Accepting Him

Accepting Him

“Luna, your dress arrived”, it sounds behind me.
When I look back, I see two servants with a snow-white dress in their hands. The pearls in the front give it a wedding dress hue, only the gray lace at the shoulders reveals that it's more for an engagement. And that's actually the festivity tonight. Glary is getting engaged to me. And not vice versa.
With one last look out the window, I walk over to the two women who have meanwhile put the dress on the bed. I look at it from a distance, it's not my choice at all. For my Luna ceremony in Midnight Moon, Elise has three beautiful robes ready. All I had to do was indicate my approval. Elise knows the type of dress that I appreciate, from the age of ten to fifteen, she has taken me to the mall to shop. So, she couldn't go wrong putting together my wardrobe for my Luna and mating ceremony with Zane.
And at that thought, I feel the sting of pain in my chest again.
If Zane doesn't come today, I'm lost. Lost to myself and to him. I don't want to mate Glary. Zane is the one I want, always has been. I can't afford to lose him, he's mine, no one else gets him. He was gifted to me by the Moon Goddess, custom made for me and no one else will own him but me.
A noise behind me shakes me out of my musings. My parents step in.
My father's face is twisted from misery, my mother is a walking wreck. I forcefully press away my tears, this is the moment when I must be strong for them. We can't let all three of us sink back into an emotional mess, I'll have to keep them strong.
“Mercedes, my child. This is what I wanted to avoid all these years. Glary is not the right man for you, he will make your life hell, just like his father does with the Luna”, my father cries openly now. Never before have I seen him like this, he has always been the rock of our family. That only exacerbates my despair, seeing a strong personality go to pieces by a devastating decision of a nobody. Glary has a lot on his conscience.
“It's time to confess to you, Mercedes. I can't go to my grave with this." My father looks at me with swollen red eyes. It is clear that he was plunged into grief and guilt all evening. "I was the one who brought you to Midnight Moon when you were ten," he states. “The day before, Alpha Ahri had noticed that you were becoming a beautiful girl and that he would have his son mate with you. In desperation, I brought you to the pack of the mighty Zane, knowing you would be safe there, he could protect you. I hadn't known that you would eventually turn out to be his mate."
I don't know who is more surprised now, my mother or me. “Marc! What are you saying? Have you tried to banish our only child?” my mother cries, startled. She grabs him by the arm and shakes him furiously. My father bows his head. “Yes, Selin. I couldn't bear that these bastards would have my daughter. I knew they would set us up if we refused. Now look what happens, our daughter is being robbed of her mate”.
My mother sits down before him and takes his head in her hands. “Marc. Stop this. Our Mercedes is stronger than you think. This is not the end. Wait and see how this all will turn out. The Moon Goddess is not to be messed with. Glary will pay for all the suffering he is doing to us now, just watch it all closely," she comforts him. My parents fall into each other's arms, I can't keep myself anymore. I drop to my knees and join the embrace.
“Yes, father. Zane makes sure everything is going to be okay. The Moon Goddess made me for him and he's definitely coming for me," I say hopefully.
“Luna, it's time to get dressed. You only have half an hour left. The Elders and everyone else are already in the hall waiting,” a servant announces. We break free, my father leaves the room. In a trance, I put on the dress. A make-up artist comes in to do my make-up. I choose a light color to hide my paleness and my hair in an ordinary ponytail. There's nothing here for me to celebrate today, this is a walk to my demise. My mom senses my mood so she doesn't protest my choices.
My father has refused to escort me to the platform where the rituals are held. The Alpha tried to persuade him with threats but he kept his leg stiff. Only my mother will be on stage with me for emotional support.
We walk out of the room to the elevator. When we are downstairs, four chambermaids are waiting to escort us to the back door that leads to the hall. From the kitchen I suddenly see Saphira approaching. I haven't seen her for the past two days, she just let me know in the mind link that she had passed on my message. We are very careful as we are assured that our conversations are investigated by phone and in the mind link.
“Mercedes, have a glass of this wine before you go out. It will calm your nerves,” she suggests, offering me a glass of wine on a tray. Something in her attitude alarms me that I must follow her advice. I take the wine, first sip it, but then drink it with one gulp. Saphira nods approvingly. “So, now you're ready for what's next,” she remarks dubiously. With one more look at her, I continue walking.
When we finally get on stage, I look around. It's packed here, Silver Moon has come out to witness this disgusting play. Sarcastically, I cast my eyes over the crowd. Did they really put their lives on hold to witness the devil's engagement to a minor? Hate is starting to rise in me, I never imagined I would ever have this feeling for my pack. When I look at Saphira next to me, I see that she shares my sentiments. Saphira, who almost gave up her mate to stay with this awful pack!
“Mercedes!”
Looking up in a blur, I see Glary reaching out to me. He is a few meters in front of me. I wobble up to him, it's time to do my duty. When I halted next to him, an Elder walks up to us and stands in front of us in a way the hall can follow our every move.
After the usual prayers to the Moon Goddess, the Elder turns to me. He gazes me straight in the eyes. "Mercedes Versailles, will you accept the future Alpha of Silver Moon as your mate, for as long as you live?"...