Chapter 3 : A Mating Ceremony

*Arealla*

I was shown to a room almost immediately. The wolf that took me introduced herself, but I forgot her name almost as soon as she said it.

The only thing I could think about was Marcus. And his burning red eyes.

He had been controlling Jason. That was the only answer. He had forced Jason to say all of those things.

'But why would he?' a part of me questioned.

It was true, he had no reason to do that. Why would Marcus want me, a human girl? Why would he force me away from Jason? It had to be the truth. And a part of me knew that it was, deep down inside.

But I didn't want to accept what had happened. I didn't want to accept that this was my life now, and what I had to deal with.

The wolf left me alone in the room, and it was clear that I was taken to a room that already belonged to someone.

Before I even had a chance to look around, or look at the room properly, the door opened again.

And Marcus strode through it.

"Tomorrow is the mating ceremony," Marcus said, his voice cold. "There will be a few wolves that will come and assist you to get ready."

I bit my tongue. I wouldn't be able to hold it for very long, but I wanted to be sure that I spoke from a place of logic, not emotion. The last thing I wanted was him to call me irrational.

So I took a moment to breathe, to catch my breath, before I spoke to him.

"Are you insane?!" I demanded. Apparently, I wasn't as in control of myself as I had thought. "How can we get married tomorrow? I just got here a few hours ago."

It hadn't even been a day since we met. He had to see how this was nothing less than pure insanity.

Marcus snarled, his canines lengthening and his eyes turned bright, shining red.

I stepped back without really meaning to. I didn't want to be afraid of him, but as my heart hammered in my chest, there was little I could do to control that. He was a monster, and I was nothing more than a human girl.

"It's a mating ceremony," he snarled at me. "Not a wedding. There is a difference. This isn't something banal and foolish we do just to make us happy. The Moon Goddess has guided us to this; she will be honored."

There was some contrition in his voice. But what would he have to be penitent about? He didn't sound very happy with the situation. Which was insane–he had done this. If he wasn't happy, he could just undo it.

Jason had explained finding a true mate very differently to me. Though, he had also lied to me and didn't even seem all that interested in even fighting for me. So I doubted what kind of power his words had at this point.

I wanted nothing more than to just leave. But even if I did, where would I go?

Then, a thought occurred to me. Why couldn't I just leave? Why hadn't I left before? Sure, I had nowhere to go, but anywhere had to be better than here. These were wolf shifters, something like werewolves, the monsters in every story. If I wasn't safe with my stepfather and in my house with humans around me, what would make me safer here?

"You know what," I said, my heart still hammering as I held my chin high. "I'm not staying here. I'm not going through with your stupid mating ceremony. I am leaving. As soon as the sun rises, I'm gone."

I sounded a whole lot braver than I actually felt. But there was nothing else to it. I couldn't just make my fears go away, and I couldn't exactly just stay here.

But before I could even move, Marcus rushed at me quickly. He stopped just shy of my face, and he didn't touch me. But his eyes were livid.

"If you ever disrespect the Moon Goddess again," he whispered, low and deadly. "I promise you, there will be consequences."

I swallowed hard and stepped back. But my back hit a hard wall, and I touched the surface behind me. Before I could move, Marcus' arms came up to the side of my face, trapping me in.

"I don't enjoy this any more than you do," he told me, the threat dropped a little from his voice. "But this is what the Moon Goddess, in her wisdom, has decided for us. For this pack. And we have to obey."

He was insane. It was the only explanation for all of this.

"I don't believe in the Moon Goddess," I told him simply. I didn't want to offend him, especially not like this. But I wanted him to understand that this was all gibberish to me. I wasn't a wolf shifter; this wasn't who I was. I had nothing to do with their faith and I wanted nothing to do with it.

"Your belief doesn't determine reality," Marcus snapped.

And then, without waiting for a single word, he turned and left, slamming the door shut behind him.

I wasn't sure how long I'd stared at the shut door before I finally turned away from it and to the rest of the room. I didn't have the energy to do anything other than just collapse on the bed.

The tears came of their own accord, and I fell asleep still crying.

***

The next morning, I was wearing the most beautiful white dress I had ever seen. The lace was intricate, and it covered all over my arms. It was soft as petals over my skin, and it was clear that hours of labor went into creating it.

I couldn't hate it more.

I was a prisoner here. There wasn't anything else that I could do about it. There were literally wolves bigger than bears patrolling the area, creatures that ran faster than anything else imaginable.

There was no way for me to escape.

I wanted to tear at the lace that covered me. But there was no doubt in my mind that I would have to face severe consequences if I did that.

Marcus was an Alpha that looked like he had very little patience for insubordination.

Especially not from his mate.

I sighed. My dark brown hair had been styled into loose, soft curls that hung all over my face. I hadn't asked any questions as the wolves worked on me. I had woken up to them in my room, and everything had just gone from there.

The whole preparation took several hours. I was bathed, perfumed, and prepared. I would even say that I was groomed to look someone specific. When I realized it was beginning to get dark I stood ready in my gown as someone came to walk me to the place where I would give my life to Marcus.

"My name is Liana," the wolf said gently.

She was the same wolf that had brought me to my room; she must have seen that I had been in no mood to remember names then.

Truth be told, I still wasn't.

"I'm going to escort you all the way to the path leading to the altar," she told me softly. "And the last part you will have to walk on your own. Marcus will be watching."

The last part was as great a threat as it was possible to get. I wasn't going to run away. I wasn't that stupid.

We then left the room, with me leaning on her arm a little for support. I was tired, but more than anything, I just wanted this whole thing over with.

We walked out into the open courtyard, and I saw that the entire place had been transformed for the event. There were altars and garlands of flowers, and in another time, I would have thought that this was the most beautiful place to be, and it was perfect for a wedding… or a mating ceremony, I suppose.

There were wolves scattered everywhere, and Liana pointed them out to me as we walked. Marcus stood at the end of the path by the altar, and behind him were a group of wolves that looked almost ancient.

"These are the Elders of our pack," Liana told me. "And she is the Eldest; she will oversee the mating ceremony. She speaks for the Moon Goddess in our pack. It is just the way of everything."

There were too many laws for me to memorize. And I was not in a giving mood tonight. If they thought that they were going to get me to exchange some kind of vows with Marcus, they were truly insane. Though they probably already were insane just for thinking that any of this would be alright with me.

Soon, we reached the end of the space that Liana would walk me. And I had to walk the rest on my own.

I didn't even hesitate. I went straight to Marcus. I knew that anything less right now would probably mean my death.

The Elder waited until I was right before them, perfectly in line with Marcus. And then she began to speak.

"It has been a long time since we welcomed a human into our pack," the Elder spoke. "I remember when I was living, when I was young. So many of them are gone now. Almost all of them. But we are still here. We are what remains. And our memory is long. A human favored by the Moon Goddess is truly something else."

I listened to her speak with rapture. Could she be speaking truthfully? In all my time in the pack so far, I had not once felt like I was welcomed.

"The Moon Goddess knows what we do not," the elder said again, her voice softer and louder at the same time. "So now, we will continue with this mating ceremony, exactly as she willed it. And in time, the mysteries of her wisdom will become known to all of us."

The Elder murmured something else, something too low for me to hear. But someone on her right passed her a piece of cloth, pure white. She stepped closer to me, and wrapped the cloth around my left hand, weaving it between my fingers. My hand flexed around the material on instinct.

And the white cloth shone brilliantly in the moonlight.

Then she wrapped the other end over Marcus' hand, tying it just the same. Even I could admit that it was a little fascinating to watch. And the cloth felt incredibly soft against my skin.

I would still refuse to say any vows, though.

"The Moon Goddess binds you," she murmured. "She is absolute in her decisions. She is wise in all she does. From this moment on, you are not merely Alpha and Luna. From this moment, you are one."

The ceremony was more beautiful than anything I had ever seen, let alone been a part of. But now it only meant one thing absolutely.

I was trapped here with these wolves forever.