The Fated

Chapter Nine - Ceremony Part I

NOVA

This is it, finally. It's time for the Ceremony. I take one last glance at my reflection in the mirror. I'm wearing my black ceremonial robe and my family crest is visible on the left side of my chest. I've straightened my wavy red hair, it glows under my bedroom lights. My green eyes glimmer under shades of smokey brown and golden hues that match my robe. I feel radiant and powerful, I feel like the most beautiful shewolf on Earth. Satisfied, I slide on my strappy heels and exit my bedroom.

As if on cue, Maverick steps out too.

He stares at me with wonder glinting in his eyes, my heart starts to hammer against my ribs. Maverick looks stunning, his hair is slicked back and tan his skin is glowing. Those perfect heart shaped lips turn up and form into one of his dazzling smiles, making my stomach sink to my knees.

"You look…" his voice trails off as his eyes linger on my chest, then slowly sink lower to my waist, down to my toes, "...awful." He finally finishes, grinning from ear to ear.

We both laugh. "Oh yeah? Wait until later," I joke back.

He reaches out and wraps his giant hand around mine. "Seriously, Nova, you're breathtaking," Maverick whispers.

My breath hitches in my chest. "You are too…" I whisper in return.

He leans in a bit more and I can sense the minty smell of his breath. His lips part ever so slightly…

"Nova and Maverick, my dears! Hurry up and meet us in the common room, we need to have everyone lined up alphabetically!" Mom shouts from the main floor. Maverick and I are on the landing, one story up.

"Yes, Luna!" We shout in unison.

The moment has passed but Maverick keeps my hand in his as he gently pulls me down the flight of stairs.

Once we reach the common room and join the thirty other wolves, we all cluster into groups as the Luna and Beta female perform a headcount. With fierce speed they get us all organized and within minutes we're ready for our grand entrance into the courtyard. Outside, nearly the entire pack has gathered to celebrate the momentous occasion.

A new generation of wolves will be born tonight and the energy buzzes through the air. The pianist begins to play the Ceremonial Entrance written by Elbert Theodore, one of Beach Moon's very first Gammas. We file out into the courtyard, one by one. I have to admit, the pack did an amazing job organizing this epic night. The entire courtyard is decorated extravagantly and the seats are filled with hundreds of wolves. There is a podium where we will all mount the stairs and stand one by one, to take our blood oath. The first full moon of the year, the Wolf Moon, has risen and casts it’s pale glow down onto the scene.

One by one and just as the song comes to an end, we find our markers and stand in our spots and form a semi circle before the rows of seating. The three pack elders approach with the Alpha and Luna behind them. The five of them stand between the thirty of us and the rest of the pack members. The Elders speak in The Language, meaning they simply broadcast dialogue and snapshots of memories and images into pack members' minds directly, never actually uttering a single word out loud. This is a communication method we can all use in our wolf forms once we are sworn in as official adult members of the pack. We can only use it when we are in our wolf forms but the Elders are able to communicate in The Language in any form. As they speak with the pack members, the thirty of us stand before them in silence. Once they finish their speech, the Alpha translates for us.

“Tonight, thirty young wolves will join us as Beach Moon Pack Members. These wolves have spent eighteen years developing their strengths and skills, their morals and abilities. These young wolves will serve their pack faithfully until the Moon Goddess summons them home. Tonight, we will grow in number and in strength, for these wolves ensure our future. This generation will lead to the next, and Beach Moon will continue to thrive for as long as the Earth grants us life. Please join us in welcoming these wolves into the Beach Moon Pack, for now and for eternity!”

The entire pack shouts out, as one:

“Become one with us, unite!”

We shout back, without hesitation:

“United we are strong!”

At this point, thirty voices simultaneously begin to recite the Wolving Passage. The sound is that of a deep rumble as we speak in synchronization.

“To the Moon Goddess we and linked,

And our flesh becomes that of fur,

Using our strength, we bond and mate,

One by one, our howls will be heard.

May we be granted the ability to shift,

Into that of your purest image,

May our wolves remain strong and swift,

Moon Goddess, please grant us this wish,

Let us howl in the light of the Wolf Moon"

In that moment, we all begin to groan and whimper as our bodies begin to shift. This process takes only minutes, but it hits you in strong, painful waves. For the first few shifts, it is excruciating. It can sometimes take weaker wolves about a dozen shifts before they no longer feel pain, but strong wolves only need about three to five shifts to fully adapt.

This is the point where we all separate into small familial gatherings. The thirty of us remain in the courtyard and find our loved ones. As I walk over to where my parents are standing, I am doubled over in pain. My spine and chest are aching, making it very hard to breath. Somehow, I remain calm through the sharp feeling of cracking bones. This is natural, my body knows what to do, I remind myself.

I reach my mom and dad who both place a reassuring hand on my shoulders. They help me slide out of my robe, leaving me with my black tank top and shorts.

“It only hurts during the transition, you will feel amazing in about ten minutes,” Dad encourages me.

I can only manage a small groan in response. Mom rubs my shoulder.

The next wave hits and I fall to my knees, letting out a small cry. I am barely able to register anyone else in my surroundings yet I can make out Maverick, his parents and his younger sister a few meters to my left. He is leaning over on his hands and knees, panting for air. His younger sister looks terrified but is trying not to show it, trying to stay strong for her big brother. My mind focuses on him until both my shoulders pop out of their sockets, causing me to land on the ground hard, biting my tongue to stop from screaming. My bones crack and pop and I can feel my stomach gurgling as if I am about to throw up. Before I can warn my parents my stomach empties itself, but they manage to instinctively move out of the way on time.

“You’re almost there, sweetheart, it’s nearly through,” I barely register Mom’s voice through my whimpers of pain.

After what feels like an hour but is really only about twenty minutes, I open my eyes and see a world of dazzling and vibrant colours. I smell everything, billions and trillions of scents and my hearing is much sharper. Despite all my increased senses, my limbs feel stiff and shaky as if I’m just waking up the morning after an intense workout. Slowly, I try to lean up and realize it feels all wrong. Giving my head a small shake, I focus my eyes and see two white legs attached to two, enormous white paws. I try to gasp and end up hacking out a cough, realizing my throat can no longer gasp the way a human’s does. I realize, though, that Dad was right... I’m no longer in excruciating pain. My wolf fully transitioned and healed all my broken bones and inflammation. With great awkwardness and a bit of stumbling I stand myself up on all four paws, testing out my balance. While I’m getting used to this new form and how to move around in it, Dad shifts in a flash and stands before me in his dark grey and black wolf. Mom stands next to him, a white and grey and slightly smaller wolf. She uses The Language to ask me a question.

OK? flashes into my head.

Unsure exactly how to respond, I think hard about what I want to say.

Yes. Amazing! Mom hears my very first use of our language and her tail swishes from side to side happily. I’m not great at it right now, unable to send more than a couple words and some freeze frame images, but I sneeze out excitedly and do a small hop on my two front paws.

Dad walks forward and rubs his huge head against the side of mine affectionately. When he steps back, I catch a glance of an enormous, entirely black wolf behind dad. He’s as big as the black Beta wolf who stands next to him... The black wolf seems to feel my stare and turns to meet my eyes. I immediately recognize that piercing blue stare.

Maverick.

At that same moment, my wolf begins to howl loudly and so does he. We both flash our reflections at each other in our language. I see myself in his head, he sees himself in mine… we both realize in that moment.

We are mates.

I rush over to him and almost trip but catch myself. I’m not used to four paws rather than two legs. We stumble towards each other and land in a messy heap at each other's feet. He is rubbing his head against mine, licking me all over and whimpering excitedly. My wolf responds the same way. We cry out in delight, realizing that we are forever fated to one another, that we never had a reason to be scared of showing our true feelings for each other, we are mated for life.

My love.

His wolf licks the side of my snout.

Forever. Maverick responds.

I hear several other howls, Maverick and I begrudgingly step apart and survey the area. So many wolves are gathered in the courtyard but I recognize the thirty new ones as we are all much smaller than our friends and family. Some new wolves are indeed finding their mates, and I see many pairings happening before my eyes.

Across from where Maverick and I stand, there is a stunning, pure white wolf running gracefully over to a dark chocolate brown wolf. She is new, like Maverick and I, yet she doesn’t stumble and trip awkwardly like the rest of us do, she already appears perfectly in tune with her wolf. She lands hard on top of the brown wolf causing his chin to smack down hard against the ground. He lets out a huff of air and quickly turns to look up at the she wolf who landed on him.

I recognize them immediately. Blair and Mira. Mira is licking around Blair’s ears and whimpering excitedly, much like Maverick and I were doing earlier… Mira and Blair are mated.

They both begin to roll around with each other in the dirt, licking and whimpering, their tails both wagging hard. It is amazing to see so many pairings in one night, nearly every wolf has found their mate already.

Over on the farthest side of the courtyard, I see two identical wolves rolling around with two small shewolves and crying with delight. Jace and Colton have each found a mate as well. Next to the twins, I see Kiera Trinity, a tiny black and brown wolf jumping up on her hind legs and wrapping her front paws around the neck of a light beige wolf who licks her snout happily. I realize the light beige wolf is Cypress Ritta. Throughout all the commotion, Alpha Oren speaks out in the Language, every pack member present comes to attention immediately.

Pack, link up in pairs, line up and space out. Together, we will run the perimeter. At the eastern point of the border, every wolf except for our most recent additions will branch off and double back here, leaving them to finish out the run. Understood?

Yes, Alpha. We respond. Just like that, every wolf assembles and we all take off at a slow pace, letting us new wolves adjust to our new bodies. Instincts kick in and it doesn't take long before every single wolf is full on sprinting through the trees, the foliage whipping past us, barely grazing our bodies as we expertly weave our way through the forest. Our hypersensitive senses are tools we learn to master with efficiency. We are skilled hunter predators. Even as young, new werewolves, we are much bigger than regular wolves are. There are certain werewolves who can possess supernatural abilities beyond shifting, making them some of the strongest beings on the planet. The supernatural world is extensive, and so much of it is undiscovered.

Maverick and I run side by side, matching each other’s pace. At the eastern border, the pack dissipates and branches off to head back to the packhouse, as per Alpha Oren's command. I see Mom and Dad at the rear with Maverick’s parents right behind them, ensuring everyone headed back to the packhouse is safe, accounted for and in standard formation.

Maverick sends me a flash image of myself running next to him.

I send him one too.

You're perfect. His voice fills my head.

I lean over as we synchronize our pace together and nudge his shoulder against mine. Werewolves mate for life. Maverick is finally and officially mine. We are fated for one another. My heart fills with pride. Our bond as mated wolves allows us to share what we are feeling with each other, much like our ability to share thoughts and images using the Language. Maverick picks up on my feelings and his happiness radiates back to me.

We make it back to the southern point of our border and all begin to head towards the gymnasium where our Luna and Beta female have laid out a change of clothes for all of us to wear for the rest of the Ceremony once we return to human forms. When we change back, the clothing we wore during the shift will still be on our bodies, but they are thoroughly soaked in what closely resembles sweat. This means you're stuck in wet clothes after a shift unless you have a spare set of clothes nearby. It's almost like your clothes remain under your fur as a wolf, no one really understands how much shape-shifting has evolved throughout the years. We are extremely different from our original ancestors.

We all assemble outside of the gymnasium and half of us begin to shift as the other half remain in wolf form. This is a natural defensive instinct, when shifting, we are weak, leaving us open to vulnerability if danger were to hit us in that moment. So, when shifting, we almost always take turns to ensure someone is able to protect the other at all times. Once we are all back to our human forms, we stand there wet and shivering.

I look around and realize we’ve all taken on a new human form too. Everyone’s hair and makeup from earlier has been erased from the shift… but, no one needs any. We are all perfect. We are supernatural, we’ve evolved to be extremely attractive in every form so that we could trick the humans into letting us live. We all look like 25 year old supermodels. Everyone has picture perfect features, perfect hair, perfect teeth. We are all heartbreakingly gorgeous. Those most beautiful of all, though, is the one who stands right next to me. Maverick wraps his big arms around me, using his body heat to keep me warm on this January night.

"Your wolf is beautiful, just like you. Your red hair turns into red and white fur and your eyes change from green to yellow. I've never laid eyes on a more stunning wolf than yours," Maverick's eyes stare into mine.

"Your wolf is enormous, as big as a fully grown one," I respond in awe.

Maverick no longer hesitates, he leans down quickly and his lips land on mine with passion. His left hand comes up and cradles the back of my skull, and I find myself wrapping both my arms around his torso, pulling him even closer to me. The kiss is one of pure longing and desire, something we both have wanted but have buried deep down inside for so long. I feel flushed, warm. We are barely breathing anymore once we finally tear away from each other. To my right, I hear an all too familiar voice.

“Finally. That only took like, four years,” Blair laughs from a distance, clearly having witnessed mine and Maverick’s kiss.

Mira stands next to Blair, her arm draped over his, smiling from ear to ear. My heart feels so full. I see the two together and realize just how amazing our Moon Goddess is because Mira and Blair are perfect for each other. Her pale skin contrasts his dark brown tone so perfectly and their wolves, both a solid colour of white and brown, match beautifully. They’re polar opposite personalities as well, but I’m certain they will balance one another out easily.

“Shut up, Blair. Though, I am happy to see you’re not a lone wolf, after all,” Maverick chimes in. Mira and I exchange a curious glance, but the boys laugh it off. Seems to be an inside joke between the two.

I realize after a moment that all the new wolves are staring at Maverick and I, almost as if they were waiting for directions… from their leaders.

Oh, right. To them, we are their future Luna… and Alpha. My heart once again swells with pride.

“Right, so we should probably head inside and get changed,” I speak loudly enough that all thirty of us can hear.

With some nodding amongst the group, they all start to file into the gymnasium and head to the change rooms so that we can clean up and dress into our evening clothes. Maverick looks down at me and smiles.

“After you, my love,” he gestures towards the door now that the rest of the pack has gone inside after Blair and Mira’s entrance.

At the change rooms, we branch off, Maverick heads into the boys room and I head into the ladies chamber.

The girls are a flutter of excitement, yippy screaming and laughter. Nineteen girls are running around getting in and out of the showers, drying their permanently perfect hair, getting dressed in awe-striking and elegant gowns. I make my way over to my locker next to my mom’s in the far left corner of the room. I grab the toiletry bag Mom left me in my locker and head to the showers. I clean up quickly and head over to the row of sinks and mirrors. I’m startled upon seeing my own reflection. I look so different, older, attractive. I’m not used to the new me. I don’t bother with make-up and I don’t need to do anything to my hair other than dry it. Once it’s soft and silky, I head back to my locker and remove my gown from it’s dressing bag. Sliding the dress on and I realize I have no one to help me secure the zipper and clip in the back.

“Wow, I can already tell it fits you like a glove,” Mira’s voice can be heard behind me. I spin around and face her, shooting her a genuine smile.

“Thank you, could I actually get your help--” Mira begins to approach before I even finish my sentence. She comes up behind me and zips the back of the dress shut then fastens the clip at the top.

“You look amazing, Nova,” Mira admires my gown delightedly.

“Where’s your dress?”

“Still in the plastic cover in my locker. It’s the same dress my mom wore on her Ceremony night. I’m nervous to put it on. I’ve seen the pictures of her wearing it, I’ve admired it hanging in her closet for years, running my hands over the velvety fabric. Now that it's finally my turn to wear it, I’m scared I won’t do it justice,” Mira blushes.

I reach out and place two reassuring hands on her shoulders. “Mira, I’m not sure if you realize this, but long before this night, you have always been absurdly beautiful, you look just like your gorgeous mother, and it will make her so proud to see her baby girl wearing it, doing it full justice,” I encouragingly guide her over to her locker.

With a deep breath, she pulls the elegant, velvet, deep purple gown out of its cover. It seems to glimmer even under the semi-dim lights of the changing room.

“Wow,” I can’t help but ogle at it’s beauty.

“I know,” Mira responds.

“You’re gonna look hot,” I blurt.

Mira begins to laugh and I see the tension leave her shoulders.

“I need to, I want to impress Blair... I want to look like I deserve him,” Mira practically whispers.

“You already do, trust me babe. Put that dress on, but make sure you remove it carefully later, it’d be a shame to see it go to waste after Blair rips it off your body,” I seem to have zero filter at this moment.

Mira’s twinkling laugh reappears and I realize how much I’ve needed a girlfriend. She makes me feel sane. Plus, the two of us will be spending a lot of time together now seeing as our mates are best friends.

Mira slides the fabric up past her waist and pulls the sleeves onto her arms and shoulders.

The deep V in the front is held together with lace, and the purple colour of the dress is so dark it looks black until she turns under the light and the colour glimmers, playing tricks on my eyes. Her curves fill the dress perfectly and I can’t help but stare at how amazing she looks.

She looks at my expression and smiles.

“I guess this is it. Let’s go find the boys.”