The Amber Shift

Forty-Six

Remi

Under the star-speckled sky and bright moon, I join my brothers in the middle of the clearing. Like me, they wear nothing but black leather pants—the simple training uniform of our ancestors. Noelle stands next to Corbin, the little black dress Asher bought for her birthday, the perfect complement to our lack of clothing. The necklace I bought her lays around her neck, sparkling in the moonlight. I join everyone around the basin perched on a stone pedestal and nod.

Ever since I can remember, I've wanted to fight with the most elite warriors. I saw the respect they were given by those they protected, and I wanted to hone that. The glory, the honor, their envy, I wanted to be a lycan others aspired to be. And now I would be.

Corbin unsheathes a dagger with a jewel-encrusted hilt and holds his palm out to me. I place my hand in his and he sweeps the blade over the center of my hand, letting the blood drip into the clay bowl. With a commanding voice, he says, "Sentinels are called to devote their lives to the protection of our people. Every lycan, no matter how young or old, is our charge. We shed our blood, shatter our bones, and give our lives for their freedom and safety. I ask you now, Remington Scott, do you wish to serve the lycan race until your final breath?"

"I do."

"Will you place their lives above your own, battling all injustices and persons who will harm a lycan?"

"I will."

He hands me the bowl filled with my blood. "As a symbol of your promise to our people, shed your blood on this sacred ground, and turn your body over to the mark of the sentinels."

Walking around the podium, I paint the ground with the thick crimson liquid. My blood has flowed for this land before, but never like this. A firm tug pulls at the line anchored to my wolf. My beast stirs to life, rumbling inside of me. Every part of me understands the commitment I'm making and celebrates my decision. When the bowl is empty, I move to the massive boulder where every lycan who has taken this oath before me offered their skin to be marked.

Victor is a mountain of a lycan with a bald head and warm brown skin covered in tattoos. He pulls to his side the silver tray that holds the black ink and the power source for his tattoo gun. Although the tattooing process has modernized with time, the tradition of the artist picking the patch of skin that speaks to them has not. Victor moves close to my shoulder and places the needle to where it curves into my arm. The machine buzzes in the dark cool night, sending a sting through my skin. The design of the mark is different for each sentinel, but the layout is the same—a full moon with a six-pointed star in the center.

It's my first tattoo, and even though I've lived through some uniquely painful moments, like my first shift, there's nothing like the feeling of the needle vibrating into my skin. I clench my jaw against the jolt of pain and Killian grins at me.

"You all right, pup?"

I glare at him. "I'm fine," I say through gritted teeth, and a wave of laughter echoes through the clearing.

"Stop making fun of him," Noelle chides, stepping in my direction and squatting in front of me. "I've never gotten a tattoo either, so I am freaking out. Does it hurt really bad?"

I wink at her. "You'll be fine. You're a queen; you can handle anything."

She flushes and squeezes my knee before getting to her feet and taking her place next to Elijah, who slides his hand around her waist and splays it over her hipbone. God, I can only hope that one day, I'll find my mate, someone to love me the way Noelle loves Elijah.

It feels like half the night passes before Victor pats me on the back and says, "All done, Remington."

I look down at my shoulder to find a moon surrounded by fractures, like it is breaking through my skin. Embossed in the center is the star with six sharp points. It's badass, a little scary and right up my alley. "It's awesome, thank you."

He shrugs. "I know, I'm good at what I do."

"That's an understatement," I say, taking a closer look in the mirror he is holding up for me.

He covers my ink with cellophane and tape and turns to Noelle. "You ready, Miss Hart?"

She takes a deep breath and looks up at Elijah, who kisses her on the temple. "You got this, princess. Don't be scared."

Noelle draws her bottom lip between her teeth and steps toward Victor, pulling her hair into a bun on top of her head. "Are you going to choose where mine goes, like you did for Remi?"

"If you are going for tradition, then yes."

"Absolutely," she says with no hesitation, and Victor nods.

"All right, then." He circles her, and I can see the wheels turning in his head, determining where the mark of the future lycan queen should be. He stops in front of her and glances at Elijah before saying, "You'll have to remove your dress for this."