m in the woods outside my packhouse, except it doesn’t seem quite right. It's quiet, and it's never quiet. As I stand and look around I quickly realize that no one seems to be here. I don’t see anyone else, I don’t hear any sounds… there’s not even a scent to follow. I look around, beginning to feel afraid and walk around to the back of the large white house to see if I can find anyone there. It’s so incredibly dark, the area lit only by the full moon and stars shining in the sky.
The old wooden swing that I’ve always loved so much is still behind the house under the large tree and, to my surprise, I find a brown wolf sitting next to it.
“Hi, Celeste,” the wolf tells me, tilting her head to the side.
“Willow?” I ask, realization hitting me that it IS my wolf. “Where are we?”
“We’re in your mind, in your dreams,” she tells me as I sit on the swing. “I haven’t been strong enough to contact you since we shifted, but I have been watching.”
Her words make me nervous. I’ve been wanting her to tell me what to do, but she hasn’t been able to. “Are you upset?”
“Why would I be upset? You’re just doing what you must to survive.”
“Do you think we’re safe? Can we trust this Alpha?”
“Yes, I think we can trust him. He seems ambitious, though, so we must be cautious.”
Ambitious? I hadn’t really thought that from our conversations and I feel confused at this warning. I won’t ignore it, though. Wolves always see things more clearly than humans.
“Willow, can I shift again? Or was it just to save us, and we’ll shift again when I’m older.”
“Unfortunately, you are now a shifted werewolf. You now have the ability to shift whenever you like. You’ll begin to grow stronger and your senses will continue to heighten. But it also means that you’ll recognize your mate when you meet them. We must hope that the Alpha is true to his word. You’re too young to leave with your mate. He may need to protect you.”
“We’re joining the pack tonight, Willow. Are you alright with that?”
“Yes. It’s the best option. I have a feeling that the Alpha needs you more than you need him. He’s unsure of himself. He needs you to help him, to encourage him.”
We don’t say anything else for a while, just sitting in companionable silence staring up at the stars.
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I awake in my new bed, yawning and stretching.
Willow?
I’m here now.
Can we shift tonight? Are you strong enough?
Yes, but I do not believe it is necessary for the ceremony.
I feel relieved knowing that. I knew I wouldn’t need to shift, but I feel better knowing that I can should anything happen again.
I get up and begin to get ready, pulling on a pair of jeans and a long sleeved top. The pack is already out for the run tonight as they do every full moon. I glance outside the window, the moon shining its radiant light upon the wolves running outside enjoying this time together. It makes me miss home a bit as I’ll never have a time with them, even those who survived the attack.
I take a deep breath and begin my walk downstairs and to the edge of the woods to meet David where he had instructed me to wait for him.
This is it. Time to join our new pack.
As I approach the woods, I find a large, dark wolf standing at the edge of the woods waiting for me. I recognize the smell as David and follow him into the woods. We walk for quite a ways until we reach a clearing alongside a babbling creek. There's a gentle, calming breeze that makes me inhale deeply, breathing in the very essence of the packlands. We’re surrounded by so many trees that are so tall and large and I realize that this land is very, very old. I take another deep breath, inhaling the cool air and it surrounds me, comforting me and silently offering thanks to the land for letting me be there.
I look down and realize David’s wolf has disappeared, most likely to shift to his human form and decide to take a seat on the bank of the water while I wait for him. My brother, Ryan, loved the water on our packlands. I wonder how he would feel about the arrangement I’ve made with David. Would he be upset?
“You look sad,” David says, walking out from behind a tree, wearing a pair of shorts on. “Are you having second thoughts?”
I shake my head at him and wipe away the tear that had escaped. “No. I’m just missing my brother. Ryan would have loved it here.”
“It’s my favorite spot in our territory,” he tells me, sitting next to me and placing his toes in the water. “I don’t think anyone else really comes here. I wanted to share it with you, though, Celeste. You’ll be Luna in a bit, and you deserve to become so in the best place we have.”
“Thank you.”
“Of course. I didn’t get much time with my mate, but my mother raised me to treat my Luna properly. I have to admit to you, I’m very nervous.”
“I am, too,” I tell him honestly, feeling a bit guilty that I do.
“I’m only 19. I hadn’t even finished all my training when my parents died. I’m glad you’re here, truly, but I feel like we’re two kids just trying to figure out how to run a pack.”
His honesty makes me giggle and he looks at me, tilting his head in question. “David, we ARE two kids trying to figure out how to run a pack. I’m only here because I’m desperate to be protected, and you’re only letting me stay because you’re desperate for help.”
“Well, desperation breeds success. I hope.”
I smile at his words. Truly, I hope he’s right. Knowing that he’s so nervous about this puts me at ease a bit. I tilt my head back and look up at the stars, feeling more calm than I have all day.
“Ready?” he asks me and I nod, breaking away from the view to look at him.
“Just tell me what to do.”
He pulls his feet out of the water and turns to me, lifting a small bag from next to him and pulling out a few items. There’s a small knife on the ground and he unwraps a crystal goblet from protective wrapping and gently places it on the ground. I turn to face him and sit with my legs crossed, taking a deep breath. These items are clearly very old, and very treasured.
“The knife is silver and it will hurt more than other cuts, but the cut needs to stay open. Do you think your wolf is strong enough to heal you?”
I am.
I smile at hearing Willow. “She says she is.”
He looks up at me quizzically. “She’s back already?” he asks and I nod. “She’s so strong. There are two different ceremonies- one to bring you into the pack, and then another making you Luna.”
“Why don’t Alpha’s have to do this when they mark their mates?” I ask.
“They don’t have to swear to the pack, but the blood exchange happens with the mark.”
“Oh,” I say, suddenly feeling intimidated by the situation. It makes sense though. No one looks at their mate and decides to just pick a different person to be Luna. This is an arrangement formed from necessity.
“Are you ready?” he asks and I nod. He reaches out his strong hand and I timidly place mine in his. “It’s going to hurt, but just for a moment. I’m sure your wolf will heal you quickly.” He places the blade across my palm and pushes down. I feel the sharp sting as the silver sinks into my skin and then the burning from the silver. I’ve never seen actual silver, it’s not something brought into a werewolf pack. I can’t help but stare at the blade as the blood comes up and begins to pool, dancing across the shimmering silver. It would be beautiful if it weren’t for the excruciating pain in my hand. He pulls the blade across my hand and, once removed, he lifts my hand over the crystal goblet, letting a bit of my blood flow into it.
He grabs a cloth and wraps it tightly around my palm, tying it off tightly before he repeats his movements on his own hand, adding his own blood to the goblet, letting it meld with mine until it is mixed as one. He moves to wrap his own hand but I gently place my hands on his, taking it from him and wrapping it carefully for him.
“Thanks,” he says sheepishly and reaches over to the bag, pulling out a piece of paper. “Sorry. I was worried I would miss something important so I wrote it down.”
I smile at him. In the moon, and with his embarrassed face, he looks so young, almost as young as me.
“I, Alpha David Mingan, bring Celeste Raulin into the Pink Moon Pack of her own free will. As Alpha, I vow to protect and to care for her as if she were born into this pack. This blood bond will tie her to the pack as a family. It is spoken.”
He lifts the goblet and swirls it around before lifting it to his lips and drinking from it.
“Now you have to finish it,” he says and brings it to my lips.
I place my hand over his, and he tilts it back, helping me to drink it. The warm metallic liquid makes me grimace as it hits my tongue, but I swallow it down. He pulls the goblet down and places it back on the ground.
“Don’t I have to make a vow?” I ask.
He shakes his head at me. Welcome to the Pink Moon Pack, Celeste.
I smile at him and suddenly feel the overwhelming feeling of family. I realize now that the feeling had left me when my father had died. I thought it was grief from his death, but it was the loss of the bond with my pack being severed. This realization, coupled with the feeling of warmth of a family around me, causes me to take a deep breath as I try to hold back tears at the unexpected feeling of not being alone.
The pack must have felt it, too, because the woods are filled with the sound of wolves howling, accepting me into their pack.
Aksara