Chapter 3 The Binding Ceremony

Erick’s POV

The entrance hall smelled like cedar smoke and crushed sage. Erick stood at the altar, trying to hide his shaking hands behind his back.

Two hundred wolves filled the room, staring at him with suspicion, curiosity, and even anger.

He felt like he didn't belong.

Maya stood to his left, her Beta uniform perfect, her face calm. She'd said, "They'll smell fear faster than blood."

So Erick stood tall and breathed evenly, even though his heart was pounding.

The Council was seated in a raised half-circle behind the altar. Elder Thorne's face showed nothing. Elder Morgana stared with a look that made Erick uncomfortable.

Elder Castellan looked bored and was fiddling with his robes.

Deborah's conversation, the talk of hybrid brides and changes, felt like a threat hanging over Erick. The hall went silent.

Deborah walked in through the eastern archway.

Erick gasped.

She wore traditional ceremonial clothes and armor, with silver plates covered in old symbols that shone in the torchlight.

Her red hair was braided with moonstone threads. War paint highlighted her cheekbones. She looked every bit the fierce, untouchable warrior Alpha.

But Erick saw the tension in her jaw, the way her fingers twitched.

They looked at each other across the hall. For a moment, it was quiet - just them, pushed into this situation by events and the Council.

Deborah almost smiled.

Then she put her mask back on and strode towards the altar, confident in her place.

Elder Thorne stood, hitting his staff on the stone floor three times.

"We are here with our ancestors," he said in a deep voice. "To see the joining of two souls, two packs, to fulfill an old prophecy."

The crowd murmured. Erick heard "prophecy" whispered.

Deborah reached the altar. She stood close to him, within reach, so he could see the silver flecks in her amber eyes. He could feel her body heat.

"The Lunar Bloodline was broken long ago," Elder Thorne continued. "Silver and gold, divided by war and betrayal.

Tonight, we fixed what was broken. Tonight, we joined what was separated."

Elder Morgana brought forward a bowl of clear water with an otherworldly glow. Moonwater, Erick realized. Blessed by the full moon, only for sacred rituals.

"Deborah Parker, Alpha of Ravenswood," Morgana said.

Deborah's jaw tightened. Erick saw her wanting to reject this, to destroy the whole thing.

But she looked at the crowd, her pack, the life she'd built.

The words sounded like giving up, I do.

Morgana turned to Erick. "Erick Olsen, bearer of the golden mark. Do you come willingly to this union?" He thought of the years he'd spent hiding, moving from town to town, always afraid.

At least here, he had a purpose, and I do.

Elder Thorne gestured for them to come closer. "Join hands."

Erick's heart raced. The last time they touched, there was a burst of silver fire. What would happen now, in front of everyone?

Deborah held out her right hand, palm up. Her fingers were steady, but Erick saw the worry in her eyes. She felt it too. This was dangerous.

He took her hand. Heat surged through him, golden light twisting up his arm.

Deborah's silver flames responded, and they danced together, opposing forces that should have destroyed each other but created something new.

The crowd gasped. The torches blazed higher, reaching twice their normal height. Shadows twisted on the walls, almost alive.

Elder Thorne's voice broke through the noise. "The blood recognizes its perfect match."

Erick tried to pull away, but Deborah held on tighter. "If we stop now, they'll see we're afraid." So Erick held on, even as the power grew between them, even as his skin burned and his vision blurred.

Elder Morgana dipped her fingers in the moonwater and drew a symbol on Deborah's forehead, then Erick's. The water was freezing against their hands.

"In the name of moon and sun, of silver and gold," Morgana chanted.

"I bind you. Heart to heart, soul to soul." Erick felt something inside him shatter. Like a door he never knew existed, suddenly opening wide.

Deborah's eyes widened. She felt it too.

"Speak the oath," Elder Thorne ordered.

Deborah's voice was steady amidst the chaos! "I promise myself to you, Erick Olsen. My pack is yours."

The words felt like chains wrapping around Erick.

His turn. Once he said it, there was no going back.

But Deborah's hand was warm in his, and her eyes weren't judging.

"I give myself to you, Deborah Parker."

The moment the last word left his lips, the world shifted.

Silver and gold light exploded outwards, blowing out all the torches. Then, just as suddenly, the flames were back, burning brighter than before.

Above the hall, the moon was full and bright. But now there was a shadow on its surface. Not a normal eclipse.

The moon turned red.

Elder Castellan jumped up. "There's no eclipse tonight!" The blood moon bathed the hall in a red light.

Erick felt Deborah's hand twitch in his. Her silver flames flickered and died. His golden light dimmed.

In the silence, Elder Thorne spoke. "The Eclipse Awakens."

Murmurs turned to shouts. The wolves became restless. Maya yelled, trying to control them, but couldn't.

Deborah pulled her hand away. The break was painful. She turned to Elder Thorne and demanded, "What did you do?"

"Not me," Thorne said quietly.

Before Deborah could reply, a howl tore through the night. Not from inside the hall. From beyond the walls.

Elder Morgana's face went white. "The Void Hunters!"

"They want the eclipse power," Morgana snapped. "The binding released too much energy." Deborah's voice cut through the chaos.

Another howl, closer now. The walls shook.

Maya grabbed Deborah's arm.

Elder Thorne approached Erick. "Tonight."

"We're not doing anything," Deborah said.

"You'll die if you stay," Thorne said matter-of-factly. "The Void Hunters will destroy this pack to get to you."

Deborah flinched.

Erick stepped forward.

"The Cursed Forest," Morgana said.

"The Cursed Forest is a death trap," Maya complained.

"So I'm staying here." Erick and Elder Thorne looked at each other. "I thought we had more time."

Deborah looked at her pack, the wolves who depended on her, and then at Erick. For the first time, he saw real fear in her eyes.

Maya started giving orders. Half the pack would evacuate the old and young. The other half would buy time.

As the world fell apart, Erick grabbed Deborah's wrist.

She pulled away.

Then she was gone, racing back to her rooms to gather supplies.

Erick stood alone in the middle of the hall, blood moon shadows reaching out.

Instead of fixing things, they'd made themselves targets.

And somewhere outside, the hunters were closing in.