Owned by the Alphas 4: Saved by the Alphas
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Jen Cooper
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The Shift
Lorelai
“Are you excited?” I asked, pulling a comb through Ryleigh’s long, dark strands of freshly washed hair.
“Nervous,” she murmured, looking out the window instead of in the vanity mirror.
“I think it will go great. It seems to be a common ceremony for the wolves and Derik assured me that with us all there, your first shift will be as painless as we can make it,” I said.
Ryleigh shuddered but said nothing, so I kept brushing.
I eyed her in the mirror. Her nightgown was fisted in her hands and I sighed. I had no idea how to make her feel better about the first shift or the ceremony we were having for it.
The first full moon, the first shift after winter was apparently always a big deal, but I didn’t know much more than that.
I hadn’t been here for the last one, so I had no idea what to expect.
“I sat in a chair just like this getting my hair brushed before my ceremony,” I said quietly.
Ryleigh met my eyes with hers in the mirror.
They always stood out. So wide on a round face with one brown and one green. It was pretty on her tan skin, a lighter dusting of freckles across her small, slightly upturned nose making her look so innocent.
But she wasn’t. She was strong. She had Derik as an Alpha. More so than the others had. And he wouldn’t let her down. I knew as much as that.
“Wolves and their ceremonies,” she sighed.
I smiled at that, “They do like to make things rather dramatic, don’t they?” I chuckled, pulling her hair into a braid. I wasn’t as good at them as my mom, but it would do. “Is that what is making you nervous? Being in front of everyone?” I wondered.
She shrugged, “I don’t like being stared at. Or having everyone stare at me. Especially naked. Vaughn is the only one who has ever seen me like that and I had the naive hope that it would stay that way,” she said wistfully.
I smirked. That I could help with.
“Oh, well I can help. I can put up a screen of magic. Or some cool purple mist that’ll hide your body until you have turned?”
She spun in her chair, facing me, her eyes full of hope, “You can do that?”
I shrugged, “I have three Alphas and Luna status, pretty sure I can get away with anything,” I laughed.
“And you would be right, Beautiful,” Derik smiled, striding into the room, and planting a kiss on my forehead.
I grinned up at him as he looked down at Ryleigh. He had some penstemon flowers in his hand and started putting them in Ryleigh’s braid.
“Pearl is busy with the children but has said these will help. They open you up to deep transformation, building up your courage and keeping it there. She said they will help you persevere through the ceremony,” Derik said, reciting the words like she had told him to say exact things.
She probably had. Ryleigh smiled widely and nodded at him, “Thank you, Alpha Derik,” she said.
He nodded then turned to me, “We are ready for you. Put the cloaks on and meet us downstairs.”
“And you’re sure we really need to have a shifting celebration?” I asked.
He frowned at that, “It’s not a celebration, Beautiful. This ceremony is about much more than that. We shift together, we bleed together, we sacrifice together. It keeps us a pack, a family,” Derik said, his voice strong and alpha-like.
I blew out a breath, that was intense. Brax had not explained it like that.
“Brax said we’ll have a ceremony, shift, run, have a good time. Not a single part of that explanation led me to believe there would be bleeding involved,” I scowled, hands going to my hips.
Derik rolled his eyes, “That’s because I left Brax in charge of explaining something.” Derik looked between me and Ryleigh. He wore a cloak too, a velvet black cloak with a gold trimming at the top. It looked so luxurious and made his eyes look even darker.
Ryleigh held her arms and shivered. I put my hand on her shoulder and narrowed my eyes on Derik, shooting my look to Ryleigh so he could see what I was trying to tell him. That his Beta was freaking out.
Derik knelt down by Ryleigh, his hands on her knees as he looked up at her.
“I don’t want the easy version of this. I want to know what I’m walking into,” she said forcefully.
It reminded me of the way I had conversed with Mom before my ceremony. I had felt better once she had explained things in more detail.
The unknown was terrifying.
“We’re going to go down to the clearing in the forest. It’s the meeting point between all four areas. The Alphas will cut their hands, bleeding on the soil, and then you all will. We’ll say some words and then once the dark of night sets in and the moon is at its peak, we’ll shift. Together.”
Yeah, Brax had given us one hell of a watered-down version.
“And if I don’t want to shift in front of everyone else?” Ryleigh asked, her voice and eyes watery.
Derik gave her a small smile, “It will be more painful to do on your own. Even with just me there. With us there, we will be able to absorb that pain.”
Ryleigh closed her eyes then swallowed and nodded.
“Okay.”
“We will be there with you. Vaughn and your daughter too,” Derik said.
He was letting Mom attend with Vaughn and the babies so they could be a part of it too. Cain would be with them to make sure they didn’t absorb anything. I wasn’t even sure if I was going to shift yet. I knew I should, since I was Luna and part of the pack, but shifting while pregnant didn’t sound fun at all.
The rest of the pack was shifting since it was meant to be mandatory.
“Althea. That’s my daughter’s name.”
“Althea will be there too,” Derik reassured.
I moved into Derik’s side as Ryleigh nodded and turned to us, “Can I have a minute please?”
Derik nodded and led me into the hall outside her room. It was set aside for her and Vaughn whenever they stayed. She had to be near Derik every few days or the Beta sickness set in. We had learned that over the last two weeks.
Ryleigh had started getting sick, vomiting, tight chest until she was barely breathing. Derik had felt it, almost stopping his breath too.
That concerned me. Greatly.
But Cain assured me that Derik’s survival was not dependent on Ryleigh’s. I might’ve changed my mind on how well I had taken the beta bond if that was the case.
“I am going to use my magic to cover Ryleigh. She’s more modest than the rest of us.”
Derik nodded, “If that makes her more comfortable.”
I grinned and kissed him. He pressed me back into the wall, deepening the kiss.
That was not a good idea when I was already feeling the effects of carrying his child, so potently. I was ready at any and every moment to have him inside me.
I moaned as he lifted me onto his waist, kissing me with soft lips.
“And I thought Derik was the responsible one,” Kai smirked as he came around the corner, Enzi wrapped on his chest.
I smiled over at him and he stole my lips, my body still resting on Derik’s.
“When it comes to Lorelai, I am corruptible it would seem,” Derik smiled then lowered me to the ground.
As much as I wanted to keep going, we had a ceremony to get to.
As if to prove my point, the sun beamed in orange rays through the window at the end of the hall we stood in. It was setting, which meant it was almost time.
“Time for you to get dressed, Little Luna. Need a hand?” Kai smirked.
I laughed. If he came with me, getting dressed would not be on the agenda. I shook my head and turned back to Ryleigh’s door. I knocked.
“Rye? Can I come in?” I asked.
“Yeah,” she said, her voice breathy. I went in and kept my Alphas out. I looked over Ryleigh who had her silver cloak on.
“You look beautiful,” I smiled.
She ran her fingers over the edges of the cloak, “I wish I felt beautiful. Do I have to be naked under it?” she asked.
“I think so, sorry,” I grimaced then started stripping down until I was naked.
“Yeah, I don’t have that kind of body. Especially after Althea,” she pulled her cloak tighter.
Her body had killer curves and flawless skin. She was beautiful. I wished she felt that way.
I pulled my black cloak on, tying it together at the top then clipping the werewolf territory clasp on. It was a wave over a tree with grass along the bottom inside a circle.
“You have everything you need to be beautiful, Ryleigh, you just have to believe it. We do and so does Vaughn. So believe it yourself, because that’s all that matters,” I smiled.
She nodded, “I’m trying. It’s easier in the human village where everyone has flaws. Here, it seems like every werewolf is gorgeous.”
I tilted her chin to me, tucking a stray strand of her hair behind her ear, “And so are you,” I promised.
She looked doubtful but sighed and nodded.
“I suppose it doesn’t matter. I have to do this,” she said.
Well, she wasn’t wrong.
That full moon would wait for no one.
A knock on the door made us turn to the sound.
My mom came in with a copper bowl, stirring its contents and shooing away my Alphas who were waiting outside to escort us.
“Sweethearts, come, put this on your skin. It will help,” she said.
I trusted that and went straight to her.
I started massaging it into my body under the cloak. Ryleigh hesitated then did too.
“Rosehip?” Ryleigh asked, smoothing it over her tan skin. It made it shine.
Mom nodded, “It smells lovely and adds some elasticity to your skin. Now I am not sure if that’ll help in transformation but it’s worth a try. And if it doesn’t, well, at least you’ll have nice beautiful skin with a glow,” she smiled. She was wearing a white cloak with a grasslands clasp over a full gray dress. Her hair was in braids running either side of her head with some little white flowers in it.
She was smiling, talking with Ryleigh about the Rosehip.
She seemed so happy and content. It was peaceful for a change and I savored it on her face.
“Ladies, I don’t mean to interrupt but we need to go down to the clearing,” Derik said through the door.
We finished moisturizing our skin with the oil and then left Ryleigh’s room.
Derik led us down to the lobby where Brax and Kai were waiting, each with a twin wrapped to them.
Vaughn was holding Althea.
Cain and Beenie were in the shadows of the lobby, both with looks that said they would prefer to be anywhere else.
Cain hadn’t been a fan of hanging out with the pack since his mother had passed and the few times I had gone up to see them in the tower, they had shooed me out. I was pretty sure they were working on a revenge plan.
I was going to have to get them to open up before they put us in another war but before that, we had to get through tonight.
The first full moon after winter. Ryleigh’s first shift.
It was a big deal, apparently.
Vaughn had a matching cloak to Mom’s, in white with a silver clasp. I wasn’t sure if that meant spectator or human because Cain wasn’t even wearing a cloak.
Kai and Brax had the same black cloak as Derik and I, that must be an Alpha thing.
The silver cloak stood out the most on Ryleigh, and I knew she would hate that but she was the honored guest.
Galen was in a grey velvet cloak with a gold clasp like Beenie and the rest of the pack.
“Spitfire, you’ve corrupted Derik. He’s never late,” Brax teased.
I shrugged, “I have needs.”
His eyes flashed hungrily as he came over kissing my lips then trailing his affection down my neck, pressing his lips against my ear, “I’m well aware of your needs,” he whispered.
I shivered, feeling his abs through his cloak, licking my lips.
It was like a switch inside me and they flipped it, every time they were close. It was addictive but it was an addiction I welcomed.
“Soon, Spitfire,” Brax promised. I kissed him back, then grabbed his hand and let him lead me with the others. I pressed a kiss on the top of Zale’s sleeping head, going outside and following down the cobblestone path.
Kai came up beside me, laying his arm over my shoulders, and tucking me into him. Enzi smiled at me from her wrap, and I blew her a kiss.
She giggled and grabbed a strand of my hair.
She loved hair. Especially Brax’s. His blue braid was her favorite toy.
Mine too, Enzi, I grinned.
Derik led us all to the clearing that looked incredibly different than the last time we had been there with the vampires.
There was a bonfire in the middle with candles everywhere, encompassing the clearing in warm light and smoke that billowed into the sky.
The smell of the fire, and the wolves, felt like home and settled in my chest with a warmth that had me smiling.
A small wooden platform had been put down for us, like when we had the heat, and Derik led us over to it.
Mom, Galen, Cain, and Beenie stood next to it with Vaughn and Althea.
I stood on the platform with my Alphas and Ryleigh, facing the pack who were all wearing gray cloaks of velvet with gold wolf territory clasps.
So many bodies faced us, all waiting to be instructed. All so loyal to us. All accepting of the weird little family we had created.
It made my eyes sting with tears. They were proud tears, happy tears, ones that not only showed that I was in an emotionally vulnerable state but also that the connection between us all ran deep.
The moon was already creeping up in the sky, highlighting us in the clearing.
The feel of it on my skin had me drawing in a deep, soothing breath.
My magic swirled inside me, reacting with the moon rays. The darkness of the power I wielded turned innocent as it danced to the beat of something only it could hear.
It was happy.
So was I.
And it was light in me. Even my shadows were light. It was as close to peace as I had been since my blood moon ceremony.
Derik let out a booming howl over the clearing, the sound echoing in the night. The other wolves copied him, the harmony in their howls resonating deep in my bones until I couldn’t help but join.
When the chorus of howls stopped, the night was silent. Only the crackling of the fire and gurgling of our young making noise disrupted it.
The pack waited.
And it was the first time I had seen the pack in its entirety.
The heat was always just the adults, the unmated ones usually.
The war had been for Kai’s pack, the brute force, the warriors. For Brax’s water wolves, the ones who were a little more stealth than bite. And Derik’s council with his wolves holding the protectors’ spot for the ones who couldn’t defend themselves.
But during those times, the ones who couldn’t fight had been making more weapons, lending their strength through the pack, never together.
But tonight, everyone was present. Even the cubs.
We were a mass of bodies in cloaks waiting for the moon to be at its peak so we could connect fully.
I couldn’t wait.
Something in the atmosphere made me excited to be a part of this, despite never being a part of it before and not knowing what to expect.
“Wolves. It’s that time again. The first shift after winter. And things are a little different,” Derik announced, eyeing me and then Ryleigh who blushed furiously. “We have been able to shift this winter so the first shift won’t be as brutal, thanks to your Luna,” he called.
The wolves all howled and whistled.
I nodded towards them, acknowledging them, staying between Kai and Brax.
“And we have our first Beta!” he called.
The wolves went crazy, and more howls ripped through the night. The excitement tingled in the link, and I smiled at Ryleigh, who was wide-eyed.
“We know the stories, the myths, the tales we have been told about how a beta will affect us. But we’re changing the rules now, wolves!” Derik called out, greeted by stomping feet and excitement. I laughed as their happiness overboiled in the link, spilling everywhere.
Kai stepped forward then, bringing me with him. “The Luna has accepted the Beta! Our links are safe, our pack is stronger!” He said, holding my hand up with his.
It was making them all mad.
I raised a brow at Kai, and he grinned, leaning close to me. “Accepting the beta link is a huge deal, Little Luna. The last mate of a bonded beta got murderous. The fact that you haven’t means the bond will be stronger for it. The pack in turn of that,” Kai whispered to me.
I grinned up at him, grabbing the sides of his face and pulling him down for a kiss, the urge overwhelming me.
The cheers got louder.
I pulled away, both of us grinning as the link spiked with power. It always did when I fed my magic lust—or death.
“And now,” Brax walked forward, “We give back,” he said, pulling out a dagger—similar to the one I had stabbed Elias with. Or was it the same one?
I frowned at him, and he nodded. A sacrificial blade.
“We give back to the realm! We offer our blood, grateful for the survival of winter, grateful for the lives that have lived and the safe passage of the lives lost,” Brax said, holding up his hand and slicing through the palm. His blood seeped out of the wound and I grimaced.
I hated seeing my Alphas bleed, even if it was necessary.
The slight tinge of anger entered my body, and I glared at the wound.
“Calm down, Little Luna. You’ll be able to take that anger out on us soon,” Kai smirked. I gave him a small smile, then dragged my eyes back to Brax.
He had his fist clenched, his blood dripping onto the platform. Was I meant to take Zale off him first? I frowned as he walked over to a perfectly circular patch of soil in front of the clearing. No grass grew there. I eyed it as Brax dropped his blood into it.
Then he handed the knife to Derik, who did the same.
Then Kai.
Their blood stained the soil, four drops each.
Then the knife came to me.
