A New Dawn

Chapter 5

“Are you ok?” Roxanne asked as she wrapped her arms around him.

“Yes, I will be fine,” he answered as he pulled himself free from her grip and left her standing on the porch. He brushed by her and left her wide-mouthed as he entered the pack house. He needed a shower to prepare for his Alpha ceremony in only a few hours. He stormed up to his soon-to-be office and punched the wall in anger. The fact that David had left: not only left him without a Beta but also left behind 21 years of their friendship. Aiden plopped into his chair and threw his head in his hands, wondering if he didn’t take David’s questions seriously enough. He glanced at the clock and realized there wasn’t enough time to worry about it now. He jumped to his feet and entered his room to prepare for his Alpha ceremony.

Aiden stepped into the shower, exhaled deeply, and lightly banged his head against the wall. It has been a rough two days, and he is not sure if he is even ready to be Alpha now. As the burning water rolled down his back, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The feeling of cloth running across his back quickly regained his attention, and he turned around to find Roxanne in the shower with him. He kissed her passionately, pulled back, and rested his head against hers. “Can I mark you?” He asked her with a hint of desperation in his voice.

“Tonight, after the ceremony, please,” she purred. I’d rather enjoy our time together now before we get through the ceremony.

Nodding in acceptance, he dropped the topic and enjoyed the shower with his mate. Once they stepped out, she went into a different room to prepare for the event; she wanted her to look like a surprise. Aiden took his time and dressed in black pants, a white shirt, and a tie. He styled his hair and was lacing his shoes when there was a knock on the door. “Enter,” he instructed, as the door opened to Elder Otis entering the room.

“Are you ready, Alpha?” Otis asked as he looked at his watch.

“I will be ready as soon as I go get Roxanne. I guess you heard we will not be doing the Beta ceremony this evening,” he replied solemnly.

“Yes, Alpha, I did. The important one is yours. The rest can wait until the two best friends make up,” Otis said, leaving the room with a smile.

Aiden took a deep breath, stood to his feet, and left his room. He walked down the hallway to the room Roxanne had changed in; he softly knocked on her door and waited patiently. Finally, she opened the door, and his mouth dropped in shock. She looked beautiful; she had a long black halter-top dress with a slit up her left leg. Her blonde hair was pulled up into an updo, and her makeup was very subtle. She reached up and carefully shut his mouth as she smirked at him. Blushing, he looked at her and smiled, “I’m sorry, but you look beautiful.”

“Thank you. You don’t look bad yourself,” she replied as she checked him out.

Aiden grabbed her hand and led her down the hallway and the stairs to the room where the ceremony was to be performed. The pack was gathered, and the mood was tense but still calm. This ceremony would give the pack a bit of normalcy in a week full of pandemonium. He whisked her to the front of the room and stood next to Elder Otis. The room quieted once they saw the future Alpha and Luna step next to the Elder.

“Are we ready to get this started, ladies and gentlemen?” Otis asked as he scanned the room.

The pack members nodded without complaint or rejection, which verified that the pack felt they both were suitable for the job. Elder Otis cleared his throat and smiled. “We shall begin then. We are gathered here for Aiden Lockhart’s Alpha ceremony and Roxanne Messick’s Luna Ceremony tonight.”

“Aiden Lockhart, will you please come forward? Do you swear to uphold the laws established by the Werewolf Council and treat the members of your pack with empathy, respect, and fairness?”

“I do.”

“Do you promise to put the lives of your pack before your own and do everything you can to keep them safe and protected?”

“I do.”

“Please step up to the chalice and take the knife.”

As Aiden began to walk to the front to his place next to the elder where the chalice was located, he was quickly stopped when he heard the words he didn’t want to hear.

“ROGUES ARE ATTACKING!”

Those words made Aiden’s jaw nearly hit the floor. Why can’t they just leave us alone? He thought to himself as he turned to the audience. “The ceremony will have to wait. We need to protect our homes first! I need all pups and the elderly to get to the shelter now. Warriors, you are needed to defend our home!” Aiden shouted as he turned and faced Roxanne. He looked at her in worry. “Please go get somewhere safe until this is over.” He ran his hand down her cheek, turned, and walked out the door struggling to remove his tie. Once he hit the front yard, he couldn’t believe what he saw. There was a full-blown battle, and the Rogues were attacking anything that moved.

Aiden charged through the battle, noticing two Rogues stalking a couple of teenage girls. He quickly grabbed the two knives off one of the fallen Rogues, flung one of them towards the two, and struck one in the leg. The Rogue screamed in pain as he fell to the ground when the other turned and glared at him. The Rogue shifted into his wolf and began to charge Aiden with the plan of tackling the weak human and ripping out his throat. Once the wolf jumped, Aiden quickly ducked and raised the knife, leaving a deep scratch down the wolf's stomach, which rained on his insides along the field. By the time the wolf hit the ground, he was dead. This allowed Aiden to direct the teenagers toward the safety of the shelter. When the teenagers were away safely, Aiden began to refocus on the battle. An uneasy feeling overwhelmed him, a feeling of being watched. He scanned the field and looked for the eyes that were burning into him but found nothing when suddenly he felt an arm cross over his shoulder. Aiden grabbed the mystery person by the wrist and flipped them over. Once they hit the ground, Aiden slammed the dagger he was carrying into the Rogue’s heart, causing instant death. Aiden climbed back to his feet and came face to face with a Rogue charging at him. He sidestepped the charge, and Aiden quickly pushed the Rogue’s backside with his foot, giving the Rogue enough force to lose his balance and crash into a tree.

The screams of anger and pain overwhelmed the battlefield; Aiden scanned and looked at the situation. New Dawn was losing, and they were losing badly. His heart broke at the sight of his injured and dead pack mates on the ground. Aiden was both angry and scared. He wasn’t sure if they would survive this night, and he knew he needed to figure out a way to end this battle. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. The easiest way to end this quickly would be to find who was leading them and eliminate them. Cut off the head, and the rest will crumble! He thought with a smirk.