The Ritual

Smoke rose to the sky as the bonfire crackled and was continually fed by sticks and dry leaves. 

A small circle of unmated wolves gathered around the fire. The tall canopy of trees that surrounded them swayed lightly to the cool breeze that whistled once in a while. 

Three of the council of seven stood in the dark, watching, observing, and had no intention to meddle unless it was necessary. 

In the middle of the circle, Esmeralda Samael stood reverently, taking note of the faces of the young wolves in their pack. She also noticed how her daughter was yet to present herself in the crowd. 

But as midnight approached, Esmeralda knew she had to begin the ritual with or without Jordane. 

Jordane had recently turned nineteen. 

Esmeralda remembered her youth. She was mated when she was sixteen and had her firstborn that year.

A little while later, a soft rustling echoed from the right side of the forest. Esmeralda subtly turned in that direction and saw Livvy join the circle with Jordane in tow.

Satisfied to have Jordane at the ritual, the Luna of the Eastern Werewolf Pack cleared her throat and addressed the wolves.

“My dear wolves,” Esmeralda pointedly looked at her daughter. Jordane locked gazes with her mother, hiding her scowl. “This is the golden hour, an opportunity you must seize. Finding your mate is an honor, a privilege, and a blessing from the moon goddess herself.”

Esmeralda paused. She let her words linger, wanting everyone who came to the ritual to understand how important this was to them and their community. 

“May the moon goddess bless each of you and open your minds and hearts. Finding a mate is more than just a soul-to-soul connection. Your mate will be your best friend and partner for the rest of your life. I hope you understand that. We do not tolerate anyone abusing one’s mate, nor would we want any form of violence against our fellow wolves. I hope you understand that too.”

To her right, a confident lad with colorful hair turned to Jordane. He purposely inched closer, brushing her shoulder with the soft fabric of his white shirt.

“Is your mother going to bore us out with her speech?” the fellow whispered.

“Piss off, Dave,” Livvy hissed, shooing Dave away. The latter gave Livvy the finger before crawling back to his spot. 

Livvy rolled her eyes. 

“Don’t mind him. He’s frustrated because Tati, the girl he has liked since birth, was mated last year. Now she was expecting her second child.”

“How young are they?” Jordane asked, tuning out her mother’s rant about the importance of the mating ritual. She heard half of it when she sermons Jordane for not attending the last two rituals after she became eligible to go.

Sixteen was the ripened age for the young wolves. The earlier they find their mate, the better for their community as it ushers the continual growth in numbers to the pack.

“Tati is now seventeen. Her mate, Renald, is twenty. I heard they were going to get married once Tati reached eighteen. As for Dave, he is nineteen now.”

Jordane pursed her lips. 

“What if it’s you and Dave, Liv? Would you still be excited to rip the bedsheets with him?”

Livvy snorted. 

“If he and I were supposed to be mated, that would have already happened a few years ago.”

For the first time since she woke up for tonight, Jordane chuckled. She nudged Livvy’s shoulders playfully.

“But you know, Liv, this is just a theoretical question,” Jordane whispered, lowering her voice to limit their audience. 

“Go on.”

“Can you imagine me cradling a babe at any age?”

Livvy pursed her lips.

“To be honest,” she leaned closer to Jordane. “No offense intended and no pun, too,” she paused, choosing her next words carefully. 

“No. I can’t picture you with a baby. I can’t imagine you screaming bloody murder while pushing to get the babe out of your body. But if you happen to do so, you would go like this: Livvy! Who told you this was easy?! I’m going to kill you!”

Livvy clicked her tongue.

“You’d be cursing me to death.”

Jordane clamped her mouth, stifling the laughter from bursting out of her lips. Her mother will never let her live it down if she disrupts her speech.

Livvy nudged Jordane, smirking and wriggling her brows at her friend, knowing all too well how she was holding her mirth in check.

Jordane nudged Livvy’s shoulder back. They were both fighting not to laugh out loud and receive her mother’s wrath later on. 

They were about to resort to tickling when Esmeralda clapped her hands, forcing the two to sit upright and pretend they had been attentive this whole time.

“Now,” Esmeralda chirped, her tone shifting to being melodious. “When you find your mate, you’ll know it. Your soul knows it. Your heart knows it. The pull of attraction, the powerlessness against their will. You’ll understand what I mean when you feel it.”

“The magic,” Livvy snickered beside Jordane; the latter had to clear her throat and fought to keep a straight face. 

The fire crackled as more sticks were thrown into it. The sparks flew toward the sky. 

“May the moon goddess be with each of you tonight! Let the mating ritual begin!”

“Awoo!” several howls were heard as the gathered wolves slowly got to their feet. 

“No law states we can only sleep with our mate, right?” Livvy whispered in Jordane’s ears. 

Jordane shrugged.

“I haven’t heard of it.”

“Good,” Livvy murmured. 

Shaking her head in disbelief, Jordane squeezed her friend’s hand lightly before pressing her lips to her ears.

“Do you plan to get laid tonight?”

Livvy chuckled, her silent laughter reverberating in their small corner. 

“You should get laid, Jadie,” Livvy whispered back. “At least if we don’t find our mate, we still have fun and gain experience.”

Jordane felt her cheeks flush.

“Come on!” Livvy tugged on Jordane’s hand. However, the latter stood frozen in place.

She was gazing at the darkness that stretched beyond the trees in front of her. It must have been a trick of her mind, but Jordane’s insides began to turn mushy.

Jordane pulled her hand free without saying anything to Livvy and took several steps backwards. 

“Jadie?” Livvy tried to get her attention. But all Jordane could see and hear was the man’s scarred face and maniacal laughter.

“I’m sorry, Liv.”

Jordane stepped further away from Livvy, tracing the path they used to get to the gathering in the middle of the forest close to their territory. 

“I need to go,” Jordane whispered, pumping her legs before finally breaking into a run and disappearing into the darkness.