Chapter Text
Definitely a protective Alpha. Cute.
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The sound of leaves ruffling high above you, the feeling of moonlight upon your back, the pounding of your paws on the dirt, and the scent of your pack around you.
How your heart pounded in your chest wasn't just from adrenaline. You were on your way to your own mating ceremony, and every time you slowed, a nip was delivered to your hind leg by your mother or father, encouraging you to keep running.
At birth, you were promised to the son of a rival werewolf pack, one your family had been at war with for decades. You were the one who was going to stop the bloodshed.
That being said, you had no choice.
You had no idea what your mate looked like, how he acted, who he was. All you had was his name.
Calum Hood, the eldest son of the Rising Moon pack, led by his parents. He was an Alpha, and you were an Omega by birth. You were afraid, but there was nothing you could do about it. You were bound to him by law.
The ceremony was to take place at midnight, when the moon was highest, and your rather large pack thundered through the trees, eager to get to the clearing that would be a place of peace where it was going to be safe.
Your pack had taken the name of Dark Paw. Kind of weak, in your opinion, but you didn't come up with it. You all bore the matching markings on your wrists in human form, the clawed paw print, in neat black ink. But after today, you would be given the marking of the Rising Moon pack, a howling wolf.
It almost feel like betrayal, doing this, but it was meant to be.
"(Y/n), are you alive in there?" You hear your older sister's voice, and you realize that the pack had stopped running, and that most of them had shifted, and clothed themselves. You shake your head, and she rolls her eyes, digging in the backpack she'd brought with her.
"I need you to shift so I can get you dressed and fix your hair. You want to get all pretty for your mate, don't you?" She asked, and you snort, shaking out your russet colored fur before doing as she asked.
You're completely naked when you turn, but only for a moment before she's handed you clothes. You're not shy about being seen by the pack. It's pretty much a given. It's only a problem around alpha males.
You get dressed quickly, pulling on the breezy, long sleeved white dress that she's handed you, and she gets to work, brushing out and beginning to braid your hair, tucking little white flowers into the strands. You're barefoot, but that's normal for wolves. You prefer it. You can sense danger easier that way, but right now, youre digging at the dirt with your toes, and your sister notices.
"Nervous, little one?" She asks, and you sigh, ready to correct her for that name, but you nod slightly, chewing your lip.
"Don't worry. If he's anything like his sister, everything will be okay. He can't hurt you, it's part of the agreement. Now come on, they're leaving without us. Tonight is about you. It's supposed to be happy." She smiles, nudging you gently, finishing the braided crown.
You can smell the other wolves on the breeze, the deep, earthy scent pulling you in. You're hoping to just be still, to be able to walk yourself, but if course, your parents come up on either side of you, taking your hands.
"You can't forget to flash your eyes at him, darling, remember that." Your father says, and you nod, trying to concentrate on the sounds coming from the clearing ahead. Soft music, fire light through the trees sent a pretty glow onto you, and you swallow hard.
"You'll do fine. Remember the practice we did. Now... go ahead. You're the leader tonight." Your mother kisses your forehead, and you can't help your trembling lips. You're only nineteen, you're hardly an adult. You're definitely not a leader. But as you begin to step through the trees, a hush falls over everything.
The clearing is full of your enemies, the Rising Moon, but tonight, they are family. They're in a wide circle around a bonfire, all eyes on you as they part, making a way for you to walk into the center. You can hear the hushed whispers, and the pounding hearts, but when you reach the middle of the clearing you finally lay eyes on your mate, and you find that he's nothing like you'd expected.
In the fire's glow, he seems darker, and the shadows on his eyes make him look angrier, but as you both move closer to each other, you realize that he's not very scary at all. He looks... young and afraid. Much like yourself.
His dark hair is rumpled, like he was running his hands through it, and he's wearing a white button up shirt and black jeans, his feet bare as well. You're nearly chest to chest now, and it's then you realize how tall he is. You have to look up at him, your eyes wide and shining Omega blue in the dark. His own eyes glimmer crimson, the Alpha color, intimidating and frightening, although what you feel is mostly anxiety.
He leans down to your level, his lips dragging over your shoulder and up your neck to just behind your ear, where he inhales deeply, taking your scent in. You stand perfectly still as one of his hands raises to cup your cheek, the other delicately lacing his fingers with yours.
You know this by heart, and you know that you're meant to stay still until prompted to move. He's scenting you now, making it known that you belong to him, even though you know nothing of him.
His plush lips latch to your neck next, making you shiver involuntarily. He pauses, pulling away, and you stare in horror. Had you messed it up? Oh hell...
He doesn't stop. In fact, leans back down to your level, keeping eye contact as he bares his neck to you, and you suddenly understand. He wants you to mark him first.
You're nearly bowled over by this. Most Alpha's would force themselves on their Omega, marking them whether they wanted it or not, but... he sensed your hesitation, and he's offering himself first.
You blush, placing a hand on his cheek, the way he had for you; you can feel the stubble beneath your fingertips, and you sense his heart is pounding, the same way yours is, as you begin to scent him. He smells sweet, beneath the cologne and deodorant, the scent of fresh water on stones, of deep forests and wild herbs, and it's close to driving you crazy. You want him, and it shocks you. Very slowly, you drag your sharp fangs over the muscular meat of his neck, and you hear his breath catch in his throat when you pull away, displaying your own throat. He waits a moment before stepping in and dragging his own teeth across your soft skin, drawing blood, but its a sweet, comforting burn.
Next comes the more traditional part. You step apart, taking each other by the wrists, arms crossed over each other. He hesitates before realizing he's doing it wrong, blushing and changing the way he's holding you. You smile softly at the cute display, before the leaders of both packs, your father, and the woman you realize as being Calum's mother, and the Alpha of his pack, approach you. This was it. This was when you'd be bound for life, and you didn't even think about pulling away.
The two Alpha's spoke quietly, their hands over yours and Calum's as they blessed the union, and bade blessings upon you. All was silent for a few moments as you both stared into each other's eyes, before a shout of joy went up through the crowd, soon echoed by everyone, including the Alpha's.
You look around finding your mother and sister, who are both grinning and crying, and you take a deep breath before you feel yourself being tugged.
You look back at Calum- your mate, who gently pulls you, motioning to the small cabin, not too far away, and you understand. You blush, but you're not going to disobey. He's your Alpha now. You nod, allowing yourself to be led through the crowd, and you realize that you are no longer Dark Paw. You are Rising Moon, and the sparking in your chest tells you that you'll be okay.
He doesn't speak the whole way there, and it makes you a bit afraid of what might happen once you enter the cabin, but when he shuts the door, you catch a scent of fear in the air, and it's not yours.
"You're going to mate me?" You can't help it- It just slips out, and his eyes widen, his lip going between his teeth.
"I... I'm supposed to. I... I know you didn't have any choice in this, but they'll be able to smell whether or not we did anything and I just-" He's cut off suddenly as you press your lips to his, unable to resist him. That scent was intoxicating. He seems to understand, though, and that's all it takes before both of you are heading to the bed slowly, your thoughts only of each other.