Capítulo 2: Chapter 2 - The Ceremony
I head towards the pack, making sure not to trip and mess my dress in the middle of the dark cold forest. It's eerily quite and the only sound filling my ears is the cool breeze. I have always loved the dark and silence. But my heart is pounding in my chest from anticipation. Is it because it has been nine years since I last visited the pack? To see how much has changed? Or.. to see who remembers me.. ah! that's just absurd.
I stop midway and hold my hand against my chest to steady the anxiety and insane rate of heart beat.
'You got this!', Elisa, my wolf, nudges.
'I know, I know', I reassure myself.
I blow out some hot air and continue my walk. It's 8:30 and I'm already late. As I come closer to the pack I see lights and huge iron gates. "State your name and business", the guard says. Wow, not only am I living outside the pack but I'm treated like an outcast as well. "Aiyana Jones, I have come to witness the engagement of Alpha's son Jaxon", I reply curtly.
The guard sniffs the air for any intruders but identifies I'm one of them.
After a few seconds they open the gates and wind mixed with fruit, cookies and lots of different kinds of food swooshes past me it has been a long time since I inhaled the fresh smell of baked food. I take a deep breath and walk ahead, my long black wavy hair dancing behind me.
The ceremony has started and I see a stage lit up with warm light and a crowd of people sitting in front of it. The crowd's back facing me as I try to find an empty seat in the back of a roaring audience. And to my surprise I find one empty seat in the last row.
Alpha Ragnar comes on stage. He has grown old since I last saw him, his features are more defined in a good way, I can also see a few wrinkles and his hair has taken shade of grey. A woman of his age stands beside him, I don't remember her but just like the alpha she has a few wrinkles in her eyes.
Elisa dangles back and forth in the back of my mind.
'Hey what's wrong? Calm down, do you want to go for a run?'
'I just feel so happy!', she wags her tail.
"Welcome everyone", the alpha announces, "Today we gather here to celebrate the engagement of our son Jaxon to his beautiful beloved, Jessica", he finishes and the soon followed a series of claps and whistles.
My eyebrows reach the top of my hairline as I watch as a woman my age comes on stage. Wait.. Jessica as in, Jessica Anderson? She– she– and then Jessica turns towards the crowd and my heart sinks a little. At the end, she snagged him like how she always wanted when she was little.
Just then a little kid rams his foot in my chair and falls down, "oh my gosh, are you okay, sweetie?", I whisper as I watch a few people glance this way. He hit his foot pretty bad.
"Ye- yea, I'm okay, thankyou", he tells with a tinge of pink on his cheeks. He dusts his legs before running again. Kids.
I stand up straightening my dress before my line of sight locks eyes with a person on stage who is concentrating on me, my hair waves to the wind as the smell of mint and husky cologne ignites my entire being sending me to euphoria with a swirl of emotions electrifying my entire body, something I've never felt before. My eyebrows crook in confusion and my eyes widen with horror and surprise when I realized who it is.. Jaxon.
"Mate", I whisper.
He smirks and breaks eye contact and I let out a shaky breath I didn't know I was holding. My heart beat drops down to my stomach as I take a seat. His piercing green eyes struct me like lightning. His constricting muscles show he has been working out a lot, his jaw is defined more than my life and his hair. God. only I remember what it was like to take a fistful of that soft black hair and yank it from his head before he started doing the same to me and the goes on the never ending fight of who can pull each other's hair the hardest.
I let out a crooked smile as unshed tears stream down my face. He was the only happy memory ingrained within me.
I look back up to the stage before wiping my wet cheeks only to have his attention on me before Jessica grabs his jaw, making him look her way.
"Thankyou for joining us today, you may enjoy the rest of the night", the Alpha says and walks with the woman holding her hand. Then all the people rose from the seats and started mingling.
I keep rooted in my seat, letting everything sink in. Jaxon, who I remember as my best friend when we were kids has grown up to be everything I pictured him to be. Wow, I cannot believe he is my mate.
but Jessica. Urgh! I clench my fists.
The event had ended a few minutes ago and people had dispersed. After what seems like forever I rise up finally, making me the only person standing next to the stage while others are drunk or partying. He would probably reject me since he has a future Luna to be by his side, better yet, Jessica.
I turn around, "Excuse me miss, have you seen Jaxon?", I ask a lady in her mid 40s.
"Yeah he should probably be in his house", she responds.
"Oh, thankyou", I reply and walk towards the pack house with only one intention in mind. Its dark and lonely as I walk in this familiar route I know all too well. I take deep breaths as I allow the faint music drum in my ears making me want to close my eyes and never wake up.
I keep walking until I was grabbed by my arm and yanked towards the wall, "ouch! I rub my elbows, what the hell- Jax?", I look in surprise. God, he looks so much better up close, his leather jacket giving him this bad boy look like a fucking Greek God.
"What are you doing here?", he looks straight into my eyes, his deep voice fills the air and reverberates in my chest sending tingles down to you know where.
"It was mandatory I be here", I say in a whisper. Not failing to absorb the electricity between us and the growing thickness of atmosphere.
I stare into those green orbs but quickly look down, a tinge of guilt erupting in my chest, "I-I guess we are mates and I understand you have a.. a fiancée, so lets make this quick and", I swallow a lump in my throat and look at him, "reject me", My heart sinks down at every passing second realizing what I'm doing.
He stares right back into my eyes before letting out an evil chuckle. "Reject you?", he speaks, staring deep into my soul with hatred and another emotion I can't pinpoint in his eyes I've never seen before. "Rejecting you would be too easy, Aiyana". He grits his teeth and leans closer only for me to hear, his warm breath heating my skin, "I'm going to make you suffer for what you did". Suddenly my shoulders tense and my body goes rigid.
"Jax, if-".
"Its Jaxon to you", he corrects me
Okay, I raise my hands "Jaxon, please I-", I'm at loss for words looking at him looking at me with all that hatred makes my guts clench, I wanted to cry and hide inside a wall and never come out. "Please-I". I try to hold him but he takes a few steps back.
"Save it Aiyana, prepare yourself for the worst, you'll need it". With that he walks away.
I stay rooted in my spot as I watch Jaxon walk away. I didn't quite expect it go like this.
"Wow, he has grown up", Elisa speaks in the back of my mind.
"I know right",
"What did he mean by preparing ourselves for the worst?", she asks worriedly.
"I have no idea", I reply, genuinely worried and confused.
I glance around and watch a man looking at me, I nod and give a soft smile before walking away not giving second thought to turn around to look whether he is still looking at me. Well, maybe because none of these people have seen me before. I understand the confusion.
My stomach churns and I've lost my appetite from the previous encounter. I guess I go home now.
I walk towards the gate and the security opens it for me.
"Are we going home?", Elisa nudges.
"Yeah, I don't want to stay much longer"
"Do you want to go for a run? clear our thoughts?", I ask.
"Yeah, that would feel good"
As soon as I exit the gate and walk a few miles further making sure no one is around, I remove my dress and fold it next to me then I allow Elisa to take form. I grab my dress with my snout making sure not to bite on the silk fabric too hard and then I dash out of there.
Elisa ducks and runs through the forest memorizing the forest like the back of my palm. "Fuck Jessica", she growls, the wind swimming past my black soft fur.
I let out a sigh allowing her to release all the stress she needs. Tonight has been a hell of a night and a lot to process.
"when we were young she tried to over shadow us",
"And now that we are more sexier, still! she over shadows us!", she howls.
"He's mine!",
"Mine!", Elisa bears her teeth.
"Hey, calm down, it's alright", I soothe her from the back of her mind making sure not to pour my emotions out. I can't help but feel jealous that it's Jessica to stand beside him. I mean he is my best friend but at the same time I can't help but feel territorial.
After running for a few minutes our house comes into view.
From the exhausting ceremony and venting out, both of us are completely exhausted. I turn back to human form and enter my house, locking the door behind me. I put on a big t-shirt and some shorts and plop on bed before darkness consumes me.
Status de energia semanal
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Poder 
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Poder