Chapter 55

It was only a rehearsal, so Jennifer said it was okay to wear my jeans and a T-shirt beneath my mother’s ceremonial robe.

Jennifer adjusted the robe to make it fall evenly in the front and back. “You can wear your clothes this time, but for the actual ceremony, you must be naked beneath the robe.”

My stomach squirmed with anxiety once again. “Why do I have to be naked?”

Jennifer looked at me as if I were kidding. “Of course, you’ve never shifted, but I thought somebody would have explained things.”

I shrugged. “My foster parents didn’t care enough to explain anything to me, and their real daughter won’t be old enough to shift for several more years.”

She froze for a moment as she searched for the words. “You do understand that when you shift, your body changes, but your clothing won’t.”

I nodded.

Jennifer looked concerned. “Have you ever seen a werewolf shift?”

“No, never. Amy is also five months younger than me…” I replied.

She checked her watch. “Someone should explain it in more detail, but we don’t have time now. Your father is waiting for you.”

Jennifer walked me from my room to the long hallway leading to the ballroom. Victor and Alex, also dressed in robes, waited for me about twenty feet from the ballroom doors.

My father looked dignified as he offered me his arm and pressed one of the wolfsangel symbols carved into a wall panel. I gasped as an entire section of the wall slid to one side.

My eyes widened in amazement as we stood at the entrance of the altar room.

It was large, not as large as the ballroom, but it had a high ceiling and an octagonal dias carved from black marble at the far end.

The walls were covered with ancient gold leaf and onyx carvings depicting werewolves in various stages of shifting. There were other symbols surrounding the carvings that I knew meant transformation, rebirth, and new beginnings.

Behind the dias was a marble altar with a statue of a large wolf with claws on its hands and feet. The wolf was Lycaon. He had the throat of a stag clenched in his wickedly sharp teeth.

Rubies dripped from the deer’s throat and the mouth of the wolf like blood. The statue was beautiful and compelling.

Above the statue, a carving seemed to float above the wolf and its prey. It was a beautiful female dressed in a robe like mine, and she held the moon in one hand. She was the Moon Goddess.

A thin, robed figure stood on the dais. A hood was over their head, and the figure sprinkled powder everywhere.

After Alex signaled to Victor, he positioned himself in front of us and slowly led the way toward the hooded figure.

I wasn’t sure if it was okay to speak. But this was supposed to be a practice ceremony.

I was so nervous I decided to risk it. Keeping my voice low, I asked Alex, “Why is Victor walking ahead of us? And who is that waiting for us on the dais?”

“That’s Kyra, the high priestess of this district. She performed my Moon Goddess ceremony and your mother’s. Now, she will also perform your ceremony,” Alex replied.

“And Victor has been appointed as one of your witnesses and Alpha guides. He will escort us to the dais and stay nearby throughout your first shift. I thought you would want to choose the other Alpha to help him in his duties.”

“What is the priestess sprinkling all over the dais?” I asked. I smelled something sweet drifting from that direction. It was a pleasant scent that made me feel calmer.

“The powder will be sprinkled about the room several times during the real ceremony. It is a mixture of things meant to calm and soothe, magnify pack ties, and provide inspiration,” Alex explained. “The scent is mostly lily-of-the-valley, marigolds, and red azaleas.”

I felt my legs shake as we made our way forward, but Alex gave me a smile of encouragement that helped propel me the rest of the way to the marble platform.

The high priestess lowered her hood. She had long white hair and a pale face that made her blue eyes more prominent. She had to be older than Alex, yet she appeared to be in her twenties.

Kyra turned to face the giant wolf statue and spread a handful of powder onto the altar. “First, I will make an offering to Lycaon, the first and most powerful werewolf ever in existence,” she explained.

She turned and spread a handful in front of me before raising her arms high. “Then I will chant the incantation that welcomes the presence of the Moon Goddess as you approach the Altar.”

“After that, I will ask the Moon Goddess to persuade Lycaon to welcome you as one of us. Then everyone in the chapel will chant the ancient prayers as we await your first shift.”

“That’s it?” I asked.

“This is an ancient ceremony, Daisy,” my father said.

“I meant no disrespect,” I explained. “But I thought the ceremony would be more complicated.”

Kyra nodded her agreement. “The ceremony is simple. It’s about asking for a blessing for the rest of your life as a werewolf.”

“When do I shift?” I asked. I felt my hands shaking again. My nervousness was growing.

“At the stroke of midnight,” Kyra replied.

“Will it just happen?” I asked. I knew I had to do it, but I did not know how it worked.

My heart pounded in my chest and my mouth went dry when I thought about being expected to do something I didn’t know how to do.

Kyra looked to my father. “Has she not been taught these things?”

“She was lost to me for seventeen years,” Alex reminded her.

“Someone must explain it to her,” Kyra said. She touched my arm. “There is nothing to be afraid of, child.”

“I’ll explain it to her,” Victor volunteered. “She learns quickly.”

“Very well,” Kyra said. “Do you have any questions about the ceremony, Daisy?”

I shook my head. I couldn’t think about anything except experiencing my first shift in front of people. My anxiety was making my heart race.

Alex thanked Kyra, and we departed the altar room.

“I’m afraid I must go lie down,” Alex said. “Victor, take Daisy into the living room to explain everything to her.”

Victor and I went into the living room and sat on the couch.

“Shifting is a natural thing,” Victor told me. “All werewolves’ first shifts will happen on their own. After that, betas will only shift when they are ordered to by the Alphas. But because we are Alphas, we can shift at any time by giving our inner wolves permission to be seen.”

I tried to relax, but it all sounded so strange to me.

“You do know that an ancient lycan soul is joined to the mind of every werewolf,” Victor explained. “This soul becomes active at midnight on your eighteenth birthday, just before your first shift.”

“Yeah, I know all that, but it’s hard to imagine hearing another soul in my mind,” I said. “Can she tell me what to do?”

“Your wolf persona will not take over your life,” Victor assured me. “She will be your guide and your companion and will reveal any mate bonds.”

“What is it like?”

Victor gave me a grin. “It may feel a little strange the first time, but after you’ve shifted, you will discover a freedom you never knew existed.”

A strange light began to glow in Victor’s eyes. “I look forward to each time my body morphs into wolf form. The joy of running through the fields and woods, free to do as you please is glorious.”

“I still don’t understand,” I said.

“Let me try to explain it better," Victor said. “Shortly before midnight, you will be in your ceremonial robe as we enter the altar room.”

I nodded and waited for him to continue.

“After Kyra obtains the blessing, you will bow to Lycaon to thank him for his acceptance and prepare to shift by unbuttoning the top of your robe.”

“Kyra will time everything so the few witnesses present will chant the ancient prayers until the clock strikes midnight.”

“As you feel your body begin to change, Kyra will signal you to let the robe drop. You’ll feel your body stretch in some places and retract in others as you drop to all fours.”

“The robe ensures your naked human body will not be exposed to any of the handful of people in the room,” he assured me.

That was a relief. “You’re sure it won’t hurt?” I asked again.

“There is no pain,” Victor said. “It feels glorious. You will feel a sense of relief. It’s as if you had been allowed to stand and stretch after being forced to sit all day.”

“But it’s a much more intense feeling of relief. It feels like your body is changing into what it was meant to be.”

The strange light in Victor’s eyes glowed brighter. “I must go now, Daisy,” he said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He was gone before I could rise from the couch.