Chapter 2

He surveys the five of us women who stand shoulder to shoulder, then turns and looks at the men across from us.

And then, turning in a slow circle, he takes in the entire pack around us. “Every year,” he says quietly, “our pack grows older.”

This is met with silence. We all know what he means, and yet the story is an important part of the ceremony. He’s reminding us of why tonight is the greatest night for our pack.

“In the first year following the Lunar Reversal,” he says, “our pack had a full generation of children. We counted ourselves lucky then. We called ourselves survivors because we had managed through strength and cunning to evade the natural disasters and wild elements that eliminated so many after the Moon Casters did their evil.”

I look up at the moon. It looks perfectly normal to me, of course, but the Lunar Reversal happened twenty years ago. I don’t have any memory of what things were like before.

My mother, before she died, told me that the other side of the moon used to face the Earth. She told me that it was farther away from us too, demonstrating by holding up her thumb. She told me that when she was a child, she could blot out the moon by covering its position in the sky like that.

I hold up a fist now, and the moon still shines around the edges of my hand.

It’s the only moon—the only sky—I’ve ever known. But even so, I know every time I look up at it that it isn’t right. The Moon Casters violated the natural position of the moon when I was just a baby.

“It took us several years to understand what we now know and accept,” Bruce says. “For reasons we don’t comprehend, the Inverse Moon has affected our ability to bear children. In the twenty years since the reversal took place, only six new children have been born to us.”

This time I’m not the only one looking away from my Alpha. Everyone’s eyes find the children.

When I was younger, we came to the ceremony with family or sought out our friends. But now, because our few children are so precious, they’re minded constantly by Bruce’s mate, Melinda. We can’t risk that a parent would decide to try to leave the pack with a child.

“The Moon Hunters are a proud pack,” Bruce says. “We survived the Lunar Reversal, when so many were killed. And we will survive whatever blight has caused us to struggle to produce our next generation. We’ll survive by creating the best and strongest mate bonds possible, giving each of you the best chance to produce children who can survive in this new world.”

I survey the men standing across from me.

As usual, my eyes go right to Kaely. Tall, fair-skinned, blond hair that he keeps cropped close. Even though I know that tonight is about my Alpha mate, he’s the only one I can’t wait to be with. After this ceremony, I’m allowed to mate with anyone I want, as long as I go to my Alpha mate’s bed when I am most fertile. But no matter what, I am determined to mate with Kaely.

“When I call your name,” Bruce says, addressing the women now, “step forward to receive your mate.”

My heart skips again. This time it feels like it’s beating too quickly. It feels like my blood is rushing through my body, moving too fast, like a river rushing downstream. Can anxiety really cause such a thing?

I’m not even that nervous.

I wish I understood why my body was reacting strangely—but maybe that’s normal the night of the Mating Ceremony. I should have taken the time to ask Jess if she was experiencing anything similar.

“Jessica, daughter of Verne,” Bruce says.

Jess squeezes my hand, then lets go and steps forward.

I’ve seen this play out so many times, but it’s different this time. It’s my best friend.

Bruce takes her hand in his. “Jessica, our pack honors your kind heart and gentle nature,” he says. “Your mate will be the man whose kindness is equal to your own—Harley, son of Peter.”

A smile breaks across Jess’s face as Harley steps forward to meet her. I’m happy too. Harley is a great match for my tender-hearted friend. He’s a total sweetheart. But he isn’t someone I would have wanted for myself.

Bruce leads them through their vows to one another. When the words have been exchanged, they kiss briefly, then go over and start another line—the mated pairs.

There are scowls on some of the men’s faces now. One woman is gone, and they haven’t been chosen yet.

Kaely doesn’t look upset, though. His expression is one of extreme confidence.

He should be confident. I can’t imagine he won’t be chosen.

One by one, the women around me are called forward and assigned their mates. Finally, I’m the only one left in the line.

There are six men still standing across from me. Some of them are looking at me like their predicament is my fault. I raise my eyebrows at them. As if I can help the fact that there are more men than women in this pack!

“Lyra, daughter of Elizabeth,” Bruce says. “Come forward.”

I’m the only one to be called by my mother’s name instead of my father’s, of course. I’m the only one here who never knew my father. He wasn’t from our pack; my mother told me when I asked and refused to say another word about it. I learned pretty quickly to stop asking questions.

I step forward, and Bruce takes my hand.

“Lyra,” Bruce says, “our pack honors your warrior spirit and the fighting skills you’ve honed throughout your life. One day, you’ll no doubt be one of the best female hunters our pack has ever known. Your mate will be the man who can hunt by your side, our greatest warrior.”

I know then. I know I’m going to get my wish.

He knows it too. I can tell because he starts to move forward a moment before Bruce says his name.

“Kaely, son of Thomas.”

Yes! Inside, I feel triumphant, but I don’t allow anything to show on my face besides a smile.

Bruce takes Kaely’s hand and places it in mine. As soon as we touch, I feel hot all over. I want him immediately.

He looks at me hungrily. I’m pretty sure he feels the same way. I bet he was hoping for this outcome just as much as I was.

“Kaely,” Bruce says. “Do you accept Lyra as your Alpha mate?”

“Hell yeah, I do,” Kaely says.

Fuck, even the sound of his voice feels like foreplay. I had no idea the moment of my Alpha mating would be this powerful.

“And Lyra,” Bruce says. “Do you accept Kaely as your Alpha mate?”

“Yes,” I say. I’m staring into his blue eyes, feeling the heat coming off his hand, and I don’t think I’ve ever wanted anything so badly in all my life.

“As the Alpha of the Moon Hunters, I bind you,” Bruce says. “You have accepted one another of your own free will. Now I order you to do all you can to produce children for this pack, beginning tonight and continuing throughout your lives.”

I feel the weight of his order settle around me. More than ever, my body is hungry for Kaely’s. I’m being drawn toward him magnetically, almost gravitationally. It’s not just about what I want anymore. I need him. I’m starving for him. I didn’t think it was possible for me to want him more than I did, but here we are.

It’s not required to kiss at the end of this part of the ceremony, but most new mates do, and I can tell already that we’re going to be no exception. If I could, I’d tear his clothes off and throw him down right here and now.

But that’s not how the ceremony goes. We have more to do before I can finally enjoy my prize.

He pulls me to him, though, and kisses me fiercely, crushing his lips to mine. I can feel him everywhere at once, his lips bruising mine, his teeth sharp and eager, his tongue hot and reckless and hard. I lose myself in the intensity of it, and the heat inside me begins to build.

Then, grinning, he lets me go.

“Let’s hunt!”