A Warriors reveange book 3 Of Awakened Beast

the ceremony 64

Chapter 64

Ricks POV

When Mom took Macey upstairs to her room, I knew exactly what she was about to do. I didn’t like it, but it had to be done.

Mom once told me the same thing had happened with Dad. A woman had tricked him into believing they were mates. When his mother placed the necklace around the woman’s neck, it exploded, sending shards into her eyes and releasing the poison hidden inside. She was dead within minutes. Then they tested my mother the same way.

Now it was Macey’s turn.

I hated waiting. The seconds dragged on, so I finally mindlinked my mother.

“Mother, is everything okay? When are you all coming out?”

A minute passed before she finally responded.

“Give us a few minutes. Everything is fine. She knew about the power of the necklace—she’s a smart girl, son. Consider yourself lucky to have found her.”

I laughed softly.

“Mom, hurry up. I want to be with my mate. Stop keeping her to yourself.”

She laughed back and cut the link.

A few minutes later, I heard the door to the hall open. When they stepped inside, my breath caught in my chest.

Macey was stunning.

She wore a strapless black dress that fit her perfectly, hugging every curve. Her hair was curled, loose strands framing her face. A small crown rested on her head—the Luna crown. Mom must have given it to her while they were getting ready. She wasn’t wearing much makeup, yet she looked flawless.

Her legs looked impossibly long in those heels, and my wolf stirred at the sight of her. I couldn’t help the thoughts that crossed my mind, memories from the night before flashing through my head.

Mom cleared her throat, snapping me back to reality.

She turned toward the crowd, then quickly mindlinked me—

“Son, keep your mind out of the gutter. We still have the ceremony to go through before the mating. The next step is the marking. If you mark her and she dies, then she was never your mate—so calm your hormones down.”

I already knew she was my mate. She had survived the necklace. I felt the sparks of the mate bond the moment it connected. When we kissed, the bond flared even stronger. There was no doubt in my mind—she was mine.

Hello everyone,” my mother’s voice carried through the hall. “We are gathered here today for the Luna ceremony. As you all know, our son traveled to another pack for a visit, and while there, he found his mate. If there are no rejections, we shall begin.”

There were no objections. The elder stepped forward.

“Greetings,” he said. “It has been almost eight hundred years since I last stood here. Now, with your new Alpha having found his Luna, we may begin the ceremony.”

He wrapped the ceremonial rope around our joined hands, then sliced both of our palms. Blood welled up, and he instructed us to press our hands together. We obeyed, our blood mixing as the bond strengthened.

The elder spoke again.

“Luna Macey, do you promise to protect the pack alongside your Alpha? Do you swear never to betray the Alpha or the pack, never to trade secrets, and to fight beside him and the pack? Do you promise to stand strong, to guide him when needed, and to be the Luna this pack deserves?”

The vows seemed to go on and on. When he finally finished, she lifted her chin and spoke with confidence.

“I am a lady,” she said firmly, “but I am also a warrior. And yes—I promise everything you have asked of me.”

He nodded, then said,

“You may mark each other.”

Turning to my mate, I knew this was it—the final part of the ceremony. Gently, I moved her hair to the side and leaned in, licking her marking spot to numb the bite. She did the same for me. My arms wrapped tightly around her waist as we marked each other. When we were done, we licked the spots so they would heal.

I didn’t dare move away from her. When I looked into her eyes, I knew—deep in my soul—that I would spend my life with her. We would share thousands of years together. As she gazed back at me, it felt like we were looking straight into our future. There was no one else around us. It was just her and me.

Oh, my Goddess… why hadn’t I found her sooner?

I leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. I wanted to kiss her for longer than just a moment, but the entire crowd—including my parents, not to mention the Elder—was watching us. When we finally stepped apart, the Elder moved between us and raised my mate’s arm.

“Please welcome your new Luna to the Wolf Mothercycle Pack. Treat her with the same respect you showed the former Luna. Until we meet again, my people.”

With that, he walked off the stage, leaving us to the cheers and celebrations.

Macey looked up at me and smiled.

“So… did I pass all the Luna tests? The necklace, the marking, the ceremony? If you’ve forgotten, my mother had to do the same thing—except for the necklace part.”

I chuckled, pulling her closer to me.

“I’m sorry, honey. But it happened to my father a long time ago, before he even met my mother. She had to do it too. As for the marking—I always knew you were my mate. I could feel it in my bones. Please forgive us.”

She smiled, and the way she did made her eyes shine under the bright lights.

“Everything is already forgiven. Your mother explained the necklace to me. I knew what I was in for the moment I stepped onto this pack’s land. You have no idea what I can do.”

I had a feeling I would soon find out—or I would have to figure it out myself.