Chapter 16 — Mating Ceremony

The preparations for the ceremony were quickly underway. With only a week to get everything ready we needed everyone to lend a helping hand. I asked the girls from my pack to help build a floral arch for Dom and me to stand under. I had my niece and nephew collecting wildflowers as many as they could find and putting them into baskets for us.

When I was not delegating people with preparations for the ceremony, I was with Dom’s mom Audra practicing the ceremony and the vows that I would be reciting as I make my vow to my new pack. It was a bit overwhelming, but I just kept taking deep breaths I was going to get through this and not muck it up.

Dom was in meeting after meeting establishing stronger relationships with our neighboring Alpha’s. We barely had any time for each other. In passing we would as least give each other a kiss and a rub on the arm to calm our nerves and keep chugging on.

Dom walks into our bedroom exhausted as he thrusts his hands through his hair and closes his eyes trying to keep his stress at bay.

I am standing next to the window in just a silk robe that is loosely tied. I turn to him and say, “Long Day?”

“You have no idea.” He lets out a low growl when he opens his eyes and sees me walking towards him.

I wrap my arms around him and give him a gentle kiss. “Can I help you relieve some of that stress that you are carrying?”

He lifts me into his arms as he carries me to the bed and lays me down. Before he starts to undo the sash of my robe his phone starts to ring.

Dom lets out a loud Growl. “What?”

“Stir we have a problem at the north pack line.” One of his Warriors says into the phone.

He lets out a sigh, “I am on my way.” He hangs up and puts his phone back into his pocket.

“I have to go.”

“Dom, let me go with you.” I ask him as I quickly jump up from the bed and quickly find clothes to throw on.

“No, stay here. This is not your problem it’s mine,” he says with an irritated tone.

“Wait, this is our problem. We deal with this together or what’s the point of us having a ceremony?” I say to him as I continue to dress grabbing my boots and lacing them up once I pulled them on.

“I just don’t want to see you get hurt, can you please just do as I ask and stay away,” he says before he storms out of the room.

My frustration starts to fuel as I let out a blood curdling cry.

Audra comes rushing in, “Dear, what’s the matter?” She asked in a concerned tone.

I was pacing the room ready to burst. “It’s Dom, he keeps brushing me off when there are things that need to be handled with the pack together. There is a situation on the North Pack line, and he wouldn’t let me go with him. I understand he is worried about something happening and I get hurt but I can’t just sit here wondering what’s happening. I need to be there.”

“I agree. We should go,” she says firmly.

I stop abruptly in front of her and give her a confused look and say, “I’m sorry what?”

“I agree, we should go and check it out.” She said as she walked out of my room and started making way to her own room.

“But wait. I don’t think it’s a good…”

She quickly turns to me with a chill in her tone, “Are you really going to tell me, the same thing Dom just told you?”

I step back and lower my head. It was awe inspiring feeling the power that she still carried radiating off of her.

“No, Luna absolutely not.”

“That’s what I thought dear. Give me a moment and I will be right out,” she says as she closes the door behind her.

Sasha: Holy Crap that mom is fierce!

Me: Right?! Is that how it’s going to be for us when we become Luna?

Sasha: Possibly. It depends on the wolf and the connection with their human.

Me: Great.

Sasha: Hey now, give us a chance. Sheesh.

I roll my eyes.

A moment later the door opened and out came the Luna in something I would have never guessed to be something that she would have in her closet. She was dressed in all black with boots and everything. Her hair was tied up and she even had a few weapons that she carried on her belt, and some slipped into pockets that were concealed in her pants.

“Woah, Luna.”

She came walking past me making her way to the stairs. “Impressed?”

“Hell yeah,” I say as I follow her.

We make our way out of the house one of the warriors that was guarding the house walks up to us.

“Luna, I have been ordered to keep you here and protected by the Alpha. Please go back inside,” he says as he motions for us to head back inside.

“Now you listen here, I am going to see what the commotion is all about and you will not be stopping me. Now you have two options. One: You can drive us to the destination and then you would only be altering the orders from your Alpha, or two: Wake up on the ground, with us gone and you having to explain to the other warriors how you got your ass handed to you by the Luna. So which option is it going to be?” Luna Audra says to the Warrior.

“Get in. I’ll drive.”

“Wise choice.”

Sasha: I like her.

I nodded in agreement as I hoped into the back seat of the SUV and made our way to the North pack line.

About a mile before we got to the spot, we cut the headlights so that they could not see the lights in the distance.

“Stop here. We will walk from here.” Luna says as she makes her way out of the car.

We get out of the car and start making our way to where the other wolves and Dom have assembled blocking the wolves that were causing chaos.

We start to hear voices in the distance.

“I am not going to tell you again Dom, reject your mate and continue the mating ceremony with me by your side or I will wage war on your land leaving you to ruin and shredding your mate into pieces in front of you. The choice is yours; you have two days to deliver me your answer.” Ofelia yells to Dom.

“THAT IS ENOUGH!” Luna yells into the crowd.

A hush falls over everyone and the warriors move to the side to make way for Luna Audra and me to make our way to the front of the crowd. I avoid looking over at Dom because I can feel the death glare from where I was. I can feel Sasha whining in my head about our mate not being happy with us.

“Luna, I was not expecting to see you here.” Ofelia says as she bows to Audra.

“Silence, I am very disappointed in you Ofelia. After all these years the friendship that I had with your parents, you have the audacity to come here and throw a temper tantrum because things did not go your way. Your mother would never allow such behavior.”

Ofelia lets out a whine at hearing how her parents would react to her behavior. She puffs up her chest before answering, “Daddy, told me before he died that no matter what I need to make sure the blending of the two packs needs to happen. I am simply doing what my Daddy asked of me.”

“What happens when your mate comes?” Luna Audra asks her.

“I have yet to ever feel my mate, for all I know he could be dead.” Ofelia spouts off.

“Ofelia, your mother and I never agreed with our mates about this union. We felt it was wrong to ask both of you to give up on your mates just because they were both thirsty for power. Can you honestly tell me this is what you want?”

Ofelia ponders for a moment and once again stands stall and puffs herself up, “As Luna of my pack I must do what is best for my pack. I suggest you do the same for yours Luna.”

Ofelia turns and leaves with her fellow warriors.

I let out a breath that I did not realize I was holding when I felt a rough hand grab me by the arm pulling me to look at him. Icy blue eyes with a lot of yellow mixing. Oh boy!

“What do you think you are doing here? I told you to stay back, but no you can’t follow a simple request and worst you bring my mother into this.”

“Dom, calm down this is not her fault. I can answer for myself thank you.” Audra says to her son.

“Get in the car, we will discuss this back at the packhouse,” Dom says as he starts to drag me to one of the vehicles.

“Charity and I have a car over here that we will ride back in together.” Audra starts to say to Dom.

“Mother, do not try to take my mate away from me at this moment.” Dom bites out between his teeth.

She throws her hands in surrender then walks over to Charity, “Remember Dear, his bark is worse than his bite.”

I nod as Dom pulls me into the vehicle that we would be heading back in.

I move all the way across the seat leaving space between me and Dom. He climbs in and I could see that he was still raging from everything that just occurred.

“Why, why, why can’t you just listen to me and follow simple instructions?” He says out into the car refusing to look at me.

“Dom, when are you going to let me be involved in the decisions that are made for this pack?”

“It’s not your place to worry about the decisions I make for the good of the pack. Do you understand?”

“So, what? You just want me to just sit there and do nothing as Luna?”

“As least you will be safe, and I know that you will not be causing trouble.” He grunts out.

I couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of his mouth at this moment. Causing trouble? Is that all he thinks that I am capable of? I am just supposed to play good mate and sit around doing nothing and be ready to please him after he had a long day from work. That is not how I am built and he of all people knows that.

Sasha: Charity, breathe girlie girl. I need you to breathe right now. Our mate is just upset about the situation. No need to make him more angry right now.

I take the deep breath that my wolf suggest I take but it only fueled my anger more.

“So, you are not even going to discuss with me about what happened out there?” I ask with a bit of harsh attitude in my tone.

Dom raises his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose before saying, “There is nothing to discuss about the situation. Ofelia is waging war with my pack. I need to make a decision on what’s best for the pack.”

“So that’s it. You are going to just make all the decisions.”

He interrupts me, “Yes Charity, that is exactly what I am going to do. It is what I have been doing for the last few years, I have been making decisions by myself since you didn’t want to own up to the mate bond and ran away.”

And there it was. I could feel my heart breaking at that moment. Everything he said before was just the bond talking and not him. He doesn’t love me.

I could feel the sting of tears in my eyes as I just look at him. Nodding my head, I turn and look back out the window. Fighting the tears that threaten to run down my cheeks.

Sasha: He doesn’t mean it, Charity. He is just upset. He is worried about the pack that’s all.

Me: You are right he is only worried about the pack. He can reject us at any time to save the pack.

Sasha: No, that’s not what I said. Please don’t turn it into something it is not.

The vehicle pulled up to the packhouse and Dom was out of it before it rolled to a complete stop.

The driver opens the door for me, and I slowly slide out of the vehicle. I wrap my arms around my stomach to stop the nauseousness that I was feeling at the moment.

I look up at the packhouse and slowly make my way to the steps. Audra was waiting for me at the door.

“Charity, dear what happened?” Audra soft voice spoke.

I look at her with the tears that I could no longer hold onto and allowing them to escape and run down my cheeks.

“Dom doesn’t think I should be a part of the discussion about what happens with his pack.”

I make my way past her and stop looking at the stairs I didn’t have the strength to walk up to our room. Our room, I mean his room. Nothing is ours.

“Charity, please give him a chance to calm down. He was not thinking straight.”

I simply nod my head and turn to head into another room.

“Charity, I will talk with him,” she says to me.

I continue to make my way into whichever room that just happens to come up. Once again, I feel out of place and no longer feel like this is my home.

I need to get some air.

I make my way out of the house without anyone taking notice. I make my way to the one place that gives me peace.

I take a deep breath as I start to make my way through the woods seeing the bridge coming into view, I felt a calm rush over me.

Sasha: Can we please talk about this?

I walk over to the bridge and rest my hands on it. Watching the water makes it journey, so peacefully even when rocks get in its way it still finds a way to continue to its destination.

Sasha: Charity, please talk to me.

I shrug.

Me: What’s there to talk about?

Sasha: You know that he didn’t mean that right?

Me: Do I Sasha? Do I even really know him? I mean I knew him a bit when he was a bully in High School but lately this has all been due to the bond. This is why I wanted to wait because I don’t want a broken heart. I don’t want to be tied to someone who doesn’t care about me. Why did we have to mate with an Alpha? They will always choose the pack.

Sasha: That’s not true Charity. That wolf loves us, and he will do whatever he needs to do to protect us and the pack.

Me: I just don’t feel it.

The tears started to run down my cheeks, and I couldn’t contain them anymore. I turned and sat against the bridge bringing my knees up to my chest and let it all out and cried.

Sasha: Charity? Charity? Are you awake?

I slowly lift my head up and realize that I must have cried myself to sleep while in this position. I start to stretch and slowly get up from my spot.

Sasha: We should head home; he is going to worry about us.

Me: Is he? I don’t see him. I don’t hear anyone calling my name in search of me. I’ll just make my way to the cabin and sleep the rest of the night there.

Sasha: Well at least it’s better than staying here.

I make my way to the cabin, but when I look at the cabin the memories flood me. I wrap my arms around my stomach again and make my way to the door of the cabin. I unlock the door with the hide a key that Dom told me about. I make sure to lock the door after I shut it and take a deep breath. I could already feel another wave of tears approaching as I quickly make my way to the bed and just bundle under the covers and cry myself back to sleep.

I woke up the next morning, still feeling the same way I did before falling asleep only this time more nauseous. I try to drink some water but that does not help, and I am making a mad dash for the bathroom before I lose it all on the floor of the cabin.

After what seems like a lifetime later and completely exhausted from throwing up into the toilet. I get up from sitting on the floor and go to the sink to wash my face and rinse my mouth out.

Me: Did we eat something bad, or could this be anxiety over everything that has been going on with Dom?

Sasha: Or something else.

Me: What?

Sasha: Shh! Listen.

I close my eyes and focus trying to hear something out of the ordinary. And there it was. So faint but beating fast a little heartbeat.

I close my eyes as the tears hit my cheeks.

Me: I’m pregnant. We are pregnant!

It had been a month since my heat and just assumed that nothing happened during our heat. But there is the proof. I wonder what Dom is going to say.

Oh wait.

Sasha: Don’t you dare. Don’t go dark on me again. We are happy, stay in the happy zone.

I nodded my head and looked at myself. I can do this.

“I can be strong for you pup.” I rub my stomach as I say this.