Mating Ceremony

Darius, the future king of Lakewood kingdom and son to Alpha Cyrus sprawled across the grass. In his wolf form. He ran for one hour straight, no stopping. He had been training for two weeks now. He was training for his mating ceremony. He had to be in perfect shape for it. He was going to rule, just like his father, Cyrus. But first, he had to find a Luna.

His friend and Beta, Adolf tried to catch up with him, but couldn’t. Darius gave him a good 800 meters gap. Finally, Darius slowed down and Adolf caught up with him.

“show off,” Adolf growled as he descended on his friend. The two struggled and tumbled on the grass, like toddlers. Scratching. But Darius triumphed. He pinned Adolf to the ground with his left paw.

Adolf shook rigorously till he was free. He started to growl, then bark, and eventually laughed as he changed into his human form.

Darius changed too.

“You stink.” Darius ruffled his friend’s hair as he came off him.

“You too.” Adolf barked.

Darius started to walk across the grass field. Back to the village. He had come a long way; it was going to be a very long walk back.

“You are tensed,” Adolf noted.

“well, I should be, right? I am to pick my Luna today. And I have no idea who she is going to be.”

“well, you could pick from the swam of ladies around you right? Haven’t you felt a connection with any of them?”

“no, I haven’t. Not one. They are all shallow and weak. I need a strong Luna, like my mother. If I am to lead the pack. I didn’t think it would be this hard to find a soulmate.”

“well, that’s cause you don’t have a soul” Adolf taunted.

Darius stopped in his tracks. He furrowed his brows. Growled and shifted back to wolf form. Then he chased his beta.

Adolf started to run. Shit. He tried to shift, but it wasn’t happening. Darius followed him across the field. Chasing him. And then Adolf shifted too. And ran for his dear life.

Yes, Darius was his friend but he had a terrible temper and could hurt him. Even if he never meant to.

The friends ran till they got back to the village. By then, Darius had exhausted his temper.

They both shifted back as soon as they got to their village and walked the rest of the way towards the palace.

“Hi, Alpha” two she-wolves greeted Darius as they walked by.

Darius waved. He was the man of the moment, his father was organizing a ceremony for him to pick a mate. A large ceremony of all the important wolf families in the wolf clan. The most important guests had been invited. It was his day.

Darius headed up the stairs of the large palace mansion.

He sniffed. There was an odd smell. A smell he had recognized all through the day. It was foreign. Nothing like he had ever sniffed before. And he couldn’t shake it off.

What was that smell?

Two hours later, the ceremony started.

All the guests were seated.

Darius was about to make his entry. The palace crier announced at the top of his voice

“announcing, the crown prince, of our kingdom, Prince Darius the first.”

All the guests stood up as Darius made his way into the hall.

He took a seat beside his father. And the crowd sat down again.

Then the ladies started their display. With the palace crier announcing each one of them.

“princess Ariana of Willow grove” The princess got up and walked towards him. she curtsied. And looked in his eyes. She was extremely beautiful. Even the way she walked showed her strong frame. She was a strong wolf. And could be a strong Luna. But Darius looked away. No, she wasn’t the one.

The palace crier called on seventeen more ladies, five princesses, and even called on some omegas. None was a fit. None.

Cyrus was getting impatient with his son.

“You have to pick one, son.” Cyrus barked from beneath his breath.

Darius growled at his father.

He sniffed again. That smell was now stronger than ever. But he couldn’t pick what it was. That smell

And then she emerged from the crowd. As if she came from the wind. The crier didn’t announce her, because he didn’t know her name. She wasn’t on the guest list.

She walked up to Darius. And looked him in the eye.

Darius followed her eyes with his. Till they locked in each other. And they mated.

She smiled.

“what’s your name?” Darius asked her?

“your highness. My name is Rochelle.” She curtsied.

Darius got up from his seat and bowed in front of her. He took her hand and raised it as they walked towards the crowd.

Hand in hand, the couple strolled into the crowd, and the crowd moved away.

They walked unto the dance floor where they curtsied again and stood, face to face. Glaring at each other.

The Palace musician started to play, and the couple started a slow dance. Staring into each other’s eyes. Not letting go.

This was the tradition of the Lakewood Kingdom. Their mating ceremony. This was the seal, the dance. That sealed a wolf with his chosen mate.

By the time the music was over, the match had been completed.

The crowd cheered.

Darius took her hand and led her to his father, the king.

“Father, I present you with my future bride, Rochelle.”

Rochelle curtsied before the king.

“Your highness.”

Cyrus descended from the throne. He walked around her. Sniffing her. Just as the tradition demanded. But there was something off about her. Something foreign. Something he couldn’t place.

He stopped in front of her, as the king, he was supposed to lick her. A way of accepting her into their pack.

So he shifted to wolf form.

The crowd gasped. Cyrus was the biggest wolf of all.

Darius shifted too. And they both walked around Rochelle. Sniffing her.

And then, they licked her. Together. She had been accepted.

That was the begining of Darius's curse. The scent that trailed him, brought the curse with it. But the young prince had no idea.