Rosalie rushed out of the Alpha's suite with a hammering heart. She looked down at her feet; tears were pooling in her eyes. She shook her head to dispel the treacherous tears and hurried towards the circle. The crowd and the excitement would make her feel better. It was midnight, and the ceremony was about to start. Rosalie ran towards the circle to claim her position. The mating ceremony was usually not conducted for lower-ranking wolves. It was done only for Alphas and a few other high-ranking wolves. When we say mating, it means mating. The couple would mate and bite each other in the presence of witnesses, the pack, the elders, and the Holy Moon. Nudity or public sex were not a problem for them. They were part animals. However, they did not go around prancing naked all the time. It is just that wolves have a higher tolerance for these things compared to humans. By midnight, the atmosphere had grown more intense and heated. Rosalie reached the group of unmated betas and found Melissa. She did not look happy.
"What happened to you?" Rosalie asked Melissa.
"I hate her," Melissa whispered under her breath.
"Who?"
"Grace, of course! I had the misfortune of being one of her 'hand maidens' for dressing her up. She is so full of herself," Melissa grumbled.
"That's charming. Chris would be thrilled!" Rosalie said it sarcastically. She did not care. Rosalie was not interested in getting involved in petty drama.
"You didn't realise that she was going to be our Luna, which means we could be chosen as her stand-in betas! Do you know what it means? She can order us around. Trust me, you won't like that."
Damm! Rosalie had not thought of that possibility. When Grace became the new Luna, she would require a backup of female betas. There were a few young female betas among the senior ranks. There was a high probability that Rosalie would end up serving Grace. She wrinkled her nose at the thought. How would she work for Grace? What if her wolf lost control and challenged Grace? The prospect was not very heartening.
"Shhh, the ceremony is about to start; let's take our position," Rosalie whispered to Melissa.
The pack was assembled around the circle. There was a raised, flat boulder in the middle of the mating, like a stage. The unmated betas stood around that stage. The rest of the pack stood around them. After the Alpha's ceremony, all the mated wolves would follow them into the forest for the pack run. They formed the core witnesses to this union. Rosalie kept her eyes low, refusing to look at Chris and Grace as they walked towards the platform. Both were dressed in ceremonial gold robes. Rosalie did not meet his eyes when Chris looked at her.
They climbed on the stage, and it was then that Rosalie looked at them as a couple. Grace was looking more beautiful than she remembered. Her golden hair fell to her waist like a waterfall. A wreath of seasonal flowers adorned her head like a crown. Her golden robe shimmered around her curves as she moved. She was not wearing anything under it, just like Chris. She looked like a fairy princess. Rosalie stamped her pang of jealousy and looked straight.
An ancient-looking man walked up the platform and read the sacred words.
"May the moon whisper her blessing tonight; may the power of the night be with us; let the union be the start of a new life together, a love to spread, a power to hold..." he paused, instructing with his hand, "May Luna bless us."
Cheers and growls erupted around the circle. The mates opened their robes and shifted into their wolf forms. Rosalie froze as Chris opened his robe, revealing his naked body. He transformed into a big silvery wolf, and Grace turned into her brown wolf. Half of the people around the circle were now transformed into different-sized wolves. Rosalie swallowed a lump. This was it. The dreaded moment when she would lose her mate forever.
The ancient man looked up. His hands spread open. "With the power vested in me by The Council, I witness thee as mates for eternity, The Silver Moon Alpha, Christopher Reynolds, and. Hanlon Alpha's daughter, Grace Anderson, to announce to thee, with the holy power within me, the power of the wolves, that there are soul mates for eternity."
Rosalie closed her eyes as her wolf howled in agony. She could feel the bond breaking. Her heart hurt, and she instinctively put her hands on her chest. She looked away and met Alex's steely gaze. He was standing across in the first row. He smiled. She tried to look away, but she could not. It was like he had held her gaze, and the pain in her chest ebbed. His stubborn gaze had somehow reduced her pain.
Instincts overruled the wolves. In their wolf form, they were more inhibited. Chris growled as Grace beckoned him, teasing him to conquer and claim her. Melissa felt her pain and held Rosalie's hand. "Be strong," she whispered.
Chris was now mounting on Grace, his forepaws on her hips; his hairy body almost overshadowed her as he speared her gently. He howled in victory as he pumped in and out. The brown wolf moaned, a mixture of pain and pleasure rising in her voice. They howled as the rest of the pack howled. The circle was filled to its brim with howling. The couple was now snapping their sharp teeth at each other's necks, marking them. They slumped, tired, and sat, snuggling on the stage. The rest of the pack was ready for the run.
The mate bond was broken. Rosalie felt it snapping, but it did not hurt anymore. Why was it so? Her gaze remained locked with Alex. There was a glint in his eyes—a mischievous, knowing glance as he smiled at her. She could not blame him. The air was full of sensual energy as the moon shone brightly over the crowd.
"Are you going for the run today?" Melissa asked.
"No! Mum would kill me," Rosalie replied.
Although unmated wolves could hook up, Rosalie's mother was strict.
She watched as Chris stood up and shook his silvery body.
"The pack run will begin now," Chris said through the mental link. Grace ran into the forest, followed by the females. Without giving Rosalie another look, Chris and the other males followed them. The forest soon rang out with the sounds of howls and rutting. Everyone was happy, but Rosalie felt empty. She was not sad anymore. She was just empty.