One Direction Are My Mates??

Chapter 9

Hours of restless banter later, it's time to call it a night. We slow down to a walk, reaching a small clearing in the middle of the forest. 

"We'll camp here for the night," I call back to the boys. I stop Sonny and dismount, tying him up to the branch of a tree. I assist the rest of the boys in doing the same, making sure the horses can't get loose. 

While Liam offers to help me set up the tent, the rest of the boys go out and gather some firewood and kindling to start a fire and cook dinner. 

By the time we had figured the tent out and staked it to the ground, the four boys come back, their arms filled with firewood, setting it on the ground ten feet from the tent. We start a fire quickly, Harry offering to cook the food up.

Once all the food is done, and we have all eaten, I look to the group who are sitting around the fire. "I'd suggest we all get to bed soon. We have to set off early so we can get up the mountain fast enough." They all nod in agreement, and follow me into the tent. 

Getting comfortable on the ground in the middle of the tent, the boys all lay around me. Harry rests his forehead on my shoulder while Niall wraps an arm loosely around my waist. I doze off to sleep, listening to the sound of their quiet breathing.

When I wake up the next morning, all of the boys are still asleep. I grab Niall's arm from my waist and set it around the hoodie I had used as a pillow the night before. I slowly unzip the tent, trying to muffle the sound as to not wake anyone up, and step outside, leaving it open to let some fresh air inside the tent. 

I feed each of the horses some food, and am saddling them up when I hear someone exit the tent. I glance over my shoulder to see Liam, who I have learned is an early riser, looking around somewhat confused until he spots me by the horses. 

"I was wondering where you'd gone," he comments and stalks over to me, wiping the sleepiness out of his eyes. 

"I figured I should saddle the horses up before waking anyone so they didn't have to do it. One loose strap and you'd probably fall off." I say, finishing up on the last horse. 

"In that case are we ready to go?" He asks and I nod, beginning to untie my horse. "I'll go wake up the boys then." He says, walking back to the tent. 

I grab a hoodie from my horse's bag and slip it on, deciding that the sweat pants I changed into before settling around the fire would be fine for the ride. 

One by one, the boys slip out of the tent, each wearing different clothes than the night before. Once they are all ready, and on the horses, we start the trek up the hill, deciding that we can just travel back down after the transformation in order to sleep.

Once we reach the top of the "mountain", which is mostly just a very large hill surrounded by smaller hills and valleys, I dismount my horse, tying him to the fencepost there, doing the same with the other horses. The boys gather around, looking at the stone platform surrounded with the dozen stones. 

"The twelve pillars are a representation of the twelve who founded the pack. The alpha, doctors, hunters and warriors, and the alpha's wife. It represents the strength of this pack and those around it. It stands for courage, honesty, strength, and honor." I say, circling around the pillars and running my fingers across the markings. 

"When the moon is at the center of the sky, you boys will lay down on the stone platform in the middle, around the large paw print that is inscribed in it. Then, shut your eyes. You will lay there for around twenty seconds before anything happens. And yes, even though it is very anticipating, don't open your eyes, don't' speak, and try to keep yourselves calm. Then, when the transformation happens, you will feel a little tingle on the back of your neck. Since you are in my pack, the Moonlight Pack, an inscription will be inscribed there, a thing only a wolf can see, and you will be able to see the pack inscription of any other wolf. Somewhere on your body, and I cannot tell you where because it is different to everyone, you will get a sign of who your mate is. Every wolf has a mate; it can be the same mate for all of you or someone different. Now, are you all one hundred percent sure you want to go through with this?" I ask warily, and continue, "I don't want you to come out of this thinking it was a huge mistake and you just didn't speak up to not make me feel bad." 

Louis is the first to speak up, "I think I can speak for not only me, but the other lads as well, when I say that we all want this." They all nod their heads in agreement. 

"Okay then, we have about twenty minutes until it's time," I say, observing the moon's position in the sky. They all nod and we talk amongst ourselves, feeling the time seem to slow down as every second passes.