Chapter 23
"You appear amazing," Lucia said to Mirabel. With her hand resting on the wall for balance, she remained stationary near the door. With a quick rotation, Mirabel grinned at her sister.
"Please come in! Mirabel said, "Mom wants to get a picture."
Lucia stepped toward her family, picking up her dress to avoid stepping on it. She gave Rose her phone.
"Say cheese!" Rose informed them.
They were all grinning broadly and exclaiming, "Cheese!"
Claire yelled to everyone, "Okay girls, the moon is nearing its apex; we better get going."
Mirabel grinned as she stood. It was nearly tangible to her. The strength she would soon possess when the full moon rose to its greatest point made her Luna of the Blood Moon Pack and Blaine De Lombardi's mate.
The Blood Moon Pack had gathered in the courtyard. They were all giddy with anticipation for the impending big development. This pack hadn't had a Luna in such a long time, and Mirabel Lorenzo was the ideal candidate.
Blaine and his father were standing at the altar with Jessica and Clara. In preparation for the ritual that lay ahead of them, they were arranging their crystals. It was quite easy. Blaine would ram his teeth into Mirabel's throat, and she would retaliate by turning them both into wolves. They would lead the pack in a run through the woods to signify the passing of Alpha Gilbert's leadership to his son and mate, capping the event.
Clara peered out the corner of her eye at Blaine. All of this, she still thought, was an error that the pack would eventually have to pay for.
Wearing only his white silk slacks, Blaine stood before the altar. He turned to face his father, who was grinning with pride.
"I'm glad you stepped up and took your duties seriously, son."
All Blaine could say was smile.
"She would be so proud of you," Alpha said. With tears in his eyes, Gilbert murmured. He was known for being a rough guy who displayed little to no emotion. Blaine never saw any emotion in his father, not even as a little child. He never showed emotion on his face, no matter how happy, sad, or humorous the circumstance.
He only ever grinned in the presence of his mate. Gilbert was at his best when he was with Kharis. He was always just Gilbert to her; he was never the menacing alpha that other people talked about. Blaine had never witnessed his father weep, but when he felt his other half ripped from him, that man broke down in tears. His heart died the day Kharis departed from him.
Blaine shared something with his father, though. They were infatuated with Kharis De Lombardi, but that was only because their universe revolved around her. They had nothing left to love because she had left them.
"Now is the moment! "The moon is nearly at its fullest," Jessica yelled. Clara pressed the bell, indicating that Mirabel should emerge.
Her whole family was escorting Mirabel. Her brother and sister trailed behind her parents, who were holding her in their arms. Mirabel was met with beaming smiles from all of the pack members.
Blaine observed her approach. Her hair cascaded down her spine. He couldn't help but stare at her thin neck and picture himself digging his teeth into it. Since the previous time he saw her, her tan complexion had seemed more like brown than tan, but her long red dress brought it out. It was a silk outfit that fit her well. She seemed unable to look up, as her gaze was fixed on the ground.
Daring her to look at him, Blaine continued to stare at her. How much time had passed since he had met her brown eyes? Every time he stared into her eyes, he felt as though he was in a trance. His partner was always stunning.
"Something is wrong!" Clara pointed to the moon and spoke.
The moon had a striking red hue.
"Moon of blood."
"Only total lunar eclipses result in blood moons! Someone in the audience yelled, "How is this possible?" Everyone erupted into a frenzy, asking each other pointed questions. A similar occurrence was not probable in science; the next blood moon wasn't expected for another few months.
Contrary to popular belief, Alpha Lorenzo Matteo's centuries-old massacre is not when the Blood Moon Pack earned its name. The true explanation was that during a blood moon, every wolf in this pack lost control of their human side. Their thoughts belonged to their wolves, but their bodies would always be human. It was the time when they were most powerful and almost unbeatable.
But this time, there appeared to be an issue. It didn't appear like anyone was embracing their inner wolves and allowing them complete dominion over their bodies. Rather, they all kept freaking out.
Looking up, Lucia saw the ruckus. Her eyes automatically went to find Blaine's. They linked, and it was like someone flipping a switch. Blaine went entirely black in the eyes. Their gazes locked with each other. Lucia's eyes followed suit.
Jessica and Clara chanted simultaneously, their eyes glowing white.
They exclaimed, "She is with us!"
The sisters went on chanting as everyone stared around in disbelief.
Blaine never took his eyes off Lucia's. He kept staring at her with a fresh, unfamiliar look that belied his age and love. That wasn't Blaine, though.
"Mine," said Henry. He looked at his mate, his voice deep and fierce. It was the boomy, attention-demanding voice of an alpha. Everyone glanced toward their soon-to-be alpha and stopped freaking out.
"Son? "Are you okay?" Gilbert enquired. Blaine just turned his head.
Pushing through her family, Lucia made her way to the front. Mirabel reached out and tightly grasped Lucia's arm.
"What the hell are you doing?" Mirabel spoke with a tone of anger. Lucia's gaze went to the spot where Mirabel's hand had caught her arm, causing the flesh around it to go crimson from the intense pressure. Pulling her arms away, Lucia gave her a direct gaze.
"Now, is that any way to treat your Luna?" Ava said something.
Everyone let out a gasp. What was Lucia doing? Their Luna was not her. But her voice was so strong, it was almost as if she were.
With confidence, Lucia strode forward toward Blaine. She ascended the stairs to the altar, which had white roses all around it. Her hand moved to make contact with his cheek. As she took him in, it moved through his hair, gently brushing it.
As he pulled her in closer, Blaine's hands went down to her waist.
"We succeeded," Ava said.
"I promised, didn't I?" Henry grinned in response.
He was eager to spend more time with his partner. He moved his hand to the back of her head and clasped her hair while making a kissing motion. They didn't have time to go leisurely, so their kiss was forceful.
The moon had reached its fullest by now. All traces of Lucia and Blaine have vanished. Henry and Ava had complete control over their bodies.
For the first time, their mouths were exploring each other as they kept kissing. They were kissing so quickly that it was nearly aggressive. Henry went from her mouth to her cheek and finally to her throat. He kissed her neck, putting his imprint everywhere he went. The precise place he would brand her was traced by his tongue. Henry was aware that his time was limited and that he needed to complete the task at hand.
Henry flung his head back, shocking everyone with his actions. A smirk emerged on his face as his eyes met the moon.
For once, she had truly fulfilled her promise.
His teeth bared as he met the moon with them. Sinking his teeth into Ava's soft flesh, he lowered his face to her neck. Ava gave voice to a scream that became a moan. She could sense his dog's poison combining with her blood. Ava's teeth bared, and she drove them deep into Henry's throat.
He took her in his arms, holding her tight. She was so tired that her body sagged against his. He held her in his arms still. He gave her a firm squeeze and inhaled her aroma. She smelled like vanilla, even after all these years.
Henry's face lit up with a smile. It was him. He sacrificed himself and every other person for this one time. The moment he'd get to embrace his beauty once more.
"I guess we did end up getting marked in the courtyard," Ava said, her voice muffled by his protective shield. Henry laughed aloud.
"I guess we did."
He drew away from her, meeting her gaze. He had erred so much in the past. It would have been so much simpler if he had tagged her the moment they met.
Ava looked at Henry, her eyes full of tears.
"I pledge my love to you," she said.
He lowered his forehead to meet hers, making eye contact. Her face felt as though it would float away from his grasp if he released it.
He answered, "From this life to the next."