My Step-brother My Second Chance Mate

Chapter 3: The Mating Ceremony.

Alice POV.

The lights in my room were suddenly turned on.

So I was able to see the figure in the dark.

It was the head of our pack warriors, Lucas, who came in. Lucas has this special ability of disappearing and being unseen, especially in the dark.

“Why do you have to scare me, Lucas?” I shouted at the top of my voice.

He didn't respond.

“Why are you home?” I asked him, now calmly.

“The oracle in charge of the mating ceremony said that our pack had left someone at home and we needed to bring the person before the ceremony could be continued,” Lucas said, unflinching.

I fixed my gaze on him with a weird expression, revealing the shocking message I just heard.

“So, I was commanded by our Alpha to come and bring you to the ceremony, because the ceremony cannot go on without you,” he continued.

The moment I heard the words, “The ceremony cannot go on without you,” my entire body froze. At first, I thought it was some kind of hard joke, another way for the pack to humiliate me. After all, wasn’t that what they did best? The ridicule, the whispers behind my back—or worse, the bruises left behind by their fists, especially when my stepmother decided I needed to be "put in my place."

I blinked at Lucas standing in front of me, his expression unreadable.

“There must be some mistake,” I managed, my voice barely more than a whisper. “Why me?”

This ceremony wasn’t for someone like me. It was for ladies like Clara, the soon-to-be Lycan King’s fiancée, the beautiful, powerful, flawless ladies like Ella who actually had a shot at being his mate.

But Lucas shook his head, his tone firm.

“No mistake. You’re required at the ceremony.”

My stomach churned. Required? Me?

The girl the pack had called useless, weak, a burden?

“The one my stepmother had beaten into submission so many times that I’d almost started to believe her?” I thought.

I couldn’t wrap my head around it.

The room spun as panic set in. What would the pack think when they saw me there? They’d laugh, sneer, maybe even accuse me of trying to steal the spotlight from Clara and Ella.

And the future king? He’d probably be furious. Would he accept me if he discovered that I'm weak and hadn't found my wolf?

But on second thought, I thought, “What if this wasn’t a mistake? What if it meant something?”

I bit my lip, my mind racing as Lucas gestured for me to follow. My legs felt weak, but I forced myself to move. Every step toward the location felt like a battle, the scars from my past threatened to drag me down.

They think I’m nothing. She thinks I’m nothing, I thought, picturing my stepmother’s smug face. But maybe I’m more than they ever imagined. Maybe this time, I’m the one they didn’t see coming.

We finally got to the hall where the ceremony was being held.

As I walked through the entry door of the hall, the weight of a thousand eyes fell on me, but I didn’t falter. If this was my chance to change my destiny, I wasn’t going to let it slip away—not for Clara, not for Ella, not for my stepmother, and not for anyone who ever thought I didn’t belong.

I was led by Lucas to a table which looked like a VIP table. It is separate from every other table in the hall. A well-decorated golden table with golden items, different from the rest.

I sat quietly on the seemingly high table alone.

The podium consists of three old men with gray hair who I presume to be the elders of the Dark Shadows Pack. Based on their appearance, it seems they are the ones in charge of the mating ceremony.

Harry, the Lycan King to be, then stepped forward from one of the rooms close to the main entrance, his dark emerald suit catching the light, contrasting beautifully against his olive-toned skin.

The way he carried himself, shoulders back and chin high, demanded attention. His tie, red as crimson, was loosened just slightly, hinting at a casual confidence beneath his regal exterior.

Clara’s heart seemed to stop as she saw him. She bit the inside of her cheek, a desperate attempt to steady herself. Her eyes betrayed her calm facade, filled with a mix of love and fear - the fear of losing him tonight.

Ella couldn’t pull her gaze away either. He was everything she wanted, and the idea that destiny could grant her that was both thrilling and terrifying.

Staring at him alone, from where I was sitting gave me some goosebumps. Alpha Harry is the perfect definition of every woman's desire.

Suddenly, I heard what seemed like a still small voice from within me saying, “Mate! Mate! Mate!” the voice said excitedly. It was my wolf, Vera.

This gave me a sense of relief and suppressed my anxiety, although I was afraid if he'd accept or reject me.

The three elders on the podium held a small calabash while the tallest among the elders put a live bird inside the calabash which was full of some red and black stuff which I couldn't name. This is the first Lycan King mating ceremony most of the participants will be attending. The process is totally different from what a typical mating ceremony looks like. So, just like many others, I was shocked to see these things unveiled.

Then, one of the elders who seemed to have been invoking spirits took some steps forward from the rest.

He grabbed the microphone, then addressed the seemingly confused audience.

“Hello, ladies and gentlemen, today is a great day. The day we've all been expecting for years.”

“Tonight will determine the future of not just the Dark Shadows Pack but the whole Rieles community. The Luna of our great Lycan King will be chosen tonight.”

“After the rituals have been performed, the bird will be handed over to Harry, the Lycan King, to throw into the hair. "Whoever the bird falls on last would be the mate of our beloved king,” he concluded.

The bird was immediately removed from the calabash having used its leg to touch the red liquid which looks like blood in the calabash. The leg of the bird was dipped inside a black container as well before it was waved across Harry's head three times. Then it was handed over to Harry. The head of the elders whispered some things to him quietly which Harry repeated after him. Harry suddenly flung the bird into the air.

“Where's the bird going to land?”