Page 218 of A Female Alpha for the Lycan Prince
I make sure to kiss her one more time before letting her go. She is organizing some last-minute stuff together with Harmony and Garret, while I get ready. Fortunately, my outfit is so extra that it comes without a tie—one thing less to worry about. I have watched a few YouTube tutorials to see what to do with my hair, and I tie it back to a fancier bun, and Garret and I both got our beards trimmed yesterday.
A knock at my door pulls me out of my routine, and I shuffle towards it. His scent gives him away, so I’m not surprised when I open the door to Cedric. He smiles at me as he takes me in. “You look fantastic, Marius,”
I let him in. “Thank you.”
“I volunteered to pick you up,” he says. “And I wanted to tell you how happy I am for my daughter to have you as her mate.”
I’m shocked to hear these words. I knew Cedric wasn’t my biggest fan, for obvious reasons, the more his words surprise me now. “I don’t know what to say…” I admit.
“You will be a fine lune, exactly the type of luna the pack needs,” he reassures me. “And you are exactly the mate Celine needs.”
“And she is the mate I need,” I admit. “I’m a bit scared of my new position and the responsibilities, but at the same time, I’m also excited.”
Cedric smiles brightly. “Shall we go?”
“Yes, lead the way.”
Cedric and I make it downstairs. The weather is getting colder again as fall approaches, but it’s warm enough to hold the ceremony outside. Cedric nods at me and leaves to take his seat while Garret joins me. Celine begins the ceremony by speaking a few words to her pack. It makes my heart swell with joy to see how much she radiates and how happy she looks.
“Here goes nothing,” Garret breathes out, sounding more nervous than I am when Celine calls us forward.
He walks behind me while I take the steps onto the stage. When Celine sees me, her eyes widen, and swirls of silver appear in her eyes.
Our mates like what they see,Cyrus says smugly.For once, you managed to look dashing.
I inwardly roll my eyes at him, but keep a straight face. In the audience, I can see most of our pack members, my family, but also a lot of alphas and lunas from our allied packs. A few of them carry sour expressions, and I make sure to wink at them before walking toward my alpha and mate.
I expected the ceremony to be just a formality, the more I am surprised how touched I feel by the whole atmosphere. When I say the official pledge that makes me the pack’s luna and Celine cuts my palm to bind me to the pack, I can feel a surge of warmth and belonging going through me. Pack members reach out to me to congratulate me, their cheers erupting towards us. I raise my hands to stop them for a moment. “Thank you,” I tell them. “Thank you for giving me the honor of becoming the luna of this wonderful pack. I’m proud to be able to say that I am one of you now, I’m proud to have been blessed with Alpha Celine as my mate, and I reassure you that I will give my all to be the best luna possible for you. If you ever need someone to talk to or listen, or if you are faced with difficulties, don’t hesitate to reach out to me.”
I can feel Celine’s fingers wrapping around my hand, her feelings seeping through the bond.
The pack cheers again, this time for both of us. Now that the ceremony is wrapped up, we finally have time to celebrate a bit. Cedric and Mona were the ones who volunteered to organize the catering and buffet. Ever since they found each other, Cedric is so much happier. Sometimes I can even see him smile.
“Marius,” my father’s voice reaches me and pulls me out of my thoughts. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” I say, letting him pull me into a hug.
The rest of my family soon follows. “This is so cool,” Felix says with a bright smile.
“You think it’s cool that I’m a luna now?”
“I think it’s cool that you are so confident,” he beams.
“Congratulations,” Dario says softly. “You really owned it.”
“No kidding,” Aurelia chuckles. “You should have seen some of the alphas in the audience. Mom made sure to emphasize that you, the young fresh crispy lune, will be joining all the luna meetings from now on. I think some of the old-fashioned alphas almost had a heart attack.”
“Good thing I can always count on Mom,” I grin.
“Of course, you can count on me,” my mother says, popping up from nowhere and hugging me. An elderly lady is with her, and by her strong aura, I assume she has to be the elder the Council sent. “This is Geneva,” she introduces her to me.
“I’m overjoyed I was able to make it to your lune ceremony,” she says with a smile. “It’s rare that a man takes this position, and it’s wonderful to see that times are changing.”
“Thank you, Elder Geneva,” I say.
“Shall we find your mate and have her blessed?” she asks me.
I bow my head politely, offering her my arm. “It would be an honor.”
