Sally held the bowl in her hands. Celeste watched it, it was very old, she’d seen it in the library before but hadn’t realised the significance. The smell from it was potent and it was all she could do to not cover her nose against it. Part of wanted to stop Sally, but she also watched with pride as she took sips.
The liquid did something to Sally. She felt like a big fluffy blanket in her mind. The more she drank, the longer it settled in her system, the less like herself she felt. Like she was becoming more and more blurry. Hunter didn’t move, but she could feel him become more and more unsettled. She held onto his hand tightly. They had to keep it together for their mate.
With her last gulp she set the bowl beside her, her body swaying slightly. The fuzzy feeling only increased.
“Sally Smith, you are mate of Celeste and Hunter North,” Nona’s voice was smooth, almost guiding Sally to respond.
“Yes, I am,&r
Hunter held Celeste tight as they watched the tree line. They had been offered a room in the Clan house, but there was no way either of them felt comfortable leaving this spot till Sally had returned.It felt strange to not feel her properly anymore, and it made both of them antsy. Hunter wanted to shift and pace back and forth while. But Celeste needed him and he stayed close. The blankets were a nice thing for Yuki to bring them out. As the night had continued they lay down on top of the pillows making a little bed out of it.It was a little sad to think they had even this much creature comforts while Sally was wandering around in the dark, but at this point Hunter was sure none of them were going to get any rest tonight."Do you want to talk about it?""About how Sally could be out there killing herself for nothing? How even though she's going to pass these tests, the Clan may not even accept me back? That I'm waste a night we could be moving our mate in
Sally hated the taste of the... well, whatever it was called. It made the bowl warmer then it should be at this time of the afternoon and just had a weird taste and consistency. She had to force herself not to gag at the flavour and to empty the bowl. Whatever it was it was incredibly potent, even as she tried to lick the furriness from her teeth she could feel a tingle run over her skin. It made her feel instantly light headed, faster then any alcohol she'd ever had.She looked closely at Nona, but things were starting to become fuzzy. The colours around her seemed to heighten, becoming almost dream like while the edges of things seemed to blur. Sally had never done anything more potent then pot, having her vision change was unnerving in more ways then one. Her connection to her mates felt like a big fluffy scarf stretching back to them. Even the sounds around her seemed more potent, they felt like she was in a constant echo.“Sally Smith, you are mate of
Tyler was beyond relieved when Sally came out of the bushland. His Mate’s best friend looked beyond exhausted, but she was all smiles and laughter. And she had passed the second of the tests. He looked over the crowd of the Clan, instantly finding Yuki’s dark head. Even without the claim, he had no trouble finding her.As he moved closer he could see that she sensed him too. When her silver eyes caught his they took his breath away. She looked relieved, her fear for her friend had been obvious when she’d arrived last night. Luna had been amused and had teased him on whether they’d be sharing a room or not. She was more like her sister then she knew. They hadn’t shared a room, he wasn’t sure if he’d be welcome.All that mattered to him right now was that Yuki was here, that she was at his home and among his family.“You see, she is safe, Celeste wouldn’t let her out there if she thought there would be tr
Sally lay between them, spooned by Celeste and her head on Hunter's chest. He stroked a gentle hand up and down her arm as she talked in the dark room, both exhausted and wired all at once. Whenever she paused to breathe one of them would reminder her she should be resting.After the last time Hunter looked over her red head, catching Celeste's amused eye. They were both tired and relieved too, and tonight was likely to be just as exhausting and terrifying. He raised an eyebrow and Celeste nodded.Mid sentence Hunter tilted Sally's face from his chest, bearing down on her open lips. He took advantage of them being parted, running his tongue along the bottom lip before dipping into her mouth. Sally moaned in surprise, but slid her tongue along his, kissing back forcefully. He rolled, pulling her on top of him, settling so she was lying on his chest. Her small warm form molded to his as she tasted him and he could feel Celeste's golden eyes watching them. He
Sally clung so tight to Celeste and Hunter’s hands she was sure she was cutting off the circulation. She couldn’t help it. She was beyond terrified. Everything about this frightened her.Nona had explained, in detail, that they couldn’t be sure what this would do to her. It was akin to becomeing the Matriarch, it would connect her to the Clan in a way no one else was. The books and stories were very vague on what occurred to the Mate, it appeared the last one had been completed before the Clan had transitioned to a written history. Which was swell. What did exist said she’d either fail or pass.Her mind swam with 'what ifs'. What if she died? What if she survived but still failed? What would that look like? Would she go crazy? Would she be locked inside her own mind and be a drooling mess?So far no one thought so, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t happen.Celeste squeezed her hand back, pressing her warm lips to S
Celeste barely had a moment to step forward as the bowl dropped from Sally's fingers and she went down like a sack of shit. Hunter was right with her as Sally's mind appeared to scream out before it was gone. Last night their Mate bond had felt fuzzy, now it felt like it was entirely gone. Holding her mate to her chest she bared her teeth at the women in front of her."What have you done?" she snarled before a mighty wind rushed out from the bush, snuffing out the torches as the last of the light of dusk leached out of the sky. The echos of a hyena wail filled the air and Celeste held Sally's body even closer to her own, trying to shield her from whatever was coming.Because out of the tree line walked five of the largest hyenas she had ever seen. Their coats seemed to be made out of starlight and they didn't appear to be entirely there. It took her far longer then it should have to realise these were the ancestors Sally had talked of non stop this morning. Still, she felt a little saf
Hunter had pulled on a pair of boxes before he had laid down next to Sally. Her breathing was starting to even and she looked like she was finally starting to actually rest. He pressed his body against her back, just needing to hold her for a while, taking in the scent of fire in her hair. She was just so many things, and the trouble would be over now.Ensuring the Clan had two Matriarchs would work in everyone's favour. Luna liked to be here more then anywhere else, she would be able to appease the old fogies more then Celeste ever could and give the illusion of them having some sort of power. They would also keep each other honest, ensuring both of the sister's had the Clan's interests at heart.::Will you be long?:: he prodded Celeste gently ::You should be here when she wakes.::::I will try not to be,:: she sounded flustered and it made him smile. ::Everyone wants to talk to me, but I'll leave Luna to it soon.::At least most of the Clan was legitima
Sally could not deny in anyway how relieved she was that it was all over. That they had done what they had set out to do, and in one night no less. It was going to be a long time before she was use to Clan members just ‘popping in’ to her brain. Some just wanted to check in on her, while the young cubs who had no mate yet thought of it as a cool game to play. Aside from the Matriarch or your mate, this connection was very rare in shifter circles apparently. The fact she was linked to the whole Clan was going to be the talking point for some time to come.She sighed against Celeste, burrowing into her arms as they sat with the Clan. She wanted to go to bed, and soon, but she was also delighted to sit here among her new family as they revealed her addition to their Clan.Tyler sat on Celeste's other side and Sally opened her mouth to say something but was cut short upon noticing four deep scratches on his chest, just above his heart. Four marks th