Fang

The Ceremony pt 1

Mark of the Moon.

The words repeated in my mind as I turned my gaze from him, looking off in the trees. My tongue rubbed the gap where my fang used to be. His hands came to my arms, rubbing them.

"I don't understand," I finally said. His hands were helping to ease my anxiety. 

"I don't know much about it, nor have I seen it before besides in books. From my understanding, it's a good sign. She watches you very closely and have much to achieve."

"How am I supposed to show this at the ceremony? The Moon didn't acknowledge my achievement, She doesn't see me as Gamma. I can't show this to them, Forrest." I took a deep breath to settle myself. 

"You don't have to show it, but they will see it eventually. The Moon's mark can mean anything in terms of leadership. You have alpha blood and you earned your rank as Gamma. You are a leader. I wouldn't hide it, but we don't have to make it an element during the ceremony," he spoke calmly. 

The late afternoon was quickly shifting to early evening, the sun close to setting. Fat clouds blotted the sky, leaving it dark. 

"When does the ceremony start?" 

"Tomorrow night." His rough hands stopped rubbing my arms. 

"Tomorrow night? It's supposed to be tonight," I balked.

He cleared his throat and looked elsewhere. "I know. Alpha Javenson and SteelPaw have decided to join for the ceremony. You are technically their Gamma now as well." 

"He did this on purpose just to postpone it. He doesn't like me." 

"Javenson is very traditional. Traditional meaning females shouldn't have ranks, besides Luna. But yes, he did it on purpose. Now we have to accommodate for double the amount of wolves we were going to be hosting." He turned his gaze back to me. 

"How many are going to be there?" 

"All of NightBlood, all of our packs. And SteelPaw, and all important ranks from their packs." I didn't have a response. His lips curled into a small smile. "I have to go. Have you made all the preparations?"

I only nodded my head, my tongue going back to rub the empty space that used to be my right fang. Memories of silver chains and pliers filled my mind. 

"Good," he leaned down and planted a kiss on my forehead. 

"Will I see you tonight? I want to talk about something." 

"Yes," he responded. He didn't seem curious about what I wanted to talk about. He probably knew already. 

I watched him leave, my mind on Javenson. 

The ends of my hair floated on the water, unmoving. My cold skin burned in the hot water, trying to adjust to the temperature difference. I took a deep sigh and winced at the action. 

Kirch had broken some of my ribs. Have to see Stovall tomorrow.

Closing my eyes, I leaned my head back onto the cold tile. 

I didn't have much time alone before he came. I could smell him before I heard him. His scent was always intoxicating, distracting me from anything else. I turned my head to see him leaning against the bathroom doorway. 

His eyes were on mine, not moving to graze over my exposed body. Somehow, this made me feel more exposed. 

"I'll be done in a few minutes if you want to wait in my room," I said as I struggled to sit upright. I had to use the edge of the tub to help myself. He watched without saying anything before he moved closer. "What are you doing?"