Chapter 185

Kayla

The night air wrapped around me as I stepped outside, cool against my exposed skin beneath the thin white silk of my dress. The Blood Moon Revelry was in full swing, the expansive garden behind the Nightshade manor transformed into a primal celebration. A massive bonfire blazed in the center, flames leaping toward the darkening sky, casting flickering orange light across the faces of the revelers.

All around me, people were already dancing, their bodies moving in rhythm with the pounding drums. The women’s white dresses flowed like liquid moonlight, the men’s bare chests gleaming with sweat and painted symbols that seemed to glow in the firelight. The scent of smoke mingled with sweet incense and the earthy smell of the forest beyond.

I moved through the crowd, acknowledging pack members with nods and smiles as they parted respectfully for their Luna. Despite the cramping that still occasionally rippled through my abdomen, I felt oddly light, as if the Blood Moon itself was lending me strength.

Across the bonfire, I spotted Nicholas. My breath caught in my throat at the sight of him. He stood tall and powerful, his bare chest adorned with intricate symbols painted in silver and blue. The crown of white roses sat atop his dark hair, marking him as Alpha.

His eyes found mine through the flames, and everything else seemed to fade away.

We moved toward each other, drawn together like magnets. The crowd parted for us, creating a path that led us to the center of the celebration. When we finally stood face to face, Nicholas reached out, his fingers brushing against my cheek.

“Hm. Beautiful,” he murmured, his eyes drinking me in. The firelight danced across his tanned skin, highlighting the curves of muscle beneath the painted symbols—ancient runes of protection, fertility, and power.

I reached up to touch one of the white roses in his crown, my lips curving into a smile despite everything weighing on my mind. “You don’t look so bad yourself, Alpha.”

Nicholas’s arms encircled my waist, pulling me gently against him. His lips found mine in a kiss that sent heat coursing through my veins, momentarily pushing aside thoughts of pills and doctors and decisions that needed to be made.

He began to sway with me to the rhythm of the drums, our bodies moving as one beneath the night sky.

For a few precious minutes, we just danced, lost in each other and the primal energy of the Revelry. But all too soon, it was time for the Rite.

The drums shifted to a slower, more rhythmic beat, signaling the beginning of the night’s most sacred ritual. People—not just from Nightshade, but from all over, as mates were drawn in the direction of one another regardless of pack boundaries—began to separate, forming two large groups.

Traditionally, these groups were divided by gender—women with the Luna and men with the Alpha—although nowadays, pack members were free to join whichever group aligned with their sexual preferences.

I took my place at the head of one group. This was the moment when fated mates would find each other, guided by the power of the Blood Moon and the blessing of the Moon Goddess herself.

But first came the symbolic dance between Alpha and Luna, meant to represent the first mated pair blessed by the Goddess. Nicholas stepped forward from his group as I stepped forward from mine. We met in the center of the clearing, surrounded by the pack, the bonfire, and the rising Blood Moon.

The drums intensified as we began to move. It was a dance I’d practiced, as all children of Alphas were expected to do, but never performed myself. I let my body flow with the rhythm, mirroring Nicholas’s movements as we circled each other, never touching but always connected by an invisible thread.

My dress billowed around me as I twirled, red hair flying out in a fiery arc that contrasted with the pure white of the silk. Nicholas moved with the natural grace of a predator, his eyes never leaving mine as we wove through the complex patterns of the dance.

As per tradition, the Alpha and Luna would be fated mates, their souls bound together by the Goddess herself. Nicholas and I had chosen each other instead, our bond forged through love and choice rather than fate.

But in that moment, as we moved together beneath the Blood Moon, the distinction seemed meaningless. Chosen or fated, wolfless or not, we belonged to each other.

As the dance reached its climax, Nicholas and I finally came together in the center, our hands joining as we completed the final turn. The pack erupted in howls of approval, the sound echoing through the night.

With the ceremonial dance complete, it was time for the Mating Rite itself. Nicholas tugged me close, his bare skin warm through my dress. Some of the paint adorning his body smeared across the fabric, but I didn’t care.

“Let the Mating Rite begin!” Nicholas called out, his voice carrying across the clearing.

The drums reached a fever pitch as the two groups surged toward each other. Bodies collided, twisted, moved around one another in a strangely organized frenzy. Nicholas and I remained standing together in the center, watching as the ritual unfolded around us.

Within moments, the first pair gasped and cried out as they found each other. Soon, the air grew into a cacophony as more and more connected.

It was a beautiful, chaotic spectacle—the moment when two souls recognized each other through the power of their wolves. Some couples simply stood frozen, staring at each other in wonder. Others grabbed hands and ran laughing into the darkness of the forest. One woman even stripped off her dress as she ran, fully naked now, discarding the garment in the grass.

Some shifted on the spot. They nuzzled each other before throwing back their heads to howl at the Blood Moon together.

My heart ached as I watched them. This was something I would never fully experience, not without my wolf. I could never feel that moment of recognition, that pull toward my fated mate. I could never shift beneath the Blood Moon and run with my other half through the forest.

I placed my hand over my belly, feeling the slight swell that had begun to form there. Closing my eyes, I sent a silent prayer to the Moon Goddess.

Please help me find my wolf. Let me keep this baby. Fix what’s broken in me.

The thought of terminating the pregnancy still twisted like a knife in my gut. But what choice did I have? Without a wolf, my body couldn’t sustain a werewolf pup. The doctor had made that abundantly clear.

Unless a miracle happened, I would have to take those pills. End this tiny life that had already claimed a piece of my heart. The thought made me want to scream, to rage at the unfairness of it all.

Nicholas tightened his hold on my waist, dipping his head to kiss me. I tilted my head back to deepen the kiss, and it lingered for a long moment, tongues gently slipping across one another.

But there was a shadow in his eyes when he pulled back to look at me, and I knew, deep down, that he was hurting too. Not just for himself, but for both of us. He never mentioned that my wolflessness bothered him, not even once, but I knew it did on a deep and primal level.

Just then, movement at the edge of the clearing caught my attention. Someone was pushing through the crowd, moving with purpose. As they stepped into the firelight, I recognized her immediately.

Anna.

She wore the traditional white dress like all the women, but on her it seemed to glow, accentuating her curves and the golden tone of her skin. Her long dark hair cascaded down her back. She was undeniably beautiful.

Was her fated mate here, in Nightshade territory?

It must have been, because she moved through the throng, her eyes scanning the crowd.

A stillness seemed to fall over the clearing as Anna stepped forward. Her movements were almost dreamlike, as if she were in a trance. I heard gasps from those around us, saw the knowing looks exchanged.

No. It couldn’t be.

My heart stopped in my chest as Anna walked directly up to Nicholas, her white dress flowing around her like mist.

“Nicholas… You are my fated mate.”