Chapter Thirty-Six

Regan’s POV

It was the day of my mating ceremony and I had been informed that Luke had disappeared with my mate to be for a while.

Of course I knew it was due to her training sessions but other than Nana and Lena, no one else had any knowledge about that.

I had noticed that Jasmine and Luke had grown closer.

It was clear as day to see.

Luke had even gone as far as calling her by a new name he had coined from her name.

I had known him all his life and had yet to get the same treatment.

It caused Rage to growl in jealousy each time we heard him call her ‘Jazzie’. Partly because we had not thought to do something like that, but also because it showed just how close they had become.

However, seeing the smile on Jasmine’s face each time Luke called her that was enough to make me endure the annoyance and jealousy it brought.

I was anxious for some reason.

One reason if I was being honest.

And that reason was simple.

‘What if Jasmine changed her mind?’

That thought had been on my mind all day.

What if she decided that she could not become my mate after all?

I had kept myself busy with some last minute work during the day, and as night came and the full moon lit the night sky, I made my way to the house to get dressed.

It was almost time for the ceremony.

I had avoided leaving my study all day since it was custom that the male was not to see the female until during the ceremony.

I mind linked Nana to let her know I was on my way to the house and waited until she replied that I was free to come, before going back to the house.

After taking my bath, I started to put on my ceremonial clothes when I caught Luke’s scent before hearing a knock on my door.

Knowing he would not wait for a reply, I was not surprised in the least when he pushed the door to my room open and stepped in, shutting the door behind him.

“I see you are almost ready”, he said, moving to sit on my bed.

“I was asked to assist you in any way that I could”, he reported.

“Then perhaps you can assist me by staying away from my mate”, I told him sourly. “You reek of her scent”, I told him, noting that her scent lingered faintly on him.

“Oh that?” He asked, leaning back on the bed with a smug smile on his face. “I was with her all morning”, he said proudly.

Rage growled in jealousy.

“Are you hoping to get mauled to death?” I asked him with a glare. “Because Rage is very close to slashing that smile from your face”, I warned.

Rather than being afraid, he chuckled.

“You both deserve each other”, he told me. “You will make a perfect match”, he declared.

Despite the fact that his words pleased me, I refused to show it and just looked away from him to continue getting ready.

He sat in silence for a while, simply watching as I took my time to check and cross check my appearance in the reflection glass I had gotten from one of my trips to the West.

“She won’t change her mind”, he said suddenly.

Not even bothering to ask how he had guessed my worry, I simply turned to face him.

“How do you know?” I asked him.

He gave a shrug of his shoulder.

“Well”, he said. “She did not run away from her training session this morning”, he said with a smile.

At my glare, he rolled his eyes and spoke seriously.

“She loves you”, he said, looking uncomfortable at the words even as he spoke them.

I smiled for the first time that day.

“She does?” I asked.

He shot me a glare at wanting to make him repeat it but simply gave a nod of his head.

I laughed at that, feeling a huge weight lift off my shoulders.

Rather than thank him, I moved over to him and pushed him off my bed.

He didn’t fall as I had hoped but simply caught himself before throwing me a glare over his shoulder.

“I will let the ladies know that you are ready”, he told me, moving towards the door.

Rather than choosing to mind link Nana or Lena, I gave him a nod and he left the room.

Unknown to him, his words were a huge comfort to me.

The anxiousness I had felt throughout the day had disappeared and was instantly replaced with excitement at the thought of finally becoming mates with Jasmine.

Leaving it to Luke to announce my readiness, I concluded my dressing and made my way out of my room and towards the pack house, where the ceremony was to be held.

Jasmine’s POV

I was growing more nervous as the time for the ceremony drew near.

Nana had talked me through how the ceremony would take place and what I was expected to do.

That had been the easy part of our discussion.

The hard part had been sitting all flushed as she spoke about the mating process and what I should expect.

It was indeed an uncomfortable conversation and I couldn’t have waited for it to be over.

When she finally finished speaking on it, I had turned pink to my roots and gave an audible sign of relief when Lena, Amy and her mother entered not too long after.

As they dressed me, a healthy chatter filled the room as Nana told us stories about the mating ceremonies she had experienced as a young she-wolf.

We laughed and teased each other and I had even started to forget the awkward conversation I had had earlier with Nana, along with my nerves, when there was a sudden knock on the door.

Probably already knowing who it was from their scent, Lena walked over to the door and opened it to reveal Luke.

She motioned him in and he walked inside, coming to a halt at the sight of me.

His eyebrows lifted in surprise as he took me in.

“What did you all turn her into?“ he asked, eyes wide.

At our looks of confusion, a slow smile appeared on his lips.

“I believe the Moon Goddess will be green with envy at your beauty, Jazzie”, he said, causing all the ladies to laugh, except Lena who simply rolled her eyes.

“I’m here to let you know that our Alpha is ready”, he said.

Nana gave a nod at his announcement and he turned to leave.

“Wait!” I suddenly called out, remembering something Nana had said while talking to me about how the ceremony would unfold.

At my call, he came to a halt and turned around to face me with a questioning look.

“Well”, I said and rose from where I sat on a chair. “Nana told me that it is custom for a male member of the female’s family to walk her and hand her over to her mate”, I said as I made my way over to him and stopped before him .

He simply looked at me in silence, waiting for me to continue.

“Since I do not have anyone else”, I continued. “I hoped you would do me the honor?” I asked.

He was silent for a short moment as we all waited for his answer.

“So”, he finally said. “ I am your last resort?” He asked, looking offended.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Nana and Lena roll their eyes.

My face broke into a smile at his question.

“You are my only choice”, I told him, knowing for certain that it was what he wanted to hear.

“Very well then”, he said, a smile appearing on his face. “I suppose no one else could be trusted for such an important task”, he said, causing Lena to scoff and me to laugh once again.

“Precisely”, I indulged him.

“I better clean up then”, he said excitedly and was gone the next moment, shutting the door after him.

“I swear, someone must have dropped him on his head when he was a pup”, Lena said, shaking her head after him.

“I believe he got it from his father”,Nana said making us all turn to look at her. “I dropped him when he was a pup”, she confessed, making us all dissolve into laughter.

“Enough now”, Nana said after a short while. “We will have enough time to laugh and be merry later”, she said. “But for now, let us get our dear Jasmine ready to meet her mate”, she announced. “I am sure everyone is gathered and waiting”.

After her words, she ushered us out of the house and to the pack house where the large dining hall had been transformed into a beautiful sight.

Nana had not been exaggerating when she said everyone was gathered and waiting.

As I peeked into the hall from the hallway, my breath caught at the sight of the hall filled with werewolves from our pack.

“Why does it seem like everyone is present?” I asked out loud to my companions.

“Because everyone is, dearest”, Lena said.

“You are going to be their Luna”, Nana said. “It is expected that they should honor you”, she told me before looking around the hallway where we stood. “Now where is Luke?” She asked.

As if being summoned by the mention of his name, Luke suddenly appeared from around the corner of the hallway and answered.

“Here!” He announced and I immediately noticed that he looked different.

For one, his usually messy hair had been tamed and forced back, away from his face.

He was wearing a different set of clothes and looked clean altogether.

“Very good, Luke”, Nana praised as she pulled Lena away from my side.

Luke beamed with pride.

“Now, you are to both enter once you hear the sound of the horn”, she instructed. “We will be inside with the other members of the pack”, Nana said and led our companions into the hall, leaving me and Luke alone in the hallway.

“This is your last chance to escape”, Luke said, offering me his arm with a smile.

It drew a laugh from me.

“I think it may be too late now”, I told him , smiling and taking his arm. “Besides, I would not wish to be anywhere else”, I told him, knowing the truth behind my words.

Before he could reply, we heard the sound of the horn and took our place beside each other. The doors to the hall were thrown open to reveal all eyes on us and I took a deep breath before Luke began to lead us forward.

All eyes were on us and it made me nervous but rather than let it show, I squeezed Luke’s arm in my grip tightly and held on.

Even though I was sure he felt it, he did not show it as he continued to lead us forward at a gradual pace.

Finally, I looked away from the eyes on me and looked ahead.

My heartbeat doubled at the sight before me.

There, standing alone before the pack was Regan, looking more handsome than I had ever seen him.

For the thousandth time, I wondered how I could have been fortunate enough to have him. And in a few moment, he was going to be my mate forever.

Looking at him as his eyes trailed over my body, leaving a burning trail, until his eyes finally locked on mine, I was left without a doubt that he loved me.

It was right there, in his eyes.

“You were right”, Luke suddenly said from beside me as we drew nearer to where Regan stood waiting.

I broke the eye contact and turned to shoot Luke a questioning look.

“That is all that matters”, he said, giving me look with a hidden message.

Just as I realized that he was referring to our one sided conversation earlier that day at Rage’s Sanctuary, he took my hand from his arm and placed it in Regan’s hand.

As soon as our hands made contact, I forgot about everything else.