Some Mate You Are...

It was the day before the Accession Ceremony and the whole pack was abuzz. Crescent Falls had never seemed so busy before as wolves from packs near and far came to attend the celebration. Our guest list had nearly doubled after my kidnapping. Everyone wanting a chance to get involved with the festivities after what Enzo and I had been through.

And along with all of the wolves had come even more presents. All that came to attend and even those who could not, had showered us with a vast array of gifts. It had all begun to seem like a little much. It was like my birthday plus Christmas combined over the course of a couple of years. It was insane. One of the conference rooms in the pack house had to be converted to a gift receiving room as there was simply no place to put it all and no way to sort through it quick enough.

As it was Aida, Kiara, my mother, Luna Rigina, and I were currently in that very conference room, trying to get an inventory on what we were receiving and which packs they were coming in from. It was a far more daunting task than I had initially realized. I was much more interested in being outside checking on last minute details for the ceremony. Or in the kitchen checking over the menu one final time. I had been assured by everyone that there was nothing more that could be done. But I was skeptical that something had been missed.

Our pack had never hosted for some of the packs that were present before. We had a chance to build lasting bonds with these wolves. Agreements that could prove to be highly valuable in the future. We needed to make a great first impression and this ceremony was the perfect venue to do that. It was the start of a new era for Crescent Moon, not that the old era had been anything to be of ashamed of. We were being handed an already fairly perfect pack and for that I could not be more grateful.

I certainly did not envy the struggles of Alpha Zaccai and his new Luna over at Blood Moon. It had been a difficult transition for them. Things in the pack had been much worse than they had realized once Harm was finally out of the way. It turned out that Harm had been draining the pack’s accounts and had left them nearly destitute. That combined with all of the horrific things that Harm had done, including the murder of the former Alpha and Luna, his own parents. Had made it difficult for Alpha Zaccai to get the pack back in order again.

Which was why I was so surprised to find a gift from Blood Moon at all. Especially one in a small velvet box like the ones that expensive jewelry usually came in. I lifted the lid and could not help but gasp. Inside sat a beautiful diamond necklace with matching earrings. The necklace was so elegant, diamonds of multiple shapes were set together carefully so that there was not a gap between them. It glittered and sparkled, the multi diamond setting catching light from all directions. And I instantly knew that this had to have cost them a fortune.

But then I noticed a note tucked just inside of the lid. I pulled it out and carefully set the velvet box on the conference table as I unfolded it to read it aloud…

“Dear Luna Marvel…after everything that Harm had put you through. Our pack came together and agreed that we simply could not let yours and Alpha Enzo’s special day pass without a sincere gift from us. We are truly happy for the both of you and wish you a wonderful life together full of peace and joy. This jewelry set had belonged to our Late-Luna Bryndis. And, yes, unfortunately, she was Harm’s grandmother. But I assure you that she would have never approved of who he became. She was a strong and powerful Luna. She was as fierce as she was loving. This set has remained in our pack’s vault since her passing. But we have the sense that she would have wanted you to have it. From one True Luna to another. May the Goddess bless you always. Sincerely…Alpha Zaccai, Luna Sayla, and the Blood Moon Pack.”

There was that phrase again… “True Luna.” Once again, as I saw it there on the page, it seemed to carry more weight than I thought that it should. He was merely stating that I was a true Luna, that I would be good for the position. Right? So, why did it still feel like there was something more. My mind replayed the way that Enzo had said it that day in the interrogation room with Cora. The way that the phrase had fallen from his lips seemed as though he were in awe of some great power rather just filled with pride at his mate.

“That is a great honor.” Luna Rigina stated, as she rose from her seat and approached me, snapping me out of my reverie. “Late-Luna Bryndis was a True Luna. They are rare in this world but powerful. They set the groundwork for what every Luna after them aspires to be. Blood Moon must see something very great in you to give you such a gift.”

As Luna Rigina spoke there was a twinkle in her eye while she studied my face, almost as though she were looking at me for the first time and could not quite comprehend what it was that she was seeing.

“There is great power in you, Marvel, isn’t there?” She questioned as though she already knew the answer.

I gulped. Remembering the Luna command that I had given to Cora to force her to give up the information about her mate. I had not spoken to anyone about it. Not certain what to think of it and far too busy with other, more important matters to concern myself with it at the time. And I know that Enzo had not spoken of it either. Tyrus had probably told Aida what had happened. But she had never mentioned it to me either. And since the rest of the pack did not already know, I could only assume that Aida had not told Kiara for once.

“Luna Rigina…what is a True Luna?” I finally asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

Everyone kept saying it as though it were something very important. Including Luna Rigina just now. There had to be something more.

“A True Luna is a female who was always meant to lead. All she-wolves who mate an Alpha become Luna. But not all Lunas are True Lunas." She clarified. "Legend says that with or without the Alpha as her mate she will rise to Luna leading her pack down a secure and prosperous path. Almost all of the True Lunas that I have ever heard of have been mated to an Alpha by the Moon Goddess, as would make sense. However, there are stories that talk about a Luna rising to form a new pack or to take over the leadership of another. And their mate only becomes the Alpha because of HER power, not the other way around. True Lunas are equal to the Alpha not just because the pack deems it so, but because she actually is his equal in almost every way. Even going so far as having their own tone of voice that enforces their command just as an Alpha does.” Luna Rigina explained, the excitement in her voice rising as she spoke. “You would not happen to have developed any sort of abilities like that, have you, Marvel?” She pressed again as though she already knew the answer to the question and had only been waiting for the right moment to confirm it.

I could hardly believe everything that I had just heard. True Lunas were a real thing? It made me think of a story that Aida, Kiara, and I had once read in our youth. The tale of a seemingly average she-wolf who rose through the ranks of her pack becoming a great warrior. Eventually commanding the entire pack, herself, crowned Luna despite not having an Alpha by her side. She, of course, eventually finds her mate and falls in love and they all live happily ever after. But that was not the important part. The important part was the messaging which had inspired every little she-wolf to believe that she could become whatever she wanted to be despite the traditionally patriarchal culture that existed in most packs. It was a significant lesson for all little females to learn.

“I…uh…I influenced Cora using my tone…I made her give us the information that we needed about her and Luis.” I finally admitted, not knowing what else to say, as my head swam with thoughts of what all of this could mean.

“I knew it.” Luna Rigina confirmed, her smile growing wide. “I sensed it in you. Something awoke in you that day. The Luna in me was suddenly submitting to the Luna in you and I was certain that there was something very powerful happening.”

I looked around the room at the others. My mother’s jaw merely hung open in surprise. Aida’s smile seemed to match Luna Rigina’s as she had been certain something was happening as well. And Kiara looked as though she were about to burst at the seams, her giddiness causing her to jump up and down.

“I don’t know what I am supposed to do with this…” I huffed, feeling the sudden weight of a heavy responsibility on my shoulders.

“You don’t have to do anything.” Luna Rigina assured me as she placed her hands, lovingly, on each of my shoulders and looked me directly in the eye. “Just be the Luna that you were always meant to be. It will come naturally to you. Trust yourself and you will never disappoint.”

I nodded my head in understanding and offered her a small smile in return. I appreciated what she was saying, and it did make me feel better, but I was overwhelmed. So much had happened in such a short time and now I had this to add to it. I almost think that this was the real reason that I had been avoiding the issue in the first place. I just simply had not needed anything else to add to my plate. But here we were now and I would need to process it all together.

On the bright side, at least, this particular issue was not a bad thing. It just made me feel like I had the weight of a long line of Lunas on my shoulders. Not just the ones that belonged to Crescent Moon, as I had felt the weight of before. But now I carried the legacy of every True Luna along with me. That was a LOT to live up to.

“And look at it this way…” Luna Rigina continued, her demeanor suddenly turning mischievous. “If my son is ever really pissing you off one day…you can always throw it in his face that his position was merely inherited. Yours has been bestowed on you by the Goddess, herself.”

I could not help myself as I bust out laughing. Luna Rigina began laughing as well. And before I knew all of us were overcome with a fit of the giggles. It had been exactly what I needed to break the tension. And after that, the rest of the day did not seem quite so daunting.

Early the next morning, I rose knowing that I had a ridiculous amount to do that day. I snuck out of bed as Enzo continued to snore. He moved in his sleep, his outstretched hand searching for me for a moment, but after I slipped my pillow under his arm, that seemed to settle him back down. I did not have time to lay in bed with him cuddling today. There was simply too much happening and not enough hours.

I met Kiara outside for our morning run. Aida was too pregnant to run with us right now. She was far enough along that she needed to keep any shifting to a minimum. Another month or so, and it would be dangerous for her to shift at all.

Kiara and I decided to take a different path than we had before on our run. I had taken to switching it up now rather than following the same patterns as I used to. If someone was tracking me, I was not going to make it easy for them...ever again.

Once our work out had ended and we had each taken a quick shower, we met for breakfast with Aida, Luna Rigina, my mother, and a few of the other visiting Lunas. It was a nice simple meal of fresh-baked pastries, but it was delicious. And the other Lunas were really lovely, and I found myself impressed with each of them in different ways. Some were surprisingly strong. While others possessed a fierce intelligence, their wisdom shining out through their eyes. And, of course, all of them were beautiful. Unfortunately, though, our time together was short, as before long it was off to the salon for a bit pampering.

I had not even gotten the chance to look at my hair and makeup in the mirror at the salon before I was being whisked back to the pack house to finish getting ready. The Ceremony would be starting soon, and I had to get on my dress. As I yanked on the gown, I cursed myself for not having set aside some time aside earlier in the day to do a final check of the ceremony sight and the reception. I thought that I had planned well, but it seemed that I had not thought it out as well as I had believed.

As was tradition, my gown was long, flowing, and pure white. The bodice was in a halter style the tied around my neck with sequins embedded into the material, giving it a delicate shine. While the white fabric underneath was fairly form fitting the lace dress that draped over it fell down and flowed out behind me in a long train. The white color was meant to represent the Goddess in her maiden form, the promise of new life, of renewal. A new era for the pack. My mother wore red. Another aspect of the Goddess, the mother, ushering in the next generation, guiding the way for those to follow. And finally, Luna Rigina wore a black dress. The Goddess in her final stage as crone. Not that Luna Rigina was old by any means. The crone represented the wisdom that came with time. The legacies that you would follow and the one that you would leave behind you. Just as the moon trailed along her cycle every month from waxing to waning, so too would we as we aged with the seasons.

I finally had the chance to look at myself in the mirror and I could not help but gasp. My long dark hair was pinned up in curls near the back of my head, cascading downwards along my neck. My copper eyeshadow made my blue eyes pop and the ruby red lipstick would definitely have Enzo’s attention. I had never had any issues with my self-image before. I knew that I was an attractive female. But for the first time in my life, I felt beautiful, truly beautiful. More beautiful than I ever had been before.

“Enzo is going to just die…” Kiara smirked as she came up beside me, joining me in examining my reflection. “He is not going to be able to keep his hands off you. You’re going to have to keep smacking him away the entire ceremony.” She teased.

I rolled my eyes at her comment and slapped her playfully.

“Oh Goddess, Kiara, you are ridiculous…”

“What?” She questioned with a shrug and a goofy grin. “It is not my fault. He is YOUR man. And you’re the one who is going to go out to him, in public, looking this good. He is going to lose it.”

“I am sure that he can control himself.” I asserted, fully confident in Enzo’s abilities, though a small doubt was tugging at the back of my mind.

I would not put it past him if he struggled to maintain himself, even with our parents standing next to us. Or the hundreds of eyes of our pack and our visitors upon us. But I was not going to admit that to Kiara. So I held firm.

“Okay, but don’t say that I did not warn you.” She chuckled, but I simply rolled my eyes in response.

There was a knock on the door, preventing me from commenting any further.

“It is time, ladies.” My father announced as my mother opened the door for him.

With that, Kiara scurried out the door to hurry towards her seat. Unfortunately, she was not involved in this ceremony as a lower-ranking wolf and the member of another pack. But I was glad that she would be there, nonetheless.

Then Luna Rigina left the room. She would need to join Alpha Griffith as they would be the first to walk the aisle and ascend the stairs to the stage, as we would be walking to them and accepting their titles from them during the ceremony.

After which our procession followed. We walked through the pack house until we came to the front door. This would lead out the courtyard to where the ceremony would be held. I locked arms with each of my parents on either side of me. The door was opened, and we began walking, slowly, down the flower strewn path. I had never seen the courtyard so full before, there had been no room for seating, so everyone in attendance was forced to stand.

I looked across the sea of wolves and saw Alpha Griffith with Luna Rigina already on the stage with had been draped with sparkling silver cloths to represent the moon in all of her glory. Candles floated inside of glass balls from the archway overhead, giving the stage an ethereal feel and I smiled softly at how beautifully it had all come together. The full moon in the sky gracing us with her blessings.