Veela and her wolf

36

A/N: ...he he sooo kinda evil leaving at the cliffhanger last time...and this chapter won't resolve that...sorry but the following chapter will, and I promise youwon't have to wait too long for the next one : )

All rituals have been adapted for this story. Some are memories of stories I heard growing up from my Godfather whom was of Native American decent he passed some time ago, others are from among other amazing websites, and other parts have been made to suit this story.

The wedding prayer is a traditional Apache Wedding Prayer that is used by many tribes
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The steady drum beat going loudly as steady as the beating of his heart. The elders had a large double headed drum that they all sat circling around it. Each elder had their own drum stick and were banging the drum head and singing in unison, chanting the sounds of their people. The wives of the elders shook rattles in time and the talented sons of the elders played their flutes.

Tom had proposed to the woman of his dreams and they had been engaged for now six months. Her only request of the man she was head over heels in love with was to be married at her home in America around her tribe. The Black sisters had been given permission to attend as they were family and had taken a liking to the female shifter.

Tom's parents had passed long ago and had been found in a Orphanage by Dumbeldore when he was told of his magical powers. So Billy Black had acted as his surrogate father for the ceremony. Teaching Tom how to make a ceremonial wampum belt had been amusing for the elder Black man.

He had promised his Le Lee to do any and everything to prove himself to her tribe that he was worthy. He didn't care that they accepted him because of the imprint, no he wanted to prove himself for her, no magic, no he wanted to prove himself as a man worthy of her love.

The rituals surrounding the union before and after lasted two months. He got to know the tribe and their quirks. Leah had stayed at her childhood home and Tom had stayed with Billy and Jacob. Some drama apparently had happened with the young boy's crush and some veggie vampires, but Tom stayed out of business that was not his own.

He had gone on ceremonial hunts, coming back injured but victorious, a Black Bear over his shoulder and Jacob's. Narcissa had been the first to try and heal his wounds, especially one nicking his nose deeply and face, but he smiled and stopped her, instead asking only for a quick spell to make sure it didn't get infected. He would wear his scars as a badge of honor.

'Bear Meat' was his now given Indian name, it was at first a joke about how he almost was bear meat when he tripped on his own spear mid hunt. Consequently, pack would not have let anything happen to him being an imprint to their sister, so they had followed on his journey. However, it turned out he thought quick on his feet and eventually speared his foe after being slashed by the animals big claws in many places. He prayed in thanks to the Great Creator for the life he took and helped the men carry the Bear back to the Town center where they had set up a tent to break the Bear down to use every part of the animal whom had given his life.

Leah had many things she had to do as well, her ceremonial dress had to be made, although she laughed at the loose term for what she was to wear would hardly constitute a dress. She also had to ground up cornmeal, to be presented to Billy Black in preparation for the three day stay before the union. The craziest tradition was that she would rise each of the three days prior to the union to grind more cornmeal while the grooms paternal aunts were to 'attack' her with mud and her new mother-in-law was to step in and protect her. Tom had not been able to stop laughing when Leah told him of this part of the ritual when they were still in England.

The morning of the union the pair had walked down to the nearest river and prayed to the morning sun, they then washed their bodies to be blessed by the spirit of the Earth. Water being symbolic of washing away past evils and memories of past loves.

Once the river was done both returned to their respective homes to get ready for the ritual, which brought them both to the giant drum. Tom had been kept in the dark about what Leah would wear. He stood by the Pipe Carrier waiting for his bride to be, standing in a loincloth, face and chest painted and over his head and shoulders sat the very bear that almost took his life.

He was not prepared for what his Le Lee would wear. She too had to hunt, but her kill was easy, as it was a deer and she hunted in her shifted form as she had already proved herself many times over to her tribe. Both the deer and bear meat were saved for the ceremony. Leah had made a knee length skirt of this deer and wore the band of wampum beads her imprint had made around her forehead. Her mother Sue had given her the shell necklace she wore on her day of union to Leah's father Harry Clearwater. Besides the beads and shell necklace she was bare from the waist up, as tradition dictated.

They met up by the Pipe Carrier, or officiant, and declared their wish to be husband and wife, then they took turns with the ceremonial pipe and offered the pipe to the officiant.

The ancient wedding prayer was then recited by the officiant:

-Now you will feel no rain,

For each of you will be shelter to the other.

-Now you will feel no cold,

For each of you will be warmth to the other.

-Now there is no more loneliness,

For each of you will be companion to the other.

-Now you are two bodies,

But there is only one life before you.

-Go now to your dwelling place

To enter into the days of your togetherness

And may your days be good and long upon the earth.

They had shared a deep passionate kiss at the end of the ceremony. Holding his now wife made him the happiest man alive.

Holding her

Feeling her

But then it was like grasping smoke as she slowly began melting away

He screamed her name out, reaches far for her, ran as fast as he could. Looked everywhere

'LEAHHHHH!'
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'Leahhhh!'

He awoke sweating with a start in the darkness, chained to a bed, held somewhere far from anyone or anything. He had a deeper burn in his chest than anything he had felt since the months surrounding her death. This was the first time he had let himself feel anything but a deep burning rage since then. Something shifted in him and he felt broken. Deep soul wracking sobs erupted from his tall frame. His wife's smile, her scent, the feel of her were so fresh in his mind. It was his own special brand of torture that he had blocked off for so long, the weight of his loss was too much to bear