Some Mate You Are...

Over the next several months, I spent much of my time with Luna Rigina, studying everything that it would take for me to become an effective Luna. The training had been going well, so well in fact that we were now heavily caught up in the midst of planning our Accession Ceremony. During the next full moon, on the night that the moon is at its absolute fullest, Enzo and I would be named the newest Alpha and Luna of the Crescent Moon Pack.

I could hardly believe that the day was almost here. I had been running around, like a chicken with my head cut off, trying to ensure that everything was absolutely perfect. This ceremony was meant to be the most magnificent ceremony in a generation. The Accession Ceremony was one of the grandest and most ostentatious celebrations in any wolf pack. It was a sacred ritual commemorating the shift in power from one Alpha to another. No expense was spared for such an event. No detail could be overlooked. The goal was to impress.

The dress had been chosen; a beautiful white number with sequins and lace. It fit tightly at the top, tying in a halter style about the neck, but flowed majestically at the bottom. Humans would have easily mistook it for a wedding dress. Much of the décor had been planned, a rustic yet elegant theme, combining the beauty and simplicity of nature with the overall elegance of the event. The menu had been set, in keeping with wolf tradition, only game animals would be served. The invitations were all sent. Every single pack member would be required to attend, as well as, high ranking wolves and other guests from the packs in the surrounding areas.

Currently, I was in the middle of trying to pick the flower arrangements. This had been put off for quite some time as I was having difficulty making the final decision. I had been leaning towards wildflowers because I really liked the natural look and feel of it. As if they had just been plucked fresh from a field. We were creatures of the forest after all. No two arrangements would appear exactly alike. It offered some variety, yet it felt simple and I liked that. They were still beautiful without going over the top. There was so much else happening with the decorations, I liked the idea of taming down the flowers a bit.

The issue was that Aida did not seem to agree. While she admitted that the wildflowers were very beautiful. She worried that the look was not elegant enough for such an important event. Aida believed that we should go with something more traditional like calla lilies and roses. She felt it better to be too over-the-top rather than have it be not enough. Though, I reminded her that we had gone with other rustic-type elements in the décor and that the wildflowers would add to the already existing theme. While she agreed with the sentiment, she was still not quite swayed. We had been debating this back and forth for some time now. Neither of us quite relenting to the others position on the matter.

“I just feel like the wildflowers fit the overall aesthetic better. Simple elegance.” I argued again.

“I am not necessarily disagreeing with you on that. But I also do not feel like the lilies and roses take away from any other part of the décor. I think they just add a touch of refinement.” Aida pressed.

“I understand your point on that.” I responded after a moment of consideration. “However, I am not certain that I want any white flowers. At least not as a dominant flower in the display. All of the decorations are white, silver, or dark blue as is tradition. I was thinking that the flowers would provide a chance to add a little more color to the festivities. Something that pops against all of the white.”

White, silver, and dark blue were the most significant colors in every Accession Ceremony throughout the history of wolves. The colors were meant to mimic the moon in the night sky, a way of bringing the Goddess closer to us, inviting her to be a part of the celebration. This was a beautiful custom and I was more than happy to stick to that. However, I did not see anything wrong with putting my own spin on things, making the ritual mine in small ways. This was why I had gone with the rustic theme in the first place and was the same reason that I was eager for colorful flowers. I just wanted something a little different. Something that would stand apart from the crowd.

“I had not considered that.” Aida admitted, tapping a finger against her chin as she took my words to heart.

“Am I finally convincing you?” I gasped, feigning surprise.

“I wouldn’t go that far.” Aida rolled her eyes and ended with a chuckle.

I laughed as well, knowing that I was finally wearing her down. We had been debating a lot of the choices for this ceremony over the last couple of weeks. But we always managed to come to the right decision in the end. It was all going to be perfect. I may have gotten my way more often than not, but I was truly grateful for Aida’s assistance and her opinions. The night had to be perfect, and it was really helpful to have a sounding board through all of this. Someone who knew me and understood my ideas.

“Hello, bitches!!!!” A familiar voice called from across the vast park where the ceremony was set to be held.

We looked up in the direction the voice was coming from and neither of us could withhold our squeals of excitement. Kiara was walking towards us with the biggest grin on her face as she too began to squeal. We stopped what we were doing and immediately rushed for her, all meeting in a large group hug.

“Kiara! What are you doing here?” I questioned, finally pulling free from the embrace.

“Well, I got the invitation to your Accession Ceremony, and I decided that I would come early, so that I could help with any of the last-minute preparations.” Kiara explained.

“Thankfully, there is not much left to do. But I am so happy to have you here!” I exclaimed, clapping my hands with glee.

“Of course! I would never miss my girl’s big moment! The very second that we got the invitation, I told Valentino that I needed to get back here right away.”

“Speaking of Valentino, where is that mate of yours?”

“Unfortunately, he had to stay behind to deal with some important business. But he is going to come with Alpha Timber when he heads over for the ceremony.”

“Oh…I was not sure if Timber was going to come…given what happened…” I cleared my throat rather than finishing my thought; they were both there, they knew what had occurred between Timber and I.

I had been reluctant to invite the wolves of the Blue Moon Pack, except for Kiara and her mate, of course. I was not sure how Timber was feeling about everything. Kiara had assured me that he was fine on the many occasions that she and I had talked since she left, but I was not certain how truthful that she was being. I had made a complete fool out of myself when we had visited them. I should have been honest from the beginning. Poor Timber had been so upset and rightfully so.

Despite my misgivings, it was customary to extend an invitation the neighboring packs for an event such as this. It helped to keep alliances strong and relationships healthy. It was all a matter of respect. So, of course, an invitation had to be sent to the Blue Moon Pack, it was not even a question. Though, if I were to be completely honest, I had assumed that Alpha Timber would just allow for others to attend in his place.

However, maybe he thought that it was important to mend the fences now that Enzo and I were going to be running Crescent Moon. Our alliance needed to remain strong within the packs and to appear so outwardly to neighboring packs as well. Timber's presence was a very good strategy for both of our packs, and I would welcome it with open arms. I knew that Enzo would as well, as long as he could keep his jealousy under control.

Over the last few months, everything between Enzo and I had been going really well. Just like the majority of newly mated couples, we spent a lot of time alone together in our bedroom. Any amount of free time that we could get was spent wrapped up in each other’s limbs. However, all of that bliss and happiness had been slightly marred by one small issue – Enzo’s overbearing jealousy.

We both had pasts. We both had previous relationships with other wolves within the pack. Yet, I had been doing my very best not to allow this to affect my behavior. I had to try and remain impartial when it came to members of our pack, I was going to be their Luna after all. I could not allow prior dalliances to affect me in that way. I would be needed by all members of the pack, even those who had once had a fling with my mate. Just as Enzo would have to do the same for the males that I had been with.

However, even though Enzo was aware that he needed to forgive and forget when it came to members of his pack. He had been struggling with his possessiveness over me. Though, it was not a complete surprise, most Alpha wolves did become very possessive of their mates in the beginning. I knew that it was meant to mellow out over time. But for the moment, it had gotten a little bit oppressive. He had great difficulty in letting any unmated male wolf anywhere near me. Which I found mildly amusing considering that he had spent months pretending that we were not mates, allowing me to continue dating other wolves. But now that we had marked each other, he was acting the way that he had been expected to from the start.

I worried about what Enzo would do if Timber were to attempt to approach me considering our recent history. I did not know if Timber would attempt to even talk to me after everything. But I knew that Enzo would lose it if anything were to happen. I knew that it still bothered him when he thought about finding me with Timber’s scent all over my body. He had come to terms with the fact that he was at fault for the situation, but it still angered him to no end.

I was going to need to discuss this with Enzo. It would be better to give him a heads up, so that he would have the chance to prepare himself for the eventuality. I made a mental note that I was going to inform him as soon as possible. The more time that he had to work through his emotions, the better. Or so I hoped.

“So…tell me everything that you guys have planned out so far.” Kiara bid me as she grabbed my arm to pull me towards the center of the park.

We spent the next several hours talking out the plans for the Accession Ceremony and how I planned for everything to look, as well as, catching up with Kiara. It seemed that she really had calmed down since mating with Valentino. She was the same fiery, passionate Kiara that we had always known. But instead of partying and drinking every night, she was spending her time with her mate, laying on the beach or locked up, together, in their room. She seemed as though she was really happy, which made me happy. Also, it was probably for the best that she did not drink quite so much.

After a very long dinner, we all finally decided to go our separate ways for the evening. Kiara was going to be staying with her parents at their family home. Aida had plans with Tyrus. And I was eager to see Enzo again, even though I was not necessarily looking forward to the conversation that we needed to have. So, I bid my girls goodnight after making plans to go for a run in the morning, as we always used to. Then I headed off to find my mate.