Before I Rise

Marcus’s POV

I tightened the black satin tie around my neck smoothing it over my white button up shirt. I pulled over my black dress coat and checked one more time to make sure my hair was still tamed as I took a few deep breaths to settle my nerves.

Why are you so nervous? You know you have this in the bag with Jensen. Xavier annoyingly said.

I know that. That’s not what I am worried about.

Xavier let out a long sigh. That’s what you are worried about? You know she is obviously going to say yes once you ask h…

My bedroom door suddenly slammed open, interrupting Xavier, and in walked Jacoby. He bent down after a few steps, trying to catch his breath. “Man, you are so lucky I love you like a brother. I barely made it out of there alive. I had to actually physically fight Alicia to get her. I think I’m going to have a heart attack.” He kept on wheezing and panting, failing to catch his breath.

I rolled my eyes at his dramatic ass. “Did you actually get her or did you come here for back up?”

Jacoby sent a glare in my direction. “Wow, how little do you think of me? Of course I got her.”

I stared at him for a few seconds, “Well I don’t see her!” I was growing impatient by the second, I needed to see her. I had to practically force myself out of bed this morning after having the best sleep of my life next to my favorite person in the world. Ever since then, the urge to be next to her was growing more and more with each passing minute. Stupid mate bond.

Jacoby rolled his eyes and crossed his arms across his chest. “She will be here any second now. She told me to go ahead while she put her shoes on. I already told Alicia that if Em wasn’t here in the next five minutes, I was going to send you down there to grab her yourself.”

“There’s no need for that, I have been released from prison.”

My breath was stolen upon seeing Em walk into our room. She oozed grace and confidence with every step she took closer to me. Pride bloomed in my chest. She looked like a natural born Luna, making me feel even more confident in the decision that I have finally come too.

I now understood why Alicia insisted that I wear a black suit and tie. Em was wearing a stunning black V-neck, long sleeve dress, that showed off her figure and flowed to the ground. Her hair was pulled up on the sides and the rest of it was hanging down in long waves. It was paired with a dark red lip and a smoldering eye look that made her green eyes pop. She was the most stunning woman I have ever laid my eyes on.

“You look so handsome.” She said as she lightly brushed the back of her hand against my cheek.

I captured her hand before she could pull it back and brought it to my lips. “And you look absolutely breathtaking Love.” I placed a small kiss on her hand before grabbing her other hand and holding onto both of them. “I have something I want to ask you.”

Em stepped closer to me until our chests were touching and asked me, “What is it?”

I took a deep breath and let it out before I asked her, “I know you are not technically the Luna and we have not completed the mate bond, but would you do me the honors of escorting me down stairs and standing by my side as I form the alliance with Jensen? I would really love to have you up there with me and I feel like this would be a step in the right direction for us. However, if you are not comfortable with it, then I will have Jacoby stand with me as originally planned.”

Em was quiet and appeared to be in deep thought. I was slightly shocked at how long she was taking to answer me. If she was reacting this way about this simple request, how was she going to handle my other question?

Just give her time to answer. This is probably a big deal for her, it will be her first real Luna act. And honestly, stop worrying about later tonight. She is going to say yes, I can feel it.

Just as I was about to respond to Xavier, Em finally gave me an answer.

“I would be honored too.”

*******************************************************

Em, Jensen, our pack Elder, and I were standing on the podium in an area that I use for special occasions with the pack. We were waiting for everyone in the pack to arrive and find a seat before we began. I gave a small squeeze to Em as I could see how nervous she was getting.

“I’m so glad you are here with me.” I whispered in her ear as I rubbed my thumb on the back of her hand.

She looked up at me with a soft smile. “I’m glad too, and I’m so proud of you.”

I had to blink a few times to hold back tears that were threatening to fall. I’ve worked so hard the past few years to bring back this pack to its former glory. It was a breath of fresh air to hear that, especially from her.

I gave her a smile and a kiss on her forehead in response, unable to voice at the time on how I was feeling.

Elder Morgan cleared her throat as a sign that it was time to begin. Jensen’s witness walked up to the podium and took his place next to him. The pack members quieted it down and waited patiently for us to begin.

Elder Morgan placed a gold bowl on top of a small table in front of Jensen and I. The bowl had ancient symbols on it and in it sat water that bathed underneath the moonlight every night since Jensen has been here. The bowl was used for this sort of occasion and for the Luna ceremony as well. Jensen and his witness took a step closer to the table as well as Em and I. He sent me a small smile and a wink.

Elder Morgan then handed Em and Jensen’s witness each a knife that had intricate designs on the dark wooden handle. The blade itself was made of black obsidian.

I explained this part to Em before we walked out here, I could tell she still wasn’t too happy about it as she hesitated to grab the knife. After a few seconds, she finally grabbed it and placed it right above my right hand. She took a deep breath and braced herself, before slicing the blade across my palm. It stung slightly, but I didn’t show it as I knew Em would feel bad.

Jensen placed his own right hand right above the bowl with the same exact cut across his palm. I reached out and connected our hands, leaving them right above the bowl.

“Do you, Alpha Marcus of The Dark Moon Pack, promise to honor the alliance we are forming here tonight with Alpha Jensen? Do you promise to answer his call of aid if needed? Do you promise to share vital information with Alpha Jensen? Do you promise to be an ally to The Desert Rose Pack in their darkest hours?” Elder Morgan asked me.

“I do.” The water in the bowl began to swirl as the blood from our combined hands dripped in.

“Do you, Alpha Jensen of The Desert Rose Pack, promise to honor the alliance we are forming here tonight with Alpha Marcus? Do you promise to answer his call of aid if needed? Do you promise to share vital information with Alpha Marcus? Do you promise to be an ally to The Dark Moon Pack in their darkest hour?”

“I do.” The wind began to pick up as Jensen spoke. The moon’s light seemed to shine directly onto our hands.

“A blood oath broken means death upon the person that did not uphold their end of the alliance. Do you accept the consequence that you will face if you are the one to break this alliance?”

Jensen and I spoke at the same time, “I do.”

Elder Morgan bowed her head and began to chant in an unknown language that only the Elder’s knew. Each pack had an Elder who keeps records of our packs’ past. They have also been known to communicate with the Moon Goddess herself.

The winds began to howl and the water in the bowl started to boil. A crack of thunder was heard right above us, signaling that the alliance has been blessed by the Moon Goddess herself.

Elder Morgan stopped chanting just in time for the pack to begin to cheer. Jensen squeezed my hand before letting it go and gave me a pat on the back.

“I look forward to our pack’s future together.” He said.

I nodded my head in agreement. “As do I. May this alliance bring many blessings to the both of us.”

Jensen let out a small chuckle. “Oh I have no doubts that it will. None at all” He sent a small wink towards Em’s direction before turning back to face the pack.

He cleared his throat to grab their attention. “Dark Moon Pack, I am very honored to be here tonight and to form this alliance with your Alpha as well as with you. I feel as though we have a bright future ahead of us.” He slightly turned his head back towards me before continuing. “Together, we can overcome anything and everything as long as we remain true to the oath.” He gave me a slight nod, signaling that he was done talking and for me to take over.

I walked up next to him with Em by my side. “I would like to thank each and everyone of you for being here tonight. Our pack’s history has not been the cleanest and our reputation was tarnished. Tonight is a symbol of hope as well as forgiveness. I believe that with the Desert Rose Pack by our side, our future is very bright and full of hope.”

I waited for the cheering to die down before continuing. “Now, I know it’s typical for both Alpha’s to lead a pack run, however I would like Alpha Jensen to be the only Alpha that leads this pack on a run as a sign of trust on my end. Afterwards, there will be food, drinks, and music at the back of the pack house. Everyone is welcome to join in celebrating the alliance that was formed here tonight.”

Alpha Jensen and I gave each other a nod, before he walked off the podium and into the forest with pack members who were going on the run. Majority of them went with him, except the children and the few adults who were in charge of keeping an eye on the kids.

I turned to look at Em, who was staring in the direction that Jensen took. She appeared to be in deep thought. I gently grabbed her chin and turned her face to look at me.

“Are you ok?” I asked her.

She blinked for a few seconds before answering me. “Yeah sorry, I just spaced out for a few seconds.”

“What were you thinking about?” I asked her curiously.

“I was wondering where the thunder came from.”

I softly chuckled as I pulled her against me, wrapping my arms around her. “That was a sign the Moon Goddess gives when she approves or blesses an alliance. We’ll hopefully hear a crack of thunder during the Luna ceremony.”

“And if we don’t?” She asked me.

I waited for a couple of seconds to let the suspense build. “If we don’t, that means I have to sacrifice you at one of her altars.”

Em rolled her eyes and playfully smacked my chest. “Very funny Alpha.”

“The only reason that there wouldn’t be a crack of thunder is if we were not actually mates. So, we have absolutely nothing to worry about.” I said, as I kissed the tip of her nose.

“Good, I don’t really feel like being sacrificed.” We both let out a laugh before she asked me another question. “Why didn’t you go on the run with the pack? If you were worried about me, I could’ve hung out with the kids until you got back.”

I pulled away from her and grabbed her hand, helping her down from the podium.

“I actually have something really important that I need to do that involves you. Want to take a walk with me?”

Em’s eyebrows drew together in confusion. “Ok… What is it?”

I began to pull her in the opposite direction that everyone else went. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

We walked for about ten minutes through some trees before we came across a small garden, where a white gazebo sat. There were fairy lights that hung around it, with some red and white candles that were lit along the steps. It was exactly how I asked Alicia and Jules to set it up.

Em let out a small gasp. “It’s beautiful Marcus.”

I led her up the steps and stopped once we were standing in the middle of the gazebo. I took a few breaths trying to calm my racing heart. I don’t think I have ever been this nervous in my entire life.

You better not throw up on her. That would be so embarrassing.

Geeze Xavier, I suddenly feel way less nervous. You are seriously the best.

Wait, really? Xavier asked.

No!

I felt Em squeeze my hands, making me realize that I should probably start speaking.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a red velvet box. “There’s something I want to give you and say to you.”

Em looked at the box and then looked back at me, waiting for me to continue.

I took another deep breath and sent a silent prayer to the Moon Goddess that I would in fact not throw up on my mate.

“This has been passed down from Luna to Luna.” I opened the small box and revealed what was inside it. It was a necklace that had a silver chain with a small moon stone hanging off of it. Small black diamonds surrounded the stone, it represents our pack and every Luna has worn it around their neck.

Em gasped when I showed her the necklace. “Wow” She slightly whispered.

“I used to think about all the qualities I would want my mate to have when I wasn’t coming up with ideas on how to avoid the mate bond.” I let out a silent chuckle before I kept talking. “I wanted her to be strong in her own way, have a voice of her own, kind to everyone she meets, and most importantly, I wanted her to be able to stand by my side and lead this pack with me. You have all those qualities and more. I could not have asked for a better mate than you. The Moon Goddess definitely knew what she was doing when she paired us together. You balance me out in ways that I didn’t think was possible. You’ve made me enjoy the small things again and I look forward to starting each day over, because I get to see you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, starting with us performing the Luna ceremony and completing our mate bond.”

I stopped talking and reached out to wipe the tears that were streaming down her face, giving her a chance to take in everything I said.

When the tears seemed to slow down, I took the necklace out of the box and placed the box back in my pocket.

“Em, I can’t begin to express my gratitude to you for being so incredibly patient with me while I got it together. I’m ready to be tied with you in every possible way.” I sucked in a deep breath and let it out. “Em, will you do me the biggest honor in accepting the Luna position and spending the rest of your life with me?”

By now, Em’s face was drenched in tears. I began to rethink this as she just stood there, staring at me, still crying. Suddenly she launched herself at me and hooked her arms around my neck.

“Of course I will Marcus, there’s no other place I would rather be than right next to you for the rest of my life. I love you so much.”

Xavier howled in happiness and my own eyes began to get misty. I clung onto her as tight as I could before I let go.

“Can I put this on you?” I asked her, as I held the necklace up.

She nodded her head, before turning around and lifting her hair up. I placed the necklace around her and clipped the two ends together. She let her hair down and turned around to face me.

“It’s so beautiful.” She whispered as she looked down on it.

“It looks like it was made for you.” I said, making her blush and looked down.

I cupped her face in my hands and pulled her closer, making her look up at me. Her greens eyes were filled with emotion that I’m sure were mirroring my own.

“I love you Em.” I said, before pulling her into a kiss. I put every feeling that I had in that moment behind the kiss. She kissed me back with equal force as her body molded with mine.

I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders and for the first time in awhile, I finally felt like everything was going to be ok.