Mountain Coast Pack, California
Gabrielle sat at the vanity in her mating dress, her makeup done and the sun already setting. Soon the moon would be out and she would be joined permanently with Adrian. Finally, all her efforts would have paid off.
“You look beautiful dear.”
Gabrielle saw her mother step behind her through the mirror, her eyes glittering with tears.
“Mom.” Gabrielle gripped her mother’s hand on her shoulder. She ignored the space where Ava should have been.
“I’m scared. I am afraid I won’t be a good enough Luna.”
I’m scared Adrian will never love me again even after we become mates. Gabrielle thought but she didn’t voice out that opinion.
Her mother bent and kissed the side of her head.
“You’ll be perfect dear. You care for them, you have a good heart and a willingness to learn the ropes. You will be fine. I promise.”
“Thank you, Mom. Thank you.”
A good heart? Gabrielle wasn’t sure she had that but she had the rest, it would be enough.
*****
Adrian was on his third glass of wine. He had woken up hungover around an hour ago. Even with his rapid metabolism, the amount of alcohol he had been ingesting the past couple of days was unholy.
He had even missed Alex’s arrival yesterday. When he heard Alex was back, he’d rushed to the Black’s residence, hoping to see Ava even one last time before his mating. After they exchanged greetings, Alex had informed him that she wasn’t coming back. She might never come back.
So he’d tried to find himself inside a bottle only to be woken up by Calvin to clean up before the mating. His head pounded and his heart hammered in his ribcage. He wasn’t nervous yet he fidgeted and his heart felt like it was going to give out.
Adrian took another sip of wine.
“You know when Mom died I was so pissed. I thought she was immortal. It felt that way, you know.”
His father sat, looking at him. He didn’t speak.
It was alright. Adrian had a lot to say for both of them.
“I hated the world, I hated you too. I thought ‘where was he when she was dying?’. You were true mates. Weren’t you supposed to feel she was in danger? Weren’t you supposed to save her? You had one freaking job, she was your mate… she was my life. ”
Another sip. “Now I wonder if I was being hypocritical. I judged you so harshly and when my own time came, I couldn’t even keep my mate. My fear of ending up like you, made me push her away at every turn and now I’m here.”
Adrian sighed, straightening his body and cracking his neck. “At least I know I definitely won’t end up losing my mate like you to a rogue attack. I lost her already and these past two years I realised something else. I destroy everything I touch. Look how Gabrielle turned out. Sending her away was the best decision I ever made.”
His father still didn’t speak. But then again Adrian hadn’t expected him to come out of his vegetative state simply because he came to have a conversation that was long overdue. When he’d awoken over a year ago, they had celebrated. Immaturely as it would seem.
He was awake but no one was home and he needed to be guided to do everything. From eating to bathing to going to the toilet.
“Adrian, it’s time.” Calvin’s voice came from outside the hospital room.
“Shit, already?” Adrian looked outside to realize that night had already fallen.
“Wish me luck, old man.” Adrian tapped his father’s shoulder and left.
*****
The night air was cold but that wasn’t what was making Ava shake. Ever since she touched down from the plane, she had been like this. She didn’t know what was going on.
Her body shook and her breath caught with every step that she took. If she could have stopped she would have but she seemed inexorably drawn towards the location of the pack.
Something was wrong. Adrian should have broken the bond by now. Even though the bond had been pliable, she could ignore the soft but unbreakable thread between them, ignore Adrian. But now, it felt so encompassing that she wondered if it was really the bond or something else.
She flagged a cab. She would find out one way or the other.
“Where to?”
She inhaled. He was a wolf.
“The Mountain Coast Pack.”
******
As per tradition, the pack stood in the clearing around the sacred tree that was the temple of the goddess in these parts.
Arthur, Martha and Alexander Black stood at the forefront with some elders all wearing brown and dark green outfits. The clearing was illuminated by sconces of fire and the pack’s priestess was already chanting.
Anya stood to a far corner in the shadows watching the proceedings with a keen eye just the way she preferred.
Adrian stood at the centre of it all wearing a brown collarless jerkin made from deerskin and his pants were a deep forest green, a shade darker than what the rest wore, that looked black in the dim lighting. He stood waiting for his bride.
His breathing was fast and his discomfort had increased. Adrian no longer thought it was the hangover. It was something else. It wasn’t exactly painful but it was discomforting. Like the feeling you get after holding in pee for an extended period of time. Like he could no longer hold himself back.
He tried to pull himself together. Once he got through the wedding, he would figure out what was wrong with him.
Gabrielle stepped into the clearing. Adrian looked up.
She was stunning in a light green flowing floor-length gown that looked almost white in the firelight. Intricately embroidered with flowers, wolves, the moon cycle and other symbols relevant to their culture, the gown was gossamer thin and it billowed and fanned out as the night wind blew.
The pack members bowed as she walked down the column they had formed in the middle for she and Adrian alone to pass. She wore a smile and carried a bouquet. She looked like the Gabby he had fallen in love with before everything happened.
Before he’d betrayed her trust as she had his. Before he’d discovered Ava was his mate. Before he’d sent Ava away and brought numerous women into his bed. Eroding her trust in him bit by bit. If Adrian tried really hard, he could imagine himself in a different time.
Gabrielle came to meet him and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him.
The pack priestess’ chanting stopped. Clad in a silvery white from head to toe save from her dark hair and painted face, she was a picture to behold.
“Today we gather to celebrate the coronation of Adrian Gavin as Alpha of this pack and his mating with Gabrielle Black, the first daughter of the Beta of this pack with the Goddess and the good wolves of this pack as witnesses as it was done in the past.” The priestess said facing the couple.
“So it shall continue until the earth is reborn.” The pack intoned.
“Adrian Gavin, son of Sean and Leah Gavin, heir to the Mountain Coast Pack, do you swear to take this pack as your own?”
“I do.” Adrian said, his breathing even more laboured. He was sweating in the cool night.
He grappled with his instincts to leave the clearing. He needed to finish the ceremony. He needed to leave, to shift.
“Do you swear to protect this pack with your life and place its needs above yours?”
“I do.”
The vows of fealty to the pack kept coming and the tension built with every passing second Adrian struggled to speak.
Gabrielle looked at him with concern, his hands were shaking even though his facial expression remained inscrutable. What was wrong with Adrian?
“With the power vested in me by the moon goddess I name you Alpha of this pack. To protect and serve this pack until your last breath.” The priestess anointed him with water and ash from the holy rowan tree.
Now he just had to get through the mating ceremony, then he could–
Ava stepped into the clearing and time stopped.
Even though his back was turned to her, Adrian felt her. How could he not? It felt like they were opposing charges of a magnet finally drawn together.
Adrian turned to look at her. And there she stood. She wore a simple white round-necked top with jeans and sneakers, her hair a mess and her eyes wide with what looked like shock and disbelief but she looked even more beautiful than ever to him.
The years had made her into an even more attractive and stunning woman than the pretty girl she was before. Ava’s curves were more prominent now even in a top and jeans, she looked more golden than white and in shape.
Adrian should have looked away then. Continued the ceremony but he couldn’t. Instead, he stepped away from Gabrielle. He couldn’t stop himself.
Adrian took a step towards Ava and she mirrored him. They met somewhere in between lost in each other’s gaze, the pull strengthening until they stood chest to chest, their breathing harmonized.
His hand cupped her cheek, drawn to the shadow her dark lashes made on her face. “Mate.”