Blood-Stained Moon

Ceremonies

When Grace has finished attacking my face, I stand and take a look in the mirror over the sink. I blink, the person in the mirror looks like me, but happier. My face is glowing, not too covered, but my skin almost shimmers under the light. My eyes look somehow bigger, a small line of black that follows the contour of my eye, with a lilac shimmer below the brow. My lips are a soft pink. "Wow... you really outdid yourself this time, Grace "I whispered in astonishment. Grace's face splits a grin from ear to ear. She hugs me tightly and pretends to wipe a tear from her eye. "You bet I did. You look stunning, Remy. Now to paint my own masterpiece", Grace giggles and runs back to her desk, muttering under her breath and tapping each item to decide which to use. I scroll on my phone with boredom. "Hmmm, Remy. Red or Silver?" She asks. I raise my eyebrows and wonder why she isn't consulting Leon like usual. "You want my opinion?" I laugh "Uh, Red? I know lipstick looks great on you. Why aren't you asking Leon?". Grace claps her hands and grabs a dress out of her wardrobe. A tight figure hugging red dress with no straps, and it looks like it would barely cover the knees. "Ah, well, I have you, and Leon has Ry and Amal. Boys don't know anything about make-up. Between you and me, I hope they convince Leon to wear some deodorant!". Grace winks and I giggle. "Sh*t! I better text Leon to wear the red tie!!" Grace has the dress just under her bra, and is fumbling around her bed to find her phone. She whips her bra off while her back is turned to me and asks me to zip her up. Her hands are holding her breasts to keep them in place. With a quick wiggle to find the perfect position, she turns and strikes a pose. I raise my eyebrows and do a fake swoon, making Grace smile. "Okay", Grace cracks her knuckles and starts at hyper-speed. I check the clock, half an hour to go. I resume my doom-scrolling and before long Grace is grabbing her heels and adjusting her heels. She looks gorgeous with a slight red lip, and a silver necklace with matching silver heels. I run to the wardrobe and threw a red shrug at her. "Cover up before you take out an eye". I got a jab to the shoulder in return. We leave our phones on the bed before exiting the room together. Grace hands me her key to put in my cardigan pocket along with mine for safe keeping. We walked down the hall and knocked on Ryans door. We are waiting for what seems like ages, tapping our heels and raising brows at each other. "You'd think the boys would be ready before us you know, aha" Grace shakes her head and fiddles with her necklace. The door is pulled open, and the boys start to pile out. Leon is ushering Amal out and smacking Ryan upside the head. "You and your vanity mansl*t! Even the girls are ready before us" He shouted before letting out a huge gasp when he saw Grace. He lets out a purr and strides over to Grace, pulling her closer and kissing her so hard we all fake gagged. "Doesn't my girl look beautiful as always". "You'll ruin my lipstick i***t" Grace huffs and pushes him away slightly before pecking him on the cheek. The boys are all wearing suits. Amal is in a black suit with a blue tie, Ryan is in a very tight gray suit with matching tie and a teal shirt. The shirt makes the blue in his eyes really pop. I smirk when I see his hair, every strand perfectly placed across his forehead. I waft my face "How much gel and cologne do you need man" I cough exaggeratedly. "Enough to cover the smell of all the women I'll be getting tonight" He winks and straightens his tie. We all groan. I look over at Leon, and he dressed very well in a black suit, white shirt and red tie with a red pocket square. I link arms with Ryan, and we all head off with Amal leading. When we got to the castle entrance, I stopped. "Where exactly are we supposed to be going?" I asked. Jamal just shrugs, I look behind at Grace and Leon, and they shake their heads. We are all stumped. Luckily, a few Omegas come out from behind us and head east. We follow blindly and just hope we are on time. The omegas in front are following a gravel pathway. It splits off in many directions and it looks familiar. I think the hospital is to the right at one of the splits. The pathway eventually opens up into a large flat field. There are lots of people gathered in one area leaving a small path in the middle, a grand bandstand at the end. As we walked closer, I could see Alpha Peterson and Alpha Roan in the bandstand looking smart and confident. Behind them, I assume was a Councilor, dressed in white robes. Surrounding them are people split into ranks. On the Left are the Beta's and Gamma's, some of whom I don't recognize. One looks pale and sweaty. On the right are the Omega's, Valerie and other well-dressed people. I imagine the higher Omega's. We queue behind on the right and wait anxiously. It's hard to see, but I can catch glimpses here and there. I'm glad the wind is blowing in the opposite direction, so I can't smell Alpha Peterson. A shoulder bumps mine and I look over, recognizing Claire by her bowed head and curtain hair. "Hi", She whispers. I study her and reply "Nice dress". I could barely see her dress over her thick cardigan, but the bottom was floor length and deep purple. She nods her head slightly. I shuffle nervously as we wait. A loud voice booms, "Welcome Emerald Clan and Silver Clan. Tonight we celebrate the union of our packs, and the gaining of a Beta. I speak for all of us when I say we are most happy to welcome you all. This may be new to many of you. But do not be scared, life in the Emerald Clan- as you have experienced the last few days, is similar to how you have grown in Silver Clan." He pauses to clear his throat. "The first celebration tonight will be Mitchel Roan's change to our Beta. Those from Silver Clan will temporarily feel dissolution. Do not be afraid. This feeling will pass, and will be replaced with the bond to our Clan soon enough." He addresses Roan directly. "Mitchel Albert Roan. Do you accept the position of Beta for the Emerald Clan?" Roan replies "I do". His voice wavers slightly, nerves barely covered. "Will you protect the Alpha and all other members of the Emerald Clan? Will you promise to help guide the Alpha of the Emerald Clan and step in where needed?" Roan repeats "I do". I hear silence for a while before an empty sensation hits me, I feel a sudden loneliness, like I've lost part of me. I can no longer feel Ryan beside me, or feel a sense of belonging. Gasps ripple through the crowd and the scent of terror fills the air. Within seconds, cheers from the Emerald Clan erupted. "Welcome Beta Mitchel Roan to the Emerald Clan." I snatched a quick glimpse through bobbing heads at Alpha Peterson and Beta Roan stood together, a smile on Alpha Peterson's face and an almost forced smile on Beta Roan's. Alpha Peterson's booming voice once again addresses the crowd. "I am aware that some of Silver Clan may not understand how to unite into our Clan. Fear not, all we require is a single drop of blood. A chalice is being passed among you all as I speak. Those in Silver Clan, one drop is all that is needed. When you have all completed this task, the chalices will be returned to me and I will drink from them. You will feel a bond again, and I will mind-link a warm welcome. You will be embraced by our members, but a fair warning to all that rules of mind-linking will still apply." I felt a cold metal prodding at my arm and looked down. Claire hands me a golden chalice, a small pool of red at its bottom. I stare blankly at it "Use your canine," Claire whispers again. I extend my teeth and prick my finger, then hold it over the cup. It takes a few seconds for the blood to form that perfect drop. 'Plop' it goes. I passed the chalice to Ryan and waited. I hear murmuring and whispers in the crowd. The moon is peeking through the trees. The cool wind pushes between our bodies trying to make a chill. I try to sneak a peek through the crowd impatiently. I see the back of Valerie's head, imagining her smug expression as she hands a chalice to Alpha Peterson, who is already gripping one. He combines the liquids in one chalice, making sure every drop is collected, then he downs it quickly, shaking the chalice to make sure it was empty. A wave of feeling hits us, a sudden filling of that emptiness. I can feel Silver Clan again. I can feel everyone around me.

Welcome all to the Emerald Clan. I am now your Alpha. This is now your home. We warmly embrace every single one of you. Please unburden yourselves from your clothes, so our wolves can be free under the moon.

I look around and everyone is removing clothes slowly, some trying to cover their dignity. I remove my shoes, then my pants and cardigan. I hold my cardigan over my dress and slip my straps off and attempt to shimmy my dress down without revealing anything. I mistakenly glimpse to my right and Ryan is fully on display, flexing himself towards some women in front, who are blushing but also in bare skin. I will never get that image out of my mind. I no longer see Claire beside me, her cardigan and shoes at her paws,

fully shifted with tatters of her dress scattered at her sides. Her wolf is a dark brown mottled with black and light brown patches. Her face also has a tuft of fur covering it, but her head is held high this time.

Ready wolfy?

I was born ready

I close my eyes and shift. Once everyone was shifted, Alpha started a run. We all followed. Our wolves happy to be part of something again and to run under the moon as one.

Remilda Hawcroft

Sh*t

............