Bonding ceremony

Hello readers, we are back with an update. There will be a change in POV—from the author’s POV to the main character’s POV.

Enjoy the read.

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Stanley’s POV

“Y’all,” my father’s voice echoed through the pack walls, dragging everyone's attention in the pack area. I stood beside him, my chest rising and falling rapidly.

Anxiety was eating me up, second by second. The fear… I was a gay man in a world where everyone despised people like me.

“My son, Stanley, is back to rule this pack and claim a mate.”

My heart sank into my stomach at those words. I looked at my father and mother. Smiles lit up their faces, while I wanted to frown. But I had to fake it… play along.

“Mira…”

Not that same girl I hated more than anything. She wasn’t even fit to be called a friend, let alone my lavender bride.

I sighed deeply. My chest tightened.

“Are you okay?” my mom whispered.

I gave a slight nod.

Mira walked up to where my parents and I stood. She looked at me and smiled.

“Excuse me!” I grabbed her hand and dragged her away from the crowd, holding her tightly.

“Ahhh... that hurts!” she snapped.

“Mira,” I cut her off gently but firmly, “I didn’t come back for you. I came back for something better. Something important. Something that will change my life for the better.”

Her smile faltered, her lips tightening. She stared at me—half affectionate, half defiant.

Then she laughed. A laugh sharp enough to make a child cry.

“You don’t get to decide that,” she said coolly. “You have to be my mate. I need to be the Luna of this pack. I can’t keep lying to my friends, pretending there’s nothing between us.”

My expression darkened. My chest tightened as rage started to build inside me.

“What don’t you understand about me?” I snapped, my voice cracking with held-back anger. “I can’t be your mate. And you’ll never be mine.”

She didn’t flinch. Didn’t look hurt. She wasn’t the begging type. She stood tall, unshaken—a warrior in her own right.

“Are the rumors true?” she asked quietly.

My eyes narrowed. “What rumors?”

“Rumors about your… sexuality.”

I took a deep breath. In. Out. Slow and steady.

“I won’t stand here and defend myself for being who I am,” I said, my tone cold and final. “Let the rumors spread like wildfire. Let them burn. Let them eat through your perfect image until there’s nothing left but ash.”

I turned and walked away. Each step felt heavier than the last.

I didn’t return to my parents or the pack. I went to my room—my safe place. A place where I could unleash all my burdens.

“Hey, Stanley!”

A knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts. My eyes widened. I didn’t want to see anyone.

“Go away! I don’t want to see anyone!” I yelled at whoever was on the other side.

My emotions were all over the place. I just wanted to be myself. That gay boy who wanted to be loved and cared for—not the boy forced to become someone he wasn’t.

“It’s Frank.”

Frank. My best friend since childhood.

I didn’t hesitate. I got up and opened the door.

As it swung open, he pulled me into a hug. A warm, cozy hug—just like old times.

We had been known all over the pack as best friends since we were kids. We played together, went everywhere together. But as time passed, the bond changed. It wasn’t like it used to be.

“How are you doing?” I asked with a smile.

He smiled back. “Wonderful.”

We hugged again. It had been almost a decade since we last saw each other.

He had left for the human world, and I was left behind… all alone.

We both sat on the edge of my bed, silence sitting between us like an old friend we didn’t invite but couldn’t ask to leave.

“You’ve changed,” Frank said softly, his eyes scanning my face like he was trying to read all the years we missed.

I chuckled bitterly. “You too. But at least you had the freedom to.”

He looked down at his hands, folding and unfolding them. “I heard... things. About you. About how they treat you.”

I scoffed, my chest tightening again. “You mean the whispers? The glares? The way they look at me like I’m some disease they want to cure?” I shook my head. “Yeah, I live with that every day.”

Frank didn’t speak for a moment. Then he placed his hand gently on mine.

“You didn’t deserve that, Stanley. You never did.”

I swallowed hard, blinking quickly. I didn’t want to cry. Not now. Not in front of him.

“I don’t even know who I am anymore,” I whispered. “They want me to be an Alpha like my father. A mate to a sassy girl. A husband. A straight, perfect leader. But what if I can’t be any of that?”

“You can only be who you are,” Frank said, his voice firm. “And the Stanley I knew was always brave enough to be himself. Even when it hurt.”

I looked at him. Really looked at him. He wasn’t that skinny boy who used to steal apples with me and run through the fields like we were untouchable. He was stronger now. More confident. But his eyes—they still held that same spark of loyalty.

“I missed you,” I said, barely above a whisper.

“I missed you more,” he replied.

The silence this time was different—warm, comforting.

Then a knock came again.

“Stanley,” my father’s voice boomed through the door.

I stood up quickly, heart thudding.

Frank stood too, tense. “You want me to go?”

“No,” I said quickly. “Stay.”

I walked to the door and opened it slightly. My father stood there, arms folded, expression unreadable.

“Come downstairs. We need to prepare for the bonding ceremony.”

My throat went dry. “I’m not ready.”

“You don’t need to be ready. You just need to obey,” he said coldly.

Before I could respond, he turned and walked away.

I closed the door and leaned against it, letting out a shaky breath.

“They’re trying to force it, Frank. This whole bonding thing. With Mira.”

Frank looked at me, jaw tight. “That’s messed up.”

I nodded. “They think if I mate with her, it’ll ‘fix’ me. Make me… normal.”

He stepped closer. “Then don’t let them.”

I looked at him, lost. “But how? If I say no, if I walk away, I’m not just refusing a ceremony—I’m walking away from everything. My title, my family, this pack…”

“Then walk,” he said.

It was simple. Brave. Something I hadn’t heard in a long time.

“Come with me,” I said suddenly, the words rushing out of me before I could stop them.

He blinked. “What?”

“If I walk away… come with me. Let’s leave. Start over somewhere else. Somewhere we don’t have to pretend.”

Frank’s lips parted slightly, surprise softening his face. But then he smiled.

“I thought you’d never ask.”