The Contract (My Perfect Mate Continued)

The Shift Ceremony

I set my empty glass on the bar and decided to get some fresh air before the ceremony. As I headed toward the edge of the room, the smell of cinnamon and honey filled my nostrils. I stopped momentarily to take it in and had the urge to find out where it was coming from. I was so distracted by the scent that I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking. I smacked into a gorgeous redhead and suddenly snapped back into reality.

She spoke first, "Oh my gosh! I am so sorry. I wasn't paying attention." She placed her hands on my shoulders to steady herself. I felt the sudden electricity shoot through me.

I shook my head instinctively, "No, please. Completely my fault-." I trailed off when I was suddenly distracted by her beauty. Her bright blue eyes bore into my soul. Her dark mahogany red hair was a shade that I had never seen before. It was styled in loose waves that fell just past her breasts. She had delicate features and beautiful plump lips. I was much taller than her, so I wasn't able to appreciate her fully. I instinctively backed away to give her space to breathe.

She was wearing a navy blue sundress with a sweet-heart neckline with a tie just under her full breasts. There was a small cut out, showing just a small glimps of her soft skin. It cinched at her waist but billowed down to her ankles. She was covered in tattoos, each one was eccentric and full of color. I didn't want her to catch me staring at them, lest she get the wrong idea.

I was captivated by her and I didn't even know who she was. I swallowed my nerves and extended my hand in her direction.

"Alpha And-"

"Anderson, I know, I've heard so much about you." She said with a smile and a I swear that I saw a twinkle in her eyes. "It's nice to put a face to a name," she said flirtatiously as she shook my hand.

"Well, I hope all good things." I flirted back.

She leaned into me and lowered her voice a bit, "Oh, exclusively good things Alpha." she said with a wink.

I swallowed the bile in my throat. I really hope she meant that. I have made plenty of mistakes these last few months, mistakes that I hoped wouldn't come back to haunt me. She must have noticed my facial expression drop. She touched my arm suddenly, and I felt goosebumps spread throughout my body.

"I'm only kidding Alpha." Her small smirk made my muscles twitch and I tried so hard to behave myself. I have been with my fair share of women, but I have never been this affected by a she-wolf before. I opened my mouth as if to say something, but for some reason, I couldn't form words.

"Andy!" I turned around to see where the voice came from. I saw mom walking towards me, she was striking her wrist, it was time. I turned back to the mystery woman. She knew before I even spoke.

"I'm so sorry."

"I know, duty calls. I hope to see you again soon." She said with a smile. I watched her as she disappeared into the crowd. I noticed the sweet smell that I had encountered earlier followed behind her. At least I finally found where it was coming from.

As I headed to the terrace, I couldn't stop thinking about her. My mind was desperately trying to place her. Granted, we have had plenty of new faces around with so many pack transfers, but it was shocking to me and Apollo, that we had never seen her around before. I wondered if this was her first night in Silver Moon.

It was much easier to make it outside this time around. Most of the guests were already in the backyard. The crowd was a buzz in preparation for Nora's first shift. Speaking of Nora, I hadn't seen her since her breakdown in my office. I wondered where she was, but I knew that I would see her soon enough.

The night air was just as crisp as it was this morning. I felt Apollo open his lungs and take a deep breath. I was lost in thought when I heard a familiar voice calling to me.

"Andy!" I turned towards the voice and was truly shocked to see Jackson striding forward. "Hey man, it's good to see you."

I smiled wide when I took in the sight of my college roommate. We hugged enthusiastically, we hadn't seen each other in at least a year, maybe a little more. After we graduated, we both had to head back to our packs to assume our new roles.

Jackson had just stepped in as Alpha to his home pack, Harbor Moon. With both of our lives consumed by our new duties and the certain adjustments that ensued, we weren't very good at keeping in touch.

"What are you doing here? You're a long way from home."

Jackson shrugged his shoulders, "It was nothing. Only about two hours. When I heard about Nora's ceremony, I just had this gut feeling that I should make the drive. Not to mention, it seems like the whole region is in attendance, what's one more?" He said with a laugh.

I smiled back at him, he wasn't wrong, and it was so good to see him again. We chatted back and forth. It felt like old times. We talked about the good old days and all the stupid s**t that we did when we were merely boys. Now we were both Alphas of two of the strongest packs in the region.

"So how's your family?" Jackson asked politely.

"Mom and dad are good. I think that they are secretly thrilled to be taking a step back. It's been harder to learn the ropes than I originally thought, I didn't realize how much s**t comes with it."

He laughed and nodded his head. If anyone understood what I was going through, it was him.

"Where's Bryce at? I haven't seen him yet."

I shook my head, "Yeah, good luck with that. I just got a front row seat to his mating ritual. I guarantee we won't see him for at least a week."

Jackson busted into laughter, "Poor bastard. I am not looking forward to that day when it's my turn."

I was surprised by Jackson's exclamation but was thankful that I wasn't the only one thinking that way.

"Thank God, I have reservations about that too. Like I don't have enough on my plate?"

"Right? I don't know how our fathers' did it." Jackson took a sip of his drink before he continued, "So how about you? I expected you to have a gorgeous goddess on your arm by now."

I rubbed my neck, I wasn't sure if I wanted to indulge that new information. It wasn't even set in stone yet, I didn't want it to come back and bite me in the ass.

"Yeah, it's complicated."

Jackson tilted his head slightly. He clearly knew that I was hiding something from him. "You're seriously not going to tell me what's up? You seemed to forget that we lived together for 4 years."

I awkwardly laughed, "I honestly don't even know what to call it. Let's just say that it's in the works." I wanted to give him enough of a hint but not to give anything away.

Jackson slapped me on the shoulder, "Well, I wish you the best of luck with that." He said with a laugh.

Suddenly, our attention was called to the center of the patio. Nora stood in the middle of it with our parents on either side of her. I heard dad clear his throat.

"I want to thank you all for joining us this evening. It is a very special occasion indeed. Before we begin, I would like to invite our eldest sons up on stage with us." Dad took a brief pause and focused on me in the crowd. He nodded his head just enough for me to get the signal. I excused myself from Jackson and made my way through the crowd towards the front. I could feel Nora's nerves. I gave her shoulder a quick squeeze as a sign of comfort. I beat Bryce up onto the stage. He had clearly been distracted. His bun was in slight disarray and his buttons were in the wrong holes. I shook my head and tried to hide my laugh.

Do you realize how crazy you look right now?

Bryce took a moment to assess how disheveled he truly was and couldn't hide his boyish smile. I stood in front of him for just a moment, so he could collect himself. It didn't take long for him to readjust his buttons and quickly re-tie his bun. Dad snuck a disapproving grin in his direction and tried to pretend that nothing was out of the ordinary and continued on with his speech.

"We are so incredibly proud of our youngest, Nora. She is about to embark on the next incredible chapter of her life, and we are beyond grateful to have you all here tonight."

That was Nora's cue to take center stage.

The crowd erupted in wild applause as Nora took another step forward. She craned her head towards the full moon and closed her eyes. Her anxiety seemed to melt away as she prepared for the next step. Meeting your wolf and submitting to the power inside is the most natural thing that a wolf can go through. The first time may hurt, but only for a second. When you meet your wolf, it's like gaining access to a dormant part of your brain. After you have become whole again, you can't imagine your life the way it was. You do not realize how lost you truly are until your wolf becomes apart of you.

I heard the unmistakable crack of Nora's bones and a small whimper came from her. Within seconds, Nora's wolf appeared in front of us all. Her wolf was beautiful, a soft gray, almost silver. Her eyes flashed a light lavender color before returning to green. The crowd erupted in another wave of applause as they took in the sight of Nora's wolf. Nora let out a loud howl as her final form took place.

To everyone's surprise, a subsequent howl echoed hers. We all turned away from Nora momentarily to see where it originated from. I was shocked to lock eyes with Jackson, standing in the thick of the crowd. His eyes were black as I saw the familiar look of the mate bond forming. I had just witnessed it with Bryce only hours ago.

We all knew not to stop what was about to unfold. We all stared at Nora as she descended the stairs in a trance and headed into the crowd towards Jackson. By the time Nora made it through the vast crowd, Jackson had shifted into his wolf, Blaze.

Nora dipped her head under Blaze's chin as a sign of obedience and submitted to his protection. They nuzzled close to each other for a moment longer, before howling together, as one.

I had mixed emotions about the most recent event. Jackson was one of my best friends, I would trust him with my life, but it was a little too close to home. On the other hand, I was relieved that Nora had found peace.

Nora and Blaze took off into the trees. That only meant one thing, and I was already tapped out for the evening.