Chapter 3 ~Mating ceremony~
Fiona's POV
I fell into an uneasy sleep late at night. Dawn had not fully broken before my door were swung open. My eyes met the wall clock. 2 a.m.
“Fiona! Everyone is in the hall waiting for the bonding ceremony.” Cassia called out to me.
This was it. This was the moment that would determine my fate.
I dressed quickly in a simple gown and walked into the halls.
My heart was pounding as I took it all in. The smells of pine, candle wax and wolves. The room was filled with elders, gammas, the beta and other pack members.
I tried to ignore the hostile stares and cruel whispers as I walked in.
My eyes met with Isis. Beckett's new girlfriend. She had a sneer on her face.
“What is she doing here?” She asked, glaring at me. Her friends giggled quietly, not to attract the elders.
“I don't know, Isis. Maybe she thinks she'll be Luna.” One of her friends muttered dryly, and they all laughed.
My heart sank, but I clenched my teeth to control my emotions.
“Silence!” It was the pack's seer, Eros.
He lit a candle and sat on the floor cross-legged. The hall was so quiet that a pin dropped would be heard.
My heart was beating loudly. I clutched my hands in a tight fist to stop them from shaking.
Beckett stood at the centre, on the right side of Eros. He was glaring directly at me.
Eros spoke after a while. “Fiona Hepburn. Come out.”
My legs were heavy as I walked to the middle. All eyes were on me.
“Beckett, this is your mate.” Eros stood up with a smile.
I had never felt so triumphant before. My chest swelled with pride. ‘I am Luna!’
The elders all looked happy as well. Isis slumped to the floor, defeated. Her friends were mortified. All the other pack members that had mocked me had their mouths agape.
I walked to where Beckett stood to give him a hug. He was my mate after-all, fate had brought us together again.
What happened next was what I never expected. Beckett shrank back, his face twisted in anger and disgust.
‘What was happening?’ I recoiled as I stared at him.
He walked up to Eros and muttered something in his ear.
I stood transfixed on the spot. The pack members all looked confused.
“But this rarely happens, Alpha Beckett.” Eros protested.
“I will do as I want. I'm Alpha!” Beckett roared angrily.
Eros’ face paled. “Very well, Alpha.”
Beckett walked up to where I stood, a sinister look on his face.
The words he said next left me shaken.
“ I, Alpha Beckett, in the name of the moon goddess, reject you as my mate!”
My vision blurred instantly as I stood there, stunned. I don't know which hurt more; the searing in my chest from the bond or the emotional pain. I was nothing once more.
I ignored the whispers, the glares. I tried to put up a facade of boldness. But even my voice failed me when I said it. “In the name of the moon goddess, I accept your rejection.”
A strong wind blew in and all the candles went off. I was blown to the left and Beckett to the right. We both landed with a thud, panting from exhaustion.
I was reeling from the pain of the severed bond. Then the tears began to fall from my eyes.
Before I passed out, my mind went to all the moments we shared, the love we once had, all dashed to the ground.
I didn't know how long I was out, but when I regained consciousness, nobody needed to tell me what had happened.
My mouth fell open at the sight I saw before me.
Beckett had his hands around Isis’ waist. Her neck was still bleeding through the bite marks. Beckett had marked her as his mate.
“All hail Alpha Beckett and Luna Isis.” Eros' voice called out.
“All hail!” The entire pack members dropped to their knees, bowing their heads to the ground.
The elders left soon afterwards, and it was just us, the pack members. The sun was rising as dawn broke.
I watched as the pack members all went to congratulate our new Alpha and Luna.
You know what hurt me the most? The fact that the moon goddess had told me I would be Luna ... deceived me that I could save my mother.
I watched Isis as she kissed Beckett on the lips, as she smiled and responded to all the congratulations. Beckett acted like I didn't even exist. Isis, on the other hand, was reeling in the moment. She would stick her tongue out at me, snicker at me, brush past me.
I looked around for the one person who had my back, Cassia. I needed her now more than ever.
“Dumb bitch,”
“Look how pathetic she is.”
“Rejected Luna.”
These were all the comments that were thrown at me by pack members.
My eyes finally found Cassia. I rushed to meet her. “Cassia, I'm so heartbroken. Can you believe?”
But she ignored me. My best friend walked past me to meet Isis and Beckett.
“Congrats Luna Isis, I'm always at your service.” Cassia cooed.
My mouth fell open. I nearly fell down in shock.
Isis' eyes were on me when she spoke to Cassia. “Tell them what you told me, Cass.”
Cassia's voice rang loudly to the hearing of all the pack members. “Fiona Hepburn can't shift to her werewolf form and she can't speak to her wolf.”
I looked at my best friend of almost two years, spilling out my secret to the whole pack.
Beckett stood up. “Do you hear that, Ashridge Pack? This is not a werewolf, and she lives among us.”
“Who knows if she's a spy or a rogue?” Someone gasped. The stares were boring holes through my back.
And like every reasonable person would, I ran.
I ran because I knew rogues were killed on sight, because my boyfriend had shattered my heart, because my best friend ground what was left of it to powder.
I ran because I didn't know what to do when all of me was undone.