Fated

Chapter Eight: Bound to Secrecy

Claire's P.O.V.

The rest of the party floats by in a semi-conscious blur. A lazy smile adorning my face the entire time as I flutter among the groups, growing and strengthening bonds for our pack.

The night now ending, the biggest moment has arrived.

The crowd shifts under the make-shift stage, an inaudible murmur of excitement buzzing in anticipation of the news.

Any moment now, Isaac will address the crowd to announce whether he has found his mate. This is an unfortunate and uncomfortable tradition of our pack (albeit, very exciting); the alpha, at the end of his birthday and the end of the party, approaches the stage and announces whether he has found his mate. If so, the mate must join the others on stage and introduce themselves to everyone, all neighbouring packs, as the future Luna of the Curadh pack. 

An uncommon tradition among packs and one I wish we would abandon!

The narrow wooden bench under me is just far enough away from the stage that no one should suspect me as the future Luna.

My fingers fidgeting with each other in my lap, the anxiety inside of me rising, just dreading the moment Isaac calls me on stage. 

The tapping of the microphone alerts me out of my anxious daze, snapping my attention to the stage.

A hush comes over the crowd, as Isaac’s parents, Jennifer and Jason Lyall stand centre stage, microphone shared between them.

Their presence commands the attention of the congregation before them.

“Welcome, everyone. We would like to thank you for coming to our celebration.” Jennifer - our Luna, chimes with a graceful smile. Alpha Jason nods beside her, silent, his expression stoic.

She gives a small speech; discussing the traditions of our pack and the bonds we are strengthening together.

Anxiety and adrenaline beat through my head, buzzing so loudly I can’t focus on a word spoken. Until the big moment.

“Now, the moment we have all been waiting for. A crucial event in the history and the future of our pack.” The crowd buzzes in excitement.

“But let me remind you, nothing is certain. There remains a possibility that our future Alpha has not yet met his mate.” Some tones of annoyance make themselves known amongst the crowd. “If this is the case,” Our Luna raises her voice, now stern and strong, forcing the rowdiness of the crowd into submission, “We will wait until his time comes. Once it does - we will invite all of you back for another party, where we shall appoint our Luna.” Our Luna bows her head and moves to the side, giving space for Alpha Jason to take over the microphone.

“Finally, let us bring our future Alpha up with us, for whom this whole celebration is for, so he can announce to us the news.” Alpha Jason’s voice is deep and husky, always carrying an underlying authoritarian tone in its depths. 

My heart rate quickens, hammering in my chest. At this rate, I worry it will jump right out of my chest, leaving me lying on this tiny bench. 

To be honest, I had been expecting Isaac to contact me before the ceremony began. I’ve even tried calling him and messaging him multiple times, but no response. The annoyance inside me builds, a ball of frustration in the centre of my head - I attempt to shrug the emotion off.

I must hide all negative emotions on stage. Besides, he's probably been incredibly busy, it is his party after all. 

Still... something in my gut sits heavily on that thought.

My train of concerned, anxious thought breaks off as Isaac climbs the stairs of the stage, his suit and hair dishevelled from the party.

A hum of excitement dissipates from the crowd as Isaac approaches the microphone.

"Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for taking time from your busy schedules for tonight's celebrations. Thank you also, for all of your kind birthday wishes." Isaac pauses, looking into the crowd, searching. His face twists a little before he speaks, "I can confirm to you all that I have found my mate." The crowd lets out an encouraging, celebratory cheer in response, excitement buzzing like electricity in the air. 

"However," Isaac interrupts, his voice tight with anxiety. The crowd quiets down to a murmur, "However, I will not be revealing her tonight." A series of gasps and annoyed confusion emit in response. 

What?? We never discussed this... Why is he saying this? And why is he saying this without consulting me?

If only I were of age, then I could link him and we could have discussed this...

I feel anger bubbling inside of me. I clench my fists, How could he have decided this alone? This is such an important part of the celebration, a tradition of our pack. Why would he do this?

I glance at his parents, expecting anger and shock from them - but their expressions are entirely blank. They aren't surprised at all - they appear maybe a little annoyed, but completely in control. Has Isaac discussed this with them?

My brow furrowed, I wait for Isaac to continue, to explain to the annoyed mass of wolves beneath him.

"I understand that this must be frustrating. However, I have discussed this with my parents, and they agree that this is the best choice at this moment." 

"But let me remind you, nothing is certain... we will invite all of you back for another party, where we shall appoint our Luna" I remember Luna Jennifer's stern tone informing the crowd just moments before.

They must have known... Isaac must have discussed this with them in advance... I don't know if that makes me more or less aggravated right now.

"My mate and I will take some time before announcing ourselves, to allow us to better learn the roles of Alpha and Luna, and to strengthen our bond, ourselves and our wolves." Isaac stares sternly into the crowd, his tone commanding respect. "As our Luna has stated, we will invite you all back once we are ready, for an even larger party." The crowd, clearly disgruntled, cannot help but oblige.

"You must at least tell us which pack your future Luna is from," A rough, deep voice commands from the crowd. The voice belongs to a strong, heavy-built man. A middle-aged man, probably in his twenty's - judging by his stature and his sheer audacity to speak like this, I assume he is the alpha of one of the many packs in attendance. Long, blonde curls adorn his head, sweeping over the sides of his striking blue eyes, which now glare at Isaac. "We have a right to know if any of our packs relationships are being altered tonight." His voice booms. The crowd hums in agreement.

This idea of Isaac's is terrible.

I have been prepared to get up on this stage tonight, for several months now. He is risking our relationships with the neighbouring packs by doing this.

"Mhm," Isaac coughs, his jaw tight, veins bulging from his neck. He looks to his parents for approval, from which he receives only a rigid nod.

"Okay, I suppose I can accommodate that." Isaac grits his teeth, hand gripping the mic so tightly I worry it will snap. "Our future Luna comes from our pack; from Curadh."

The mass beneath the stage emits a series of grunts, sighs and even some curses in response. Parent's disappointed that their daughters will not be the future Luna of our pack.

Ours is one of the oldest packs, and thus one of the most respected among them all. Or at least, it was. I grimace at Isaac's poor choice tonight, still frustrated.

Luna Jennifer begins to move, striding gracefully from her position to the side, to centre stage. Isaac removes his tight grip from the microphone, passing it begrudgingly to his mother.

"We appreciate that you may be experiencing some frustration right now, but let me remind you; Curadh is one of the oldest packs of our kind. We have stood since the dawn of the intermingling of humans and wolves." Her icy gaze from her grey eyes freezes the frustration in the atmosphere, striking submission into the hearts of all in the crowd below. "Thanks to the hard work of our ancestors, we have survived, and all of our societies are flourishing." She takes a small breath, maintaining eye contact with the crowd below. "Thus, as a pack, we appreciate your patience with us in this matter. We will continue to work together and thrive together, as our ancestors intended."

The crowd is silent in passive agreement, forced upon them under the manipulative wiles of our Luna. 

I don't appreciate the means she uses to control these situations, but I appreciate that it worked and that (we hope), we will not have a riot tonight.

"Now, let us resume our celebrations!" Alpha Jason hollers into the crowd, igniting excitement in the crowd, all annoyance now repressed.

The crowd begins to dissipate, with different groups moving to different areas to enjoy the remainder of the celebrations.

I remain seated on the small, unnoticed bench, my head spinning while the frustration and worry bubble inside me. Losing myself in thought, my eyes glossed over, I don't notice a figure approaching me until they crouch directly in front of me.

"Hey, Claire. How has the party been for you?" Isaac asks, his voice strained. He can't bring himself to look directly into my eyes.

My gaze shifts down to him, brow furrowed in annoyance, my lips a small pout. "Why did you do that?" I ask, my eyes tearing up, "I was ready... You knew I was ready..."

He stays silent, unable to meet my gaze. 

"You could have at least talked to me about it first..."

Isaac drags his hand through his hair and takes a deep breath, before forcing himself to meet my gaze.

"Claire, I'm sorry. It was wrong of me, I know." He bites his lip as I wait for him to finish, "I thought it would be for the best. I want some privacy. I want to adjust and get stronger first before everyone finds out."

My heart clenches in my chest a little. It feels so wrong.

"Claire... I'm sorry. But now, we have more time to focus on studying and anything else, before I advance. Before everything changes. Okay, sweetheart? Don't you want some time to finish school before revealing big news like this?"

The tears spill over my eyes and my face contorts somewhat. It would be nice to finish school first, I guess... I bite my lip, removing my gaze from him, and nod my head slowly, tears still flowing down my face.

"Thanks, Claire." Isaac brings me in for a hug, glancing around him to make sure no-one is watching.

We hug for a second or two before he removes himself, looking at my lower stomach - he appears lost in thought.

I remain silent.

Another moment passes.

"Umm, Isaac? Did you already tell your parents about us and... and our cub?" I get out between choked breaths.

Isaac's expression shifts with that. 

He hesitates. "Yeah. Yeah, I told them everything." 

"Then... shouldn't I go and say something to them?" I ask, worried. He grimaces.

"Yeah... But not tonight. They're too busy and too tired." He gets lost in his thoughts for a moment, a glazed look coming over him. 

Another moment passes.

"I'll let you know when they're ready to talk to you." He finishes, snapping back to reality.

Why did he look so out of it? Is he stressed?

Worried for him, I decide it's best to accept this and just leave it at that for now. "Sure, Isaac. Whenever they're ready." I give him a tight smile, and force a stop to my tears.

"Thanks, Claire," Isaac gives me a relieved smile. "You've had a long day, you must be tired. Let me take you home now, so you can get some rest for our cub."

The idea of getting back to my bed now excites and comforts me so greatly - my warm bed is all I want right now.

"Yeah, that would be really nice Isaac. Let me go say goodbye to my parents first." I get up to find them.

Isaac jolts up in anxious response, "No, no don't worry about them. I'll tell them when I get back."

Sensing his stress, I again decide it's probably best for me to just leave it.

"Sure, Isaac. No worries. I'll send them a text as well." I force a small smile onto my face.

The short car journey passes in mostly silence; I rest my head against the glass of the window, feeling a wave of nausea build up.

"Everything okay, Claire?"

"Mm.." I hum in response, trying to avoid speaking right now, dedicating my energy to controlling my nausea until I get home.

After another minute, we arrive and I run inside, unlocking the door in haste, barely making it to the bathroom in time. 

Isaac enters just as I have finished cleaning myself up.

"Is that... Is that because of our cub?" Worry all over Isaac's face - he's probably completely oblivious to what pregnancy can entail...

"Yeah, our little cub must have been sensitive to the journey," I place my hand on my stomach, looking at my belly, a small smile on my face as I think about our future. Our cub will have a good life with us.

"Oh..." Isaac grimaces, "Are you... Okay??" He appears totally unsure of how to act or what to do.

"Yes Isaac, I'm fine." I move over to him slowly, placing a hand on his chest, "Don't worry about me, I will be okay. I just need some rest. Go back to the party."

He relaxes as I speak, staring at my stomach, "Mm..." He hums. "Thanks Claire. I'll message you later." He turns to leave.

"Looking forward to it..." I let out in a breath, escorting him to the door, locking it behind him after he leaves.

He's been so different today... I suppose I can't blame him, he found out he has a cub on the way - that's big news for anyone...

He didn't even kiss me goodbye though...

Sad for a moment, I shake the anxiety out of my head - My relationship with Isaac hasn't changed just because he didn't kiss me goodbye. That's ridiculous.

I soothe myself.

After a shower, I make myself some tea to soothe my stomach, and get into bed, turning on the T.V. in front of me. 

I've never gotten motion sick before, I hope this isn't a continual side effect of the pregnancy...

I reflect on the journey.

Then it hits me; the real reason I was sick - the car smelled of perfume. I had overlooked it in my exhaustion and anxiety, but now that I reflect - the car stunk of perfume. 

No. Not the car...

Isaac stunk of perfume...