The Lunam Ceremony (Book One) (7 page)

The sun has set and the twinkling lights have been turned on. After what feels like hours, Cassie and I take a break from dancing and sit on a table. “So, anyone caught your eye yet?” she whispers.

There are definitely a lot of good-looking boys here, but none that make me want to do unspeakable things. “No, what about you?”

“See the tall one with the red baseball cap?” Cassie points to a boy in ripped jeans and a white t-shirt. He looks like he just rolled out of bed. He glances in our direction, and we look away quickly, laughing like school girls.

“Cas, you could do so much better.” I scan the crowd, looking for a better choice. Unlike the girls, the boys socialize more with each other. I even saw them playing a friendly game of football earlier. Like the girls, you can still tell them apart. The Sierra boys are clean cut in stylish clothes. They all wear sunglasses, have perfectly coifed hair, and exude confidence in a way only city-raised kids do. The Shasta pack is definitely more laid back. They’re almost all in jeans and tight plaid shirts that show off the muscles they earned from manual labor. Unlike the Sierras, they are goofy and pounce around like playful puppies. There are pros and cons in both packs.

Three girls from Sierra bring me and Cassie fresh cups of beer and ask if they can join us. “Sure,” Cassie says and scoots towards me to make room for them. “I’m Cassie, this is Kalysia,” she introduces us, but I can tell the girls already know who I am.

“I’m Leah,” the tallest one says. “This is Clio and Patsy.” The girls have the same long dark hair as I do. I wouldn’t be surprised if we were related. I asked Cassie earlier why we all look alike. None of the girls have highlights or hair shorter than shoulder length. She said it’s just a Lunam thing. We all come to the ceremony in our most natural state. After Lunam we are free to look however we want. She even joked about chopping her hair and dying it pink, as long as her mate doesn’t mind.

A steady stream of males passes in front of our table, each eyeing us like we’re shiny new cars on display. It doesn’t take long for me to realize why the Sierra girls asked to sit with us. Cassie and I have been garnering attention all night. If being close to us will help these girls make better matches, then by all means, ogle.

The first few chords of a slow song begin, and the crowd grows excited. I see a group of boys approaching and I turn to Cassie. “You should dance with the one in the black t-shirt.”

“Which one? They’re all wearing black,” she laughs.

I nod my head at the stocky boy with plaid shorts. “The one in the middle. He’s cute.”

“You think all the Sierra boys are cute.”

She’s right; most of my attention has been focused on the Sierra pack. I wonder if this is a precursor to who I will be matched with. My natural instinct is Sierra, not Shasta.

“Do you want dance?” the stocky Sierra boy stops in front of Cassie.

“Sure,” she says and hops off the table.

A boy wearing a white t-shirt with the phrase, “What Happens at Lunam, stays at Lunam,” takes Clio by the hand and leads her to the dance floor. “Does she know him?” I ask Patsy.

“Yeah, that’s Tripp. They’ve had a thing since we were kids,” she tells me. “Lunam is just a technicality; nothing will tear them apart.”

“But it isn’t up to them, is it? I mean, you can fall in love before Lunam, but it doesn’t mean you will match?” I think of what Layla said about her feelings for Conall. None of that mattered after she met Monte.

Patsy looks confused by my questions. “If it’s meant to be, it will be.”

If Lunam is about destiny and I don’t feel anything for anyone, can I choose to be alone?

Patsy excuses herself, and it’s just me and Leah. Leah moves into Cassie’s spot beside me and smiles. “So, have you met him yet?”

“No, I guess I’m just going to wing it and see what happens after I phase,” I say.

“You’re not even the slightest bit curious?” she asks incredulously.

I shrug and sip my beer. “Of course I’m curious; I just don’t know who
he
is yet.”

“Well, he’s sitting right over there.” She points across the dance floor to a guy sitting on the table opposite from mine.

He doesn’t blink when he sees Leah pointing him out. He lowers his cup and rests his elbows on his knees. He’s wearing plaid board shorts, vans with no socks, and a sleeveless white shirt with a fading sunset silk-screened onto the front. He tilts his head to the side in a gesture that is both cute and sexy, and smiles.

“Who…” I start to say and forget my words.

“That is Dillan Dukes.”

Cassie’s face pops in front of me, breaking the link between me and Dillan. I look around her, at the spot where Dillan was sitting, but he’s gone.

Shoot.

I feel Cassie’s enthusiasm as she sits beside me. “Was it love at first sight?” I joke and nudge her with my elbow as I scan the crowd for Dillan. Leah makes a strange snorting noise. She is scowling at Cassie. Cassie sees it, too. Her smile fades and she just shrugs. “What?” I look at Leah then back to Cassie.

The next song is a country line dace that draws a large crowd to the dance floor.

“I’ll catch you later, good luck tonight,” Leah says and skips to the dance floor to join Patsy’s line.

Something seems to have changed between the girls since Cassie danced with the Sierra boy. “Are you ok, Cassie?”

Cassie smiles, and I see she is holding back tears. “I’m fine, really.”

“Is it Leah? Was it the boy? I’m sorry I made you dance with him,” I apologize.

“No, it’s not that. Leah has every right to be pissed; Drake is Sierra, a pureblood. I shouldn’t have danced with him.” The self-depreciating look on Cassie’s face tells me she doesn’t think highly of herself. She must be a low alpha. I don’t care. She’s my friend and I hate to see her down.

“That’s bullshit and you know it. It doesn’t matter if we are Shasta or Sierra.” I put my arm around Cassie and squeeze. “If we weren’t meant to be together, then I’m an abomination.” This makes Cassie laugh. “If we weren’t supposed to love each other then why do we celebrate Lunam together?”

“We don’t always,” Cassie suddenly says. “The packs have their own Lunam. We only celebrate the Altum Lunam together. Really it’s just so the packs can divulge their numbers to each other. The pack with the most purebloods leads. Sierras have the most, but Shasta has three times the alphas.”

Three times? The twins said it was double.

“The divide in the Sierra pack is huge. You’re either pureblood or you’re nothing. Shasta has a different way of looking at things. If you have a child during Altum Lunam, that child is considered an alpha. Not pureblood, but of the Lunam moon. My father said eventually purebloods will run their course and Lunam alphas will take over. It’s simple evolution.”

I don’t have time to drill Cassie with questions, because the music stops and Monte takes the microphone. Everyone stops what they are doing to give my father their full attention.

“Thank you all for coming. I know it was a journey for some of you, and I personally appreciate the effort you have made to be here tonight. As you all know, the Altum Lunam Ceremony celebrates the birth of our species. The gift bestowed upon us by our mother, Gaia. Tonight we fulfill the promise made to her by our ancestors to choose the life we want to live when you trigger the gene in your bloodline that allows you to phase under the full moon.” The crowd cheers, and Monte waits for them to quiet down. “The form you choose is up to you. As your pack, we support your decision. However,” Monte holds up his finger like a true politician and smiles, “we all know the perks of being human.” he laughs, and the sheep, I mean, the crowd, laughs with him. He plants a serious look on his face as he continues. “It is through the sacrifice of those before you, and the sacrifices you have made, that will keep our kind alive and thriving.” More clapping and cheering. I just learned something about my father. He is a great speaker. And may be full of shit.

“Tonight you will also make your match. You will form a bond that will last for all eternity. The children you bare this Lunam year will be the future leaders of our society.” The crowd erupts in cheer. “Lunam is a privilege that you are born with and one that is up to you to preserve for the next generation. I applaud all the parents here tonight; you did an excellent job raising these fine young adults.” There are cheers from the parents of all the Lunam participants. “This Lunam is very special for me because my children are also here.”

I don’t hear the rest of the speech; I’m stuck on the word children. As in plural. More than one. I have a brother or sister? How is this possible? I understand having other children after Layla left, but how can he can have more than one child in this Lunam? Unless…oh no.

I back out of the crowd and walk towards the woods, away from the lights. I need to find Layla. This must be why she left. The one thing I counted on was that my mate, if I found him, would be mine for life. Cheating and lying wasn’t something I thought we had to deal with. I walk back to the main building; it’s empty. Everyone is outside listening to my lying cheating father give a speech. If I can just find Layla’s keys, I can take the convertible and go. I’ll hide until Lunam is over and then I’ll be safe. I tear through the kitchen cabinets looking for Layla’s purse. It’s nowhere in sight. Then I remember the room upstairs. I bolt up the narrow staircase two at a time. I hear voices coming from the room at the end. I recognize Layla’s voice instantly.

“Conall, I understand your frustration, but you know Monte and the others will never accept half-breeds. If they don’t phase, they aren’t one of us.”

“And if they do?”

“What are you saying? You’ve seen a half-breed phase?” I can tell by my mother’s tone that something isn’t right.

“No, of course not.” Conall backtracks quickly. “I just think we need to start looking at other possibilities. In a few more generations, the purebloods will be too close in blood relation to match. We have to explore other options.”

“They already have doubts about your bloodline. Bringing up the idea of half-breeds attending Lunam will only feed their suspicion,” she warns.

“Is that why you converted? You were worried about my bloodline? You’ve known me all my life, Layla,” Conall sounds desperate.

“I know you are pure. But your children, the others in the pack, they are tainted, aren’t they?” Layla sounds like she is baiting him. I feel sorry for Conall. Layla is using their old relationship to pump him for information on his pack. “I’ve heard stories.”

“Where do you get your information? You’ve been gone all these years,” Conall says. When Layla doesn’t reply, Conall asks if it was from Monte. Even I hear the disdain in his voice.

A loud boom rattles the windows in the building and I hit the floor. It sounds like a bomb has gone off, but I hear laughing and the music comes back on. It was just fireworks. I make my way back downstairs and out the back door. I’ll hide in the woods. By the time the ceremony starts and Layla notices I’m missing, it will be too late to find me.

I see Bonnie and Jessie carrying out the white garments. It’s almost time. I move towards the woods and I spot Cassie looking for me. I flatten myself against the wall and slide across it until I reach the end of the building. I round the corner and take off in a full sprint towards the woods. I make it three steps and then I trip.

That hurt. I spit dirt from my mouth as I push myself up to a sitting position. I look down at my knee and hear someone laughing. When I turn my head, I see Dillan Dukes leaning against the wall.

“Slow down there, speedy,” he quips.

In moments like this, there is nothing you can say. All you can do is laugh. I burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. Dillan joins me on the ground.

“Are you laughing with me or at me?” I finally ask.

“A little of both.” His voice is deep and sexy. He smells like sage and cigarettes. “I’m Dillan, by the way.” He holds his hand out to me and I shake it.

“I know who you are. I’m Kalysia.”

“I know who you are.” He smiles and turns my hand over. “Don’t worry about this.” He swipes his fingers across the scrapes on my palm. “After Lunam, you’ll be all healed.”

“So I’ve heard,” I say as Dillan springs off the ground and helps me up.

We stand face to face in silence. I feel his heart beating between us and suddenly something sparks inside of me. This time the burning begins in my chest. My breathing becomes erratic. I taste his breath on my tongue, and I want to kiss him. I edge forward until we are chest to chest. He steps back. I reach for his hand, and he pulls away.