01

She was running. Aurora was running out of time, running out of patience. She fought against the urge to release her claws.

“I want you now.” She moaned huskily, unable to take it anymore. He laughed and swayed her head to the other side. He teased his lips on the mark he had left there earlier on. They were laying on a queen sized bed in a room. The room was simple, a small wooden bookshelf filled to the brim was near the door. The walls were built of burnt mud which gave it a natural beauty while the door was pitch black. In the corner of the room was a queen sized bed that held a mound of covers. That mound of covers was in fact the impatient Aurora, lying next to her mate, Derek.

“You are mine.” He said, looking directly into her eyes. His brown almond shaped eyes sparkled.

“I am yours.” She said, nodding in affirmation. The wolf in her leaped in joy.

*****

The sun had just set behind the mountains, and the sky had turned into a beautiful shade of orange and pink. In the Gondar square which housed the home of Alpha king was where the people were getting ready for the annual mate-calling ceremony. The air was filled with the sweet scent of flowers, and the sound of drums and singing could be heard from every corner.

As the sun disappeared below the horizon, the villagers gathered in the central square, where a large fire had been lit. The fire was surrounded by a circle of young men and women, who were all dressed in their finest clothes. They had come from far and wide, to see the heir apparent announce his luna, and hopefully find theirs too.

The atmosphere was electric, with a sense of excitement and anticipation filling the air. The young men and women sang songs of love and longing, their voices rising and falling with the beat of the drums. The sound of the music grew louder and more intense, and the villagers began to dance around the fire, their bodies moving in a hypnotic rhythm.

As the night wore on, the drinking began. The villagers passed around large jugs of honey wine, which they drank from large gourds. The wine flowed freely, and soon everyone was feeling a little light-headed and giddy. The merriment continued late into the night, with people laughing and singing, and the drums beating in the background.

Finally, as the moon rose high in the sky, there was a sudden hush.

The crowd was dense but he stood out. He was taller than most of the spectators and looked elegant in his neatly woven blue robe. He had a long face with prominent cheek bones, topped with brown, slanted and hooded eyes. Slightly plump mouth with a perfect archbow on the top of the lip; straight nose and procelain-like shade of skin. His skin was smooth as it shone brightly under the moon light.

His eyes beamed as he scanned the gathering. His hair was neatly packed in a ponytail which dropped slightly above his waist. His full succulent lips were deep pink. He walked slowly, making everybody catch a glimpse of him in his elegance. She smiled to herself, admiring him. Walking down the aisle with her mate was a dream come true for her, not excluding the fact that she would have walked down the aisle with the prince even if he was not her mate.

“You are nervous.” Derek breathed against her ear, the air coming from his mouth brushing against her skin and sending chills down her spine. “You will be fine. I'm right beside you.” He added in assurance. He held her hands gently as they walked side by side.

“It won't hurt you.” He said immediately they got to the center of the field. Not like he cared. The field center was where the two lands meet, the Blood Moon pack and the Scorpion Zeal pack.

With his eyes firmlylocked on hers, Derek reached out and took her hand, pulling her close to him. Aurora could feel the heat of his body against hers, and her heart started to race.

"How painful do you think it'd….." she whispered.

"Shh," he replied. "Trust me."

And then, without further warning, Derek lowered his head and sank his teeth into the soft flesh of Aurora's neck. Aurora gasped in surprise and pain. It was worse than she imagined it, but she didn't pull away. In a few seconds, the sting had started to stow away.

For a moment, everything went quiet. The music and the dancing faded away, and Aurora felt like she was floating in a dream. She could feel Derek's strength, his power, flowing into her through the bite.

And then, suddenly, it was over. Derek pulled away, his lips and chin stained red with blood. Aurora could feel the wound on her neck, aching and throbbing now that the evening's air rested on it, but she knew that it would heal quickly.

Derek stepped back, looking down at her with a mixture of love and possessiveness. Aurora looked back up at him, her eyes filled with wonder.

"Are…are you okay?” He asked.

Aurora nodded, feeling a sense of peace and contentment settle over her. She knew that she belonged to Derek now, and she was happy to be his. The ceremony continued around them, but Aurora and Derek stood there, locked in each other's embrace, as if they were the only two people in the world.

Then remembering they were in the midst of hundreds, Derek cleared his throat awkwardly and turned to face them.

"With my fangs, I will put my mark on you!" He started, his hands still raised and his head, slightly bent backwards. A loud crashing thunder hit the sky, causing the children flinch and run to their mothers for safety. The crowd clapped their hands in joy and cheered. It was the most important part of the mating process, everyone looks forward too.

She searched the gathering for her best friend, Miranda. Her eyes met hers and she gave her a wink. She was lucky to be mated to someone else by the moon goddess after so long. She had promised herself to make to make her relationship with the prince work. The marking was so important to her. She tightened her fist and bit her lower lips.

"With my hands, from the storm I'll shield you" he said, and was about to continue when a lighting flashed across the sky with the thunders trailing behind it.

"With my mouth, with love I will shower you" he ended. He turned to Aurora and sealed the bond with a light kiss. Just like a church Wedding, the initial marking would be sealed with a kiss before the final marking which would be sealed in the bedroom.

The crowd cheered again. The noise was mostly coming from the right hand side while those on the left hand side did nothing, nor did they cheer or clap. The people of the Scorpion Zeal clan were glad.

The people of the Blood Moon Pack looked like they were forced to come. Trying so hard to hide the fact that they were against the Wedding. The two Clans were not on good terms and it was obvious in their cheers. She held his hand and smiled.

When she held his hand, her eyes stealing glances occasionally, she thought why he wasn't showing much reaction. She could feel the bond, strong and overwhelming. It took her a lot of effort to keep herself from jumping into his arms.

The mating comes first than his lack of interest.

However, why wasn't he showing much reaction that he felt the bond too…?

Soon the spinsters and bachelors split the two amongst themselves, pulling each to their side of unnecessary convos. Aurora was no longer considered a spinster, and she was quickly surrounded by the other women from the Scorpion Zeal pack, who congratulated her.

Aurora was stiffened by the clinginess of these women she barely knew.Thankfully Miranda was still around to see to her friend's awkward predicament.

“Does it hurt?” Miranda asked Aurora while helping her apply a soothing lotion to the wound on her neck. It had gone a good way into healing.

"A little," Aurora admitted. "But it's nothing compared to the joy I feel in my heart."

Miranda smiled. "I'm so happy for you, Aurora…I mean, if you're happy of course.”

“Sure…I'm happy.”

Aurora nodded, feeling a sense of appreciation settling over her. She was grateful for her friend's support, and she knew that she had made the right choice…

Except that something did not make her feel content about the whole fiasco.

Or was she just being her overly-sensitive self?

Meanwhile, Derek was among his few bachelor friends, who were even barely close enough to him to be termed friends. Just think of a group of young men from the aristocracy who think that's what made them bond.

If anything, Derek didn't mind their company this night.

"Looks like you're finally settling down, Derek," one of them joked.

Derek barely made a sound in response, only smiles that bore deeper words beneath them.

The men laughed at his stiffness, but there was a note of admiration in their voices.

Just then, one of his father's men approached him. "Young Lord, the Alpha has summoned you to the palace," he said.

"I'll be there soon," he said, his voice tinged with resignation.