The Full Moon Ceremony

Two days later the full-moon ceremony began at dusk. The pack gathered in the large clearing behind the main house. Torches lined the edges and cast uneven light across the faces of the people standing in rows. Bonita stood at the front with her five daughters, exactly where Drogo had ordered them to be.

Mira held the baby against her chest. Lila stood on Bonita’s right side, fingers hooked into the fabric of her mother’s dress. The twins pressed close on the other side. None of the girls spoke. Bonita kept one hand on Mira’s shoulder and the other resting lightly on Elena’s head. Her body still hurt, but she forced herself to stand straight.

Drogo stood on the raised stone platform with the young woman beside him. She wore a formal dark dress and kept her eyes forward. The Beta and the pack elders stood nearby. The rest of the pack filled the clearing in silence. No one whispered. The only sound was the occasional shift of feet on the dirt.

Drogo raised his hand and the last low sounds died completely.

“Tonight the Blackthorn pack takes a new path,” he said. His voice carried easily. “For years I waited for an heir. I gave time and patience. That time is finished.”

He turned slightly toward the woman at his side.

“This is Selene. She will stand as Luna of this pack from this night forward. She is strong, fertile, and ready to give this pack the future it needs. I ask the pack to accept her.”

A murmur of agreement moved through the crowd. One by one the members placed their right hands over their hearts in the traditional sign of acceptance. No one refused. Selene inclined her head once. Drogo placed his hand briefly on her shoulder, then faced the pack again.

“The old Luna no longer holds that place,” he said. “The rejection will be formalized tonight.”

Bonita felt Mira’s body go still under her hand. Lila’s fingers tightened in her dress. The baby made a small noise and Mira rocked her without looking away from the platform.

Drogo’s eyes moved to Bonita and the girls.

“These five children were born under my name,” he continued. “But they are not the future of this pack. An Alpha cannot build a lasting line on daughters alone. The pack has seen enough of failure. It is time to remove the constant reminder of it.”

He paused. The clearing stayed completely quiet. Bonita could hear her own breathing. She kept her eyes on him and did not look at the faces watching them. She knew what those faces held, some pity, some agreement, some simple curiosity about how far he would go.

Drogo took one step forward on the platform.

“I have decided the place of Bonita and her daughters,” he said. “From this night they will no longer…”

He stopped as a low sound came from the edge of the clearing. A few heads turned, but Drogo raised his hand again and the noise faded. He looked back at Bonita.

Her legs felt weak. The pain in her body had grown sharper from standing so long, but she did not shift her weight. She kept her hand steady on Mira’s shoulder. The baby’s soft breathing was the only warm thing she could focus on.

Drogo’s voice hardened.

“I will not keep them in this house. I will not keep them under my protection. The pack needs a clean start. Selene will take her place without the shadow of what came before.”

He looked directly at Bonita now.

“You failed in the one duty that mattered. You produced five daughters and not one son. The mage promised a boy and you still brought a girl. That ends tonight.”

Bonita’s throat felt tight. She wanted to speak, to ask him once more to leave the children out of it, but she knew the words would change nothing. She had already asked. He had already refused.

Mira’s voice came very quietly beside her. “Mama.”

Bonita pressed her fingers gently into her daughter’s shoulder in answer. She did not look down. She kept her eyes on Drogo.

He drew a breath and spoke the next words clearly so every person in the clearing could hear.

“Bonita and the five girls are hereby…”