The Hunters

Chapter Twelve - The Luna Ceremony

I slept for a couple of hours after this morning's horrific events. My body deeply ached unlike anything I had felt before. I felt numb on the inside. The only thing that kept me going was being able to feel Vesper, even though her presence was faint and far away. It wasn't strong enough for me to talk to her, but enough that I knew I wasn't alone. I hoped she didn't hate me.

My rest was interupted by another knock at the door. My heart seized up in fright. I couldn't answer it. Instead, I lifted the covers over my head and laid there in silence.

"It's okay, Alana," I heard Kira's familiar voice through the door. "It's me Kira," she said. I forced myself out of bed and unlocked the door. I flung it open and threw myself at Kira. My body went limp in her arms and we both fell onto the floor. We both sat there crying and hugging each other. I wasn't strong enough to handle any of this. I wasn't strong and I never was.

After a few moments of us breaking down on the floor, I heard Kira softly speak to me, "We have to get you ready for the ceremony. It is going to be in front of the entire pack." I sniffled and pulled away from her, nodding. I was being strong to not only keep myself alive, but also for River. I knew even if I was killed for displeasing Alpha Remus, they were going to torture her. It was a heavy weight on my shoulders. River did so much for me, I had to stay strong. There wasn't a choice.

I took another shower to try and wash away their vile touches while Kira laid several beautiful dresses out on the bed for me to choose from when I was done. My eyes roamed over the choices on the bed.

"I actually had fun picking these out for you. I got to go to the mall in the human town with a couple of the pack's warriors. I even ran a few other pack errands while we were there. It was a nice break from everyday omega life," she explained.

"I'm glad," I told her, my voice sounding weak and broken. I looked over the dresses again. It reminded me of life back at the Full Moon Pack. I got to dress up all the time. I missed home so much.

"I like the dark blue one," I said. I knew it would look good with my long, auburn hair and green eyes. Blue always made me feel fancy, though I was tempted to pick the pink one. It was a cheery color, but I didn't feel cheery. Nor did I want to try to. Kira nodded and started putting the rest of them away.

She did my hair and my makeup in accordance to my dress selection. When she was done, I looked stunning. My eyes stood out against the dark blue and so did the red in my hair. It was curled and bounced with every movement. It made me feel more like myself.

"Thank you," I said while admiring her work in the mirror.

"Of course," she said with a small smile. "You know, I wasn't sure what to think of you when you first got here. Most of the omegas either didn't like you or were intimidated by you," she said and it reminded me of Cade. I never thought I would actually wish to be back working in the kitchen. It also made me think of Aurora. She was out there free. I felt both happy about it and bitter than she left River and I. I couldn't blame her too much. Anyone would be desperate to escape this place, particularly the low ranked werewolves.

"What do you think of me now?" I asked her.

"You are alright," she smiled at me.

"You aren't half bad yourself," I responded. "How is Cade and River?" I asked. We had a few minutes before we had to join the ceremony outside.

"Cade is Cade. Nothing has changed with him. He is fine. River cleans the pack house and is still staying with the omegas, but she gets days off and better food and clothes than the rest of us," she told me. "No one harms her."

There was some relief in that, but my stomach tightened as I looked to the bedroom door. This morning's events flashed through my mind. My eyes lingered over the spot where Gamma Silas was mutilated. I swallowed hard and felt Kira place her hand on my shoulder.

"Let's go," she said. I nodded and we went outside to the Luna Ceremony.

We were escorted by a couple of hand-picked warriors to where the ceremony would take place. The pack was slowly starting to gather at a small stage outside. There were many chairs with balloons and streamers. There was a buffet with tons of food lined up on it. For me, that was the only appealing thing about this.

My eyes scanned the crowd for River. I saw her sitting with the rest of the omegas in the middle of the crowd. Sasha and the warrior Farrel sat among them. River watched me from the distance with such sadness in her eyes.

Kira led me to the stage where Alpha Remus was already waiting. His face lit up joyfully, looking over me in the form-fitting blue dress that I wore.

"You look stunning," he said as I stood beside him. He linked his arm with mine.

"Thank you," I said watching as Kira went to join the rest of the pack in the crowd. Alpha Remus turned his attention to the pack, watching as one by one they took a seat. All of their eyes were watching us.

"New Moon Pack!" His powerful voice rang out over them. "So many wonderful things for us," he began. "But today is only about your new Luna!" The crowd cheered blissfully, though there were a few that sat there bitterly. They were mostly shewolves that were likely jealous. They reminded me of some of the shewolves back in the Full Moon Pack that were always pointing after Blaze's attention. I was guilty of being one of them, so I couldn't fault any of the shewolves that looked on with resentment and jealousy.

"As you all know, in my years as Alpha, I never found my true mate," he spoke again once the cheering died down. "But if we want our pack to continue to grow stronger, we need a Luna. We all know that a Luna makes Alphas stronger. Makes packs stronger. So I decided to have a chosen mate," he paused and looked over at me, then back out to the collective crowd.

"This is Alana Gray. She is of Gamma blood," he explained, but he didn't tell everyone what pack I was from. Many already knew because they were there that dreadful night. They were among the warriors that destroyed the Full Moon Pack and took River and I as prisoners. Perhaps he wanted to keep it under the radar from the rest of the pack as much as possible. I wasn't sure.

Maybe he didn't want word getting outside of the pack that there were members of the Full Moon Pack that were still alive. We were alive and could tell the world what happened. We could tell the world of the New Moon Pack's thirst for blood.

I looked out more closely at the crowed and thought over the type of people I saw in this pack. Aside from many of the omegas, they were all like Alpha Remus, bloody thirsty and brutal. They were powerful and harsh. They were prideful and ruthless. Like the warrior in the garden and the shewolf that told Sasha I was a w***e. Like the Gamma that betrayed his own Alpha. Alpha Remus ruled this rough bunch with an iron fist and instilling fear. He was fierce and conniving.

"Alina is my chosen mate and your new Luna," he announced and the cheering started up again. "You will treat her and address her as such. However, there is a caveat." There were whispers among the pack members now.

"Alina will not go through the ceremony to join the pack, but I assure you, she is still every bit your Luna," he told them. "Take any questions or concerns either to myself or your Beta," he said. I immediately knew why I wasn't being inducted into the pack. He didn't want me to have the ability to mindlink with everyone. It was an ability all the pack members had with each other, exclusively. I wouldn't be able to do that because I was still a prisoner. I wasn't a true Luna. He didn't want to risk me using the ability to mindlink as a means to plot an escape. I had already tried to flee once afterall.

The ceremony was less of a ceremony and more of an announcement and celebration. Once we concluded the news, everyone enjoyed the food and mindling together. I was allowed to stay for the celebration, but I had to remain at Alpha Remus's side the entire time. I was also not allowed near River. After the ceremony, we returned to our bedroom in the pack house. Our bedroom that was also my prison.