It's seven in the morning and I started moving in bed because I couldn't sleep at all. I think my body is trying to tell me I need to wake up. I opened my eyes and the room was empty ..I wonder where Alex went , soon when I wanted to get out of bed I heard footsteps coming to our room and I smelled Alex scent and something extra. I take a deep breath to analyze each smell and I realize that the new scent comes from the pancakes with maple syrup.
-Good morning princess ! I brought you breakfast. He said to me with a smile, walking towards me, then he put the tray of pancakes on the nightstand and kissed me.
-Good morning love ! Oh thank you .. it smells great! Inhaling their smell made me hungry, the pancakes leaving my mouth watering.
After he leaves I prepare to take a bath and wash my hair , in the meantime I write to the girls if one of them can go to the tailor's today to pick up the dresses for the post-ceremony and ritual party. Helena has already told me that She will go to pick them up while Ellie checks the last details with Sarah. It was already eight o'clock, which meant I had to prepare for the arrival of the guests.I dry my hair and then tie it in a ponytail, I have to move a little faster if I want to be ready at least half an hour before the Elders arrive. I find in the closet a white dress that is more than perfect for today's ceremony, after which I take a pair of black stiletto shoes. I choose a pair of long earrings that have a half moon at the end and start to do my makeup in the mean time
I let Alex know that he should come with Ryan and Carlos to get ready and Helena sent me a message that she's already arrived with the dresses and that she'll be ready in twenty minutes because she's already dressed, all she needs to do is retouch her make-up and we will meet in the living room.
I write back that I thank her for going after the dresses and that in ten minutes I will get down. Marco wrote to me in the meantime that in two hours they will get here too.
I headed to the living room where I had to meet Helena. As I descended the stairs I could hear Sarah screaming at some of the gamma or probably at all of them so I gave up the idea of asking her anything more.can imagine that preparing two such important events in one is a hassle and Sarah being a perfectionist is stressed out of everything.
I was sitting on the couch in the living room when suddenly I heard something break and Sarah was so nervous that you could hear her screaming from the borders. She was angry and probably wanted to kill someone. I could only feel that from the tone of her voice when she said "Those flowers don't come there, they have to be placed on each side of the hall! Where the hell are the cutlery ??!" .I wanted to ask Sarah when I went downstairs to take the golden fist and the moon dial to the event room but I asked Ellie instead. I could take them too but I have to wait for Helena and I can bet that the Elders will arrive before she descends into the living room.
While I checked my phone I received a mind link from Carlos informing me that Elders had just arrived at the border and after being checked they would be allowed to pass, he also mentioned to me that Alex is already on his way to house and that there is no suspicious activity at the borders. I link him back to tell him to hurry because Helena's ceremony won't last long and after her he will be the firs in line at the ritual .Normally we do not check anyone when someone crosses our border but today is an exception and given the situation we are in it is better to be careful.
A few minutes passed and when I wanted to call Helena to come once I saw her approaching me. God, this woman is amazing! She wore a simple molded red dress matched with a pair of black high-heeled boots and her long black hair was now curly. She had a simple make-up and I could see on her face that she had few emotions.
She sat down next to me on the couch while she inspected my outfit.
-Okay girl, you will be the first. Elders will formalize your entry in the pack after which it will pass to Carlos and in the end it will end with Alex being Alpha. Are you nervous?
-A little ..it will pass as soon as I drink a shot of tequila! I hope he doesn't do that, I give him a "Don't do this" look and we both start laughing.
We were trying to relax the atmosphere a bit when I heard two cars parked in front of the house. Well "Let the hunger games start!" I told Helena in Snow's tone and she started laughing. I know she loves the "Hunger Games" and Katniss is her favorite character from all the books she's read so far ... and let me tell you then when Helena has time, she's a library mouse.
We both got up to greet the Elders.
-Hello ! I'm glad you arrived and I'm happy to see you! It's been a while since we last met.
-I'm glad to be here Alpha Caliana! ..or could I already tell you "Luna "? I gave him a smile and then invited everyone into the house. We all sat down at the living room table where we started discussing all sorts of things.
-So Luna ..who will be your new beta? Mr. Jackson asked me. I turn my head to Helena and smile at her.
-Helena will take over the position after we formalize her entry into the pack. Everyone was looking at me strangely ..I mean I know it's not very common to offer the beta position to someone outside the pack but Helena is more than capable of coping with this position.
-So she's not part of your pack? You already know how things work ..I don't tell you that you made a bad decision but you know how outsiders are viewed, especially when they hold such positions.
I don't like the tone in which he speaks to me and the fact that someone contradicts my decisions makes me angry.
-I'm sorry you don't totally agree with this but it's my pack so I make every decision as I see fit! Helena put her hand on my leg trying to calm me down, I know Mr. Jackson has a gift for annoying people but he has no authority over me. Now he looked at Helena, studying her as if he had something to say, but he didn't know how to begin.
*****
Helena’s pov :
It was already six in the morning when I woke up and started preparing for the arrival of Elders. It took me an hour or so until I got dressed and curled my hair. At first I didn't know what to wear, so I spent almost half an hour looking for an acceptable dress, after which I finally found a simple red dress molded on my body and I started to make up. While i was putting on my make-up Cali sent a message to our group to ask if one of us could take the dresses from the tailor for the post-ceremony party, I told her I was going after them since Ellie was busy.
I arrive back with tailoring dresses and announce to Cali that we will see each other in twenty minutes in the living room.
All I need to do is change my boots with a pair of high-heeled boots and then retouch my curls and I'm ready to go. As I left the room I heard Sarah screaming at someone, I bet you can hear her Sarah on the other side of the world screaming.
I saw Cali on the phone when I got to in the living room ... this girl with her phone! She was sitting on the couch so I sat down next to her. I have few emotions now that Cali told me that the ceremony starts with me first and now I need a shot of tequila ASAP. I told Cali this and she gave me a look like "Don't be an i***t to do this!" and we started laughing.
We heard the cars parked in front of the house after a few minutes so we got up from the couch to greet the guests.
Cali opened the door as I stood a little behind her when I saw three old men who look a lot like Dumbledore from "Harry Potter", and let out a chukcle after which I slapped my mind and my wolf Aya laughed by me and my imagination.
Cali didn't seem so happy to see them at all even if she said the opposite ..this girl is a good manipulator when she wants to. We all sat down at the living room table after which Mr. Jackson asked her all sorts of things again. in the end he also brought up the issue about me .
I could feel Cali getting annoyed when Mr. Jackson began to question her authority and ability to lead her pack, I had to calm her down quickly and let her know that she was not alone and that I was with her as i put my hand on her leg after which I turn my head towards her and give her a look like "Don't fall into his net, he just wants to piss you off", but she was too focused on Mr. Jackson to notice me. In the end he turned his gaze to me, studying me, he wanted to tell me something but I don't think he knew where to start or how to choose his words so as not to make Cali ever worse angry.
I didn't like the way Mr. Jackson posed the problem that I came from outside the pack, I would have understood if Cali and I hadn't met and I would be a new person to her but that's not the case. we look at the three old men ..it seems Mr. Jackson is doing all the talking and the other two are just listening and nodding sometimes when Jackson asks a question that concerns us all. He is the kind of man who from my observations seems to be hungry for power and the way he looks at Caliana makes me vomit.Probably Caliana already knows that Jackson could be one of her enemies but she remains firm in her position, implying that she will not accept anyone's s**t and they will suffer at the slightest deviation. That’s my girl!
-Helena, could you tell me what pack you're from? Elder Jackson looked at me with wide eyes for a sign of doubt.
-I come from the "Los Asesinos" pack from Andalusia, you've probably heard of it.
The pack in which I was born is the strongest in Spain, no one could approach us and the name of the pack describes us perfectly.
-Oh, so you come from a pack that is expert in torturing and killing rivals ... I didn't expect that.
I could see the expression on Calina's face when Jackson heard what pack I was born in. Everyone knew what kind of pack we were and what we were capable of, which is why no one took the risk of setting foot in our territory.
-Yeah ..it's the way we work.
-I can tell, your pack is extremely known to the whole world. Why did you choose to take the beta position in Caliana's pack if I may ask?
-We have been friends for a long time and considering that she needed a new Beta, I was happy to help her after all it’s hard to trust even your on people.
-Good to know ! Well, I think it's time to get ready for the ceremony.
-Sure sir, the ceremony will be in the event hall considering that the weather does not allow us to do it outside.
Now we were on our way to the event hall when the boys appeared behind us trying to avoid the Elders.They've probably had trouble with them in the past and now they're trying to avoid them ... but it will be much harder now that the ceremony begins and each of us will be face to face with the Elders.We were all crossing the free corridor from the hall heading towards the stage. Today we will not go on stage, the boys and I will be in the front rows of the stage except for Caliana because she and Elders will formalize the ceremony.Before Caliana came on stage, she shook my hand and then whispered "good luck". Well, we'll need it ... I feel worse than on the first day of high school when I had to present myself to my classmates .
*****
Before I went on stage with Elders, I took Helena's hand and shook her and wished them good luck.Everyone was a little nervous and tense, but I know that this whole thing won't last more than two or three hours. So when I got on stage, I took a last look at the hall and saw Marco, Uncle Mike and Aunt Jas. I gave them a smile and then nodded to Jackson that we were ready to start.
-I would like to start by telling you that today is an extremely important day for our pack. Today we will receive a new member in the pack and at the same time my friends in command will officially take over their positions after almost four years! As you know after the deaths of my and Alex’s parents we took over the positions with a small ceremony but it was not made official by the Elders.Also today I will give Alex the position of Alpha considering that he is my mate and I will return to the title of Luna. I would like to invite Helena on stage to begin the ceremony.
I heard applause and the members of the pack stood up to support Helena.
-Elder Jackson, let's get started!
-Of course Alpha.
I'm still Alpha, so until I give Alex the position, I'll be treated with the same respect even if Jackson doesn't seem very happy to do so.
I took the golden dagger and handed it to Jackson when Helena came in front of me. We both held our palms face up as Jackson first cut my palm cross-shaped and then Helena's palm. When I had enough blood in my palm I took Helena's hand and pressed my palm and we mixed our blood giving her access to the pack.
After which Jackson had Helena repeat an oath after him.
"I swear to put the good of this pack above my good, to protect every member of the pack even at the cost of my life, to always be submissive and to carry out the orders that come from Luna and Alpha and to give my life for them when it will be needed! "
Well, this oath is pretty weird. Elders created it, but our pack hasn't used such oaths in decades.
-Welcome to the pack Helena! It will be a wonderful beta! I told her and then I hugged her. Receiving a new member in the pack is about the same thing as receiving a high-ranking position. So I decided to shorten this ceremony as soon as possible.
Usually I don't intervene in such situations but I didn't have patience and something seemed to tell me that I had to prepare for what was to come ..even Kira started to be agitated in my head again but I didn't pay attention to her .
Elder Jackson shook Helena's hand and turned to the members of the room.
-Welcome to Helena and also to your new Beta, the second in command!
The crowd in the hall applauded and whistled as her position was officially made. It seems that this pack is delighted with Helena, which makes me happy too.
It is not such an important ritual for me to formalize a position ... or to re-formalize it again but each species has a way of doing things so I can't do much against it but I can speed up its process.It's the boys' turn to go on stage and get in touch with Jackson, although I know that all three of them tried to avoid him. With Ryan and Carlos, everything will go quickly and the last one will be Alex. Luckily for me, I didn't have to officially introduce Ellie to the pack because Ryan is her mate and because they've already mated, I don't need to do the same thing as with Helena.
Until it's Alex's turn, I sat back in my chair looking at the crowd in the room, I'm a little tired and I'd like to sleep but I can't miss a party so well prepared by Sarah. I could swear I saw his face Dylan in the crowd but probably my subconscious is playing tricks on me. I was lost in my thoughts when Jackson came to tell me to get ready because it's Alex's turn. I hate long and meaningless rituals .. I haven't had time so far but I will force Alex to remove this nonsense from the to-do list .. i mean come on ..we can live without all these vows!
I turned face to face with Alex, I could see that he was emotional now that it was his turn, I nodded to him implying that I was here with him all the time so he didn't have to worry.
I started the same as in Helena's case, but the cut made with the dagger must be much deeper this time. Our luck is that we heal quickly and the pain is not as big for us as it is for ordinary people.Jackson meanwhile lit a bowl full of plants that have all sorts of ancient meanings ... god who the hell still believes in this nonsense in the 21st century?
-Alpha Caliana are you ready to give up the position of Alpha to Alex your mate and become his Luna?I do not feel sad about the fact that I give up the highest position in the rank .. I still remain one of the most important people in this pack and over time I have learned to trust Alex's abilities to lead and as always will put the good of the pack above all else.Although I know he can't put everyone's good above me. This is what makes mate bond so special, partners once mated the mate bond make them much more possessive and protective of each other than any human love in the world, that's why we are different from people. People when they are in a relationship and quarrel or have heated contradictory discussions either end up killing each other in the worst cases due to jealousy or who knows what, or break up or divorce .. well with us there is no such thing. Once we are mated, nothing can break this bond between us except death.
-Yes, I'm ready. Alex and I held hands, looking into each of our eyes, finally merging the blood in our palms, giving him the power of Alpha born of pure blood. We could feel a wave of power that hit us both at once and sparks in our palms. Tonight is the full moon which means that the ceremony was amplified by the power of the moon even if it is still day outside this day itself is far more important than the rituals performed by the Elders.
After I felt that I had given enough strength, I pulled my hands and put them in a bowl of water.
-Blood Moon Pack welcome Alpha Alex and Luna Caliana! The whole crowd was now standing applauding and bowing their heads. I saw Marco and my uncle approaching us waiting to get off the stage. Everything is now official and now i finally could say that i am indeed happy !
-I would like to thank you all for your support over time as your Alpha. From now on this role belongs to Alex and I hope you will be as supportive as you were with me!
I emphasized the last two words, hoping that the members of the pack would understand the irony of my words ... they were not supportive of me at all, sometimes making my life bitter!
I let Alex talk while linking to Ellie and Helena that we will leave immediately to prepare for the party.
-I would like to thank you for the warm welcome as your new Alpha! I, Caliana and the other members of the rank will always support and protect each of you and I hope you do the same for us .Now that the ceremony is over we are all free to celebrate! Let's all have fun!
The crowd is delighted with the celebration of the new members of the rank and while I was wiping my hands Alex appeared behind me.
-So my dear Luna, what do you say let's have a party? He laughed and then kissed me and we prepared to go downstairs, leaving Jackson and the other Elders to finish what they had to do.
-So Alex ..I and the girls are going to change our clothes .. see you in half an hour?
-Sure love, the boys and I will go talk to the members of the pack until you return. I love you Cali!
-I love you too, Alpha! I said with a smirk after which I kissed him heading for the door. After taking a few steps I stopped when I felt a hand on my shoulder .. it was Marco.
-Hey Caliana, my parents told me they were waiting for you in the living room ..oh and by the way congratulations for you and Alex!
-Hey, now I'm going to change my clothes and i wil meet them there and thank you, it's very nice of you.
-No problem, do you know where I can find Alex?
-Yeah ..he's with Ryan and Carlos somewhere in the room ..he said he's going to talk to some members of the pack.
-Oh well, thank you. He went to look for Alex and Helena and Ellie were waiting for me near the front door impatiently.
-Come on, Cali ... I can't wait to have a shot of tequila! I've been telling you this since this morning.
-I'm coming, I'm coming ! Ellie laughed at Helena as I tried to increase my pace, but with these shoes, there was little chance.
-Hey two of you! Go ahead and change, I have to make another stop.
-Where?
-My uncle and aunt are waiting for me in the living room but see you back in half an hour in the hallway?
-sure ! Both Helena and Ellie answered me. These girls move very fast even if their heels are big ..I wonder how they manage to do that. I give myself a mental pain reminding myself that I always wear sneakers and very rarely high heels ..well now I realized why I move like a duck wearing these shoes.
I finally got to the living room when my aunt first saw me coming in.
-My beloved niece you look so beautiful!
-Hey auntie you are beautiful too! How are you ?I noticed that her face is no longer as radiant and it seems that she has lost a lot of weight since I last saw her.My uncle got up from the couch to hug me while my aunt inspected my outfit.
-Well ..now I feel better. Lately the transfer of powers to you has taken me more energy than I thought would happen but now I'm ok.
-I'm sorry to hear that ... you know I wouldn't want those powers if I knew what they are doing to you.
-Oh my dear, don't worry, everything is fine now. I suddenly started to feel a little dizzy and I could feel the ground moving under my feet. Kira had started to be nervous in my head again, she was still saying something to me but the ringing in my ears covered her voice.
I grabbed my aunt's hand when I felt a hot liquid running from my lips. I wipe my nose with my hand and see that I am covered in blood ..my nose is bleeding. Suddenly I realized what was happening ..but this is not possible, the demons have attacked so far only at night never in broad daylight. I could hear my aunt's voice but very weak and my uncle grabbed me by the shoulders trying to shake my body , I felt in a trance after which my heartbeat slowly calmed down feeling better. What the hell just happened?
-Caliana, are you okay? What happened to you ? My uncle and aunt seemed very worried now and I didn't know what to say to them ... because I don't even know what the hell happened.
-Yes I'm fine now..sorry I didn't mean to scare you .. it's probably from the fact that I transferred my power to Alex during the ceremony and my body reacts only now.
I sat down on the couch with them and then one of the omega brought me a glass of water.
-You scared us to death! You should probably rest, don't you think?
-But I probably can't leave Alex and the girls alone and definitely not you either! I know you've come a long way so far so don't think you're getting rid of me so easily! I smiled warmly at them and then shook my aunt's hand in gratitude.
-Hey Cali, I'll let you and your aunt talk and I'll go see what the boys and Marco are doing, okay?
-Sure uncle, have fun! I winked at him, then he kissed my aunt on the forehead and left.
We both sat quietly on the couch ..I know she wanted to ask more about what just happened but she doesn't insist on it. She waited for the girls to come down and we could go to the party. I decided it didn't make sense to I change my outfit but I will wear other shose ..as you know Puma all day.
It's been more than half an hour and the girls haven't arrived yet, I'm starting to lose patience. I was ready to go back to the party when I heard a thud on the first floor. For a few seconds I saw Helena thrown. covered in blood on the living room floor.
-Run now !! Helena screamed at me as she got up from the floor.
-What the hell is going on ?? Where is Ellie ??!
-We are under attack, there are rogues in the pack house and some demons !! Ellie stayed upstairs I don't know what she's doing now.
I was shocked and at the moment I didn't know what to do, I was about to let Alex know that we were attacked when the siren we use in emergencies started. I have to tell everyone to hide and stay safe. f**k them .. we didn't have the plan ready and I can't understand how they took us by surprise! I need Ellie's mother to help me protect women and children.
"Attention everyone, we are under attack! Please follow the procedures in case of emergencies and stay safe. All unnecessary staff will go to the underground shelters together with women, children and the elderly! Everyone else who does not fit in will Please go to the armory and arm yourself! May the Moon Goddess be with us! "
As I sent the message to everyone I told my auntsto go with them and when it is safe outside I will go after her. I link Alex to give me an update but without any answer.I wanted to go outside to check on the situation but I couldn't let the girls fight alone. After the pack house emptied and shifted into Kira and I started looking around the house for intruders. When I got to the floor where Ellie lives, I smelled a lot of blood, including her blood ... God, I hope she's alive!
I was trying to find her looking in every room and in the end I found her fallen in the bathroom on the floor, I could hear her heartbeat and that made me feel relieved that she was alive.
I was now pulling her body with my teeth to take her somewhere safe until someone could come to her. I link Helena to let her know where Ellie is and if she sees her mother to tell her she's in my room lying in bed. I tried not to make sudden movements so as not to be heard, but when I reached the end of the hall one of the demons jumped on me with its claws. Kira felt a deep wound but that just made her much worse so we left her in total control hoping she wouldn't kill our own people.
At the moment I was still in her consciousness but this will not last , i hope i will reach to Alex .