Chapter 4

The pack was supposed to meet up in the quad. The whole area was grassy, and on nice days people lay out doing their homework. Besides the cafeteria, it was probably the biggest gathering spot on campus.

I wasn’t sure how many people went to a typical ceremony. I assumed everyone in the school pack, but since we had so many visitors, I wasn’t sure. Maybe everyone would come.

I’d avoided the ceremony during the last full moon. I was still a little weak from the vampire bite and not at all comfortable with the idea of shifting, so I’d let Dr. Gonzales at me with one of her needles. I’d slept through the whole thing. Meredith and Dastien had explained that everyone got together as a pack, shifted, and ran. I had an idea of what was going to happen, but knowing about it and actually doing it were two totally different things.

As soon as I stepped outside the dorm, I stopped walking. “Oh my God.” In the hour or so I’d been inside, campus had become a zoo. People streamed into the quad from the path to the parking lot. Already, a crowd of at least a few hundred filled the square plot of grass.

How had everyone even found parking?

Meredith bumped her shoulder against mine. “Bonding ceremonies don’t happen very often, and people really like to see them.”

“I thought all the girls got paired up.” Even if I thought it was odd that girls got matched before they turned eighteen, that was the norm among the Weres. That meant my ceremony was nothing special—or at least it definitely shouldn’t have been such a big draw.

“Lots of people are mated, but only True Mates do this exact ceremony. It’s been a long time since the last formal bonding. Plus, people are already in town for the Tribunal and you made a lot of people interested… So…”

“This blows. And I totally blame you.” Only the students had really heard about me before Meredith’s curse fiasco.

“Me? No. You should be blaming Dastien. Breaking the spell was one thing, but he bit you and that was a huge freaking deal. Word’s gotten around about the True Mate thing.”

True Mates were extremely rare, but that was what Dastien and I were. Nothing could’ve kept us apart. We were two halves. And apparently ‘True Mate’ was Were for ‘freak show.’ I wiped my sweaty palms down my robe. I wished I wasn’t totally nakey under the damned thing. It must’ve been wishful thinking that the ceremony was only a big deal to Dastien and me. Crowds weren’t my thing, but since I showed up at St. Ailbe’s, I’d found myself in the center of a few of them. It never got any easier.

I made my way through the quad and past the stares. Each surrounding building was only a few stories tall. The dark brick was lit by lights hidden in the trees. People stood around, chatting as they waited for the ceremony to start. Everyone was dressed in robes, but theirs were plain black like the one Meredith was wearing.

“This looks really cultish.”

Meredith laughed. “You’d rather see everyone in their birthday suits?”

“Well…I mean some of these guys—”

A growl rang through the crowd, and I rolled my eyes. I recognized that special timbre. “It was a joke. Jeez.”

“Cherie.” Dastien’s voice had more than a little wolf in it.

The crowd parted and I finally saw him. He wore a red robe, too. His dark curls were tucked back behind his ears. I met his golden gaze. There wasn’t any turning back now, and crowd or not, I didn’t care. I didn’t want to turn back. “Let’s do this.”

We moved as a group to a clearing in the woods. The moon rose as we walked, and I could feel its energy burning through me. My skin itched as the wolf rose to the surface. Only Dastien’s firm grip on my hand kept me from shifting.

Why do I feel like I can’t hold this form?

It’s hard during the full moon. That’s why we have the ceremony. It’s important to be together as a pack and get out in the wild. The newer or less dominant the wolf is, the harder it is to keep the human form. It gets worse as the moon rises.

Perfect. I scratched my arm, but it didn’t help alleviate the itch at all.

When we got to the spot for the ceremony, I was surprised that I recognized it. We’d held the meeting here when we discussed whether to kick Imogene out of the pack. The moon provided more than enough light to see by, illuminating the unlit bonfire area off to the side. Slightly deeper into the woods, piled rocks and boulders from the nearby creek formed a circle of seats, and a stone dais sat in the center of the ring. The platform part probably weighed a million pounds.

Mr. Dawson, Donovan, and Sebastian all stood on the oblong stone wearing black robes with the hoods down. Donovan and Sebastian were both members of the Seven—the council that ruled all werewolves—and Mr. Dawson ruled the local pack. All three were seriously strong alphas. I was sure some of the other alphas called in for the Tribunal were around, but I wouldn’t know them if I saw them. Not unless they tried to push their power at me.

Dastien pulled me along until we were standing in front of the dais. Everyone else crowded around behind us, some taking seats on the stones, others just standing, waiting for the ceremony to be over so they could shift.

Mr. Dawson and Donovan stood in relaxed poses, while Sebastian stood a little off to the side. He was grinning, and his blue eyes glowed bright.

Donovan had been really easy to get along with. He was only intimidating when he needed to be, but Sebastian was a little more so. When I first got to St. Ailbe’s, he’d pushed himself into my mind, which wasn’t fun at all, but ever since that one unpleasant experience, he’d been really nice. Super smiley. It was kind of weird, but I’d take that over scary Sebastian any day. I’d never fully gotten over that first impression.

Donovan stepped forward and the few whispers of the gathered wolves immediately died. “The moon has risen, and the ceremony shall begin. Have you both approached clear of heart and mind?”

“Yes,” Dastien said.

Donovan turned to me.

Right. I had to say something now. “Yeah.” My voice cracked. “I mean, yes.” God. I’d been over it in my mind a million times the past couple of days and I still managed to mess it up.

Donovan gave me a wink. “Good. Then let’s get started.”

Sebastian stepped to the edge of the rock. His white-blond hair looked even whiter against his stark black robe. “This is the joining of two wolves whose like I’ve not seen before. Both more alpha than Dono or I were in our youth. When I was called here to assess them and determine what had happened, I was not prepared for this one.” He pointed to me. “Her strength and magic will do well for the pack.”

I was really grateful that my hood blocked out my peripheral vision. Only the three on the stage could see my face and how red it was getting.

Donovan held up his hands, and the whispering crowd finally settled. He looked at me for a second and it felt like he was seeing into my soul. I struggled not to move under his inspection. “Before we proceed with the incantation, you must complete the exchange of flesh.”

Dastien turned me so we were facing each other. He held out his arm.

Oh God. This was going to be a disaster. I suddenly felt cold. I wiped my sweaty palms on my robe. “I can’t bite you.” I’d known it was part of the ceremony, but hearing it and actually having to tear into Dastien’s arm were totally different. “That’s just…nope…not gonna happen.”

His eyes flashed to bright yellow. “You don’t want this?”

Was he messing with me? Of course I didn’t want to bite him. That didn’t mean I didn’t want to be with him. “No. I mean. Yes. I mean.” God. I was sounding like a real moron tonight and so many people were here listening. I let out a shaky breath. “I don’t want to hurt you. Because it totally hurt when you bit me. More than a little bit. It was not cool. At all.”

A few chuckles rang out through the crowd and I stared down at the ground.

“I thought we were different than vampires…” I muttered softly, but everyone heard me. Full on laughing came from the crowd.

Who knew I was such a freaking comedian?

Shit. I had to do it. And not make an idiot of myself in front of everyone. I wiped my hands on my robe again. “Fine. But don’t get all pissy when it hurts. I don’t want any whining.”

Dastien gave me a small smile. “I’m not going to whine.”

“Sure you won’t.”

He held out his arm for me again and I grasped it with both hands. I met his gaze and sucked in breath.

I so didn’t want to do this. Not even a little bit. My stomach churned at the thought.

I started to bite down, and then stopped, whining a little. I hopped from foot to foot. “This is so messed up.”

“Just do it.”

I started to put my mouth on him and then pulled back. “I can’t. Shouldn’t we just skip to the spell?”

You can do it. I’ll be okay, he said through the bond. One little bite and it’s done.

My stomach churned as I tried again. “Fine. Count to three. I’ll go on three.”

I rested my teeth gently against his skin.

“One.”

I squeezed my eyes tight.

“Two.”

Just do it, I told myself. Don’t be an idiot in front of all these people.

“Thr—”

An explosion cut off Dastien’s word.

Dastien jumped to action, shielding me as I covered my ears. My hands shook as I lowered them, looking to see what had happened.

“She’s not yours to claim.” A familiar voice called out.

Dastien growled. His spreading fur rippled under my hands. His anger was making my blood burn. I was angry, but he…he was pissed the fuck off. His emotions were so strong that the nearby Weres started wolfing out.

That couldn’t happen. Whatever was going on, I needed him in human form so we could deal with it. “Dastien. You have to calm down. Please.”

The crowd parted and suddenly our roles reversed. Dastien grabbed my arms as I lunged forward.

Luciana wore all white. A dress, flowing with many layers. The spell that lit her hands made her look like an avenging angel, but I knew she was the opposite of anything angelic. Behind her were at least ten other people dressed in white.

How in the hell had she managed to sneak up on all these wolves? Especially with the extra guards Dastien and Donovan had posted.

I felt it then. It wasn’t just the moon that was making me itch. Magic hung thick in the air. “I don’t know what you’re doing here, but you weren’t invited. Leave now.” Wary of the brujos, the wolves who’d already shifted flattened their ears and a few still in human form slid away, leaving space between themselves and whatever magic Luciana was working.

“No.” Luciana looked past me, dismissing me. “We had a deal, Michael.”

“I’m not aware of any deal that would affect anything we’re doing tonight.”

“You gave your oath that the coven would be allowed to speak at the Tribunal. Now you’re breaking your word?”

Mr. Dawson pressed his lips together in a firm line. “Both this ceremony and the Tribunal are Were-only events. Outsiders can’t participate without a pack sponsor assigned on a case-by-case basis. You might have a sponsor for the Tribunal, but not for tonight. You don’t have the right to be here.”

I nearly gave a fist pump. Thank God for rules I was totally clueless about.

“I’ll sponsor her.” A voice rang out from the crowd.

The pack separated to show a woman in a black robe. Her brown hair fell in waves around her face. “I’m her sponsor for the Tribunal. I’ll sponsor her tonight as well.”

What? No. This wasn’t happening. Who the hell is that? I asked Dastien through our bond.

Sophia Hoel.

Related to Rupert?

His wife.

Perfect. Rupert Hoel was the asshole who’d tried to take over the pack and failed. He’d chained up Sebastian, Donovan, Mr. Dawson, and Dastien, and left them in a vampire cave. The douchebag was still on the run, but his family couldn’t be punished for his actions. Now I kind of wished they could be. They had two daughters—Imogene and Nikki. I pretty much hated both of them. Big time.

Mr. Dawson crossed his arms. “This ceremony and the Tribunal are entirely separate matters, and sponsorship for tonight wasn’t given proper notice.”

Luciana waved her hands, and fire licked the ground. “You think I don’t know what this means? The second she bites him, the second the words are said, she’s yours for good. It makes the Tribunal worthless.”

The Weres that had gone wolfy prowled around the members of la Alquelarre. The rest were watching. Motionless, but ready for action.

“Everyone knows mated wolves can’t be separated,” Luciana said.

She was right. That was why we were doing this. With the completed bond and Sebastian and Donovan’s approval, we were golden for the Tribunal. It was just a technicality. But if we didn’t cement the bond…

Mr. Dawson grinned, and I shuddered. There wasn’t even a little bit of warmth in his expression. The man was scary when he was pissed. “If you think I will allow two of my already mated pack alphas to be separated, you’re sorely mistaken.”

No way. She wasn’t getting between Dastien and me. I wouldn’t let that happen.

“Teresa isn’t just any pack member you can mate off. You stole her from our ranks—not only our leader, but our strongest coven member. The Tribunal was our chance to make our case using your methods, but by your actions, you’d obviously prefer we take her back using force.”

I knew Luciana wanted me to join the coven. She’d even tried spelling me to get her way, but it hadn’t worked. I stupidly thought she’d just wanted to speak at the Tribunal to make Dastien’s life hell. Boy, was I wrong. Did you know they wanted to talk at the Tribunal to get me back? I asked Dastien.

No. I knew they wanted to talk, but I didn’t know anything about this. I swear.

With the amount of panic and anger I was feeling through the bond, I believed him.

“But now…You’ve gone too far, Michael.”

Lady had lost her damned mind. No way was I leaving Dastien or the pack. I was done listening. “We’ve been over this.” I made sure to enunciate so there’d be no misunderstandings. “I’m not going back to the coven. Not when you were so quick to try manipulating me with magic. Not when you nearly killed my friend without a whisper of remorse. I don’t want to be anywhere near you let alone join your coven.”

“But you’ll take our help when you need it.”

That was low. Claudia and Raphael had helped me more than once, but they were family. And to be honest, the first two times I hadn’t even asked for it. “If you’re referring to my cousins, then yes. I’ll take my family’s help and I’ll help my family. But you—you’re not family. This—” I waved my arms toward the assembled Weres—“is my family.”

Fire shot from Luciana’s fingertips, and she wavered. A coven member—also dressed in white—came to help her stand. Whatever flashy spell was lighting her hands must’ve been costing her.

“Donovan. Sebastian. I know you remember the last time our people fought. Surely you don’t wish to repeat that.”

“Are you threatenin’ us? With war?” Donovan jumped smoothly down from the dais, his Irish accent thickening with his anger.

I’d never seen Donovan so furious, but when his eyes flashed to blue, I knew he was not someone I ever wanted to piss off. I stepped back, giving him room.

“It’s not a threat. It’s a fact,” Luciana said.

What the hell was going on? Why did she fucking care so much where I was? What was her endgame? It didn’t make any sense. If she forced the pack to make me go with her, then I’d do everything in my power to tear her down. To get back here. I was nothing if not stubborn.

Could she be that dense?

No. Not being as high in the coven as she was. Which meant that she had to be up to something. The big question was what?

“Luciana,” I said. My voice sounded much calmer than I felt. “I want nothing to do with you. Forcing me to go with you will not end up with me helping you in any way, shape, or form. I will never be like you.” I paused to let my words sink in. “You need to leave. Now.”

The spell on her hands strengthened, and I blinked my eyes from the sudden bright light surrounding her. “I think Donovan and Sebastian would disagree. Is it worth it to fight now? Why not complete your ritual at the next full moon? Give us the chance to make our case.”

“Or else?” I asked.

She held up her hands. “I’ll do what I must.”

The circling wolves moved forward, but knocked into an invisible barrier that surrounded the brujos. They snarled and a few more Weres shifted as they ran at the barrier.

One of the coven members threw a bottle filled with red powder at the closest wolf, and it cut through the invisible wall. The wolf yelped as the glass smashed against his hindquarters and he went down in a whimpering heap as magic flashed.

They were going to fight. Over me. People—my pack—could get hurt. I had to stop this.

“Wait.” I took a breath.

“Non. You can’t—”

The fight started to grow around us. Wolves crashed into the invisible barrier, bones crunching as they hit. The witches threw potions into the pack. Some sparked in blazing fire. Others were more subtle, casting shadows or fog. But every vial sparked a chorus of whimpers. Pain rippled through the pack bonds and for the first time, I could feel each wolf—and every injury.

I had to stop this before it got out of control. I grabbed Dastien’s hand. “We get through the Tribunal and in a month, we’re right back here. Nothing will change, except this fight.”

He pulled me close, running his nose along my cheek. “I don’t trust them,” he whispered in my ear. “If we don’t press this now, I could lose you.”

I pulled back. “Impossible. We’ll get through this.” I cleared my throat. “We’ll wait,” I said to Mr. Dawson.

Sebastian shook his head. “Let us handle this.”

One of the coven members yelled an incantation in language I didn’t know. The ground exploded off to my right and howls rent the night.

At once, Sebastian shifted. A spell flew his way and he dodged it, but a blast of light hit another wolf who collapsed to the ground.

Wolves were getting hurt. Arguing about this was a waste of time.

I spun to Mr. Dawson. “We have to stop this.”

“I’m with Dastien. That’s a huge mistake. You give in now, you’ll be giving in to them forever.”

Non. Please. We have to do this now. You can’t let her affect our actions. Dastien protested through our bond, but I tuned him out.

It was too much. Spells flew, crisscrossing the night in streaks of jagged light. Wolves circled the coven, slamming their bodies into the barrier. It was chaos, and all because I couldn’t wait one month?

“Stop.” I yelled the word as loud as I could and backed it with alpha powers. Every wolf froze in place.

I held my breath, hoping that the brujos would stop, too. When no one moved, I said, “This isn’t worth fighting over. I’ll promise not to finish the bonding ceremony tonight if you’ll leave now.”

“Are you sure?” Mr. Dawson said softly to me, but every Were heard the question.

The night was quiet as everyone waited for my answer. I knew that what I was doing was right. I couldn’t let any more wolves get injured because of me. But that didn’t make this any easier. “Yes,” I said finally.

Mr. Dawson gave me a solemn nod before turning to Luciana. “You’re getting this much from us, but nothing else.”

She raised her head in the air, like she thought she was the queen of the universe, and I wanted to strangle her. “I need your word. The spell please.”

Spell?

Fur sprouted over Mr. Dawson’s face. “We won’t finish this bonding ceremony tonight. You have my word. I shall break it only on punishment of death by the gods above and below.” His voice was growly with the wolf. “Leave now, Luciana. Or we will remove you from our land.”

The fire went out of Luciana’s hands. “That’s all we ask.” She grinned, and my stomach flip-flopped.

I knew that smile. The feeling of dread that it invoked in me. That was what my premonition had been about. This moment.

She and the rest of la Alquelarre walked away, but I knew whatever they were plotting was far from over.

“Oh God,” I muttered. My heart was racing so fast that my hands shook. Dastien hugged me to his chest. “Did I do the right thing?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t think we had any good option, but I was ready to fight for you. For us.”

“I know.”

“You gave up.” His sadness and disappointment flowed freely through the bond, and my eyes welled.

This wasn’t what I wanted to happen. “Did you hear the wolves in pain? It wasn’t about giving up. It was about not causing a huge blow up if it could be prevented.”

It took a while for everyone to calm down. A few wolves shifted back and Dr. Gonzales led them as they took the injured to the infirmary. I hoped whatever spells had been cast could be easily removed.

“Lass,” Donovan said beside me.

I pulled away from Dastien enough to see Donovan.

He looked shaken, with his skin a little paler than normal and his eyes glowing bright blue, signaling his wolf was ready to take over. “It was a hard choice, but I think it was the right one. Even I was ready to fight, and it wouldn’t have been pretty. The last war with the witches…suffice it to say it took a few centuries before the world recovered. Thank you for keeping your head when no one else did. You’ll be a good leader.”

“Thanks.” But I was still hung up on war. It was such a strong word. “Is that what’s going to happen now? War?”

“You may have stayed it for a while, but it could be unavoidable if Luciana calls the other covens for aid.” He clasped Dastien’s shoulder. “Hang on, you two. If it’s you they want, they’ll have quite a battle in store for them.”

I took a breath. “Thanks.”

He nodded. “The moon is high in the night. Let us run together and renew the friendship and bond that takes us from lone wolf to pack.” He raised his arms, and power flowed through the pack. It hit me, rushing along my skin. My inner wolf rose up and there wasn’t anything I could do to stop it. I let go, and within a breath, I was on four feet.

Wolf-Dastien butted his head against mine and took off running.

The power of the full moon filled me with energy and I took off after him. The trees whipped past as I let the power of the pack take my worries away. It was almost like I had no problems as a wolf. Everything was simplified.

A wolf howled off to the left, and the group moved as one in that direction.

I caught the scent of the deer a second before I smelled its blood.

The wolf wanted to go after it, but I didn’t.

I shouldered into Dastien, and he led us around the kill. He howled again, and the pack followed.

I caught the moonlight and the wolf took over. I lost myself in my senses, the feel of the run, and the pack around me