Chapter 4 : The Mating Ritual

*Mae* Mae stared off into the distance while April decorated her hair with little flowers. The older sister tried to calm all the nerves rising in her. This should be a happy day; it would be a happy day. Rationally, she knew that. She tried to picture that final moment when she saw Henry waiting for her – her true mate. "Are you excited? You look beautiful," April whispered, with a pep in her voice. Mae nodded lightly. She didn't want to get into all her fears that still lingered. She just wanted to think about Henry and this day being over. "Thank you for doing my hair," Mae mumbled, doing her best to sound positive. "Of course, Henry is going to be so awestruck when he sees you. You look amazing!" April brushed some of Mae's hair back so it rested more gently against the side of her face. "Yeah, I hope so." April gripped Mae's arms and turned her around. Her eyes would hardly focus on anything, much less her little sister staring at her. She felt as if she was in a daze. "What is wrong? You can't still be nervous? I mean after everything Henry said to you last night, you know you two are meant to be together! We are going to go to the ritual, and everything is going to be wonderful, you'll see." April pulled her sister into her arms and held her tight. Mae was constantly surprised but grateful that Henry and her sister maintained their positivity. "I know… I know you're right." "Well, then are you ready to go?" April asked, standing up, starting to jump in excitement. "Yes, you know what? Yes, I am. Let's go! I'm so ready to be mated to Henry and start our lives together," Mae exclaimed. Mae took April's hand and let her guide her out of the bedroom and down the stairs. "Oh darling, you look wonderful," Keith offered as he reached over to kiss Mae's cheek. "It's going to be a wonderful ritual tonight." Keith held out both of his arms for his daughters. Mae wondered how much her father really believed it would be a 'wonderful' ceremony. She wasn't sure how he felt about her marrying Henry. The packs were rivals, after all. They walked together through the forest and out to the sacred area of the mating ritual site. Mae's stomach was in knots. Crowds of people gathered around to celebrate the ritual. Flowers and little lights decorated the circles where all the wolves of the correct age for the ritual were gathering. Mae gazed around and saw Henry standing with Circe and a few others she recognized. The knots seemed to tighten around her insides. "April, can you just tell me one more time that everything is going to be alright?" Mae whispered, leaning over to her sister. Mae kept her eyes straight ahead, locked on Henry. She worried if she looked anywhere else, she might cry. "Yes, I promise! It's going to be great! Now, go take your place in the circle!" April nudged her sister forward. Mae looked up and let her father kiss her cheek again and then took her place. The ritual leader stood in the middle of the circle, the light of the full moon pouring down on her, and raised her hands to welcome everyone to come gather around. She looked stoic and serious–much too solemn for such a joyous event. "Welcome, everyone, to the sacred mating ritual. Let us begin. Thank you, beautiful Goddess of the Moon, for being here with us and guiding us through this powerful experience. We offer you our worship and devotion with our songs and dance!" The leader raised her arms to the sky and started to lead the crowd in song. "Goddess of all the wolves in creation, hear our songs of praise. We follow your gentle rotation and hear our voices raised. Ignite the love and passion between the chosen mates. Help them walk together through the wedding gates. We love you, Moon Goddess, with all our souls and hearts. We worship you forever, let us never part." Mae sang the words and did her best to really feel them in her heart and let the Moon Goddess know how much she wanted to be with Henry. She tried to hear Henry's words in her mind again that they wouldn't be so in love and connected if they weren't already mates. They went through many different songs together and danced wildly in the moonlight. Mae tried to keep her focus and her eyes on Henry but had a very difficult time concentrating. "Now, it's time. I ask the male partners to come forward and take their piece of nature to let them know where to wait. Ladies, please step to the edge of the circle and wait until the time to search has begun." Mae hesitantly moved to the back of the circle and waited. She kept her eyes locked on Henry, and he continually sent glances back to her. The ritual leader handed each of the men their pieces of nature, and Henry gave one last look at Mae before heading off to his location. The leader led everyone in the dismissal song as the men wandered off to their sacred locations. Mae felt her heart flutter and ache a bit for Henry. She watched him until he disappeared into the shadows of the trees, trying to memorize his path. Mae felt like she waited for several hours when it was only about twenty minutes. Her head jerked up in a sort of panic when the ritual leader called for attention again. "Now, it is time for the women to find their truest mate. Will the women please come forward?" The ritual woman held her arms up and called up to the moon. "Moon Goddess, please send down your light and your blessings to guide these women to their destined mate. We thank you for being with us and guiding these women to their truest love." Abruptly, the moon shone brighter and seemed to sparkle like a giant diamond in the sky. Then, several different beams shot out of it and landed like little orbs in the leader's hands. She called out a blessing upon the lights and slowly they floated over to their destined person. "Here we are in the final moments of this sacred night. The time has come to find the truest mates of our joined packs. Ladies, please follow your lights." As if on cue, the lights flew up in the air and slowly started to lead down the correct paths. Mae looked back at her family and watched her sister give her an encouraging look. Mae turned back and started following the light forward. She felt nervous and as if her stomach was crawling up into her throat. The light twinkled and glittered, inviting her to her near future. Mae just pictured Henry's face and tried to imagine that moment when she arrived to see him standing there waiting for her. She continued to whisper silent prayers to the Moon Goddess. This is it. This is what she and Henry had been waiting for. The light seemed to glow bright and radiate positive vibes. The orb swerved and moved through the trees. Mae eagerly followed its direction and tried to keep her excitement up, ignoring the nerves coursing through her veins. "Soon, you'll see Henry, and all will be okay. You know it's Henry. It's all going to be okay," Mae continued to mutter quietly to herself. She heard the rhythmic thump of a heartbeat in the distance, and her own started to grow stronger as well. She rushed forward and turned a corner, following the orb. Her heart was screaming with anticipation of seeing Henry, but that's not who was waiting for her. Nathan, Henry's cousin, was standing by a thick tree with a small smile on his lips. His brows reached his hairline when Mae came into view, appearing equally surprised as she was. Mae felt her heart and her stomach drop to her toes, nearly knocking her to her knees. *** *Henry* Henry stood in the designated spot pacing back and forth in a weird circle. He felt like his nerves were so tight that he was actually cramping. His back muscles were stiff, and his brow knitted together in a tight frown. He was starting to leave marks in the grass from pacing the same spot over and over. He never wanted to show his fears in front of Mae, but he couldn't help feeling them all now. Henry felt almost as if he was going to throw up. He kept tightening his hands into fists and releasing them slowly. He waited anxiously for Mae and almost wanted to walk back part of the way down the path to see if he could see her. He wished they could have met at their special, secret spot, but they had to follow the ritual. Henry started to hear a heartbeat and footsteps coming toward him. His eyes snapped forward in the direction of the sound. He couldn't wait to hold Mae in his arms and celebrate their union. Henry's mouth dropped, and his hands balled into fists when around the edge of the trees appeared Circe. She had a wild grin that seemed to hold some kind of secret. Henry's frown grew deeper – he was unamused. "What? Is this some kind of joke? What the hell are you doing here?" Henry demanded. Circe smirked widely and did her best to walk toward him seductively. "What are you talking about, lover? My light led me here. I am your true mate." Circe started picking at her nails, keeping her secretive smile. "That's impossible. I'm meant to be mated with Mae. What did you do?" Henry couldn't help raising his voice and backing away from Circe. He felt a deep fearful rage boiling inside him, and he was worried about what he might do if Circe came closer to him. "Henry, what do you mean? I would never do anything to Mae. The Moon Goddess chose us to be together. How could I have possibly messed with this?" Circe answered, doing her best to sound hurt. She tried to make it seem as if she was on the verge of tears, but it was truly taking all her energy not to laugh out loud. "I can't believe this. I can't believe this is true…" Henry's voice faded as he continued to pace the patch of grass beneath him and tried to wrap his head around the situation. Circe couldn't help but giggle softly to herself. She turned away from Henry to hide most of her glee and excitement. "Well, lover, should we embrace in our first mated kiss?" Circe suggested, trying to stand in a sexual pose. Henry turned around and stared at her with a wildfire of disdain in his eyes.