Chapter 193

Cedric POV

It's late, the stars are out tonight, glittering like a thousand diamonds in the sky. The moon is high and full and pulling me towards the forest as I walk to the rear of the pack house. This is where I was told to be, to participate in the run. The Alpha releases all participants at 9 p.m. sharp, after a blessing has been said over them. I haven't seen Connie since yesterday. We had dinner and said good night. She assured me she would be here tonight. I take a deep breath, drawing in the cool night air. I wasn't lying to Michael; Georgia really is growing on me. The peacefulness of this pack, combined with the lack of light pollution since we are up in the mountains and away from any major city, is a big allure for me. I haven't felt this at peace since before my mate died.

"Hey Cedric," I hear a voice from behind me. I turn to find Peter there, walking to the back of the pack house as well.

"Peter," I nod and stand waiting for him.

"You are really going to do it, huh?" he asks as he approaches. "Run tonight, I mean."

I shrug before responding, "I feel like I need to do this. I owe it to myself and to Connie to know."

"That's great, man," he says, clapping me on the shoulder. "I hope it's what you think it is. Doctor Constance is a good woman. She's been alone a long time, too."

"Yeah, well, I hope to change that," I say, turning and keep walking. Peter keeps pace beside me. "You're running too?" I ask.

"Yeah, why not. A few of the she-wolves have just become of age and are participating. They haven't before, so I may as well see if any of them are my mate, before I decide to uproot my life."

"You still think you want to apply for the Army?" I ask. "It's a big step. Life changing, you know."

"That is why I want to do it. I mean, I could stay here, work and live and be fine. There wouldn't be anything that is truly mine, you know?" he looks over at me and I nod. I do know what he means, but I also think we make our own happiness. If this isn't doing it for him, then he needs to look elsewhere. I have been unhappy for a long time. I feel like I've been chasing purpose for years now. The truth is, I'm tired.

"I get it, man. I totally do. I wish you the best," I say. "Now let's go find our mates." I wink at him and jog ahead, as I see the Alpha has everyone gathered in a circle. There is a woman next to him, whom I assume is their priestess, her long, white gown gently swaying in the cool breeze.

I approach and see that all of the women are off to one side, closer to the forest. The Alpha is talking about the importance of your fated mate and wishes everyone prosperity and love. He turns to the priestess and nods. She turns her cool blue eyes on the crowd and lifts her arms to the sky. "Tonight we give thanks to the Moon Goddess. She bestows upon us the ability to recognize the one she has chosen for us, on nights like tonight, when the moon is at its fullest. She is the one who created us, werewolves, and she is the one who can bring us happiness as well as pain and loss. Some of you here tonight do not understand why she gives you a fated mate, but it is the one who completes you, brings your soul joy, and your heart warmth. To deny your bond is a direct insult to the Goddess. We don't always find our fated mates, so we are given a chance to choose instead. Be sure your hearts are open to the fates; that is the purpose of this night. Do not interfere in the Goddess's plan. If that is your intent, do not participate. Tonight is for fate. It is not your choice, but hers. Raise your arms to the Goddess and ask her to guide you to your mate. When the moon is at its highest point, you will feel the pull, and your mate's scent will overwhelm you and your wolf. This is the Goddess's way. I bless all of you tonight, find your fate." She lowers her arms and walks away without another word to the crowd. Oddly, I see Stephanie step away from the circle of unmated she-wolves and follow the priestess into the darkness. I guess the words reached her, and her ill intentions have been pulled from her.

The Alpha says something else, which I miss because I'm too busy watching that strange happening. Peter elbows me. "The she-wolves are being released," he says quietly.

"So what now?" I ask him.

"We wait. They disperse into the woods. After a while, you will start hearing howling coming from the woods. It's them shifting and running around. Your wolf will want to go; you have to hold him back. We wait for the Alpha to permit us," he says.

"Do we shift?" I ask. The only other time I did this was when I found my mate, and we went out on our own, because I knew she was my mate, but my family required me to go out during the full moon to confirm. I remember she had been scared to death. She stood in the woods near our home and just waited for me to come. I had shifted to search her out, and she had never seen my wolf before that night, even though she knew what I was. She had fallen to her knees, tears streaming down her face, when my large, dark, colored wolf had sprinted through the trees straight to her. I remember her voice clearly. "Cedric, you are so beautiful." She had thrown her arms around my wolf's neck and he had licked her tears from her face. Then I had shifted back. I had been on my knees, completely naked, arms wrapped around her. We had made love right there, under the cover of the trees and the night sky.

I swallow the lump in my throat at the memory and close my eyes. I sit there, breathing and waiting. I try to clear my mind of my memories of my dead mate. Suddenly, I feel a sense of peace come over me; it's like a warm blanket has been draped over my shoulders. "Let her go, Cedric," a voice seems to say on the breeze. "It's time. Find your happiness again. I never forsake my children." I snap my eyes open. I clearly heard that voice, like an angelic songbird. I turn around in a circle, looking for someone or something to show me I'm not crazy.

"You okay?" Peter asks next to me. "You look kind of out of it right now."

I smile as the warmth continues, and then a cool breeze caresses my skin. I know without a shadow of a doubt, it was the Goddess whispering to me on this night, her night, where fates align.