Blood on the Moon

Rose

“Moon Goddess, I speak to You of a momentous occasion—another mating pair to make history, blessed by Your grace and love. We ask you to watch over this couple as they navigate life. May their souls stay pure with love for one another, their hearts stay true to their fated mate, and they live a long, peaceful, happy life together. We ask You this, Moon Goddess, the Creator of Light, the Mother of Lycans, and the Bringer of Good Fortune. I say this prayer and incantation with a pure mind and spirit; my heart swelled with joy for this couple. May You find joy in another successful mate pairing, All-Knowing Goddess, and continue to bless Your children with the gift of the mate bond.”

The Sacardos then begins to speak in a language I don’t know; his hands outstretched as he looks to the sky, speaking with increased speed and volume. Asher and I’s heads are bowed until he finishes, stepping away from the microphone as Elder Bathory brings the Eternal Flame to center stage. He takes the bowl of spices from his apprentice.

“The couple will now each take a pinch of this powder and toss it into the Eternal Flame together, where the color of the flame will show their fortune and mark their pairing as everlasting.”

Asher and I dip our fingers into the bowl, each taking a pinch of the powder between our fingers.

“You may now feed the flame,” Elder Bathroy instructs, and we both throw the powder into it, and it erupts into a massive flame with offshoots of red, purple, and black. The purple flickers longer than the red and black, bright and royal.

I’ve never heard of a purple flame before.

“Ahh,” Elder Bathory muses, watching the flames flicker back to their original size and color. “The black flame means your trials and tribulations are not yet over, but the red flame means your passion and love for each other will survive and flourish. The purple flame, however, is quite rare. Rare indeed. It indicates magic in your pairing, perhaps shrouded in continued mystery. Coming from both Sire and Dame. There are mysteries still to uncover. But, the red intertwined with purple indicates you will uncover these together.” He smiles at the crowd and announces, “The Eternal Flame has spoken. This mating pair is prosperous and true. We may proceed with the ceremony.”

Trials and tribulations? Haven’t we dealt with enough?

And what mystery? I know I still have to uncover my family history, but why does the fire say this mystery also lies in Asher? What is the Eternal Flame telling us?

I try not to dwell on it, though, as Sacerdos Boar enters the stage as Elder Bathory takes the Eternal Flame off the stage.

“Asher, your iusiurandum to Rose,” he announces as Asher and I take each other’s hands, looking deep into each other’s eyes.

“Rose Carver, my whole life was flipped on its head the day I found you in the interrogation room,” he begins, stroking my knuckles with his thumbs. “Not only was I stricken by your obvious beauty but also your spirit. Your spunk. But also the empathy and kindness that radiated from you like the sun. For a Child of Night, you’ve always given me such warmth and brightness. It was easy to fall in love with you, something I couldn’t stop even if I wanted to.

“I promise, Rose, to keep you safe in both body, heart, mind, and soul. I promise to be truthful with you, forsake all others, and stay true to our unbreakable bond. I promise to care for your Clan as well as I care for your heart. But, most importantly, I promise to give you the best I have every day. No matter how I feel, I promise to give you the best of me—my all. I promise to make sure you know how valued and loved you are. I promise to be your family, ally, and a soft place to land. Forever.”

“My God, Asher,” I whisper, tears streaming down my face as my voice squeaks. “How am I supposed to follow that?”

The crowd laughs, a few sniffles, especially from his mother, who is practically weeping as she wipes her eyes.

“Rose, you iusiurandum to Alpha Asher.”

I take a deep breath, gazing into his hazel eyes, those I’ve fallen hopelessly in love with and will stare into for the rest of my life. Happily. Willingly. Truthfully.

“Asher, my life also changed the day you found me in that cold, dingy, poorly decorated interrogation room,” I begin, earning a nice chuckle from the crowd. “Not only did I think you were the sexiest man I had ever seen, but also the sweetest. There is an aura that follows you, one that brings joy to every room you’re in. It’s contagious and pure. I think I fell in love with your smile that very moment and have continued to fall in love with every other part of you since that day.

“Ash, I promise to care for you, to love you wholeheartedly, and forsake all others. I promise to love your Pack the same as I love my Clan. I vow to support your growth and love you with everything I have. I also promise to remind you of how much I love you and how valued you are every day. I will never let you forget what an incredible mate, leader, and man you are. I will hold your head high for you if it ever hangs. I will encourage you with each breath I take, ensuring that you never have to question if Rose Carver’s heart belongs to you.”

He smiles, letting out a long, happy breath as a single tear rolls down his perfect cheek. He gulps down the lump in his throat as Sacerdos Boar says, “Asher, you iusiurandum to the pack.”

Still gripping my hand tightly, he turns to the Pack and says, “To the Black Opal Pack, I know you have been through a lot. I know I was there for this terror and heartache; I experienced it with you. I lived through the pain with you, and I believe it has brought us all closer together. That being said, I promise to unite our Pack in love and kindness. I promise to be merciful yet firm. Cunning but never machiavellian. Strong, but not violent. I will lead our Pack towards healing and prosperity and dedicate myself to all of you. That is my oath, one I speak with sincerity and love in my heart as I dedicate myself to you for the first time as your Alpha.”

The Sacerdos steps in again. “Rose, your iusirandum to the pack.”

I lick my lips, putting on my game face as I keep hold of Asher’s hand, which is a little sweaty now. He must’ve been nervous during his speech, but he did well. I hope I can match it.

“To the Black Opal Pack, I guess Asher and I indeed are on the same wavelength, cause I too planned to mention the odd nature of me giving this speech. But there’s no use in beating a dead horse, so I’ll skip straight to the part you care about. The part that matters. My promises to you as your new Luna. The Luna filling in a spot left by a presence that still haunts these woods. Haunts your hearts and memories. I expect you are nervous, maybe even fearful, of how I may be. It is hard to trust after being hurt so badly by someone you believed would treat you well. Someone you put your faith in.

That is why I vow to be worthy of the trust I will earn from you. I swear that you will know my intentions and that I will listen to your needs and advice. You can speak freely, whether negatively of me or not and all will be welcome to share their opinion. I promise to keep your best interests in the center of my heart, treating you just as I do my Clan. I will defend you wholeheartedly and work to earn this Pack’s good name back. To clear our reputation and bring us to a long line of happiness and prosperity.”

I take a deep breath, the moisture returning to my throat as Asher and I step away from the microphone. Elder Fray brings the black mirror to the center stage.

“In this ritual, the mating pair will stare into their partner’s reflection and their partner’s reflection only for a full minute, thus dedicating their present self to their partner’s future self. Forsaking a life of solitude to dedicate themselves to another,” Elder Fray says.

Sacardos Boar continues for him, “You will then kiss, thus sealing the newly formed bond between yourselves and the pack as your souls flow through each other, to your feet, through the ground, and to the rest of the pack.”

“Take your places in front of the mirror,” Elder Fray instructs, and Asher and I move to the front of the mirror, still holding hands. “Now, look at your partner’s reflection.”

I gaze at Asher’s face, and it’s not too hard to stop myself from looking away. I could stare at his features for eternity, still finding new, exciting details with every passing second. The curve of his cupid’s bow, the slight flexing of his jaw, the way his collarbones move with his breath.

His eyes shine bright with his wolf despite the mirror's darkness, and I can almost see a glimpse of our future together, like magic. I see him holding my pregnant belly. I see his happy eyes, creased with love. I see us…

I see us at war. Not with each other, but we’re taking up arms. There is magic in the picture, swirling around us as if it is-

“You may now kiss to seal your bond,” Sacerdos Boar announces, and the image dissipates. Confused and alarmed, I peel my eyes away, but Asher caresses my chin, pulling me toward him.

My lips crash against his, and my worries melt away, slipping from my mind like a bottle of wine into a glass. My heart presses against his, beating thrice in his rhythm as I loop my arms around his neck, his hands gripping my waist.

We pull away, my heart swelled as I feel it fill with the love of his Pack. My Pack now.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the Black Opal Pack, I now present you Alpha Asher and his mate, Luna Rose!”

We face the crowd, interlocking our fingers and hoisting them in the air as they cheer for us, jumping with joy and throwing rose petals in the air.

“That’s a tribute to you,” Asher whispers. “The pack wanted to do something special for you.”

I smile, my eyes watering as they fill with emotion. Emotions I can’t name or put my finger on; there are so many swirling at once.

“Mate,” I tell Asher, breathing the word into the night air as the crowd flocks to the open bar.

He squeezes my hand, nodding his head as he kisses my forehead.

“Mate.”