Luna's Requiem

Chapter 6: Orik

I opened the door to my room that evening weeks later and heard the sounds of the shower going on in the bathroom. Ever since father had announced the bloodmoon festival, I've been buzzing with excitement. The bloodmoon festival was something I've always wanted to attend. Every year, in addition to the moon's normal cycle, on one special night the full moon swells to twice its normal size and becomes a deep shade of crimson reminiscent of blood. To us wolves it is our most sacred night,many believe it is the one night when we are the closest to the moon goddess Luna.

Since it is such a special night a special event is held every year,beginning on the week preceding the night and lasting up until the week afterward. It is our most extravagant event where merchants and traders from all over the world come to sell their best wares. The festival is filled with lots of music, dancing and food, all leading up to the main event. We pay tribute to Luna by performing in a battle tournament culminating in the crowning of alpha. Many warriors from all over the world come to compete. Wolves recognize strength above all else, so anyone is eligible to compete, even non wolves.

I remember when I was very small, my father,in response to my curiosity told me how he became the alpha. He told me how he'd fought for the title and how he had to do so every year since,that was the day that we made a promise. I'd told him that I would take the title away from him when I got older, so he'd better not lose it before then. He laughed at that and told me that he wouldn't, not until I was ready to take it from him. He had held up his end of the bargain, now it was my turn to hold up mine.

I was so lost in thought,that I didn't notice that Maxie-Mae had completed her shower time. I was still standing in the doorway when she stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in only a towel, damp hair spilling over her shoulders. All thoughts of the festival slid away from my mind like faint clouds of mist. She didn't notice me as she rummaged in a drawer for underwear. In the month since we first met, she's fully moved in with me. What was once my room has now become ours, and I've gotta say she's added a much needed woman's touch to the place. No longer was it the place where I had spent my adolescence, it was now the warm and loving place that she'd turned it into.

I was moving before I realized it, just when she took out a black lace bra, I came up behind her and picked her up bridal style. She squealed in surprise, but I cut her off with a deep kiss. I carried her over to the bed and set her down gently in the middle of it before climbing in after her.

"You know it's really hard to believe that you're the sensible one,when you do stuff like this, Orik," Maxie-May scolded me playfully while placing her hands on my shoulders as I reached her on the bed.

I kissed her again before replying, " I'm afraid that I have absolutely no idea what it is that you're talking about sodalis." I murmured against her lips. This was a lie, I knew exactly what she was talking about,but I wanted to continue what I was doing, so I let her explain.

"Liar,"she said," You're the one that wanted to wait."

"Mmm," I let my hands move down to her chest, and slowly began to remove the towel. I lowered my head so that I could kiss the smooth skin of her throat, right below her jaw. " Are you telling me that you wish for me to stop?"

"Um............ Maybe," she gasped out as my hands tugged open the towel and began to travel over her chest directly.

" Oh? Now who's lying ," I murmured against her throat, moving my hands in a circular motion and eliciting a sweet moan from her lips.

" B-but that's what I'm talking about, you're the one who said we were going to wait,but you can't keep your hands off of me for more than two seconds when we're alone," Maxie-Mae complained even as she ran her fingers up and down my arms and through my hair. A month ago,the night following my father's announcement of the bloodmoon festival, I had told her about the promise between my father and I. That was when I had made a promise of my own to her, the promise was that until I become Alpha I would not be worthy enough to begin a family with her.