The Lost Luna

Chapter 20 - Mating Ceremony pt. 2

***Jessica’s POV**

I wipe my forehead with the back of my hand. I’m covered in sweat and blood, although it wasn’t mine. Turning my gaze towards the bloody beta handcuffed to the chair, I was trying to decide my following torture tactics. An idea popped into my head, and by the look on beta Jacob’s face, he noticed. It was then that I realized I had a sadistic grin similar to the Cheshire cat.

“So, are you ready to talk?” I c*cked my head and raised an eyebrow. He spits out a mixture of blood and saliva.

“F*ck you b*tch! I’m not telling you sh*t!” his voice was strained and raspy from screaming in agony. I don’t appreciate being called a b*tch, so I grabbed a pair of pliers and ripped two of his nails off. At this point, he was missing four nails and had two broken fingers.

“Since you want to be Mr. Tough guy and not answer my questions, I’ll have to ask someone else. Maybe the b***h that’s carrying your unborn child knows.” I said this while wiping the blood off my knife and started sharpening it. I can hear his heart rate increase, which lets me know that’s something he holds near to his heart.

“You B*TCH! Don’t you dare lay a finger on her or so help me I wi-” He didn’t get to finish his sentence before I stabbed my knife into his thigh above his knee cap.

“Listen here. I will pop your f*cking knee cap off if you don’t start answering my questions.” I twisted the knife a little to show him that I’m not f*cking around. He stared me down before spitting out blood. My patience had worn thin by now, and I’m sure I know part of what he’s doing.

“F*ck this.” I mumbled before my fist connected with his face, knocking him unconscious. I honestly should’ve known he wouldn’t say anything.

“Jess, we both know that he wouldn’t say anything. You tortured him to avenge our pack and mom.” As much as I wanted to deny it, my lycan was right.

“That was only part of the reason. A majority was to get confirmation of my suspicions. But on the bright side, we smell like him now, so it won’t be as suspicious.” My lycan smirks along with me at the thought. I quickly wiped as much of his blood off of me. The last thing I want to do is leave a bloody trail back here. Once I’m sure there’s no more blood on me, I half shift. If there’s one thing that I’ve learned how to do, it’s share control with Brianna. Although it can be extremely draining, situations like now make it worth it.

***Amber’s POV***

After a well-needed refreshing shower, I was greeted by luna Marie and two other ladies I’d never seen before. My gaze shifted to the dress luna Marie was holding. It looked like something my great great great grandmother had worn. I guess my face reflected my thoughts because they burst out laughing.

“Trust me. I know this dress is grotesque. I had the same reaction when I first saw it, and yes, it’s as uncomfortable as it looks. But this has been the traditional mating ceremony dress for generations. It’s a lengthy process getting into the dress, so let us not waste any more time. First things first, let's get you into this corset.” My eyes practically bulged out of my skull. I have to wear a corset; this should be interesting.

After what seemed like hours, I finally had the corset on. My b*east was practically falling out of it. I’m pretty sure if I bend over to pick something off the ground, my b**bs will spill out. A soft knock on the door, and Marie’s eyes glazed over. She excitedly clapped her hands.

“It’s almost time! Let's get you into that dress and start on your hair and make-up. I inwardly groaned one thing about me. I don’t wear make-up, and if I do, it’s very light and straightforward. I was shocked when I saw myself in the mirror. They had curled my hair into beach waves and applied light make-up.

“You look beautiful, my dear. Ryder is a very lucky man.” I gulped, still in disbelief that this was happening. One moment I’m a senior in high school, and the next, I’m mated to an alpha; I’m a lycan wolf hybrid, and my best friend is actually my half-sister! Now that I think about it, my life would make a decent Lifetime movie. I was pulled from my thoughts by someone clearing their throat. I was in awe when my eyes landed on luna Marie. She was wearing a gold color dress that hugged her curves, and her hair was pushed to the side with slight curls framing her face. She extended her hand to me and led me downstairs. Everything was decorated beautifully, and there was a makeshift stage with four chairs. My eyes searched the room until they fell onto those icy blue ones. All the anxiety that was consuming me instantly fled when I looked at Ryder. He flashed me that million-dollar smile, and I hoped to the goddess that no one could smell my arousal. It’s something about his smile that turns me on.

“Babe, calm down. I don’t want any unmated male wolves smelling how turned on you are right now.” Ryder practically growled the last part. I had been so lost in his eyes that I didn’t realize I was on the stage, standing next to him. He gave my hand a gentle squeeze to calm my racing heart. Alpha Blake took center stage, and with a raised hand, the crowd silenced.

“I thank all of you for coming today. As some of you know, my son, Ryder, has found his mate.” He paused as the crowd burst into a roar of cheers, applause, and howls. After a moment, he raised his hand in the air to silence them. “Let’s celebrate the bond formed between your future alpha and luna!” Alpha Blake shouted the last part. Before I had a chance to do anything, Ryder grabbed me by the back of my neck and bit down on my marking spot. I felt my eyes rolling back, and a soft moan escaped my lips. It felt better than before. The crowd got even louder after he bit me, which I was thankful for because it covered the sound of my moan. When he pulled away, he gently nipped the bottom of my ear lobe. I would've fallen if it weren’t for his arm wrapped around my waist. As I was looking into his eyes, everything became clear to me. No matter what happens in the near and far future, everything with him by my side.

“I love you,” I whispered through the mind link. His eyes widened to the size of saucers.

“Are you serious? I’ve been waiting to say that to you for the longest. The only reason I held back was that I didn’t want to scare you off. I don’t want to sound cliché, but I was instantly in love when I first saw you beaten up in the forest.” His words made my heart turn into a puddle. Without wasting any time, I pulled him into a kiss. But this wasn’t a usual kiss, and I made sure that he knew exactly how much I loved him. He returned the kiss with the same if not more raw love and adoration. Although I know right now our situation isn’t ideal, I wouldn’t change it.

***Jessica’s POV***

It wasn’t hard for me to find his house. I found it faster than I expected, so I masked my scent and hid in the trees for an hour to ensure I wasn’t followed. I quietly jumped down from the tree and went into his house. I guess it was a good idea to steal his keys from him before leaving. As soon as entering the house, my nose was filled with the smell of black magic. It was so strong that I had to fight the urge to vomit.

“Okay, let’s make this quick. This smell is killing me.” I couldn’t stop myself from rolling my eyes. Sometimes my lycan is so dramatic, although I agree with her.

“Babe! You’re back so soon?” That must be the b*tch Blair. Her voice sounded like nails being pulled against a chalkboard. I knew that if she caught me, it would raise suspicions. So I searched the room faster as I heard her footsteps getting closer. That’s when I found it, the source of this awful smell. It was a small rack of test tubes with a black liquid inside. Some of the test tubes were clearly used. They ranged from empty to full ones. I quickly grabbed an almost empty test tube and slid it into my pocket. When I went to turn around, I ran into a firm chest.

“Don’t you know it's wrong to take something that doesn’t belong to you?” The look in this man’s eyes was nothing but pure evil. He reeked of different forms of black magic, and he smelt like a rogue. This man seemed oddly familiar, but I couldn’t remember how I recognized him. I realized that he looked like alpha Blake, but this man was clearly evil. His aura was black and made my hairs stand up.

“Jess, I don’t think he knows what we are. I don’t think we should engage him in combat. I can sense that he’s of alpha blood. Please give me control. I can get us out of here.” I had to trust Brianna because I couldn’t think of an escape plan. I gave her complete control without second-guessing, watching everything from her eyes. She smirked at him when his eyes grew to the size of saucers when he saw my beast. Before he could react, I watched as she clawed at his arm, ripping a decent-sized chunk of flesh. Which made him let out an ear-piercing roar of pure agony. I was momentarily stunned by the amount she tore off and the taste of his blood. It tasted like metal mixed with rotting flesh and death. She wasn’t shocked by this. She used this moment to our advantage. Before I knew it, she verified that the vial was unharmed in our pocket before jumping out of the window and running full speed towards the hidden tunnels that Blake had shown us.