FORTY-NINE | CEREMONY

The sun's setting by the time Hale, Mikyle, and I reach the others. With my dwindling strength and test-running the potion today, I haven't really been able to keep up with typical Wolven speeds. I'm out of breath when we reach the clearing where some of the Azures are waiting. After trying to keep up with the Alpha, Luna, and Mom, I almost fell - would have fallen - if Hale and Mikyle hadn't been so fast and righted me before I ever hit the ground.

Still, I tried following the Pack for as long as I could before branching off with half of the Azures to come here. I'm not sweating, thank God, because Hale and Mikyle slowed down enough so we walked the rest of the way. Along the way I've realized two things: one - I'm not as slow as I thought and two -you really shouldn't run in pencil skirts. My original calculation over the short-life expectancy of this thing was pretty on-the-nose.

I've somehow managed to rip the fabric and make a gaudy slit almost all the way up to my hip because of my lack of control and forethought while running. So I've had to untuck the button-down shirt in a feeble attempt to hide it. Mikyle keeps smirking at me when Hale's not looking, his eyes lingering over the hem of the wrinkled shirt.

"What?" I hiss at him, daring him to say what he's thinking in front of my father. I'm sure if it's anything like the looks he's giving me, Hale'd eviscerate him on the spot.

"I'm liking this look on you, princess." Mikyle winks, his dark red eyes glinting. Heat explodes across my cheeks and I don't know if it's because I'm embarrassed or pissed. I decide the latter and bare my teeth at him, narrowing my eyes, wanting to go off on him with all the swear words in my vocabulary when a new group enters the glade.

The most beautiful silvery-grey eyes in the world lock with mine. The ground threatens to fall away as the air in my lungs escapes from my mouth with the whisper of his name on my mouth - though no sound meets my ears aside from the pounding of my heart in my ears. I watch his eyes widen slightly at my disheveled appearance, the slight part of his lips, then a flare of anger as they flick to my shadow.

Blue's eyes narrow and he makes a beeline for us when Yuri appears with Cole, a smaller girl, and Misha on his heels. The five talk for a moment before Blue's hostile and wandering gaze get's their attention. I manage a little wave at them before they make their way over.

"What is *she* doing here?" The girl I've only seen once before, Blue and Caly's little sister, shoots her stony gaze my way, though her words are clearly directed at Blue.

"Scarlett is Marissa's daughter, Valeria. Behave yourself." Blue tells her in a dead-monotone, his eyes trained on the center of the clearing now. I don't even detect the smallest bite to his warning, which is probably why Valeria throws a sneer my way before flicking her hair in annoyance and rolling her ashy eyes.

"Scarlett," Cole's greeting is stiff, but I don't sense any hostility from him despite the coldness of his tone. I give him a small smile, bowing my head slightly at him in greeting.

"If I'd known your reception would be so *welcoming*, princess," Mikyle murmurs in my ear, his breath tickling me. "I'd have brought a *gift* for the puppies." His words are anything but kind, sharp eyes flicking between Cole and Valeria. A sliver of ice slides down my back at his deadly-serious tone.

"It's fine." I breathe back, looking him carefully. I'm sure he's not going to try anything, but by the way he's been acting lately, I can't be sure.

"Play nice, Mikyle." Hale mutters from my other side, and for once, I'm relieved to have him so close by. "Don't forget why we're here."

"Mh," Mikyle hums his reply and puts a foot of space between us. Just then, Yuri and Misha detach from Blue's other side and come bounding over to me.

"Hey, gorgeous," Yuri grins at me, but his smile doesn't reach his eyes as he comes over and pulls me into a bone-crushing hug, Misha hot on his heels. "It's great to see you." He tells me quietly, and there's some genuine warmth in his voice, but I also think the tone's too forcefully light. I cough a reply that sounds more like a laugh than my 'you too'.

"My turn!" Misha whines, pulling at my arm and giving her brother a ridiculous pout. "Ri-ri, gimme!" I feel like a toy the two fight over, but can't help but grin at them. I've missed them, as odd as it may seem. Their friendliness. Their compassion. Their company.

"She's not a doll, Misha." Blue growls at his cousin, suddenly shoving Yuri away from me, his silvery-grey gaze locked with his smirking mountain of a cousin. My stomach twists - for the first time this week - not unpleasantly when I notice how close he's standing to me now, sparking nervousness and anticipation in my heart. It's only now that I realize I haven't seen my mate in days since I've gotten back. My giddiness turns to hurt. We've been in the same town all this time, nearly a whole week, and I haven't seen him once. *Has he cast me aside so soon?*

Blue and Yuri seem to be having a silent conversation while Misha takes advantage of the two distracted males to ambush me.

"Scarlett," She's nearly as strong as her brother, though smaller than me, and nearly manages to break my spine with her bear hug. "Did you come to accept the invitation?" She whispers her question in my ear as she releases me, dark grey eyes hopeful. I squirm under the weight of several shades of Azure eyes land on us.

"I haven't made my decision yet." I admit to her, unable to help my brief flickering gaze as I look to Cole and Valeria. "I don't want to step on any feet-"

"It's no one's decision but your own." Blue growls to me but this time his eyes are locked in the direction mine were, glaring down the younger Wolven.

"Anyway, I'm still thinking it over." I say forcefully - slowly. Blue's hypnotic sight finds mine and there's a flurry of unshielded emotions that flare through his eyes before he looks away. Anger, distrust, and surprise are the only discernable emotions I manage to catch. I can't help but cringe as my mind replays the different emotions back over and over until the painful twisting in my chest makes my throat close and the backs of my eyes burn. I set my jaw and blink rapidly as moisture begins to gather in my field of vision.

"Want me to get a dog whistle to control these pups, princess?" Mikyle asks me quietly, his tone only this side of jesting. I bark out a surprised laugh and roll my eyes at my shadow.

"That's a myth." Misha gives Mikyle a distasteful grimace, looking almost annoyed at the vampire. I feel my lips quirk up again and shake my head.

"It's going to start soon, Misha, you should probably go stand with your family." I tell the girl gently.

"You're probably right," She sighs and glances over to where the younger Wolven have clustered ahead. "We'll talk later, okay?" She gives me a gentler hug before dashing off to join her brother and cousins.

"You know, I was serious about the dog whistle." Mikyle mutters to me after a second, breaking the tension in the air. I raise an eyebrow at the vampire, wondering how he can keep a straight face when saying something so absurd.

"What and risk a war between the Azures and the Coven?" I chuckle, but his face remains composed and serious.

"If you asked me to I would." He breathes so quietly even I almost don't hear it. I feel the humor drain from my expression and can't seem to do anything but openly stare at the vampire. *What's with him lately?* I open my mouth to ask him, but a commotion ahead draws my attention.

I see Alpha Azure, Luna Azure, and Mom burst into the clearing in human form, a few other - older Azures following close behind. Only one I recognize, though as Yuri and Misha's mom, Jannette, the others...I can't help but assume they're part of the inner structure for the Pack. The main Enforcers, Trackers, Healers, and main branches of leadership - there's at more than ten of them. As the come in, only Alpha Azure, Luna Azure and Mom stay in the front, the other Azures disperse into the crowd, a few of them going over to the younger Wolven up front.

Cheers and clapping encompass the Azures around us and a general feeling of exuberance fills the air. All the Wolven Azures are crowded around the three as the bask in their joy, the humans and other supernaturals hang back, but they all are smiling and seem genuinely happy.

"Good evening, everyone," Alpha Azure calls to the people in the clearing, looking around to meet several people's eyes."We're thrilled to have everyone here in good health to celebrate the newest addition to our Pack." More cheers and clapping erupt around the clearing briefly. Alpha Azure gestures to Mom and she steps forward to stand just between the Alpha and Luna and the rest of the semi-circle gathered around.

"We're not the largest Pack in the continent, but I dare say we are the strongest," Alpha Azure continues and I feel my eyebrows raise in surprise. "Because we focus on the individual rather than the belief in purebloods like our newest enemy," I feel the jab twist at my heart despite me despising my old Pack. A few Azures call out a few choice words and Alpha Azure raises a hand to silence them. "And that includes forgiveness."

"Marissa, here as you all know has denounced that foe - her family and old Pack -" The clearing falls silent, even more so now than before. "And she has given us invaluable information about the structure and inner working of the Reinier Pack in her time here. Time and time again, she has proved her loyalty to the Azure Pack." This is news to me. *She's been here what? Less than a month? What's she been telling them that they could have put so much faith in an outsider? Mom's not a fighter like Paris or Craven. She wasn't an Enforcer, so I can't see her fighting with the Azures...right?*

"What's more, Hale has vouched on behalf of her and trusts her implicitly," Alpha Azure says, looking around. And now the voices come back, murmurings of unrest. "I know many of you doubt his judgment when it comes to his mate, but I must remind you all just how objective Halestorm can be." That shuts everyone up again.

"Halestorm?" I repeat and look at my father questioningly. Hale opens his mouth to reply, but Mikyle speaks first.

"You didn't know your old man's full name, princess?" He snickers.

"I-I thought it was just *Hale*. You know, like *Beyoncé*." I blush, blinking rapidly as the surprise hits me. It never occurred to me that my father's real name was anything other than just Hale. Everyone called him that and even the school schedule I had had his name printed out like that. Mikyle's covering his mouth, trying hard not to laugh, while Hale just looks annoyed and a little uncomfortable.

"Shh. We can discuss that later." Hale hisses at us, then narrows his eyes at Mikyle - who then promptly swallows his laughter.

"-I, Salvador Azure, welcome you, Marissa Reinier-Holland, into the Azure Pack." Alpha Azure has partially shifted so that his right hand has become transformed into a wolf paw, talon-like nails resting on Mom's now bare left shoulder.

"I accept." Mom's voice rings out clearly, and everyone seems to be holding their breaths as the Alpha's nails dig into Mom's pale flesh and mark her. The scent of fresh blood makes it way to me and I let out a sharp breath, the cloyingly sweet and bitter scent pulling at the delicate threads of my memory. "Thank you, Alpha Azure and everyone, for welcoming me." Mom's voice brings me back from the edge and I focus on her words.

Cheers from the humans and non-Wolven species ring around the clearing while the Wolven all shift in unison. One moment, everyone's human, then at least two thirds are wolves, lifting their faces to the sky and singing together. There's no more tension in the clearing, only joy and acceptance.

But as their song becomes more exuberant, I begin seeing random things. *The full moon hanging high above in a midnight sky. Grandmother glaring down at me in disgust and rage*- My breathing's become ragged, heart stuttering in my chest as if it's unsure it can keep up with the stress of reliving that night.

"Princess?" Mikyle's voice cuts through the hallucination and I blink, turning to look at him. His face is emotionless, but there's that concern in his dark red eyes that I'm starting to get used to seeing there.

"I'm fine." I tell him, sucking in deep breaths to steady my racing mind. But I'm not fine. I can feel the begins of twitching in my fingertips, hell, even my toes have joined the freaky dance in my flats. It's only a matter of time before the involuntary movements become more noticeable.

I try to focus my energy in the present, taking deeper and deeper breath in an attempt to keep myself grounded. *I can do it. Just breathe*. I order myself and feel the tension slowly beginning to drain from my muscles.

The howling stops and the Wolven begin crowding Mom, sniffing and nudging her gently, welcoming her. I smile, but I can't help but feel a little sad. I'm the only outsider here now.

It's official now. Mom's part of the Azure Pack. I stare at Mom in her Wolven form, being greeted by the other Pack members like a lost friend. Somehow, I can't see them accepting me as warmly. I suddenly find myself taking a staggering step back, my entire body seizing with a mix of fear and guilt as I do.

My concentration is broken and I feel my muscles all seize up at once, twisting painfully against my skin and bones.

And it's like I'm back in the Reinier's territory, ten years ago. I stumble back and fall onto my butt. My presence is noticed and few familiar wolves come jogging over to me - but their dark furs transform before my eyes, and all I see are varying shades of red. I scream, rolling into the fetal position like I had all those years ago, trying desperately to protect myself from the inevitable-