BLOOD MOON
Goldie
It was that time of year again. I sat in the cold, pressing my knees to my chest as I looked up at the moon. It was tinged with orange and cast an eerie glow onto the earth below. It looked other-worldly, like it had caught on fire.
I shivered and watched as my breath billowed around me in the frosty air. Tomorrow was the Blood Moon. Just thinking about it made my stomach flip upside down. Memories of the previous year came flooding back. Last year was a close call, the closest I had ever come to losing the games. Every year, it got harder and harder to avoid capture.
Mating season usually took place at the first of the year, in early spring. Those lucky enough to find a mate were excused from participating in the event. The females that remained unmated were forced to participate. During the Blood Moon females were put on display, and the males were given the opportunity to show their dominance and strength.
It was a race to the finish line. If a male caught you, you would be paired with him for the season. You were his bitch. If you could reach the finish line before being caught, you were allowed to remain unpaired and untouched. After the Blood Moon, any male that touched you without your permission would be killed onsite.
The Blood Moon served to ensure that all wolves were paired before the pack went into heat. It was too dangerous to have unmated females. The males would work themselves into a frenzy, fighting to the death over the unmated females to show their dominance. It resulted in mass chaos.
So, the games were created. While imprinting and finding your one-true mate was sacred, pairing was respected. If you were paired, you were faithful for the duration of the mating season.
Most females experience their first heat on their 18th birthday, when they are no longer considered pups. Those that don’t imprint are required by default to participate in the Blood Moon for pairing. It’s a tradition that the Alpha King of the Azar pack created hundreds of years ago to restore order. As time went on, it spread to other packs in the surrounding areas. It is now the biggest event of the year, bringing several packs from different realms.
This would be my sixth year as a Blood Moon contestant. I remained unmated, even at 23 years old, a late bloomer according to most folks. I had never imprinted on any wolf in my own pack or the surrounding packs that gathered here every year.
The first night of the festival was usually a time for last-minute mating. It was an opportunity to mingle with other packs and see if you imprinted on a different alpha line.
I pulled my knees closer to my chest as I looked from my rooftop at the party in the open meadow below me. Tiny figures danced in the flickering light of the bonfire. I could hear a fiddle playing and inhaled the scent of freshly baked bread, cheeses, wine, and various smoked meats.
My stomach growled and I realized I hadn’t eaten anything all day. The smells wafting my way made my stomach lurch. My throat suddenly felt dry and I pictured myself bringing a glass of full-bodied wine to my lips. I sighed and let the feelings dissipate. No party food for me. I wasn’t stepping foot on that field until I absolutely had to.
Vaughn
I was slowly guided through the entryway of the Azar pack mansion. It was mind boggling. I had to keep my jaw from dropping as I glanced at the golden walls and the emerald green marble floor beneath me, my footsteps echoing across the vast, empty space.
The vaulted ceiling above me must have been 100ft high. It glittered with what I assumed was a mosaic of colored glass, the light from the lamps bouncing off the individual pieces and putting on a light show above me.
I pulled my eyes away from the ceiling as I heard heavy footsteps approaching. I was enthusiastically greeted by Alrec, who shook my hand vigorously. “Vaughn, my good friend,” he bellowed, slapping me on the back as he let out a hearty laugh.
Friend was an uncomfortably intimate word for our relationship. I barely knew him, and this visit was for purely political purposes. I had little interest in Alrec. He was brash, self-centered, and dangerous. There was something about him that made the hair on the back of my neck raise in warning whenever I was in his presence. He was bad news, and I intended to keep an eye on him.
“Alpha King! Come, and meet my guest.” Alrec pulled me through to a large living area, where a tall and rather tan man sat in a high-backed burgundy velvet chair. It was almost thrown-like. The fireplace he sat in front of was pure gold, adorned with emeralds that glittered in the fire. It was so bright it hurt my eyes to look at it. While exceedingly beautiful, I found the Azar pack’s proclivity to flaunt their wealth distasteful. Everything was done to excess.
The Alpha King remained seated in his chair with his back to me. As Alrec pulled me closer to the fireplace, he turned his head and I was met with the most brilliant green eyes I had ever seen. They were striking, in a beautiful and scary way. His gaze made me uncomfortable. Even though I had all my clothes on, I felt naked under his gaze. It felt like he was reading my very soul as effortlessly as he would read a book.
Unnerved, I shifted my weight slightly from one foot to the other, but held my head high and kept my shoulders straight. “Alpha King,” I said with a small nod of my head, meeting his eyes. “Thank you for welcoming me into your home.” I kept my hands clasped behind my back. No one was to touch an Alpha unless he touched you first. As I was in his pack home and on his land, I conceded to him being of the highest authority during my stay.
I knew he was waiting for me to drop my gaze first, typical Alpha power move. Instead, I held his gaze. I would not be the first to look away. Yes, he was the Azar’s Alpha King, but I was now the Alpha King of my pack. I had inherited the title after my father’s passing 7 months ago.
I had no idea what I was doing, but I needed Alpha King Azar to think I did. There was a balance between being firm enough not to have my territory invaded, and soft enough that the Alpha King did not feel I posed a threat. Whenever there was a change of leadership, other packs were always tempted to come in and claim the pack as their own. I had to be formidable enough for the Azar's to leave my lands and my pack alone. This whole meeting felt dangerously close to ass-kissing, but it was more like playing my cards right. No need to cause a bloody war if you don’t have to.
He stared at me a moment longer in silence. The only sound was the crackling of the fireplace as we looked at each other. After what felt like ages, he smiled before turning his gaze back to the fire before him. “Welcome, Vaughn, Alpha King of Ilmuri,” he said, without looking at me.
“Ah, he likes you, Vaughn!” Alrec gave me another pat on the back. “I’ve never seen him warm so well to another Alpha King before.” Alrec began to usher me back into the main entryway, snapping his fingers at an attendant by the main door. I raised an eyebrow. “Really? What’s he like on a bad day?”
Alrec looked at the attendant, pointing towards my bags and up the stairs without saying a word. The attendant seemed to understand the wordless directions as he began to carry my bags up the staircase. Alrec then turned to me, threw his head back and snorted. “You’d be dead,” he said, as a grin spread across his face.
