Page 9 of Bound to the Dragon
It won’t. And I’ll be the one left to deal with the fallout.
After my pack leaves today, I will be alone.
These past three days have been the longest of my life.
Blaze has avoided me since that first night and the terrible dinner. I don’t understand what went wrong or what I said that upset him so much. I wanted to apologize, but I don’t think I did anything wrong. He misunderstood me.
An apology wouldn’t have mattered, anyway.
He would have just looked smug, and that would have set the tone for our entire relationship. I couldn’t start our mating by begging for forgiveness, even though I know that’s what’s expected.
No. I don’t care if he knows how I feel about him and this entire stupid situation. If he wants to spend the rest of his life avoiding me, so be it.
That’s better for me. I won’t have to pretend around him.
“You look beautiful.” My friend steps back to take me in. “Stand up, so I can see you.”
Reluctantly, I oblige her, and her smile widens as she takes my hand to twirl me around in the lacy cream-colored gown.
There’s a collective murmur of appreciation around the room as the females ooh and aah over my garment. It’s a gorgeous dress, I have to admit. Blaze had given me free rein to buy whatever I wanted before I moved onto the estate, and I pored over magazines for days, determined to find the perfect dress. I might not want to be committed to this Alpha, but at least I will look good as Luna.
And my reflection tells me that I do look good. Very good.
My dark tresses fall loosely over my shoulders, with one side swept up in a pearl comb. But there’s a haunted look in the depths of my brown eyes, one that’s been there for many years. Itseems blacker today, almost matching the shade of my hair. It’s as though I’m sealing my fate.
“Are you ready to do this?” Virginia stares at me expectantly, and I shrug off the nagging doubts in the back of my mind as the females flock around me to usher me out of the suite and into the house.
Ready or not, it’s happening.
Any chance I had for escape has vanished.
It shouldn’t surprise me to learn that Blaze’s estate has a full veranda. I haven’t had a chance to do an entire tour of the estate, but I can’t help but stare at the opulence of the décor when my mother walks me toward the ceremony setup where a glowing full moon hovers overhead. A pulpit with an elder sits at the far end of the veranda, and Blaze stands stiffly, his eyes fixed on the elder who will perform the ceremony, giving me the perfect opportunity to study him unnoticed.
He really is a piece of art, chiseled and muscular, even under the tux, which I can tell he doesn’t like. It’s not just the event that makes him uncomfortable. He would rather be wearing something other than the starched shirt and black jacket, surrounded by half these strangers from the Silver Glade pack whom he doesn’t know.
I can relate. If he would only look at me, maybe he could see that we have something in common on that front, that we’re not that far apart on that much.
“Come on.” My mother nudges me rudely.
I panic slightly, realizing that the male is about to be my mate.
It’s not too late to put an end to this, my conscience whispers.
But this union is necessary for both our packs.
“I can feel your father here with us,” Mom breathes, and I bristle.
Really, Mom? Now? She cannot be that oblivious.
In her own way, I think she’s trying to be supportive, but all she’s doing is raising my apprehension. It’s bad enough that every pair of eyes is already on me as we walk arm-in-arm through the aisle of chairs on the veranda. Through my peripheral view, I catch the awe-filled looks of my pack members as they take in my beautiful dress. Even Shadow Pine appears dazzled by me, yet I can’t appreciate their appreciation. Every step I take closer to Blaze enhances my nervousness.
Mom releases my arm as I join Blaze at the head of the ceremony, and he stares at me with his steadfast hazel eyes. For the first time, I read a melancholy there that I hadn’t noticed before. It surprises me, the emotion in them. It’s the last thing I expected to read on his face.
“If the Alpha and his future Luna will please join hands, we’ll begin with a binding ceremony.” The elder holds out a ribbon, and Blaze reluctantly reaches for my extended fingers, his gaze trailing over the lines of my face, then my dress. I can’t be sure, but I think I see a gleam of respect in his expression.
Our hands weave together as the elder recites words from an ancient scripture book, and the packs watch on silently, but I barely hear any of it. I’ve been to ceremonies before, and the message is all the same: a pledge to bind two souls together, in life, through mating.
The elder continues with the ceremony, but I am tuning out the words, finding it hard to focus on the present situation.
