The Unwanted Wolf

ADIRA

I was back in the room with Rie and the other girls, and they were helping me finish getting ready. It was almost time for the ceremony now. Meeting with Ginger and Jori had taken more time than I had anticipated, so it was tighter getting ready for the ceremony than I had thought.

When we were just a few minutes away from the time, the rest of the girls left Rie and me by ourselves. I peaked out the window, looking at the ceremony below. Scythe had done an extravagant job setting everything up as usual, and I couldn’t wait for it to start. I wasn’t nervous about becoming the luna anymore. It felt like it was a long time coming, and it should have happened a while ago.

With everything going on, I had been afraid to take on such a big responsibility. I had already caused issues for Mark, Scythe, and Rie, and there was still a target over my head. Before, I was afraid that if I was accepted into the pack officially, it would all fall away. I would be kicked out when something went wrong or others would get hurt because of me. Standing here in my dress, I realized all of that was foolish. I should have taken on the luna title as soon as I accepted Mark as my mate.

I knew I belonged in this werewolf pack. These people were my family, and I was done running away from the things that scared me in my life. I was ready to run first into the fire and take on the responsibility of protecting and loving this wolfpack, like a luna should.

Rie touched my arm, bringing my attention back to her. “Are you ready?”

I smiled, buzzing with anticipation. “More than I ever thought I would be.”

“Come on. Let’s go, Luna Adira.”

Something about Rie’s words just felt right. I was just minutes away from being the official luna, and I smiled at all of the new roles and responsibilities that I had taken on in the past few months. I was a mate, soon I would be a luna, and not long after that, I would be a mother. I had given up on achieving any of these titles awhile ago.

We walked down the pack house, which felt empty compared to its normal buzz. There were still guards stationed around the house to make sure there were no intruders, but the rest of the pack was in the backyard where the ceremony was to take place. Rie and I paused at the back door, and Rie turned to me.

She fixed a piece of my hair and smiled. “I’m not going to get too sappy, but I just wanted to say that I’m grateful you are Mark’s mate. You are good for him and this pack. We couldn’t have asked for a better luna.” She stopped and looked up to stop herself from tearing up.

I smiled, touched to see Rie this emotional over me. I pulled her into a hug. “I’m so glad to have met you and everyone else. This is the happiest I have ever been.”

Rie hugged me back, squeezing me so tightly I almost couldn’t breathe. She pulled away and wiped the tears away from her eyes carefully so she wouldn’t mess up her makeup in the process.

“Okay, enough of this. Let’s get this ceremony started.” Rie grabbed my hand and pulled me outside.

Everyone stood up from their seats and looked at me. There were more people than I had anticipated, since several members from Pack Lyna and Pack Sallow were also there to witness the ceremony. All eyes were on me, but the only eyes I cared about were Mark’s. His piercing blue eyes caught my breath, just like the first time we had met. So much had happened since then, and I couldn’t believe where we were today.

Rie stepped to the side and motioned for me to move forward. “This is all you, Luna Adira.”

I gave her a nod and started walking forward. I held my head up high, filled with pride because Mark had accepted me as his mate and into this pack. He was an amazing and caring leader, and he has always had the pack’s interest at heart. He has also been there for me in ways that many people had failed to do over the years. Because of him, I was even building a relationship with Reyland again.

Even with all of the threats and struggles I had been through, I wouldn’t take any of this back if it meant no longer having Mark in my life. I loved him more than I ever thought possible, and I knew a bright future was awaiting us.

As I walked down the aisle, I saw so many familiar faces smiling back at me. Reyland was with Mason and a few other people I recognized from Pack Lyna. Cindy and Eva found a seat at the front. I was pleasantly surprised to even see Jori in the crowd. He seemed to be trying to tuck himself away in the crowd so he was unseen, but I was happy he was here at least.

Finally, I made it to the front of the aisle where Mark was standing on a raised platform. Scythe was a few steps behind him. Mark held out his hand and helped me up on the platform. He made a point to still hold onto my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. I could feel his nerves and gave him a squeeze back, amused that he was more nervous than I was.

I heard a few footsteps approaching, and I glanced to see Rie joining me on the platform. She must have gone around the crowd to avoid any attention being taken away from me.

Ready? Mark linked.

Ready, I linked back, trying to contain the bright smile trying to erupt on my face.

Mark turned to the crowd and lifted his hand. He motioned for everyone to sit down and then waited for the soft murmurs to switch into silence. He stood tall and proud, and his alpha energy was filling the air.

Mark’s voice was calm but it carried on through the crowd as if he was using a loudspeaker. “I want to thank you all for coming to celebrate the new luna of Pack Aphelion. It’s an honor to have so many different leaders and packs joining us for this special day. Pack Aphelion was created in a manner that was not exactly traditional, and we’ve been working on increasing our size and strength. Now I have the honor of inviting Adira Lyna to be the official luna of this pack. With her heart and strength, I know we can continue to do even more for this pack.”

The crowd cheered when Mark paused, and my heart swelled, knowing everyone was cheering for me.

Mark lifted his hand to calm the crowd. This time he turned to me. His eyes were glowing with pride from his future luna. He tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear and then held my hand. “Adira Lyna, my one true mate and the love of my life, do you promise to treat this pack as your family, protect them and work hard for everyone’s safety.”

“I do. I promise I will continue working hard as everyone’s luna to improve myself and the pack for the better.”

Mark turned to Rie and Scythe next. “Rie and Scythe, as betas of this wolfpack, do you accept Adira as your luna?”

“I do,” Rie and Scythe said simultaneously.

Mark turned back to me. “Then, as alpha of Pack Aphelion, I hereby accept Adira as our new luna.”

Mark reached towards Scythe, who was already in the process of handing Mark a large needle. Mark took the needle and then grabbed my finger. His eyes met mine. “You will feel a small prick on your finger.”

I nodded my head, and Mark poked my finger with the needle. I winced from the small amount of pain, but it was minor compared to other things I had dealt with recently. After pulling out the needle, Mark lifted my hand up to his mouth and licked the open wound to help it heal faster. When he was done with that, he released my hand and moved over to a small vase being displayed on the stage.

Mark paused and looked at me. Are you ready for this? It could be a little overwhelming.

I smiled at him and nodded, more than ready to be connected to a pack again. I had been on my own since I was sixteen, and I was buzzing to feel like part of a community again. Mark smiled back and then dropped the needle into the vase. As the b***d mixed in the liquid component, I could feel new bonds building at my core.

I closed my eyes as I took in all of the swirling thoughts and emotions. I could hear Rie’s voice and then Scythe’s voice in my head. The rest of the pack members followed after. For a moment, I could feel all of their emotions, starting from the joy they felt with this ceremony to the fears they felt about what had been going on recently. It came in jumbled waves, so it was difficult to discern one voice from another.

However, after a moment, the voices began to settle and my head began to clear. The channels that created the links between members closed, lying dormant as they waited for them to be reawakened later. I took a few deep breaths to calm my heart from the sudden rush of emotions, and then I opened my eyes.

Mark was holding my forearms, and I hadn’t even felt him grab me. He was watching me carefully, waiting for me to confirm I was okay. I smiled at him and then turned to address the crowd.

“Thank you for accepting me as your luna. If there’s anything I can do for you, please let me know.”

The crowd cheered and clapped, and when they calmed down, Scythe stepped forward. He raised his hand. “And now it’s time to party!”

The crowd began moving, bringing the chairs with them to open up a space for dancing. Music started playing as this happened. It was incredible watching how fast the backyard changed into more of a party setting. It made me wonder if Scythe had made these people practice this scenery change before today. Scythe and Rie disappeared in the crowd, and I could feel them moving towards their mates before helping transform the area. It was a little strange being able to feel the presence of the pack members so clearly now.

Mark took the moment we had to ourselves to pull me in closer. “I’m thrilled to call you my luna now.” He placed a soft k**s on my lips.

I placed a hand on his cheek and kissed him again. “It’s about time, alpha.”

Mark growled from me calling him “alpha,” and I could feel his desire growing for me. I was sure he would be dragging me to the bedroom this second if Scythe and Rie hadn’t planned an entire party after the ceremony.

Mark leaned in and whispered in my ear, “I’ll show you how much you are mine later tonight.” His breath against my ear sent tingles down my spine, and I closed my legs tighter, trying to hide the arousal pooling between my legs. I was suddenly very tempted to skip this party all together.

A clearing of a throat interrupted Mark and my flirtations. I pulled back, but Mark kept his hand on the small of my back. I saw Jori watching us closely.

“Sorry to, uh, interrupt.” Jori scratched the back of his neck.

“You’re not interrupting,” I said quickly.

Not true, Mark linked in response. He wasn’t upset about Jori’s interruption. He was just eager to have me to himself.

“I’ll make this quick,” Jori continued, looking at Mark. He took a deep breath, and I knew whatever was coming next was serious. “I have done a lot of thinking today, and there’s something I need to talk to you two about.”