Pack rituals

The sun partially blinded me as I opened my eyes, but I didn’t mind. I dreamt of Damien.

He walked in wearing the cutest suit I had ever seen, and I wore the whitest, biggest gown in existence. We were on our way to the priest, in love, ready to marry. Except... his brother was the priest.

Weird.

This crush is getting unhealthy. I should tell someone.

Tell Damien, my wolf suggested, making me scoff as I got out of bed.

As if. When I find my mate, this nonsense will die down. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.

But it’s okay to bask in this happiness, my wolf whispered.

*You’re—*

My door suddenly swung open, and Kehlani burst in.

"Hey! Good morning!" she sang as she dashed in, reminding me of Inana and her utter disregard for privacy.

"Morning," I muttered, rubbing my eyes.

"Hope you had a good night! The Luna said I should show you around the pack today," Kehlani chirped, walking towards my closet and pulling out a hoodie.

"Right, because seeing the pack with a hoodie over my head sounds so appealing," I mumbled under my breath.

"Don’t be like that," she urged.

"Like what?"

"Salty."

"Salty?" I couldn't help but scoff.

"We’re still cautious of enemies. Aiden’s father had a lot of them. People who’d love to rip your pretty throat out," she smirked.

"Wow, that doesn’t sound creepy at all."

"You’re fun. I like you!" she said, patting my shoulder.

"You shouldn’t say that where Shannon can hear." I brushed her hand off and headed to the bathroom.

"Shannon’s cool. Trust me," she chuckled. I scoffed again.

After a quick shower and brushing, I reluctantly pulled on the hoodie. "I just hope she’s not around for the tour," I said, walking back into my room, where Kehlani was painting her nails.

"Don’t worry. She won’t be."

---

"And here’s where we do pack rituals," Kehlani said, pointing towards a path leading into the woods. "You’ll be here soon enough."

"Pack rituals?" I turned to her and the dark-skinned guy from earlier, the one who hadn’t said a word the entire tour. He occasionally scoffed, rolled his eyes, and smirked. That was it. I thought he might be mute.

"Yeah, it’s where we do rituals to link new members to the pack mind."

The mute guy scoffed.

"Is there a problem, John?" Kehlani snapped at him. He shrugged, looking disinterested.

"The only reason Aiden’s approving this is because he wants to be in her head," John said, pointing at me.

"And that’s bad why?"

"It’s not bad. I’m just saying, once his real mate shows up, she’ll be tossed aside like yesterday’s news."

"I’m sorry about Felicity," Kehlani muttered, stepping back. "But don’t worry. We’ll use an anchor, so when Ari leaves, she won’t be stuck in the Zia mind link."

John rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Should I ask who Felicity is?

Kehlani gave me a side glance before turning back to John. "The tour’s over. You can go now. Ari and I are gonna have some girl time, right?"

"Uh, sure." But John was already gone before I could finish.

"Who’s Felicity?" I asked once he was out of earshot.

"His ex. We thought she was human, so we kept the werewolf thing from her." Kehlani sighed.

"Did she die?"

"No, she’s alive. Turns out she’s a werewolf, from a pack that has to activate their wolf genes by killing someone."

"Who did she kill?"

"A rogue. It was self-defense, but she used a silver bullet, which made us suspicious. When she started shifting, we knew the truth. Aiden sent her away."

"Oh." I nodded, feeling awkward. This should be Daphney’s story to tell, not mine.

"This pack has made a lot of mistakes," Kehlani said, her voice distant.

But then she suddenly perked up. "Oh, look at the time! Let’s head back."

---

By evening, everyone was buzzing about my pack ritual. Kehlani said it was the first one in ages. John mentioned something about cool pack outfits, and the girls were excited to see Aiden in a tank top. I rolled my eyes but caught myself wondering if Damien would wear one too. My face turned red, and the girls mistook my blush for something else, squealing like they’d won the lottery.

By the time Shannon handed me a gown for the ritual, her stink eye had burned a hole in my back. The gown was practically a shawl, so I wore a crop top and jeans underneath.

We walked in silence to the ritual site, her glare practically singeing my skin. When we arrived, the entire pack was there, waiting. I stood in front of Aiden, a wooden stump between us, his mother standing nearby. It almost felt like a wedding, but one straight from the underworld.

Aiden looked sharp in his tank top, but my eyes searched for Damien. There he was, behind his brother, looking equally good.

"Today, we perform the mind link ritual, welcoming Ariana Merriam into the Zia pack," the Luna announced, composed and confident.

"Ariana, do you accept Aiden as your Alpha?"

Everyone was staring, and I was already embarrassed. I nodded. "Yes, I do. I mean… yes," I stammered, mentally face-palming. Why would I say I do?

Aiden’s expression remained stoic.

"Alpha Aiden, do you accept Ariana as your pack member?" his mother asked, handing him a knife.

"Yes, I accept." He slit his palm, letting the blood drip into a wooden container on the stump, then handed me the knife.

I hesitated before slicing my palm. The pain was sharp, but I bit back a groan and poured my blood into the container. Luna followed suit, mixing her blood with the soil, sealing the ritual. A bright flash emanated from the stump, and the pack cheered.

Aiden turned away, talking to his mother as the others celebrated.

"How’s your hand?" Shannon suddenly appeared behind me.

"Uh, fine." I looked at it. "It’s healed."

"Good," she muttered. "At least you’re not as weak as you look. Maybe we’re not doomed after all."

I rolled my eyes. "I’m not, the Luna, remember?"

"Yeah, you’re just pretending. How’s your friend doing? Happy with you drooling over her mate?" she hissed, gripping my arm.

What’s with this girl?

"Shannon, leave her alone," Aiden’s authoritative voice snapped from behind us. Shannon quickly released me, retreating like a scalded pup.

Aiden towered over me, frowning. "If you’re going to act like a Luna, at least be strong," he said coldly.

"I—"

"Training starts tomorrow. My brother will help. I don’t tolerate weakness."

All I heard was Damien. Training with him? Yes, please.

—----------------

I woke up with a pounding headache. I shouldn’t have let Kehlani and Jonnie talk me into drinking so much moonshine. I staggered to the window, catching sight of some men screaming outside. What’s going on?

I ran downstairs, finding Luna with Aiden and Damien by her side. A furious man stood before them, his eyes glowing with anger.

"For years, your pack has thrived on the death of my mate," he spat.

"And you killed my husband, the Alpha, because of your pathetic mate," Luna shot back, unbothered.

"I promised her I’d destroy all of you. Wait until I get that Luna!"

Luna scoffed. "You’re delusional, Fred. Go die somewhere else."

I hesitated at the entrance, but Fred’s eyes landed on me.

"Is that her?"

Everyone’s heads snapped toward me.

"Ari, go inside," Luna said, smiling softly but it didn't reach her eyes.

"What’s going on?"

"It’s nothing. Just go inside," she dismissed me. But I couldn’t move. Voices flooded my mind. Fred Moore. Alpha of Novera pack. Dangerous. I’d heard about him from my pack.

"He’s dangerous," I said, wide-eyed.

"GET INSIDE, ARIANA!" Aiden growled beside me, ready to shove me inside.

Fred’s body shifted, and everything became a blur. He lunged at me, but Luna stepped in the way. Blood. Screams. Blackout.

Then silence.

..—————