I made my way through the quad and past the stares. Each surrounding building was only a few stories tall. The dark brick was lit by lights hidden in the trees. People stood around, chatting as they waited for the ceremony to start. Everyone was dressed in robes, but theirs were plain black like the one Meredith was wearing.
“This looks really cultish.”
Meredith laughed. “You’d rather see everyone in their birthday suits?”
“Well…I mean some of these guys—”
A growl rang through the crowd, and I rolled my eyes. I recognized that special timbre. “It was a joke. Jeez.”
“Cherie.” Dastien’s voice had more than a little wolf in it.
The crowd parted and I finally saw him. He wore a red robe, too. His dark curls were tucked back behind his ears. I met his golden gaze. There wasn’t any turning back now, and crowd or not, I didn’t care. I didn’t want to turn back. “Let’s do this.”
We moved as a group to a clearing in the woods. The moon rose as we walked, and I could feel its energy burning through me. My skin itched as the wolf rose to the surface. Only Dastien’s firm grip on my hand kept me from shifting.
Why do I feel like I can’t hold this form?
It’s hard during the full moon. That’s why we have the ceremony. It’s important to be together as a pack and get out in the wild. The newer or less dominant the wolf is, the harder it is to keep the human form. It gets worse as the moon rises.
Perfect. I scratched my arm, but it didn’t help alleviate the itch at all.
When we got to the spot for the ceremony, I was surprised that I recognized it. We’d held the meeting here when we discussed whether to kick Imogene out of the pack. The moon provided more than enough light to see by, illuminating the unlit bonfire area off to the side. Slightly deeper into the woods, piled rocks and boulders from the nearby creek formed a circle of seats, and a stone dais sat in the center of the ring. The platform part probably weighed a million pounds.
Mr. Dawson, Donovan, and Sebastian all stood on the oblong stone wearing black robes with the hoods down. Donovan and Sebastian were both members of the Seven—the council that ruled all werewolves—and Mr. Dawson ruled the local pack. All three were seriously strong alphas. I was sure some of the other alphas called in for the Tribunal were around, but I wouldn’t know them if I saw them. Not unless they tried to push their power at me.
Dastien pulled me along until we were standing in front of the dais. Everyone else crowded around behind us, some taking seats on the stones, others just standing, waiting for the ceremony to be over so they could shift.
Mr. Dawson and Donovan stood in relaxed poses, while Sebastian stood a little off to the side. He was grinning, and his blue eyes glowed bright.
Donovan had been really easy to get along with. He was only intimidating when he needed to be, but Sebastian was a little more so. When I first got to St. Ailbe’s, he’d pushed himself into my mind, which wasn’t fun at all, but ever since that one unpleasant experience, he’d been really nice. Super smiley. It was kind of weird, but I’d take that over scary Sebastian any day. I’d never fully gotten over that first impression.
Donovan stepped forward and the few whispers of the gathered wolves immediately died. “The moon has risen, and the ceremony shall begin. Have you both approached clear of heart and mind?”
“Yes,” Dastien said.
Donovan turned to me.
Right. I had to say something now. “Yeah.” My voice cracked. “I mean, yes.” God. I’d been over it in my mind a million times the past couple of days and I still managed to mess it up.
Donovan gave me a wink. “Good. Then let’s get started.”
Sebastian stepped to the edge of the rock. His white-blond hair looked even whiter against his stark black robe. “This is the joining of two wolves whose like I’ve not seen before. Both more alpha than Dono or I were in our youth. When I was called here to assess them and determine what had happened, I was not prepared for this one.” He pointed to me. “Her strength and magic will do well for the pack.”
I was really grateful that my hood blocked out my peripheral vision. Only the three on the stage could see my face and how red it was getting.
Donovan held up his hands, and the whispering crowd finally settled. He looked at me for a second and it felt like he was seeing into my soul. I struggled not to move under his inspection. “Before we proceed with the incantation, you must complete the exchange of flesh.”
Dastien turned me so we were facing each other. He held out his arm.