I push Andreas through the front doors, and we find the Crescent Warriors waiting for us. They all kneel before me, and then Mitch and Noah stand.
“Alpha, we’re here to escort you and your mate to the ceremony,” Mitch says.
Noah comes and stands beside me, and says, “Let me, Alpha.” And takes the handles of the wheelchair.
I nod and stand next to Andreas and hold his hand as we all walk towards the pack hall.
When I try to go towards the pack hall doors, Tony says, “We’re not going to the pack hall,” and they lead us past it, to the field behind it.
I gasp as I look around. There are fairy lights everywhere, providing a peaceful glow over the field, with the pack surrounding a makeshift stage in the middle of the field. The warriors lead us toward the pack, and everyone moves to the side, making a pathway and kneeling as we pass. When we get closer, the warriors stand to the side and surround the stage as Mitch and Noah lead us up a ramp, where Elder Laskaris and the remaining Elders are waiting.
They bow towards me and motion for me to stand next to Elder Laskaris.
Andreas squeezes my hand. I look down at him, and the look of pride on his face makes my heart beat faster.
“You can do this,” he whispers, and I smile back at him, and then stand next to Elder Laskaris.
“Members of Blood-Moon. Tonight, you accept Athena Argos as your Alpha.” His voice booms over the field. “It is an honor and a privilege to be here tonight to perform this ceremony. Athena Argos is one of the bravest and most honorable people I have ever met, and I know she will be an Alpha to remember.”
Elder Laskaris turns to Elder Andino and takes an old-looking book from him. He turns it to a page and then turns to me.
“Αθηνά, αποδέχεσαι τον ρόλο του Άλφα της αγέλης Ματωμένο Φεγγάρι και με το παρόν ορκίζεσαι να προστατεύσεις το πακέτο σου με κάθε κόστος?” Elder Laskaris asks in Greek.
“Athena, do you accept the role of Alpha of the Blood-Moon pack, and hereby swear to protect your pack at all costs?” Elder Andino translates.
“I do,” I answer.
“Ορκίζεσαι στη Θεά της Σελήνης, Σελίνα, ότι θα τηρείς τις παραδόσεις του λαού μας και θα τηρείς τους νόμους που ορίζει το Συμβούλιο των Πρεσβυτέρων;”
“Do you swear to the Moon Goddess, Selina, that you will uphold the traditions of our people, and abide by the laws set out by the Elder Council?”
“I do.”
Elder Laskaris turns and hands Elder Andino the book back, then takes the ceremonial chalice sitting on the nearby table and the blade sitting next to it.
“Athena, this chalice has been used for generations to accept new Alphas to their packs. It signifies the power and strength an Alpha needs to protect what is theirs. In this chalice is the blood of your pack, who have accepted you as their Alpha, to lead them through whatever comes their way.”
He then holds up the blade and says, “This blade signifies the oath you have made tonight to protect your pack, and the sacrifice an Alpha may have to make to do so. Please place your hand over the bowl, palm up.”
I hold my hand over the ceremonial bowl as he asks, and he slides the blade across my palm, the silver in the blade stopping the wound from healing straight away. He then takes the chalice and pours the blood from the pack over the wound, and as my blood mixes with the packs, I feel the connections grow stronger.
“Enyo, please come forward,” Elder Laskaris says.
Enyo comes forward, her blue eyes casting their usual glow over everything, but as the connections with the pack grow even stronger, people have to avert their eyes to not be blinded by the glow.
Elder Laskaris closes our palm into a fist and then looks up to the sky. “Goddess Selina, I present to you the new Alpha of the Blood-Moon pack, Alpha Athena Argos.”
Suddenly, the blood in the bowl catches on fire but burns out just as quickly, and everyone gasps.
“Well, that’s new,” Elder Andino mutters.
I feel a calming presence wash over me, and Enyo turns to the moon and howls.
When she’s done, she pulls back, and Elder Laskaris hugs me. “I’m proud of you, Alpha,” he says with a smile. “Now I understand you have some new members that need to be brought into the pack?”
“Yes,” I smile back and turn to Noah, who is crouching next to Andreas. Tears fill both of their eyes as they look up at me with pride.
“Will you accept me into your pack too, Alpha?” Andreas smiles up at me.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” I say, and motion for him and Noah to come forward, and Lauren the Omega joins us on the stage as well.
I turn and address the pack. “Thank you all for being here tonight. I am honored that you have chosen me to be your Alpha. It’s been a long few days, and I don’t want to hold you all up any longer than necessary, but you need to be advised of things that happened tonight.”
I take a deep breath before continuing. “Tonight, I, our warriors and some of the chosen entered Shadow Rock territory to investigate the possibility that Alpha Costas was hiding the rogue pack that attacked us. We found the location of where they have been hiding, but because of an explosion in the Shadow Rock territory, we were unable to capture any of the pack. We were, however, able to investigate the second pack house they were hiding in, and we located six more chosen that were being held there. Five of them have been brought back to our territory and are being treated at the pack hospital. I would like to thank those that are helping from other packs to take care of those that are injured.”
I swallow hard, as I try to prepare myself to tell them the next part. “One of the chosen, Teresa, unfortunately died in a second explosion, which also killed Gamma Alex.” My voice cracks at the end as everyone gasps and some of the pack members cry. “So, while tonight is a celebration for our pack, it is also filled with great sorrow as we remember everything that Gamma Alex did for us.”
I turn to Andreas, Noah, and Lauren. “We also celebrate a new beginning, as I invite you all to welcome Noah and Lauren to our pack, and to introduce to you all my mate, Andreas, who was one of the chosen found in the Shadow Rock territory.”
I turn to Elder Laskaris. “Elder Laskaris, would you please show me how to accept them into my pack?”
“Of course,” he nods and takes the blade again. “Please kneel in front of your Alpha,” he tells them.
Noah helps Andreas out of the wheelchair, and they kneel together alongside Lauren.
“Please give me your hand,” he instructs them, and the three of them hold out a hand, and he cuts their palms with the silver blade, then mine again.
“Do you accept Alpha Athena as your new Alpha?”
“I do,” they all say in unison.
“Do you promise to abide by the rules and laws of the Blood-Moon pack?”
“I do.”
“Alpha, join your hands with each of them, and say ‘I, Alpha Athena Argos, accept you into my pack,’”
I go along and do it with Lauren and Noah, leaving Andreas for last.
“I, Alpha Athena Argos, accept you, Andreas Papatonis, into my pack, and as my mate,” I say as I place my hand in his, and feel his connection fall into place.
“I, Andreas Papatonis, accept you, Alpha Athena Argos, as my mate.” He smiles up at me.
I pull him up slowly, helping him to stand, and he kisses me softly.
The crowd claps, and I turn to Elder Laskaris again.
“How does this work?” I ask him quietly. “Will we both be Alpha together?”
“That’s going to be up to the both of you to decide. We’re in unfamiliar territory, Alpha. I suggest you both discuss it later.”
I nod and turn to Andreas. “I would like Luna Cassia to stay on as Luna.”
“You do what you think is best for your pack,” he says, squeezing my hand.
I help him back to the wheelchair and then scan the crowd for Cassia. When I find her with the Luna Guard, I smile. “Luna Cassia, will you please join me on stage?”
She looks at me, confused, but the guards lead her onto the stage. “Alpha,” she says as she kneels in front of me.
“Luna Cassia. In the short time that I have known you, you have shown exceptional qualities as a leader, and as I am a straight female, I can’t have a Luna of my own. Would you do me the honor of staying on as Luna to help me lead our pack?” I ask her.
She looks at me, shocked for a moment before a smile spreads across her face and her eyes tear up. She bows her head before saying, “it would be my honor to lead this pack with you, Alpha.”
“Please stand as my equal, Luna Cassia,” I smile down at her, holding out my hand. She takes it and stands beside me.
“Shouldn’t your mate be your Luna?” I hear Mr. Williams call out with a snigger.
I let out a low warning growl. “Mr. Williams. I respect you as an elder of our pack, but that is the last time that you disrespect my mate, myself, or Luna Cassia.”
“How are we expected to believe that having two women lead this pack will be beneficial for us? Now that your mate has magically appeared, after you told us he was dead, I might add, he should be Alpha, and you the Luna.”
“You spoke your piece this morning, Mr. Williams, and the pack disagreed. Cassia put this pack above her own life. You know that she could have died along with Alpha Damon because of the mate bond, and she still rejected him and didn’t stand in my way when I killed him, because it was for the good of the pack. She was willing to sacrifice herself, and to me, there is no one better for the position of Luna. Speak out of turn again, and I will see it as a challenge,” I growl.
He shuts his mouth, and I return my attention to everyone else.
“There are still positions that need to be filled, but I think we’ve all had enough for one day. I will advise everyone over the coming days on these matters, as well as when the service for Gamma Alex will be held. Thank you again to all of you for coming tonight, and for accepting me as your Alpha. I will not let you down.”
I turn to those on the stage. “We need to have a meeting about everything,” I tell them.
“We do, but not tonight. You need rest, Alpha,” Noah says.
“But…”
“No buts,” Andreas says. “I am taking you home, wherever that is, and you are sleeping.”
“You promised Doc Apollo you’d go back to the hospital after the ceremony,” I scold him.
“No offense to the Doc, but there’s no way I’m going back there. I’m going to take a hot shower, and sleep with my arms wrapped around my mate,” he says with a grin, and I blush.
“Stay in your room at my place,” Mom says as she walks onto the stage. “I’ll stay in the pack house until everything is sorted.”
“Mom, we can’t kick you out of your own home,” I tell her.
She smiles and gives me a hug. “You need some privacy with your mate. I’ll be fine,” she says, then bends down and hugs Andreas, who has a surprised look on his face. “Welcome to our pack. I’m so glad Athena found you again.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Argos.”
“Lauren and Noah, come with me. Let’s get you set up with rooms,” she says, and takes Noah and Lauren’s hands and leads them off the stage.
“I’ll escort you to your mom’s house,” Tony says and takes the handles of the wheelchair.
“Thanks, Tony.” I smile at him.