Profound Devotion

Chapter 26

July 31st
Monaia

I'd spent an uncountable number of hours listening to my mother and sister gush over the array of flamboyant flowers currently being planted along the cliff's edge and throughout the vast clearing. The soft lavender petals harbored the romantic atmosphere from their vision, though they wouldn't last long from the firm terrain beneath the inches of soil beneath our feet.

"I'm thinking everyone can sit facing the waterfall over to the left, and dinner and dancing can be through here." Seraphina maneuvered around the poor pack members that had been roped into helping her while brushing aside a few branches with her hand that separated the ceremony from the reception. "That way the tables and trees can keep people from getting too close to the edge. What do you think?"

I was thankful the question wasn't directed toward me. It was hard to pay attention with the rumbling of my stomach, so I only nodded when something warranted a reaction or responded with a 'whatever you think is best' when she asked for my opinion—not that it happened often.

My mother seemed to be truly enjoying herself as she helped plan the first of her children's ceremonies, unaware that it may be the last for a long time. Who knew when or where Atticus would find his mate.

"I think it's going to be perfect. Only days away." Her smile beamed, and she raked a hand through the vines that were being draped sporadically through the trees to make them seem more 'magical'.

Seraphina squealed and threw her arms around our mother. "I can't believe it's finally happening." She'd always been the one to dream of the day she would meet her mate. I was happy for her, of course, but it was hard to show it when they were doing such a good job on their own.

My own hand subconsciously raised to the base of my throat, my fingers smoothing along the bare skin. The bruise from last night was long gone, but I could still remember the feeling of Jackson's rough palm as if it remained there.

I wasn't given much time to pull myself together this morning before my family barged into my temporary room, forcing me out to run errands with them. Luckily, Cass had already been gone for about an hour before them. He slipped out with the coming of the morning sunlight, leaving me with nothing but the warm space he had once resided on the bed.

I had less than ten minutes to run a brush through my hair and change into fresh clothes before Seraphina linked her arm with mine and rushed us out the door.

My stomach ached, begging for any sort of food. I was promised we could join the pack for breakfast soon, but as time went by with no hint of ending this charade, they only seemed more into planning the celebration and less interested in my needs.

"Mom." I mumbled, nearly tripping over an empty pot that once housed the flowers and was now left in the center of the pathway. Catching my footing, I huffed and kicked it off to the side.

"Hmm?" She hummed, not yet looking away from the color swatches they were flipping through for the bouquets. "What is it, Naia?"

My stomach rumbled again, dwindling the last of my patience. "Are we almost done?" I winced at the entitlement in my tone and cleared my throat.

She frowned and passed the swatches back to my sister. "Almost done? We just got here." Her hand waved toward the wolves that were cleaning up the area, oblivious to the sweat that was dripping from their foreheads after an hour of working in the beating sun.

I raised an eyebrow and shot her a pointed stare. "Breakfast is going to start soon, and I was hoping to get there before the good food is gone."

Her mouth opened to continue her argument with me, to tell me to relax and enjoy the scenery, or to spend time with my sister I hadn't seen in months instead of ruining her big moment. Don't get me wrong, I wanted to, but I was struggling to be around her and her mate that were so enthralled with each other while I fought to ignore my own.