Chapter 17

*It pays to close your eyes for a moment and pretend the world and it problems does not exist. Because then, life becomes a lot more bearable…*

Taking a deep breath, I stuck out my right hand over the earthen ware bowl and nodded at Gregory to signal my readiness. He took the knife and before I could blink, he had already cut open my palm. It took everything in me not to wince because the knife had traces of silver in it. To prevent the cut from closing quickly.

I could feel it. Clenching my palm, I allowed the blood to trail into the bowl. I watched as Gregory repeated the same actions on his son and after he had also let his blood run into the bowl, he took both our palms and pressed the open wound together.

The fusing of our blood nearly brought us to our knees but we held on tight to each other. Havoc whimpered in agony as she felt the bond strengthening and clinging onto each other like a parasite.

It was heartbreaking to know all this meant nothing to my mate. I blinked back the tears from my eyes and watch as blood trailed from our joined hands into the bowl. A flash of white light flashed over the bowl before it started sizzling. We watched as it burnt on the rocks and the more it burnt, the more it gave off a refreshing scent. It smelt like our scents combined together.

We held our clenched hands over it until our cuts healed and the last of our blood rose from the earthen ware bowl and wrapped itself around our clinched hands.

It caressed our skin before seeping into it. It moved from our hands to our shoulders. Circled over where our marks will be at the juncture between our necks and shoulder and the center of our chests before returning to where it started on our hands.

It took a different shape and embedded itself on our skin. My mate and I leaned forward for a closer look and while I watched mesmerized, my mate smiled brightly as the picture of a moon with two wolves howling under it formed on our skin. And I knew why. It meant that the moon goddess has approved of our mating. Gregory took hold of our hands and lifted it up to show the pack that we have been accepted and their response to that was to jump from their seats and cheer.

Gregory allowed them to cheer to their hearts content before leading us to the end of the huge makeshift stage and that was when I saw the smaller and shorter makeshift platform behind it. It wasn’t the fact that it was there that surprised me but the way it had been presented.

In actual sense, it looked like a bed. A large four poster bed with sheer curtains surrounding it. It had what looked like rose petals scattered all over the pillows and the bedding. But I was comforted by the fact that, the actual bed wasn’t visible to the eyes of everyone.

The huge makeshift stage did a wonderful job of covering it to the exigent that only the curtains and the canopy of the bed could be seen. The little privacy was much appreciated.

Wolf whistles and chuckles rang throughout the gathering as we all knew what was next. The event I dreaded the most. The actual mating aspect of the ceremony. My mate growled as he saw me take a shaky step back. He bent down and scooped me into his arms causing his father to laugh and the pack to cheer.

I settled in his arms, accepting my fate as he walked off the huge stage and towards the small one.

I felt the shift in him as his wolf made his presence known through his eyes and the love and devotion reflecting through them did nothing to assure me.

If anything, it just reminded me of how my life with my mate will be miserable after this day and the next. I shut my eyes to avoid seeing them and started psyching myself. I pushed all the heartache and problems into the back of my mind and gave into the bond. I needed to do this for myself and Havoc.

I asked her to give into the bond like I’m doing and make the most of this mating ceremony because it was going to happen only once.

After I was sure she wouldn’t kill our mate, I took a seat back and allowed her to make her presence known. I felt my back touch something soft and that was when I realized we had gotten to our mating bed. I watched as Havoc flashed Kaeden a shy smile and that was our undoing. Firm lips descended on ours sending tingles throughout my whole body.

Our arms found its way around their back before fingers trailed softly into their hair. I was sitting back and enjoying the show and the next thing I knew, I was back in control. I opened my eyes to find my mate also back in control. I closed my eyes and lifted my body off the bed to kiss him to which he was more than eager to oblige.

I let out a gasp when I felt his hand trailing up my thighs through the slit. My gasp had been an opening gate because his tongue found its way next into my mouth. Tasting everywhere it could possibly reach whiles his hands worked wonders on my skin.

The feeling of euphoria washed over my body and the bond as my mate left my lips and started sucking on the spot where my mark was going to be. I tugged on his hair with a loud moan when his canines scraped the sensitive skin there. I knew he was deliberately teasing me because of the blasted smug smile plastered on his face when I opened my eyes to look at him. My fingers left his hair and trailed all the way down his back and his waist line.

A smile found its way onto my face as the sounds leaving my mate’s lips reach my ears. Grunts and groans of blissful passion. I made quick work of popping the buttons of his jeans open and without wasting time, my right hand weaseled its way inside. A shiver raked across my body when I touch the pulsing member in his jeans. It was hot and hard.

I could feel the veins on it pulsing with life and desire. With my eyes locked on his, I wrapped my hand around it and squeezed. His eyes darkened with desire just as I knew mine had. I gave my mate a firm squeeze and tug all the while biting my lips to stop the moans that has lodged themselves in my throat from coming out.

My mate’s respond to that was to throw his head back and let out a rather loud hoarse moan. I moved my wrapped hand up and down his member to create friction but it seems my mate wanted more because he began bucking his hips into my clenched fist. His grip though tightened on me as he bucked his hips repeatedly and then all of a sudden, he stopped.

I watched with furrowed eyebrows as he got off of me and sat on the space beside me. I was about to ask what was wrong when he tore off his jeans and threw it away as if it was keeping him from his meal and in a way it was.

A gasp left my lips when he turned to face me with darkened eyes and gold flecks swirling in them.

It showed that his wolf was near the surface and was turned on as much as his human was. The heatedness of their gaze had me squirming under it.