Chapter 58

Chapter 58

Amelie

"Please be seated." He pauses, allowing everyone to sit. "Thank you all for coming to witness my mate Amelie Ashwood's Luna Ceremony. She is my fated second-chance mate blessed to me by the moon goddess. Now she will become the blessing to the Druit Guard Pack and the mother of our next Alpha. We will start the Ceremony."

I step to the left of my mother, Celeste, and Hope. I pick up an oak chalice. There is a basin of rainwater in front of them, and they are each holding a flower. Mom steps forward first.

"I Anna Bye, Luna of the Black Hills Pack, give the blessing of the Mother Luna. You are a mother to all in your pack." She drops a pink carnation into the basin of rainwater. Then she extends a claw and cuts the palm of her hand. I raise the cup to catch the blood.

"I accept the blessing of Mother Luna." I bow to my mother, and she smiles as she steps back.

Hope steps forward. "I Hope Ashwood, Luna of the Hill Country Pack, gives the blessing of the Teacher Luna. You are a teacher to all in your pack." She drops a Black-Eyed Susan into the basin of rainwater. Then she extends a claw and cuts the palm of her hand. I extend the cup to catch the blood.

"I accept the blessing of the Teacher Luna." I bow to my sister, and she steps back.

Celeste steps forward. "I Celeste Ashwood, Luna of the Ashwood Pack, give the blessing of the Protector Luna. You are a protector to all in your pack." She drops in White Heather to the basin of rainwater. Then she extends a claw and cuts the palm of her hand. I extend the cup to catch the blood.

"I accept the blessing of the Protector Luna." I bow to Celeste, and she steps back.

I step to the basin, dip in my cupped hand, and fill the oak chalice with my water. "Goddess Selene, I accept the blessings of the Luna. Please guide me in leading the Druit Guard Pack." I turn and stand to the right of my father, stepfather, and mate. I bow my head.

Dad steps forward. "I, John Ashwood, Alpha of the Ashwood Pack, ask if you are prepared to support your Alpha and mate with full devotion."

I answer. "I promise to always devote myself to my pack, my Alpha, and children."

Dad cuts his palm with an extended claw, and I extend the oak chalice to catch the drops of blood. Dad steps back, and Logan steps forward.

"I Logan Bye, Alpha of the Black Hills Pack, ask if you are prepared to support your Alpha and mate with full encouragement."

I answer. "I promise to always encourage my pack, my Alpha, and children."

Logan cuts his palm with an extended claw, and I extend the oak chalice to catch the drops of blood. Logan steps back, and Gideon steps forward.

I know my face lights up when he steps forward because he does too. He smiles and winks. "I, Gideon Alois, Alpha of the Druit Guard Pack and your fated mate, ask if you are prepared to support me with all your love as I will support you. I will give you all that I am. All my love is for you."

I can't help the happy tears that roll down my cheeks. "I, Amelie Ashwood, promise always to love you and support you and our pack as we work together as our pack's mother and father."

Gideon cuts his palm with an extended claw, and I extend the oak chalice to catch the drops of blood. Gideon steps forward to address the pack. "Druit Guard, Selene has blessed us with a strong, dedicated, and wise Luna. You will now witness the goddess' blessing." As Gideon steps back, I step forward and turn my back to the crowd.

I raise the oak chalice, "Goddess bless me as your chosen Luna." I take a deep breath and drink the whole cup.

As soon as I finish, I can feel an overwhelming power pulsate in me. It's even more potent than what I felt when we did the family bond. I can feel my mark forming on my back. I also feel the connecting marks forming. Something feels different than what I expected or experienced before. The marks feel deep in my skin and burn slightly as they develop. I feel like I am not in control of my body. Everything is hazy then goes dark.

Gideon

"Amelie?" I was looking at my mate in complete shock. She was about two feet off the ground levitating in the air—her eyes were glowing silver, and her hair became black as the New Moon. I could not even take a step near her as the Luna aura was too strong and pushing me back.

Then Amelie's head turned toward me. "Alpha Gideon. I have answered your prayer and gifted you the perfect Luna and mate. My messenger will come soon. Heed her words. Protect my heirs. The world will need them one day." That was not Amelie. That was Selene talking through my mate to me. What did she mean by her heirs? And who is her messenger? The strong aura faded, and Amelie started to drop. I rushed to catch her. I looked down at her, she groaned, and her eyes fluttered open.

"Gideon, what happened." She asked, and I can see her typically grey eyes are more silver and glowing.

"Am, I don't know if you are going to believe this, but Selene just spoke through you." Her eyes are enormous, and the whole theater is silent and in complete shock.

"She's OK, everyone. Selene has blessed us with a visit through our Luna. Tonight, we rejoice." I pick up Amelie, and she wraps her arms around my neck. We need to be alone for a bit. I rush to my office and sit Amelie on my desk.

"What happened?" She asks.

"I don't know. You had this powerful aura pushing us all back then you started to levitate. Your hair turned black, and your eyes glowed sliver like two moons. I think it was Selene." Amelie gasps. I continue. "She gave me a message. She said her messenger would come and to protect her heirs that the world would need them. Do you know what she means?"

"I don't know. I am a direct descendant of the first mated wolves. So maybe our baby, but are you sure she said heirs with an s?" She asked.

"Yes, I am sure." Just then, I start looking at Amelie's new marks. Everything happened so fast I didn't have a chance to examine them. That was when I saw them.

"Am, are you sure we only have one baby?" My eyes lock in on her family marks.

"I mean, I don't know for sure, but twin males have only happened once in our family, and that's why our pack is here in the US. Why?" She looks confused.

I take a mirror off the wall. "Look at your marks. You have two new family marks."

She looks, and her eyes tear, "It's a Birch and an Aspen tree. How did this happen? You don't get the family mark until after the birth. I'm only seven weeks along. We are having twin Alphas. Druit Guard is going to split." Her eyes are wide, and her hand is over her mouth. We are both in shock. She keeps looking at her marks. "The connecting marks are not clouds like yours. They came from my mate mark and its honeysuckle vines." She turns around to try and see her Luna mark. I see it first.

"Am, have you ever seen a Luna mark with the goddess sitting on the crescent moon holding up a torch?" I couldn't believe my eyes. It was an unmistakable silhouette of the goddess in her robes with her feet dangling off the crescent moon, holding her torch in her hand. Also, the color, its silver, like it has been glided to her skin.

"I can't see." She says. I pull my phone out and take a picture to show her. I hand her my phone. "Oh my…" Her hand goes to her mouth again. "I don't know what all this means. I just want my babies to be safe."

I put the mirror on the sofa and pull her into me. "We are going to be fine. I will protect you, and Selene's words were not a warning but just a message." I hugged her tight she was shaking. She's usually so strong and put together. Very little rattles her. I feel her take a few deep breaths and calmly take over again.

"Why do you think that happened?" Amelie looks up at me.

"Well, there was a lot of power in that cup and you. You, your dad, sister, and the twins in your belly are all pure wolves. Add in Logan, your mother, stepmother, and me that was so much power that I think it gave the goddess the opening." I hold Amelie tight.

"I'm just scared for the babies. Now everyone will know we are having twin Alphas. Plus, that message from the goddess. Who knows what will happen? We already have someone lurking in the shadows. Will this bring more?" I can hear her fear with every word.

"Let's call your family here. We still have to put on a brave face and go to the banquet. Let's walk in as a fully united Alpha family. I think it may help scare off whoever is trying to harm you and the babies. Plus, we should show your dad these marks." I feel Amelie nod her head in my chest. I knew how she felt. It was like we had the weight of the world on our shoulders. Hell, I needed her family's support.

I mind-linked our ranked members, "Betas, Gammas, and Deltas, please round up Amelie's family and ask them to come to my office. Please bring the twins."

"Yes, Alpha." They all chimed back.

Within minutes everyone was in my office. I had wrapped Amelie in a throw blanket I had on one of the sofas I had her in my lap as we sat behind my desk. As everyone filed in, they were all quiet. Almost too quiet, waiting with bated breath to see if Amelie was OK.

"Please, everyone, sit down." I gestured to everyone to sit. Rose and Daisy each climb onto a grandma's lap. They have taken to Amelie's family quickly. I pat Amelie on the back, signaling her to stand, and we walk around to the front of the desk. She still has the blanket wrapped around her. "I know you all saw the goddess manifest through Am and give us a message. We don't know who her messenger is or when they will come, but the part about the heirs has been reviled a bit."

Amelie dropped the blanket from around her shoulders. "We are having twin Alphas. Druit Guard will split into two packs one day."

John stands and approaches Amelie. He quickly pulls her into a hug. "You have always been special, kiddo. Now I know why." He pulls back and looks at her marks. "A Birch tree and an Aspen tree. It looks like I will have two strong grandsons. I have never seen family marks manifest before birth." Amelie smiles lovingly at her father.

I hated to interrupt, but I needed to ask John a question. "Alpha John, have you ever seen a Luna mark like this or the connecting marks coming from the mate mark?" Amelie turns around to show her Luna mark, and everyone gasps. They all stand up to get a closer look.

"Sis, is that the goddess sitting on the moon?" James asks in complete bewilderment.

"It seems so, a torch and all," Amelie sighs. I know how she feels. Marks are a sign of blessings and divine approval, but something like this could also make her a target. No matter how strong I was or my pack was, if someone wanted to, they could find a way. I have seen it all too often in my work.

Anne was the next to speak up. "What do you need from us. We are here and will protect you both and the kids." Anne wasn't a fighter, but she was a mother, and no one messed with her babies. I could see where Amelie got that protective and kind nature from.

"We are going to break tradition and walk-in as one family instead of three Alpha families. I feel it's our best tactic for tonight's events. We need to intimidate. It's our best play for tonight."

"If it's intimidation, I got you covered." Logan roared and slapped Riley on the back. He was physically imposing, that was for sure. I was only slightly bigger than him, and at first glance, we looked the same size. You could see Riley was going to be just as intimidating as his father. Honestly, his dark auburn hair and dark brown almost black eyes, both he inherited from his mother oddly enough, made me think he would look more imposing than his father one day. I believe Logan loved that. It made me think about what our boys would look like. Would they take more after me like the girls or after their mother like Riley?

I was snapped out of my trailing thoughts by Amelie nuddling me. "Earth to Gideon? Are you talking to the mood goddess?" She said sarcastically. I knew she was OK if her sass was in full force.

I couldn't help but lean down and kissed the top of her head. I was still happy that we had a second set of twins on the way. I barely had the chance to process and be happy about it. I was. I would allow myself to be satisfied even if it was going to be complicated.

She smiled up at me, and I down at her. "OK, everyone, let's go. I'll inform my team that we will enter as a family."

With that, we all left my office and headed to the ballroom.