The Lunam Ceremony (Book One) (6 page)

“It doesn’t always happen the first time,” I tell her.

“It’s likely, especially if you are a healthy pureblood.” Cassie opens the stall door. “Just don’t tell anyone about the pill, ok?”

I salute her the way I do Layla when I’m being a smart ass, except Cassie laughs.

We step out of the shower and Cassie fights for a spot at the wall of mirrors. She pulls out a tube of red goo and dabs some on her lips. “Do you want some?”

“No, thanks,” I tell her. “Let’s get out of here. I’m melting.” I’ve never missed air conditioning so much in my life. I pull her away from the mirror and out the door. The humid air actually feels refreshing after being inside. Cassie has her hair twisted into a bun, and I notice a tattoo between her shoulder blades. It’s a small paw print; Layla has the same one on her ankle. “Nice, tat, is that a wolf thing?” I saw a bunch of the girls in the bathroom with the same tattoo.

“No, it’s a Shasta thing,” Cassie says. “All the females have them.”

“A Shasta thing? But, my mom has one and she is from Sierra.”

Cassie stops walking and takes my arm. “Your mother was born a Shasta, not Sierra.”

“She was born what?”

Cassie looks worried, like she’s just spilled an important secret. “I just assumed you would know your lineage since you’re practically royalty.”

“What are you talking about?” I’m starting to think Cassie is the one believing fairy tales now.

Cassie takes my hand and pulls me away from the clearing; there are too many people around now. “Don’t you know anything about your family? Who you are?”

“I guess not.”

“You carry the blood of two original lines. Layla was born an Orrin. Your father is a Tallac. When the pack split, the Orrins went to Shasta as their leader.”

“How does that make me royalty? Aren’t we all really the same pack?”

“We are the same pack in theory. But time, politics, and money have created a wedge between the two sides. Someone like you, with blood on both sides, could be the link that brings us back together. You have pureblood from both Sierra and Shasta. That means you and your children can lead either pack or both.”

I feel like someone just dropped a ton of bricks on my shoulders. Is this why Layla brought me back? So I can lead both packs? One was bad enough, but two?

Another group of girls saunters by, eyeballing me and Cassie. It’s obvious the girls stay in cliques from their packs, branches even. Cassie explains that the Dunsmuir branch controls Shasta. They have the most alphas and control their industry, beer. “The Sierra pack is run by two families, one controls the business, and the other controls the pack and its branches. They think it keeps things fair, but my father says it will rip them apart.”

I wonder what side my father comes from, what drives him—power or money. Where would I be if Layla raised me in the pack? Would I even be speaking to Cassie right now? My stomach turns at the thought. Although I’ve only known Cassie a few hours, we are connected. I can feel it. “Why don’t you hate me?”

“I told you, we’re family.” She smiles and pulls me in for hug. “I may be small, but if any of those bitches try anything, I got your back.” Cassie puts her fists up. I know she means it. Cassie is a petite version of my mother. Her hair is wavy like Layla’s, and she has the same sapphire blue eyes, only she’s about four inches shorter. “Now, let’s go fall in love!” she says and pulls me back towards the clearing.

Cassie insists we sit on top of a table where everyone can see us. It’s a power play, she says. After our talk, I’m feeling stronger, bolder. I even put on some of Cassie’s lip gloss. Jessie’s beer is being consumed by the barrel. There are kegs of it in enormous ice bins on both sides of the makeshift dance floor. A few females are dancing. Cassie calls them low alphas.

I’ve learned that a “low alpha” is someone with a parent who has never phased, either by accident, illness, or childbirth. Cassie says most low alphas don’t even go to Lunam. I don’t blame them. Why be part of a community that looks down on you? I think about Tandy and her son. Tandy was a pureblood and now she is a beta. Her son is a low alpha that probably won’t go to Lunam either. For some reason I start to feel sad for Tandy and Warner. I don’t know why. It’s horrible to think of people in this way, but it’s the way the pack operates. We can’t all be leaders. I want to ask Cassie about her lineage, but it feels intrusive. I don’t know if she is the daughter of purebloods. I suspect she is if she’s making comments about a low alpha. Cassie takes a loose piece of ratted hair from my face and tucks it behind my ear. Her smile is so genuine, so loving, I don’t give a shit about her lineage. I like her, and that’s all that matters.

Just before sundown, Layla asks me to help her get something from the car. I haven’t seen her all day. When I went to the kitchen earlier to sneak some food with Cassie, she wasn’t there. Bonnie told me she was in negotiations. Whatever that means.

“I really like Cassie,” I tell my mom as we walk to the parking lot. It’s filled with cars now, and people walk around in small groups. Everyone is having a great time, including me. I don’t want to ruin it by fighting with my mom, but I really have to know more about who I am before I lose myself to destiny. “I guess it’s sort of inevitable, seeing how we’re cousins and she’s from Shasta.” The three beers I’ve consumed are making me brave, or maybe it’s because I’m on the verge of womanhood. “Why didn’t you tell me you were Shasta? I feel like an idiot.”

“Because some things you need to learn on your own, Kalysia.”

I’m frustrated when she doesn’t offer any more of an explanation. Layla lets me pout until we reach the convertible. She pops the trunk and pulls a tiny box out of her purse. “This is for you.” She hands me a Tiffany Blue Box, complete with a white bow.

My anger subsides while I tear into the gift. I flip open the small blue box and find a paw pendant inside. “It’s the Shasta paw, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Here, let’s put it on. Don’t forget to take it off before tonight, ok?” She takes the necklace from me and puts it around my neck. The paw sits in the middle of my chest, over my heart. “There is so much I wanted to tell you, but I never had the courage. I didn’t want to overwhelm you. So, I focused on what I knew was important, your destiny.” Layla takes me by the shoulders and looks me in the eye. “You feel it; I know you do. You belong here.”

I nod my head once. She’s right. I do feel comfortable here, more myself. I just have doubts about my role and who I am meant to be. I still can’t imagine myself partnering with a male tonight and becoming his sidekick. There are so many questions I have for my mother, but there is only one I am brave enough to ask. “Why did you leave?”

“I left for you.”

I roll my eyes. This is the answer she’s given me my whole life. I want the truth now. “You had a destiny. You had a pack, and a mate, and you walked away from it all. Now you want me to embrace this life, a life I know nothing about. A life you ran away from.” Layla’s eyes meet mine. “You got me to Lunam, Mom. I’m not going anywhere, so please tell me the truth.”

She nods, and I actually feel scared for her. For what she’s about to say. “I’m assuming Cassie told you I’m from Shasta and that I matched with a Sierra. What she doesn’t know, what nobody knows, is that I chose him. Everyone believes the male is the dominate one, but I felt in control. I had feelings for Conall, the son of the Shasta pack leader. I adored him my whole life, but when I saw Monte, I felt his strength, his power, and I wanted it.”

“Did you love him?”

“I did, in my own way. I respected him,” she admits. “He’s a good man, but even purebloods have to answer to others.” Layla pauses when a group of boys walk past us. I feel all of their eyes on me and Layla. “Hello boys.” Layla’s sultry greeting causes a few of them to stumble. I can’t help but laugh.

“When will I meet him?” I never realized how much it meant to me until now. Just having Layla was enough, too much at times. I can’t imagine how my life would have been if my father were around. “Do you think he wants to meet me?”

“I know he does. He thinks you’re beautiful,” she says and strokes my hair.

“You saw him?” I realize she’s spoken to him by the wistful expression on her face.

“We had a chat about you.” She can’t hide the grin any longer. I’ve never seen my mother smile this way. She’s practically blushing. “I wanted to make sure we were both on the same page when it comes to your match and your future.”

“What do you mean my match? I thought it was up to the moon?” I ask sarcastically. “Or will I really have a choice?”

“You, my love, will have pick of the litter,” Layla jokes and slams the trunk closed.

Guitar riffs and bass from the enormous speakers echoes into the woods. Laughter and loud conversations fill the gaps in the music as Layla escorts me into the farmhouse. We go up the stairs and down a dark hallway and stop at a door at the end of the hall. She knocks on the door softly and turns the knob. A burst of cool air hits me in the face. The familiar chill of air-conditioning is refreshing. I see two men sitting on opposite sides of a desk. They are Layla’s age, and one of them has my eyes.

“Kalysia.” Monte, my father, rises from his seat and walks around the desk to greet me. He pulls me into his arms and hugs me. This is the first hug I’ve ever received from a man. Miles was more of a hi-fiver or a fist bump. In the three years I knew him, he never once gave me a hug. “Thank you, Layla,” Monte says from over my head.

“For what?” she scoffs.

“For doing such a wonderful job raising our daughter.” He reaches for her hand. “And for bringing her back.” We stand, the three of us, my family, together for the first time. The moment is interrupted by the other man in the room.

“I’ll leave you three,” he says and stands.

“No, Conall, you stay. I didn’t want to disturb you.” Layla pulls her hand back from Monte’s. “You two continue your meeting. We’ll go.”

Conall is the pureblood from Shasta’s pack. The male my mother should have matched with. Conall and Monte are strikingly handsome men for their age. Both stand over six feet tall, with broad shoulders and fit physiques. Monte’s hair is jet black and his eyes are blue-gray, like mine. Conall and Layla both have sapphire blue eyes and wavy brown hair. I see these are traits of the packs. I wonder why nature would allow them to evolve into two separate species, or if they carried these traits before the split.

We leave the air-conditioned room, and Layla insists I change into the sundress she bought me. She follows me into the locker room to change. The dress is a black, flowy material with a large red hibiscus printed on the side. It sits just above my knee and feels so much better than the cutoff jeans and tank top I had on. I let Layla fuss with my hair and even add some makeup powder to my shiny face. The sun is almost set; I know this will be the last mother-daughter moment we share before Lunam. Even though I’ll see her tomorrow, I won’t be the same, and neither will she.

“Your father was right,” Layla says as she pins loose strands of my hair into a bun. “You are beautiful.” I blush, even though it’s just us. We sit in silence a few minutes; I feel like I should say something. All the questions I have escape me. It’s nice just being here with her. When we’re done, Layla returns to the kitchen with the other adults, and I set out to find Cassie.

“There you are!” she yells when she sees me. I hear the alcohol in her voice. “All the boys are here, and I want you to get first pick before these bitches make their move.”

I laugh and take the half-empty cup from her hand. We both know what happens before Lunam is irrelevant. I down the warm beer in one big gulp and toss it over my head. “Let’s go fall in love!”