Chapter 5 - Cecelia #2
The meeting is a routine check-in with the pack to update us about the current state of affairs, who our allies are, and how secure our borders are from external attacks.
We’re also told that the radar shows that no humans are aware of the existence of the werewolf race in modern society, which comes as a relief to me.
While I don’t yet have proof that my father was innocent, I’m the only half-breed in the pack who will be accused of crimes I haven’t committed if it’s found that humans know about us. The meeting drags on until Alpha Sirius gestures to the front row in the hall.
“Respected members of the Lunaris Pack,” he continues, nodding at the row where Dominic is seated.
“It brings me great pleasure to announce my retirement, only because those who will participate in the ranking trials to determine the next generation of leaders of this pack are highly skilled males. I do not doubt their capabilities, and they will be ranked through tests that have been set up by the elders.”
A round of applause goes off in the hall, and Alpha Sirius asks the pack to settle down so he can announce the names of the contenders.
“Dominic Rivera, who has just returned from serving in the black ops werewolf army of New England,” he says with a short nod at Dominic.
A shiver slithers down my spine at the mention of his name in an honorable way.
There’s nothing honorable about the werewolf who took my virginity and left me coldly.
Donna shimmies in her seat excitedly, a broad grin on her face as she taps my arm. “It’s happening,” she whispers eagerly, and I throw her a smile to give her my support.
She’s the only one worthy of it, even if she’s excited for the man I hate.
“Those are our six contenders in this year’s ranking trials,” Alpha Sirius continues, and nods to allow the pack to applaud. He clears his throat into the mic, and the crowd instantly falls silent again.
“Now, because none of our participants are mated, and the trials require them to have partners to complete the tests set out by the council, it was decided that each of our male contenders will be partnered up with a female wolf who hasn’t been mated yet.
Beta Paul…” Alpha Sirius steps aside to allow his beta to take the stand in this surprising turn of events.
It’s so surprising that even Donna frowns as she glances at me.
“The she-wolves who will be partnered with our ranking trial contenders are as follows,” Beta Paul begins. “For Simon Barker, we have Amanda Sinclair.”
My jaw drops when the blonde-haired she-wolf instantly springs to her feet. She waves at the pack, then blows a kiss toward Simon as if she just won the ultimate prize.
Groaning, I roll my eyes as Donna leans in to whisper, “You’d think she just won a date with a celebrity…”
I chuckle as we continue to listen to the rest of the beta’s announcement. One by one, he calls the names of the contenders and adds the name of a she-wolf to each one.
Dominic’s name is called out last, and Beta Paul appears uncomfortable when he tugs on his collar and clears his throat.
“...Cecelia Morales.”
I stare at the pack’s current beta blankly, my heart dropping to the soles of my feet as my soul is crushed under the announcement of my name. I can feel every pair of eyes boring into my face, but I'm too numb to move.
This must be a terrible mistake.
I must have imagined hearing my name.
But the tug on my arm snaps me out of my horrified daze, and Donna’s voice enters the empty abyss of my mind like an echo that pulls me back to reality.
“Cece…Cecelia…they just called your name…”
Donna sounds as shocked as I am, prompting me to turn my face slowly toward her and see how wide her eyes are. With a gentle nudge, she urges me to stand up with the other she-wolves who’ve been partnered up with the trial’s contenders.
It’s as if my lifeforce is drained from every fiber in my body as I robotically rise to my feet, barely taking note of what’s going on around me as I continue staring blankly ahead. For a brief moment, I meet Dominic’s eyes, but I’m too dissociated to care about his response.
I lift my eyes to the stage, where the alpha addresses the pack.
He must have told the she-wolves to sit back down, but I don’t even hear his voice.
It’s Donna’s tug on the hem of my sweater that pulls me down again, momentarily snapping me back to the present to hear Alpha Sirius inform us that the werewolves chosen for the trials will leave for Mount Desert Campgrounds first thing tomorrow morning.
The meeting is dismissed, and all the Lunaris wolves stand up to make their way out of the hall. I’m too stunned to even move, and Donna remains seated beside me.
“She’s gonna make Dominic fail,” someone voices their concern as they pass us.
“What a fucking joke,” an older woman snickers. “The half-breed mutt is gonna make a fool of that poor boy.”
“What a shame…”
“How disappointing…”
The taunts of those who walk by are nothing compared to what I’m feeling. Apart from this, looking bad for Dominic, I’m the one who now has to join him in the trials and face him every day until it’s completed.
How am I supposed to live with myself?
I can’t be anywhere near my worst enemy.
This is a nightmare.
“Cece…I’m as shocked as you are,” Donna says as she places her hands on my shoulders and gently turns me to face her. She cradles my cheeks in both of her delicate hands, staring into my eyes with sincere distress in hers.
“I can only imagine how scared you must be,” she wails.
“You have no idea,” I chuckle dryly, still dissociating and out of touch. But my words hold so much truth in them—I’m afraid of being anywhere near Dominic Rivera because of how much he hurt me in the past.
Donna gulps as she nods fervently. “This isn’t a bad thing, Ce. You’re smart. You can help Dominic win.”
“H-help Dominic w-win?” I scoff at the thought. Why would I ever help the man who broke my heart?
“Please,” Donna pleads, her bottom lip trembling with worry. “My brother has wanted this his whole life. He needs to win. I have faith in you to get him through the trials successfully. I know you can do this.”
As much as I want to believe that Donna is only encouraging me because she wants me to help her brother win, I don’t have any reason to doubt her words. Neither am I able to doubt her when she sincerely pleads with me, but it only puts me between a rock and a hard place.
How am I supposed to please my best friend while working with my biggest enemy?
As Donna stares at me expectantly, I gulp hard and slowly begin to nod my head.
“I—I will do what I can,” I say, avoiding committing myself. Every time she’s ever spoken about him, Donna always said how badly he wanted to become the alpha of this pack. I can’t disappoint my best friend, who’s been by my side through all the lows I’ve experienced growing up in Nightmist.
But I can’t abandon myself and what I feel, either.
“Thank you!” Donna exclaims as she flings her arms around me. “I knew I could count on you.” She pulls back and smiles widely, her hazel eyes twinkling with appreciation that plagues my mind with guilt.
If only she knew about what happened between Dominic and me, she wouldn’t be so certain that I could help her brother win the trials.
Giving her a sheepish half-smile, I gently nod. “I should probably head home now. I must pack. They’re leaving tomorrow.”
My statement is cryptic, only so that I can feel like I’m not lying to my best friend. I won’t be able to bear the guilt of lying to her, even if I’m not sure how I’m going to survive what I’m about to do.
Donna stands up and takes my hand. “I’m gonna help you pack.”
“No, Donna,” I refuse, removing my hand and intertwining my fingers behind my back. “You should…you should go home and spend time with your brother. He hasn’t been around for years, and he’s leaving again tomorrow.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Donna concedes as she steps forward and hugs me. “I’ll see you off in the morning.”
“Goodbye, Donna,” I say, swallowing the lump in my throat.
My best friend doesn’t seem to catch onto the gravity of my words, and bids me goodbye with a sweet kiss pressed on my cheek before rushing out of the pack’s main hall. Left alone in the vast, empty expanse, only filled with rows of wooden benches, I sigh despondently and lift my eyes to the stage.
Every time I was in this hall, ever since my father was exiled and left for dead outside the town of Nightmist, I’d often stare at the stage and imagine myself up there, boldly declaring his innocence. Hugo Morales might have been many things, but a traitor wasn’t one of them.
It was a promise I made to him before he was dragged out of Nightmist by the alpha’s men—I swore that I’d clear his name so that the Lunaris Pack would realize how gravely mistaken they were.
In hindsight, I don’t know why I didn’t run away before. One half of my being, the wolf part, has kept me in the clutches of ostracization despite all the horrors inflicted on me. It’s a wolf thing, I know. Some unspoken loyalty in the face of adversity kept me bound to the Lunaris Pack.
But tonight’s announcement has changed my mind.
It ends now.
I will no longer stay here, even if it means I never get to see my best friend again. Tonight, I sever the thin threads that were keeping me bound to Nightmist, trying to prove myself as if it would make any difference.
The young wolves might have succeeded in passing the law that allowed them to attend college in the city, but this pack still dictates that a male wolf must have a mate in order to rule.
There’s no way I can be bound to Dominic Rivera in this way, even if it’s for the purpose of the trials. My heart won’t let me be anywhere near him, my hatred running so deep that I’m about to disappoint those whom I love.
“I’m sorry, Dad…sorry, Donna…” I whisper meekly at the empty stage before taking a deep breath to strengthen my resolve.
I’m about to pack my bags, but I’m not going to Mount Desert Campgrounds. That was my last goodbye to my best friend.