Kieran POV
I don't think I have ever been this nervous in my life. When I met my first mate, Elise, I never imagined her as the Luna of a pack. She wasn't the type. She was cold and heartless, not the type to be a Luna. But then again, I wasn't the Alpha type at the time either.
Pack members are starting to take their seats. More members are showing up than I expected. I assume it is because the rumors of her saving Raven's mates have spread. No one would dare deny her position of Luna after what she has done and sacrificed for the pack and the werewolf community.
I try not to fidget as I stand in front of the pack. All of their eyes are on me. Normally, the crowd would be whispering to each other while they wait for the ceremony to start, but it is silent. Everyone is eagerly waiting for me to begin.
Glancing down the aisle, I see my mother and fathers waiting to be seated. I nod to the band, and they begin playing music. My mother glides down the aisle with my fathers at her side. Once again, they have dressed to match. My mother is in a light blue gown that shimmers in the moonlight. She has always been a vision of beauty and doesn't look a day over twenty.
She and my fathers take their seats and the music shifts. I turn my gaze back to the end of the aisle and see Raven and her mates coming down the aisle. She is wearing her signature color. A blood-red ball gown with matching lipstick. Unlike my fathers, Leo and Oliver are dressed completely different.
Leo is dressed as casually as Raven would let him, I am sure. He is only in a button-up and a nice pair of jeans. Oliver, on the other hand, is in his best suit. Looking at them both, you would never know that they were very near death just a few days ago.
I watch them take their seats until the music changes once again. I know Mae will be at the end of the aisle when I look. My palms are beginning to sweat, and I feel like I might vomit.
What if she turns and runs the other way? What if she decides that she doesn't want to be Luna of this pack? So many things could go wrong at this moment and all the scenarios are running through my mind.
Father clears his throat loudly over the music, and I look in his direction. He nods toward the end of the aisle, and I finally look up.
What I see at the end walking toward me takes my breath away. Mae is walking toward me in a gown that only Raven could have picked out. She sparkles like a star in the night sky. I was worried when I saw Raven in her red dress that she would outshine Mae. Now that I see Mae, I don't think anyone could ever outshine her.
The closer she gets to me, the more I realize that she is the very air that I breathe. Without her in my life, I don't want to live.
Before I can stop myself, my feet are guiding me down the stairs of the stage. I rush to Mae, and she pauses in the middle of the aisle. I barely notice her mother standing beside her.
Mae's cheeks burn bright red as she looks at me.
"You look amazing," I whisper.
"So do you," she whispers back.
Her eyes are darting around the crowd. Everyone is watching us, but I don't care. I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her close to me. Narah takes a step back and disappears into the crowd.
It is as if no one else is there. It is just Mae and me. Leaning down, I press my lips to hers. She gasps in protest at the public display of affection. Much to her dismay, I use her surprise to my advantage, slipping my tongue into her mouth.
She tastes of lavender and mint, and I cannot get enough. I dip her low, and she grips onto my shoulders to steady herself. Deepening the kiss, I can hear the cheers from the crowd around us.
I stand Mae back on her feet and; her face is redder than it was before. Her lips are swollen from the kiss, and her eyes are dazed.
I give her a moment to calm her nerves before I try to guide her to the stage. She hides her mouth with her hand and leans into me. "I don't think this is how the Luna Ceremony is supposed to go."
"I don't care," I whisper back to her.
She keeps her eyes glued to the ground. I can feel her embarrassment through the bond, and I instantly regret what I did. I couldn't keep myself from Mae, but she had been drilled by my mother and Raven over proper protocols for the past twenty-four hours.
I glance over at Mae's face, and tears are pooling in her eyes. I fucked up.
Looking over my shoulder at my mother; her lips are pressed into a hard line. She clearly isn't happy with my decision either, but my sister is beaming with pride. If the Luna Queen is okay with my actions then so am I.
Always knowing exactly what I need, Raven gets to her feet and whistles between her fingers. Leo and Oliver join her celebration, whooping and cheering as well.
Mae's face turns from red to purple as she holds her breath, but that doesn't stop the North Pack members. Before I know what is happening, everyone is on their feet, cheering for Mae. My Dad and Papa have even joined in the celebration. Mom and Father remain silent, but they are on their feet with everyone else.
Suddenly, the sound of someone tapping on a microphone hushes the crowd. Mae's eyes are wide with shock as she looks at the stage. I turn my eyes in that direction and see Narah standing where I should be, and I can tell by the look in her eyes that she is not lucid.
Mae tries to scramble onto the stage, but her legs get caught up in her dress. By the time she reaches Narah, it is too late. She is ready to speak.
Narah holds out her hand, and Mae gently places hers inside. "Come with me, Mom," she begs her mother quietly.
"I have something to say," Narah protests.
"Now isn't the time," Mae begs.
"A time of peace and prosperity is upon us," Narah begins anyway. "Children will be born and raised only knowing war from the stories told by their elders. Hunters will disappear into the darkness, and we will be safe."
Narah holds out the microphone for Mae to take before she walks off the stage. She places a kiss on my cheek before she leans closer to my ear. "A dark child will be born," she whispers into my ear. "A creature that hasn't been seen on this earth in centuries. Raise him right."
I am left stunned, so much so that I don't see Narah disappear from the Luna Ceremony altogether.
'Our mate is waiting,' Karr breaks me from my thoughts.
Inhaling deeply, I make my way up onto the stage and take the microphone from Mae. I try to offer her a comforting smile, but I can tell that she is wondering what her mother told me. But that is a story for another time.
"Do you, Mae, promise to uphold the laws and traditions of the North Pack and protect the member as their Luna?"
Mae takes a deep breath. "I do."