56. Rain

**Rain**


Jordan inhales sharply. “I am happy for you both,” he says, but his scent gives away his pain. “Looks like I arrived just in time. I have a little surprise for you!” He moves to a side and looks at the entrance. “Come in!” he says in a loud tone.

While I wonder what Jordan means, I smell two familiar scents, but I concentrate only on one of them. My heart beats faster while my legs move on their own. As soon as he is inside, I hug him tight. “I have missed you so much!” I say to the only werewolf from Jordan’s pack that truly loved me. Safia is jumping around like a little pup.

Mr. Smith returns the hug. “Rain! I have been so worried about you! After what Alpha Jordan did to you, I thought I would never see you again!” He lets go of me and takes a step back. “Let me look at you!” he says, and I can feel his gaze lingering on me. “You look good. Healthy. Happy.”

Kevin enters the Pack House right after Mr. Smith does and goes to stand next to Jordan. I wonder what Jordan and Kevin are doing here and who is taking care of the pack if both Alpha and Beta are away.

“How did you know I was here?” I ask.

“When Alpha Jordan returned to the pack, he told me, and I insisted on seeing you!” He looks around until his eyes fall on Caleb. “Are you her second chance soulmate? Alpha Jordan told me about someone called Caleb, and I heard something about a mating ceremony.”

Caleb comes to us, and I can tell he is confused. “Caleb, remember when I told you about Mr. Smith, the teacher that taught me all I know?” He nods. “This is Caleb Black, the Alpha of this pack and my second chance at happiness,” I say to Mr. Smith.

Caleb and Mr. Smith shake hands. “I expect you to treat her the way a male is supposed to treat his soulmate!” Mr. Smith says in that tone of his that lets you know you will be in trouble if you don’t listen to him. “If not, I am taking her with me. I am not letting anyone else treat her the way Alpha Ben and Alpha Jordan treated her!”

This is why I never told Mr. Smith what Alpha Ben did to me because I knew he would have confronted him, just as he is now confronting Caleb. He might not be my father, but Mr. Smith is the only male from Crescent Moon Pack that never hurt me and cared for me, as I would like to think a father would love his child.

“I would never make Red suffer,” Caleb says. “My pack loves her, and everyone is excited for her to be the Luna.”

Music and laughter can be heard inside and outside the pack, solidifying Caleb’s words. Some pups run around while the parents try to get them dressed for the ceremony, while inside the kitchen, Blade, Elton, Viki, and Katherine are trying to finish the food.

On the walls, ‘Congratulations’ banners and balloons are hanging. We put up a big wedding tent for the party next to the houses and use stoves to warm it.

I put my arms around Mr. Smith’s waist. “Caleb saved my life and showed me what true love is. I am happy here, and the pack is amazing.”

Mr. Smith puts an arm around my back. “Good! Our pack never deserved you as the Luna, not after how everyone treated you!” he said, looking directly at Jordan. “The same werewolves that have been friends with your parents treated you as a slave, and our new Alpha bullied you while his friend did nothing to stop him. Not to mention the night he rejected you!”

Jordan looks at the floor, ashamed. Kevin is studying some balloons while the vampires are going in the kitchen’s direction—not sure if they want to eat or help.

Caleb clears his throat. “We don’t accept bullies here. In fact, the entire pack is formed by werewolves that have been abused in the past.”

“I have to get ready for the ceremony,” I say to Mr. Smith. I look at my sneakers. “Would you take me to the Ritual Stones?”

Usually, it is the father or someone from the family who takes the female to the Ritual Stones. Mr. Smith is someone I see as part of my family.

“Your father had been my friend, and I know he would have been proud of you. It would be an honor to take you to the Ritual Stones!” Mr. Smith says.

Sadness washes over me when I think my parents are not with me on the most important day of my life. I hope they will wait for me under the Moon in the next life.

Before I go to Sarah’s house, I speak to Jordan. “I hope the pack is well.” I want to ask him about his mother, but I stop myself at the last moment. To Kevin, I say, “I am glad to see you again. I hope Ruth and Hannah are not giving you too much trouble.”

Kevin has never bullied or touched me, but as Mr. Smith said, he stood next to Jordan and pretended nothing was happening. The night Jordan kicked me out of the pack, Kevin told everyone what they were doing was wrong. Mr. Smith and Kevin have been the only ones that tried to stop the others from harming me the way they did.

Kevin groans. “Ruth and Hannah, you know how they are.” He shrugs. I think he means that my cousin and her friend still pretend they are the female leaders of the pack. I wonder if Hannah still has a crush on Kevin. For years, all she could talk about was Kevin being her soulmate.

“While I am sad you don’t want to be our Luna, I understand. Congratulation on your mating ceremony!” Kevin says and hugs me.

When he lets go of me, my eyes go a little wide. “I have to change for the ceremony,” I say. “Caleb, I will see you at the Ritual Stones.” He nods.

I rush out of the Pack House not before looking over my shoulder and seeing Kevin rubbing his right arm. Sometimes, I wonder if the Goddess has a strange sense of humor.

Sarah’s house is full of laughter, and for the first time since I found out Caleb is my soulmate, I feel at peace with the idea of being a Luna. I know I am not perfect, and there are many things I have to learn, but everyone is patient with me.

Viki and Katherine help me put on the dress I bought specially for today. Caleb hasn’t seen it, and I wonder what he will think when he sees me at the Ritual Stones. The dress is royal blue and has a fitted bodice, an off-the-shoulder neckline, elbow sleeves, and a sheer back panel. Stunning embellishments adorn the bodice and tulle-crafted A-line skirt. This dress is ankle-length, finished in horsehair hem. Sarah takes care of my hair, opting for the half-up, half-down style. Once my hair is done, she puts a bridal hair vine with crystals before taking care of the makeup. This is the only thing I can’t see, but I trust Sarah.

Lina, a young Gamma female, takes care of my nails. I had never had them done before, so once they are done, I stare at them for a long time because they are so beautiful. Lina used a red wine color to paint the nails with white flowers.

When I am ready, I stand, and everyone gasps.

“Rain, you look so beautiful! Like a princess!” Sky says.

She is already wearing her pink and white dress. “You are the only princess in this room!” I say affectionately.

Sarah brings a white coat. “Time to go! I am sure Caleb is waiting for you impatiently at the Ritual Stones!”

Viki snorts. “If he waited until now to find Rain, he can wait a few more minutes! I want Rain to look perfect for today! It’s not only her mating ceremony, but the day she becomes our Luna!”

My smile dies on my lips while I put the coat on. I almost forgot today I also have the ceremony to become Luna of the pack. While most future Lunas have the help and the guidance of former Lunas of their packs or soulmates, I only have Caleb. Like me, Caleb had to learn to be an Alpha from scratch.

Mr. Smith is waiting for me outside Sarah’s house, together with Elton, Jordan, and Kevin. When he sees me, he offers me his arm, and I put my palm on the crook of his elbow. “You look very beautiful, Rain. As a Luna should on the day of her ceremony,” he says, and I can hear how proud he is of me.

The Ritual Stones are not very far from the Pack House, and we start walking. The females that remained behind to help me hurry to get there before me. Viki and Sarah take Sky with them while Elton and Katherine walk behind Mr. Smith and me, while Jordan and Kevin are in front of us.

“Have you kept drawing?” Mr. Smith asks me after a few minutes.

“For a long time, I didn’t want to see a pencil or a piece of paper. I was very depressed,” I admit to Mr. Smith. I am still struggling with it. There are days when it is hard to get up from bed or find a reason to smile, but Caleb is right next to me, helping me. “But I am better now, and Caleb got me an XP Pen for Christmas, and I started drawing again.”

He pats my hand. “You have genuine talent, Rain. I hope to see more of your work soon. Talking about drawing, I brought your old sketchbook with me.”

I fall silent as I think of the sketchbook, and I feel a mix of emotions. So many good and bad memories are linked to that sketchbook, and I am not sure I want it. As I get closer to the Ritual Stones, I force myself to forget my old drawings.

The Ritual Stones are made of big and small stones placed in two concentric circles. The outer circle is made from small rocks, while the inner one is made from big, tall stones. In the middle is an altar made from the lava of an old volcano. Tatiana gave it to Caleb when the pack brought the rocks for the Ritual Stone. On top of the altar, there’s a bowl and a knife made from moonstone that will be used during the mating and the Alpha and Luna ceremony.

Caleb is waiting for me in front of the altar, wearing a black tuxedo and bowtie with a white shirt. Mr. Smith is taking me to Caleb when Jordan walks next to me. “Rain, just a second,” he says, and I stop walking. “You never looked at me as you look at him,” Jordan said, his voice shaking. “And it’s all my fault,” he whispers. He puts his hands in his pockets and thinks for a moment. “I am glad you are getting marked by someone who truly loves you.”

I smile. “I hope one day you will find your second chance, and when you do that, love her, Jordan. Truly. Deeply.” As I let go of my past and grab my present and future with both hands, the wind carries my last thought: “Be happy, Jordan, as I am today.”

Mr. Smith walks with me until I stand in front of Caleb. He takes my coat before leaving. Everyone can see the mark Jordan left on my right shoulder, but no one says anything about it, and I try to pretend it is not there. “You look like a goddess, Red! So damn beautiful!” Caleb says and takes my right hand in his left one, and we look at Elder Adam.

“It is said that a long time ago, the Moon Goddess wanted to test the hearts of the humans. She pretended to be a poor old woman in need of help and went to a town. During the entire day, she begged for help, but no one looked at her. When night came, she was about to leave when a man approached her and asked her where she lived. The Moon Goddess said she didn’t have a house, and the man invited her to stay with him and his family that night. The man was a poor widower who was raising his four children. He gave her his best food and let her sleep in his best bed. In the morning, before leaving, the Goddess revealed herself and blessed the man and his children, telling them that if they ever found themselves in danger, they should pray to her, and she would come to their aid.

When the man’s children grew, they got married. One day, the oldest son was traveling in a carriage with his wife and children from one town to another. They were on a mountain road when a dragon attacked them, and the carriage fell into an abyss. The man remembered what his father told him about the Moon Goddess and prayed for her to help him. The Goddess united the man with the dragon’s soul, so the first dragon shifter was born.

The second child was a daughter, and when her child fell ill, she prayed to the Goddess and received the gift of healing, and she became the first witch.

The third son was in the service of his king and was sent to fight in another kingdom. When he and his men got attacked by the enemies, he asked the Moon Goddess to give him the strength to defeat those that sought to kill him. He became the first werebear or berserker.

The last son had a wolf he loved very much. When the wolf grew old and was about to die, the man prayed to the Moon Goddess not to take the wolf away from him. The Moon Goddess united the soul of the man and the one of the wolf, and they became the first werewolf,” Elder Adam says, and I listen to each word he says. “Today, we come to the Ritual Stones to assist not only to a mating ceremony but the forming of a new pack!” he says before taking the knife in his hand.


*Hi! I will try to make the next chapter longer so I can include more things in it. Sometimes I have a draft in my head, but when I write, it turns out differently from* *what I planned. I am not sure how many know, but I have two more ongoing books - Frozen Heart (the first book is done, I am working on the second one) and Wolf* *Heart (working on the first one) - both are free. They are medieval fantasy but a lot is going on. Both have shapeshifters - but especially Wolf Heart.*