The Lunam Ceremony (Book One), page 5
Three girls from Sierra bring me and Cassie fresh cups of beer and ask if they can join us. “Sure,” Cassie says and scoots towards me to make room for them. “I’m Cassie, this is Kalysia,” she introduces us, but I can tell the girls already know who I am.
“I’m Leah,” the tallest one says. “This is Clio and Patsy.” The girls have the same long dark hair as I do. I wouldn’t be surprised if we were related. I asked Cassie earlier why we all look alike. None of the girls have highlights or hair shorter than shoulder length. She said it’s just a Lunam thing. We all come to the ceremony in our most natural state. After Lunam we are free to look however we want. She even joked about chopping her hair and dying it pink, as long as her mate doesn’t mind.
A steady stream of males passes in front of our table, each eyeing us like we’re shiny new cars on display. It doesn’t take long for me to realize why the Sierra girls asked to sit with us. Cassie and I have been garnering attention all night. If being close to us will help these girls make better matches, then by all means, ogle.
The first few chords of a slow song begin, and the crowd grows excited. I see a group of boys approaching and I turn to Cassie. “You should dance with the one in the black t-shirt.”
“Which one? They’re all wearing black,” she laughs.
I nod my head at the stocky boy with plaid shorts. “The one in the middle. He’s cute.”
“You think all the Sierra boys are cute.”
She’s right; most of my attention has been focused on the Sierra pack. I wonder if this is a precursor to who I will be matched with. My natural instinct is Sierra, not Shasta.
“Do you want dance?” the stocky Sierra boy stops in front of Cassie.
“Sure,” she says and hops off the table.
A boy wearing a white t-shirt with the phrase, “What Happens at Lunam, stays at Lunam,” takes Clio by the hand and leads her to the dance floor. “Does she know him?” I ask Patsy.
“Yeah, that’s Tripp. They’ve had a thing since we were kids,” she tells me. “Lunam is just a technicality; nothing will tear them apart.”
“But it isn’t up to them, is it? I mean, you can fall in love before Lunam, but it doesn’t mean you will match?” I think of what Layla said about her feelings for Conall. None of that mattered after she met Monte.
Patsy looks confused by my questions. “If it’s meant to be, it will be.”
If Lunam is about destiny and I don’t feel anything for anyone, can I choose to be alone?
Patsy excuses herself, and it’s just me and Leah. Leah moves into Cassie’s spot beside me and smiles. “So, have you met him yet?”
“No, I guess I’m just going to wing it and see what happens after I phase,” I say.
“You’re not even the slightest bit curious?” she asks incredulously.
I shrug and sip my beer. “Of course I’m curious; I just don’t know who he is yet.”
“Well, he’s sitting right over there.” She points across the dance floor to a guy sitting on the table opposite from mine.
He doesn’t blink when he sees Leah pointing him out. He lowers his cup and rests his elbows on his knees. He’s wearing plaid board shorts, vans with no socks, and a sleeveless white shirt with a fading sunset silk-screened onto the front. He tilts his head to the side in a gesture that is both cute and sexy, and smiles.
“Who…” I start to say and forget my words.
“That is Dillan Dukes.”
Cassie’s face pops in front of me, breaking the link between me and Dillan. I look around her, at the spot where Dillan was sitting, but he’s gone.
Shoot.
I feel Cassie’s enthusiasm as she sits beside me. “Was it love at first sight?” I joke and nudge her with my elbow as I scan the crowd for Dillan. Leah makes a strange snorting noise. She is scowling at Cassie. Cassie sees it, too. Her smile fades and she just shrugs. “What?” I look at Leah then back to Cassie.
The next song is a country line dace that draws a large crowd to the dance floor.
“I’ll catch you later, good luck tonight,” Leah says and skips to the dance floor to join Patsy’s line.
Something seems to have changed between the girls since Cassie danced with the Sierra boy. “Are you ok, Cassie?”
Cassie smiles, and I see she is holding back tears. “I’m fine, really.”
“Is it Leah? Was it the boy? I’m sorry I made you dance with him,” I apologize.
“No, it’s not that. Leah has every right to be pissed; Drake is Sierra, a pureblood. I shouldn’t have danced with him.” The self-depreciating look on Cassie’s face tells me she doesn’t think highly of herself. She must be a low alpha. I don’t care. She’s my friend and I hate to see her down.
“That’s bullshit and you know it. It doesn’t matter if we are Shasta or Sierra.” I put my arm around Cassie and squeeze. “If we weren’t meant to be together, then I’m an abomination.” This makes Cassie laugh. “If we weren’t supposed to love each other then why do we celebrate Lunam together?”
“We don’t always,” Cassie suddenly says. “The packs have their own Lunam. We only celebrate the Altum Lunam together. Really it’s just so the packs can divulge their numbers to each other. The pack with the most purebloods leads. Sierras have the most, but Shasta has three times the alphas.”
Three times? The twins said it was double.
“The divide in the Sierra pack is huge. You’re either pureblood or you’re nothing. Shasta has a different way of looking at things. If you have a child during Altum Lunam, that child is considered an alpha. Not pureblood, but of the Lunam moon. My father said eventually purebloods will run their course and Lunam alphas will take over. It’s simple evolution.”
I don’t have time to drill Cassie with questions, because the music stops and Monte takes the microphone. Everyone stops what they are doing to give my father their full attention.
“Thank you all for coming. I know it was a journey for some of you, and I personally appreciate the effort you have made to be here tonight. As you all know, the Altum Lunam Ceremony celebrates the birth of our species. The gift bestowed upon us by our mother, Gaia. Tonight we fulfill the promise made to her by our ancestors to choose the life we want to live when you trigger the gene in your bloodline that allows you to phase under the full moon.” The crowd cheers, and Monte waits for them to quiet down. “The form you choose is up to you. As your pack, we support your decision. However,” Monte holds up his finger like a true politician and smiles, “we all know the perks of being human.” he laughs, and the sheep, I mean, the crowd, laughs with him. He plants a serious look on his face as he continues. “It is through the sacrifice of those before you, and the sacrifices you have made, that will keep our kind alive and thriving.” More clapping and cheering. I just learned something about my father. He is a great speaker. And may be full of shit.
“Tonight you will also make your match. You will form a bond that will last for all eternity. The children you bare this Lunam year will be the future leaders of our society.” The crowd erupts in cheer. “Lunam is a privilege that you are born with and one that is up to you to preserve for the next generation. I applaud all the parents here tonight; you did an excellent job raising these fine young adults.” There are cheers from the parents of all the Lunam participants. “This Lunam is very special for me because my children are also here.”
I don’t hear the rest of the speech; I’m stuck on the word children. As in plural. More than one. I have a brother or sister? How is this possible? I understand having other children after Layla left, but how can he can have more than one child in this Lunam? Unless…oh no.
I back out of the crowd and walk towards the woods, away from the lights. I need to find Layla. This must be why she left. The one thing I counted on was that my mate, if I found him, would be mine for life. Cheating and lying wasn’t something I thought we had to deal with. I walk back to the main building; it’s empty. Everyone is outside listening to my lying cheating father give a speech. If I can just find Layla’s keys, I can take the convertible and go. I’ll hide until Lunam is over and then I’ll be safe. I tear through the kitchen cabinets looking for Layla’s purse. It’s nowhere in sight. Then I remember the room upstairs. I bolt up the narrow staircase two at a time. I hear voices coming from the room at the end. I recognize Layla’s voice instantly.
“Conall, I understand your frustration, but you know Monte and the others will never accept half-breeds. If they don’t phase, they aren’t one of us.”
“And if they do?”
“What are you saying? You’ve seen a half-breed phase?” I can tell by my mother’s tone that something isn’t right.
“No, of course not.” Conall backtracks quickly. “I just think we need to start looking at other possibilities. In a few more generations, the purebloods will be too close in blood relation to match. We have to explore other options.”
“They already have doubts about your bloodline. Bringing up the idea of half-breeds attending Lunam will only feed their suspicion,” she warns.
“Is that why you converted? You were worried about my bloodline? You’ve known me all my life, Layla,” Conall sounds desperate.
“I know you are pure. But your children, the others in the pack, they are tainted, aren’t they?” Layla sounds like she is baiting him. I feel sorry for Conall. Layla is using their old relationship to pump him for information on his pack. “I’ve heard stories.”
“Where do you get your information? You’ve been gone all these years,” Conall says. When Layla doesn’t reply, Conall asks if it was from Monte. Even I hear the disdain in his voice.
A loud boom rattles the windows in the building and I hit the floor. It sounds like a bomb has gone off, but I hear laughing and the music comes back on. It was just fireworks. I make my way back downstairs and out the back door. I’ll hide in the woods. By the time the ceremony starts and Layla notices I’m missing, it will be too late to find me.
I see Bonnie and Jessie carrying out the white garments. It’s almost time. I move towards the woods and I spot Cassie looking for me. I flatten myself against the wall and slide across it until I reach the end of the building. I round the corner and take off in a full sprint towards the woods. I make it three steps and then I trip.
That hurt. I spit dirt from my mouth as I push myself up to a sitting position. I look down at my knee and hear someone laughing. When I turn my head, I see Dillan Dukes leaning against the wall.
“Slow down there, speedy,” he quips.
In moments like this, there is nothing you can say. All you can do is laugh. I burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. Dillan joins me on the ground.
“Are you laughing with me or at me?” I finally ask.
“A little of both.” His voice is deep and sexy. He smells like sage and cigarettes. “I’m Dillan, by the way.” He holds his hand out to me and I shake it.
“I know who you are. I’m Kalysia.”
“I know who you are.” He smiles and turns my hand over. “Don’t worry about this.” He swipes his fingers across the scrapes on my palm. “After Lunam, you’ll be all healed.”
“So I’ve heard,” I say as Dillan springs off the ground and helps me up.
We stand face to face in silence. I feel his heart beating between us and suddenly something sparks inside of me. This time the burning begins in my chest. My breathing becomes erratic. I taste his breath on my tongue, and I want to kiss him. I edge forward until we are chest to chest. He steps back. I reach for his hand, and he pulls away.
“Kalysia, we can’t,” he whispers into the space between us. “Lunam is beginning.” He brushes his lips across my hand and walks away.
“Are you kidding me?” I call after him, but he doesn’t even turn around. “Nice way to ruin a moment!”
I make my way to the locker rooms and find all the girls have beaten me inside. Clothes are being flung all over the room as they change into the white garments Bonnie and I laid out earlier today.
“Kalysia!” Cassie calls from across the crowded room. She waves a white dress in her arms. “What happened to you?” She gestures to the dirt covering my arms and face. My hair has fallen loose and my dress is a mess.
“I fell,” I say quickly and pull the dress over my head.
“Do you want to wash up?” She pulls me towards a shower stall.
“What’s the point; I’ll be covered in fur in less than an hour anyway.”
“Oh yeah.” Cassie stops. “In that case, take off your bra, you don’t need it.”
“I didn’t realize we’re going commando.” I unhook my bra and fling it on the floor.
“Just the bra. It restricts the upper torso when we phase. You can leave your underwear; those pretty much get shredded.”
I take a few minutes to take my hair down and shake some of the dirt out. I look at my reflection; this is the last time I will be me. After tonight, I am claimed by nature. I will be a slave to her whims. I lift my hand to my nose and sniff it. I smell Dillan’s scent lingering on my bloodied skin. I’d know that smell anywhere. I close my eyes and see him watching me from across the dance floor. I see him near the keg when I pumped a beer, and watching me and Layla in the parking lot. He’s been there all night, but I didn’t notice him until Leah pointed him out. Well, it won’t be hard to find him now that I have his scent.
“You ready?”
I open my eyes and see Cassie waiting as the other girls file out of the room. I reach around my neck and take off the necklace Layla gave me. I stash it with my dress in an empty cubby. “I’m ready.”
I follow Cassie outside and we fall in line with the other girls. The boys are walking around the other side of the building in a single file line. We will enter the canopy on opposite sides. Cassie said it doesn’t matter who we pass through the canopy with, it’s who we find on the other side that matters. My heart is in my throat when we pass the dance floor. I shouldn’t have drunk so much beer. I feel like I’m going to be sick. I sidestep out of line to catch my breath. What am I doing? I don’t want this. I don’t want to be here.
“Kalysia,” Layla calls from the porch of the farmhouse. There is a crowd of adults lined up, watching us. “You’ll be fine. Trust yourself.” She is as calm as I have ever seen her. I trust her.
My hands stop shaking. I nod at her and fall back into line. I’m near the end now. At least I’ll have a little more time before my destiny is determined. As we near the canopy, I see a hand wave me forward. It’s Cassie. Being near her will make me feel better. I slip out of line and quickly step in front of her. She offers me a reassuring smile before we are called to attention.
I look through the thin white canopy; the moon looks closer to earth than I have ever seen it. It’s a large white ball that’s been bounced too high and stuck in a web of stars. An old woman stands in front of the two lines, holding a branch of some kind. She lights one end from a fire pit and then blows it out. White smoke billows into her face and surrounds her body. She’s chanting words in a language I’ve never heard. Some of the girls in my line sniffle; I don’t know if they are tears of joy or sorrow. I wonder if anyone else feels as uncertain as I do. I want to look back at Cassie, but I don’t want to break ranks. Suddenly I feel her hand in mine. She squeezes my fingers and releases them quickly. The gesture puts me at ease. I’m so grateful to have her friendship. I’m so happy she is sharing this with me. I just hope we won’t be separated after this is all over. She is Shasta, so if she matches with one of her pack members, she will live in her mate’s branch. Maybe that’s why I was encouraging her to be with a Sierra. I don’t want to lose her.
The old woman stops chanting and begins the ritual. “When you pass through the smoke, you will inhale the spirit of your ancestors, and you will inherit the gift that was bestowed upon us by our mother, Gaia. When you step into the moonlight, you will become one with nature and a child of the moon. Gaia gave us the ability to choose the life we want to live. Choose the form that will give life to your pack, your family, your soul. Come forth and be blessed.”
This is my destiny. My life. My choice. I chant the words in my head as I edge towards the canopy. I don’t see the first few phase, but I hear howling echo from the trees. When I’m fifth in line, I see Clio pass through the smoke. She walks swiftly down the path side by side with Tripp. It happens so quickly; I don’t even think Clio feels it. One moment she is walking on two legs, and a split second later, she’s running on four in the moonlight. Tripp is hot on her tail.
When it’s my turn, I look to see who is standing beside me and find Dillan staring back. I wonder if he’s been there all along. Why didn’t I notice him? He smiles, and my stomach burns with desire. I’m so focused on Dillan I don’t remember passing through the smoke. I don’t realize what I’m doing until I see moonlight splayed across the dirt in front of me. I feel Dillan’s eyes on me; he’s waiting for me to go first. I’m stuck, I can’t move. I don’t want to be claimed by nature. I don’t want to be claimed by anything or anyone. I think about Gaia. She turned a pack of wolves into humans to save her from loneliness. We are a species born from one woman’s desire for companionship. You can call it a gift, but it can also be seen as a curse. The wolves had no choice, I do. I lift my foot to step into the light, but instead I step back. I hear Cassie gasp behind me. A voice in my head is chanting. Go. Go. Only I don’t know which direction it wants me to move in. I start to turn around when I feel his hand grip mine.
“We’ll do it together,” Dillan says. We lock eyes, and he gently pulls me forward. We stand at the edge of the canopy. Our past behind us, our future before us, hand in hand. We’ll do it together. His words echo in my head. He is the one. He will be my partner. We’ll do it together.
