Chapter 35

ALEXIS

My father did not look happy. I didn't think he even noticed that Hudson was standing right next to me. He was glaring at me and all I could do was stare at him like a deer in the headlights.

I was screwed and there was no one to blame but myself. My parents had made me promise that I would keep in contact and keep them up to date on everything, but I hadn't exactly done that.

Plus, he said my middle name which gave away how much trouble I was in.

He started moving towards us, his eyes trained on me, "Young lady, you must have given me fifty gray hairs this past week! Your mother nearly fainted when she found out that you were becoming the Luna. You didn't even think of telling us! What were you– "

He finally noticed Hudson, and his eyes widened as they trailed over Hudson's arms which were wrapped around me. Then his eyes darted up to our necks and they nearly bulged out of their sockets at the sight of our fresh marks.

"Well then," he huffed, "You have a lot of explaining to do, Alexis. Your mother, brother, and Sasha are waiting for you at Lewis and Dorothy's place."

A hesitant smile grew on my face, "They're here as well?"

"Yes, and if you think I'm scary, wait till you see Sasha. She is absolutely furious."

I swallowed, "Okay, I'll be there in a second."

I turned to Hudson and gave him a desperate look. The man just chuckled and pecked my lips quickly, "I'll see you later."

How dare he leave me to the wolves?

My wolf covered her face with her tail.

I'm not here. I had nothing to do with this.

Then, she blocked off our communication.

I groaned quietly and followed my dad, who seemed quite surprised by Hudson's display of affection. Then again, the last time he saw us, we were avoiding each other.

He didn't say anything as we walked, but I sensed his wolf fuming and pacing back and forth in his head. He opened the front door for me and the moment I stepped in, five pairs of eyes landed on me– three of those pairs were glaring at me.

Shit.

***

Three hours and one long lecture later, Sasha and my mom decided it was finally time to help me get ready for the ceremony.

"So sweetie, do you have a dress yet?" My mom asked, rummaging through a few of the bags they had brought with them.

"Not quite. Hudson's sister had offered me a dress I could borrow, but I haven't had a look at it yet."

My mom didn't say anything and turned around to face me, holding up a large garment bag.

"I was thinking. Would you like to wear the dress I wore for my Luna ceremony?"

My mouth fell open as my eyes darted back and forth between her and the garment bag, "Are you serious?"

"Of course I am, sweetie. You only get to have one Luna ceremony in your life."

I got up and took the garment bag from her hands, "I would love to, mom. Thank you."

Her eyes became misty as she studied my face, "I can't believe you're all grown up. I remember the day you were born like it was yesterday. Your father had fainted after seeing all of the blood–"

"Mom!"

She snapped out of her daze, "Right, too much information. Let's head upstairs. Sasha, you coming dear?"

"Right behind you, Mrs. Carter."

I followed them up the stairs and the moment I stepped into the room, they shoved me into a chair and demanded that I closed my eyes while they did everything. I was reluctant, but once Sasha started threatening to pluck my eyeballs out with the tweezers, I decided it was in my best interest to follow the hormonal pregnant woman's demands.

With the help of Lucy and Lacey, who had rushed into the room when they heard what was going on, they got to work on giving me the most painful makeover I had ever experienced in my life.

It got to the point where I asked Lacey if she was actually using tweezers and not her griffin claws on my face.

"Well, I must say you're a piece of work," Sasha said, clapping her hands together like she was dusting them off.

I snorted, "I haven't exactly had time to pamper myself, Sasha."

"Yet you had time to get marked in the kitchen."

"That's different. It happened in the moment."

"Clearly. You guys didn't even have time to rush up to a bedroom."

"Ladies," Lucy interrupted, "We can argue who got marked in the worst place later. It's almost time for the ceremony and we still need to get you fitted in your dress. Open your eyes, Alexis."

"No wait! Let's get her in the dress first." Lacey said, unzipping the garment bag.

The dress was a lot tighter than I had anticipated. Clearly, my mother was a lot skinnier than me when she became Luna.

"I can hardly breathe," I rasped, as the four of them scramble to get the dress fitted properly.

"Let me just fix the stitches here...and here."

My mother loved sewing and knitting in her spare time so this was a piece of cake for her. In a matter of minutes, she had loosened the waist so I could breathe better. After a few more adjustments, the four of them backed away and studied me.

Sasha smiled and wiped her teary eyes, "Look in the mirror, babe. You look like a Queen."

I turned around excitedly and smiled at my reflection. For spending a little over an hour, the four of them definitely worked their magic.

My hair was beautifully curled and placed in a loose chignon with a few curls hanging out. My eyes were accented by the light layer of silver eyeshadow, eyeliner, and of course, mascara. Lacey had also contoured my face and applied a bit of blush and bronzer to cheeks.

As for the dress, it was a beautiful lace piece that fit my figure almost perfectly. It almost reminded me of a wedding dress except it was a lot more easier to move in it.

"I don't mean to interrupt your ogling session, but we are going to be late for the ceremony if we don't move now," Lucy said, fixing one of the pearl earrings they had spent almost ten minutes poking into my ear.

I turned around to find them dressed and ready to go, "You guys look nice."

"Nothing a bit of foundation and mascara can't do. It's not like we have anything to do at the ceremony. We just watch you and Hudson practically have sex with your eyes," Sasha shrugged.

"Sasha!"

"What? It's true. At almost all of the ceremonies I've been to, the Alpha and Luna practically have an orgy in front of everyone."

Thank the Moon Goddess my mother had already left. She would have washed Sasha's mouth if she heard the things coming from her mouth.

I rolled my eyes, "Let's go before you decide that I should go in lingerie instead."

"That would be easier. I mean, at the end, you guys have to shift."

I sighed, "Why do I even bother?"

***

My feet were sore thanks to the heels by the time we made it to the ballroom, but the look on Hudson's face when he saw me was completely worth the trek.

His mouth was ajar and his eyes were dilated to the point where they looked black instead of the usual grey.

Alpha Breydon whistled and smirked a little when he noticed Hudson's face, "May I be the one to say you look stunning?"

I gave him an amused smile, "Thanks, Alpha Breydon."

"No more of that Alpha nonsense. You're going to be a Luna. That makes us equals."

That must have snapped Hudson from his daze because he finally stepped forward and wrapped his arms around my waist.

He kissed my cheek gently and gave me the biggest smile I had ever seen on his face, "You look gorgeous, babe."

I kissed the corner of his lips, "Thank you."

"Alright, enough of this mushy gushy shit. The ceremony should have started ten minutes ago," Matthew snapped, opening the door. Lacey slapped the back of his head and he gave her a glare, "What?"

She gave him a pointed look and he rolled his eyes, tugging her closer, "You look adorable, love. Now come on. We have to take our seats."

After everyone had gone inside, Hudson gave me his arm, "You ready?"

I smiled and took his arm, "I feel like I'm getting married."

"You know what they say–"

"The Luna Ceremony is half a wedding for an Alpha?"

"Mhmm."

He opened the door and we started walking down the aisle to the stage. I was surprised by how many decorations there were, but considering the fact that Dorothy had everything planned out and several pack members doing the decorations. It wasn't unbelievable.

The aisle was lined with flowers and fairy lights, and surprisingly, the dome of the ballroom was open so the moonlight landed on the stage. The stage was decorated with candles and fairy lights as well

Hudson helped up the stairs where one of the older wolves stood there with a very old book in his hands. He had a small table in front of him with a knife and bowl as well.

"Welcome dear wolves of the Riveter Pack. Today we celebrate a new bond and pray that this bond will help us reach greater heights in the future. Alpha, would you like to say anything?"

Hudson cleared his throat, "Today is a very important day for all of us. We will have a new leader to stand beside me and make decisions in the best interests of the pack. She's my other half. The better one."

My heart warmed when he winked at me.

He then looked at his group of advisors, "As always, I need your approval. Do any of you object my motion that Alexis Carter should be my Luna?"

There was a threatening undertone in his voice as he dared them to go against him.

They shook their heads almost immediately and he nodded in approval, "Good."

He turned to the wolf on stage and said, "Mr. Devon, you may continue."

Mr. Devon nodded and looked down at his book again, "To begin, the two leaders must cut their palms and share their blood. The mixed blood will drip into this bowl for sacrifice."

Hudson and I shared a look.

"Is there an alternate way to do this?" I asked hesitantly. He frowned, "What do you mean?"

"If my blood touches Hudson's cut, then it will heal immediately. There won't be enough time for the blood to drip into the bowl."

"Oh."

He cleared his throat, "Well I guess what we can do is have the two of you just place a few drops of blood in the bowl and mix it together."

Hudson took the knife and sliced his palm, letting his blood drip into the bowl for a few moments before handing me the knife. I did the same and watched Mr. Devon mix the blood together. He then took the bowl and placed it in front of an altar dedicated to the Moon Goddess.

He turned around and handed each of us a candle, "You will now light the candles on the altar together. Lighting the candle on the left shows that you will work together to burn away any hardships and struggles the pack may face in the future. The candle on the right is scented, so when you light it, it represents your love for each other goes beyond life because the scent still lingers even when the candle has stopped burning."

He paused for a moment to let it all sink in.

"The candle in the middle is for the Moon Goddess. If she accepts the bond, the candle will continue to burn once you light it. If not, it means she is not satisfied with the bond."

I swallowed nervously. There have been times where the candle went out and it was considered a bad omen. It meant that the Moon Goddess regretted her pairing and wished to fix it if possible. In all of the cases that this has happened, the Alpha rejected his mate and picked a new Luna.

Hudson took my hand and squeezed it. We stepped forward and lit the candles on the left and right slowly. When it came to the middle one, it was like everyone held their breath.

My hand was shaking as I tilted my candle into the tall gold-colored jar.

Hudson squeezed my hand again and we watched the candle flicker a little before becoming stronger.

The pack erupted into the cheers as the flame became larger.

I let out a sigh of relief, and Hudson immediately pulled me in for a passionate kiss.

I was the Luna of the Riveter Pack.