34. The Crescent Hunt

**MAEVE**

*A few days later, on a full moon night.*

“Is it alright?” Eirlys asked as she oiled my long hair with an aromatic concoction that only made my tresses look thicker and feminine.
Almost a couple of weeks have gone by since I came to Payson and started mingling with the pack. It did take them some time to get to know me entirely, but they were genuinely warming. Especially the females.
And Eirlys was among them. She was the daughter of one of the Omega and was fast becoming a companion of mine. In fact, it was her idea to deck me up as one of their females for the grand ceremony that was about to take place.
“It looks…beautiful,” I said, inspecting the thick braid that wrapped around the head like a crowned fashion.
“Perfect,” she smiled enthusiastically. “Let’s go then.”
As we left the pack house and neared the vast ground, the first thing I noticed was the crowd. It was surging and excited up to the brink. At least a hundred men, women, and teenagers populated the place. Across the huge bonfire, a couple of older men formed a pack of their own.
By the way they were dressed and stood with their somber expression; it clearly set them apart. “Who are them?” I whispered to Eirlys as she followed my gaze.
“Oh, they are Sjurds. The Guardians,” she answered. “Every pack has a group of advisers whom the Alpha may or may not consult for pack affairs. They are the one who is going to conduct the ceremony. Come.”
She tugged my arm and took me towards the opposite direction and away from where the men had gathered around. It was only then that I noticed the stark seating arrangement.
“Why are we sitting separately?” I asked as she looked up at me in astonishment.
Eirlys smiled and then shook his head. “The alpha ceremony is different from the ones we have as a pack. It mostly involves the males.”
*How sexiest*.
Nodding, I assumed the seat beside her as I watched Alpha Lucas enter, flanked by his sons and a few other known faces. I recognized the man to the left as Lucas’s Beta from one of the nights when he came over to meet with Xander.
Then there was Xander. I had to haul a deep breath as I watched this man walk into the place like he owned every square inch of the land. It could not be more accurate. There was something regal about the way he had dressed in an ancient looking shawl draped over his shoulder. His soldering eyes of the night met with mine, and I could swear I saw it glistening like fire.
Seeing them approach, one of the Sjurds, the guardians, came forward. He bowed fashionably before the Alpha, and together, they stood in front of the crowd. As if on cue, all collective noise fell apart and descended into a disciplined silence.
“Pack mates of the Night Pride,” the Sjurd roared like a battlecry. “As you all know that we have gathered here to choose our next alpha.”
A loud cheer broke out and settled down like the wild embers of the fire.
The Sjurd continued. “Alpha Lucas has served us for many years now. He has protected us from the evils, won our war and he has dutifully looked after every wolf of the Night Pride - the strongest and weakest, the oldest and youngest. He made us proud. Now, he wishes to step down and choose his successor.”
Another wave of cheer followed as my eyes locked with Xander for the second time since he appeared. He was neither sullen nor smiling, but it was his eyes that held the weight of his emotions. The way he held his head high and spine taut, it seemed like he was carrying the entire world on his able shoulders. And maybe, that was the case.
“Let the alpha speak for himself,” the rest of the Sjurds chanted like a chorus.
Lucas braved his way to the center and looked around the people. “As the reigning Alpha of the Night Pride,” he proclaimed with a mighty voice, “I, now, choose my son, Xander as the next Alpha of the pack. Should anyone object, I urge him to raise his voice and challenge him.”
My heart raced at the declaration, and frantically looked around the crowd. For the longest time, there were only murmurs as the men whispered among themselves.
What will happen if they challenge Xander?
Not that I feared or doubted his ability, but fighting war within and without was a challenge in itself. In all probability, Kade would lap up this opportunity to get even with us.
“Do we have a contest, pack mates?” Another one of the Sjurds asked.
But once again, they were only murmurs and nothing. When it was decided beyond the realm of doubt that no one would challenge Xander, I could finally sigh an exasperated breath.
The blonde-haired Sjurds continued. “May the Moon Goddess shower her divine glory and blessing upon us as we crown the Alpha of the Night Pride. From this day until the day She wishes, Alpha Xander is the leader of the Night Pride.”
“Let the alpha speak for himself,” the collective chant reverberated as I watched Xander step forward.
His gait was every bit masculine and regal as if they were an invisible crown on his head.
“I, Xander of the Night Pride, vow to rule my pack, my family and protect them from all evils. I shall not disobey the Holy Goddess, I shall not stray away from Her path and I shall always respect the tribe I was born into. I vow them all with the Goddess as my witness under the full moon.”
An applause broke out as men and women cheered alike.
“Alpha Xander, who do you choose as your Beta?” the guardian asked.
Nodding over to his brother, he waited until Blaize stood before him. “From this day onwards, until the last day of my reign, I choose Blaize as my Beta.”
I watched with rapt attention as the new Beta placed his palm over his heart, like some sort of a pledge. “My honour, my service and my loyalty lies with you and you alone, and for the betterment of my pack, my family.”
Xander nodded, accepting the commandments as Blaize knelt on one knee.
Following the cue, every male wolf did the same while the women sat where they were.
Leaning a little over to Eirlys, I whispered, “Don’t we have to…kneel? I mean, what about the women in the pack?”
“Every woman here is either a mate, sister or daughter of the men of this pack. By that reason, if the male wolf declares his loyalty to the Alpha, naturally the women are bound to follow.”
*Not sexiest at all,* I mentally rolled my eyes.
“Right. Oh….oh, my god.” Out of the blue, Xander shrugged off the shawl over his shoulder and started to undress. Now, it would not have come as a surprise if it was within the confines of our bedroom.
But it was out in the open! And in front of everyone.
“What…what is he doing?” I stuttered, half-terrier, and half-shocked.
But it seemed like the women were as cool as a cucumber. Eirlys shrugged with a casual smile. “He is baring himself.”
“Yes, I can see that, but…”
Seconds later, he bared, Xander bent and exploded out of his skin and turned into the ferocious animal he was. A savage howl tired through his mouth without any semblance of control. The entire pack repeated similar action as they shifted to their wolf form.
In the blink of an eye, I was seated amidst a pack of feral wolves who howled and cried out to the moon. And Alpha among them was my mate.
“What happens now?” I whispered dazedly.
“Now, the pack goes for the *Crescent Hunt*. It is the first hunt after a new alpha is chosen.”

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