Dancing

Cries and murmurs erupted from the crowd. Raine knew she was in for more trouble than she could have ever imagined.

"Now is not the time to be paranoid." Tiki bellowed. The sound of his voice quietened the crowd. Raine couldn't bring herself to look up. She could already imagine the death glares directed at her.

Her body shivered from fear of the unknown. Sabotaging a moon offering is an offense only punishable by death. Deep down she knew her family would seize the opportunity to get rid of her.

"The goddess has rejected us. We should offer the perpetrator to attain forgiveness!" An old wolf cried.

Raine knew at once that it was old man Zerkes. She had been sent to attend to him during one of his feral episodes. She had sedated him and he didn't like it. Since then, he's had it out for her.

"Killing the moon won't solve anything," Atticus stated from the crowd.

"We should invite the priestess to atone on our behalf."

Another uproar went up. The pack members didn't like the idea of asking for forgiveness. They bared their fangs in readiness to tear into Raine.

"A wolf that doesn't have her wolf is enough abomination. Isn't it enough she was begotten legitimately? Who gave her the honor of desecrating our sacrifice today?" Zerkes countered.

"Throw her in the dungeons. We will deal with her after the moon dance." Tiki ordered. The enforcers came forth at once and flanked Raine, ready to bundle her into the tunnels housing the dungeons.

"Let's not be hasty to make decisions." Alpha Nikolai stated. His voice washed over the entire crowd with a sense of calm. Even Raine felt at peace hearing him speak.

"Let the moon be debunked. She can be allowed to participate in the moon dance like every other maiden. This is a night of celebration and Thanksgiving. There is absolutely no need to end it with killing."

Some wolves nodded in agreement while others remained passive. Tiki glared at Raine before signaling the enforcers to leave her alone.

"Take off those clothes and jewelry. I don't want to see your face for the rest of the night." Tiki whispered in a spiteful manner and sent her away.

Raine stumbled through the stones on the altar and made her way through the crowd. The wolves parted giving her access to pass through. She hung her head and walked dejectedly till she was no longer in their midst. That was when she let the tears fall.

She curled up by the riverside and wept. She prayed for the goddess to smile upon her. But she knew there was no place for people like her.

"Raine," a soft voice whispered.

She looked up to find Tyrion staring at her with an expression she couldn't decipher. Anger kicked in her gut and before long, her desperation was forgotten and in place of it was hot and raw anger.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"I wanted to make sure you are okay." He replied looking remorseful. Raine scoffed and struggled to get off the floor.

"You ripped my heart out, Tyrion. More than any other person could ever come close to. If the pack decided to kill me today, they would have some me a huge favour, compared to what you have done to me." She quipped in disgust.

"I'm sorry, Raine. Belly deceived me. I thought we had something. I thought we could even be together. The three of us. I do love you very much, Raine." He pleaded.

Raine's intestines churned with bile as she heard his words. He planned to have them together. Not only was he willing to share a mating bond, he planned to have her strapped to Bellona for the rest of her life.

"You are a pig. And you are delusional. Stay away from me, Tyrion. I mean it. Or I will sic Atty on you." She warned.

"You can't get out of this engagement. You might as well embrace it and learn to live with it. You are mine now, Raine." He grabbed her wrist forcefully and pulled her closer to him.

Raine whimpered as pain shot up through her arm. She could feel the moment he cut off her blood supply.

"You're hurting me," she whined.

Tyrion got up in her face. Their breaths mingle together.

"Stop fighting," he warned.

"What do you want from me? I'm defective. I'm of no use to you. You are a beta. One day, you will be one of the rulers of this pack. Why do you want to be strapped down with a mate like myself?" Raine questioned. She couldn't understand his determination to have her.

"That's because you are mine. You've been from the moment you were born. We just didn't expect you'll be wolfless. But don't worry. I'm sure we could fix that. Once the making bond kicks in, your wolf will be forced out of hiding." He deadpanned.

Raine mustered a bit of strength and pulled herself out of his grasp.

"I'd rather be killed than be shackled to a cheating, lying bastard." She spun around on her heels and ran back to the pack house hoping Tyrion wouldn't follow.

Everywhere was quiet considering everyone was at the square. She was grateful for the quiet and the ability to hear her thoughts. She crept to her bedroom and shut the door behind her sliding down through it and hitting the ground.

With her knees drawn up, she hid her head between and swayed from side to side wondering why she was born with the shittiest luck.

"Mighty goddess, just take my life away. I can't live like this anymore." She cried. But no answer came forth.

After a few minutes of sulking, she got off the ground and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was still perfect and her makeup was still spectacular. But her white dress was soiled with dirt and humiliation burned through her.

She took off the clothes and jewelry. She sighed in regret at the beauty of it all and how it was wasted on her. Carefully, she placed them in her drawer and got into bed.

Just then, an idea occurred to her. She had been forced into an engagement with Tyrion. She had been blackmailed into playing the moon as well. She realized that her father had only one intention. To keep her from participating in the dance tonight. He didn't want her to attract the attention of their guests. He was afraid one of them would take her away from him.

As the realization dawned on her, she quickly got out of bed and dressed up. If there was one thing she was good at, it was dancing. And she wasn't about to let anyone take that away from her too.

With a newfound purpose and strength, she threw the doors open and ran to the square, not tiring even for once along the way.

The procession was in full swing. Everywhere bustled with countless activities. She looked to the altar and saw the remnants of the sacrifice she had failed to offer. The priestess must have intervened, although Raine couldn't see her anywhere.

She blended into the crowd to avoid being spotted by her family members. No one even took notice of her. They were too occupied with the fun.

The men danced around the fire while the women cheered and howled in response. The sight brought a smile to her face. Seeing everyone in their raw element was soothing for her troubled soul.

When it was finally time for the moon dance, the main raised a war cry and drummed on their chests. The women split into the fouls as the men spurred them on.

Raine sighted Bellona as she led her group to the clearing. Music flowed and the drums sounded. The women swayed and moved their bodies to the music. It was captivating to watch. Raine could see the appeal the dance held for the unmated wolves.

Bellona stepped out from among her peers gathering all the attention to herself. She rolled her hips and did an intense belly dance. Hoots hollered through the crowd and applause went up.

Soon she was done, and she moved along with her group. Raine watched each group perform their dance.

The last group of dancers came onto the clearing and Raine joined them. The music went up again to welcome them.

Raine closed her eyes and let the drums wash over her. Soon, she gave herself over to the music. A gasp of awe followed through as everyone watched her. Unapologetically, she fell into her element and let the dance lift her fallen spirits.

The other maidens parted the way for her and let her have the stage. Raine was oblivious to the fact that she was dancing alone. She swayed and swayed until she felt her heart was about to give out from exertion.

As soon as the music ended, she howled into the night in joy. Her chest heaved breathlessly as she looked around to see everyone staring at her. Their expressions were a mixture of shock and denial. But that was not what caught Raine's attention.

Her father's guest, Alpha Nikolai looked on with an expression she couldn't decipher. His face was morphed into reverence and she could see fire blazing in his eyes.

Just before she could dwell on the thought, alpha Tiki got up in outrage and pointed at her.

"Seize her!" He demanded.