SOULLESS

Alpha Ramos of Claws Peak pack sat tall and proud on his horse with his luna Star, and his son Ricard, riding beside him while his beta Lionel rode behind him with his mate Sarai and other pack elders. Ramos stopped and looked ahead to see a huge fire burning in the sacred groove of the Helen plateau, which was situated between the several hills and caves used as the sacred burial grounds for past Luna’s and Alphas of Claw’s Peak. He smiles at the sight and says to his riding party, ‘we’d better hurry before our pack members turn the shifting ceremony into a fertility ritual’, making the pack elders and his high ranked pack members laugh. As they rode ahead, luna Star says looking at her son, ‘I remember the night you shifted and got you wolf spirit, I was so proud’. He smiles back saying nothing, his mind pressed on another matter. ‘He’s more interested in tonight’s ceremony. Look at him, he’s so apprehensive that his horse is restless as well’, his father teased ‘The ceremony? Or a certain someone at the ceremony?’ the Luna teased back ‘Mother' Ricard groaned making both his parents laugh at him. The group rode until they arrived at the grooves entrance where several fierce warriors were stationed, some stood beside the horses already tied to various posts around the site, while others surveyed the terrain for intruders and unruly teenagers who may mar the sacred event. Several warriors bowed as the Alpha and his entourage came down from their horses and walked through the stone path that led to the ancestral site as they engaged in small talk. They arrived at a huge clearing surrounded by tall oak trees where hundreds of teenagers were shouting, drinking and goofing around while the parents and young adults were trying unsuccessfully to create order. The more traditional elders were appalled at the sight but Alpha Ramos simply smiled looking around. ‘Welcome Alpha, I apologize for the current situation’, said head warrior Arnold kneeling before him. ‘It’s perfectly alright Arnold, trust me I know it’s easier to handle a rogue than a teenage wolf. How many of our pack members do we have in attendance here?’ ‘Only three hundred Alpha, excluding the participants and medical personnel’, Arnold replied ‘Is Frank with them?’ ‘Yes Alpha’, said Arnold again, ‘ He’s finishing the medical screening on the last batch of participants as we speak.’ ‘Where are the participants?’ Luna Star asked ‘Most of them that have been processed are among the crowd except from those young ladies over there’, he said pointing to the silhouette of two sitting figures talking as they stared at the moon. ‘I swear Lionel, you and Sarai did a fine job raising your daughter's, they are going to do great things; I tell you’, Arnold said looking at the beta who looked at the silhouette of his daughter with pride. ‘Sinder and her brother will also achieve greatness Arnold, just give them time; they are still young’ Sarai replied humbly. 'I’m just happy Sinder no longer gets into trouble. Ari’s positive influence on her has given me hope. Sinder actually talked about going to college last night with me my wife. I’m not going to lie, I burst into tears,’ Arnold said making everyone laugh. Luna Star bumped shoulders with her son wiggling her eyes at him, making him chuckle at her childishness. ‘Please excuse me’, Ricard says bowing to his father and his elders. ‘Go ahead, the elders and I need to discuss the evenings proceedings while we wait for Frank’ his father replied and Ricard walked away from them towards the crowd. ‘He will make a fine Alpha, says one of the elders as they watch Ricard walking through the crowd. ‘I pray Selene will answer his prayers and make Ari his mate, he loves her too much’, Luna Star said through her mind-link to her husband ‘Don’t worry Star, everything will be fine’, Alpha Ramon responded kissing her temple as they watched their son approach the girl of his dreams. Ricard was close to Ari when he perceived the subtle scent of oranges which always made his wolf rumble, he looked around trying to locate the source but a female voice he recognized very well broke his concentration. 'Your beauty queen is up there loser', he rolled his eyes and turned around to meet the strong stench of alcohol. He growled in frustration as Cybele, Ari’s identical twin sister giggled and struggled playfully trying to rest on him. ‘Be still Cybele, our parents are here’, he scolded; holding her by the shoulders. She smiled at him seductively and whispered ‘You smell like heaven’, trying to place her arms around his neck. ‘Stop it! You’re drunk', he said pulling her arms down and taking off his jacket, using it to cover her shoulders from the cold. ‘I love this scent, it calms me', she whispered again holding the jacket close to her. ‘I hope my mate smells like this or else I'll castrate him?’, Cybele asked ‘I'm sure he will find a way to, so as to avoid castration Cybele’ ‘Hey bro!’ his younger sister Anna said jumping on his back from behind. He caught her by the thighs behind him before placing her to the ground, but turned to find her also reeking of alcohol and holding a bottle of scotch. ‘What are you doing? Where’d you get this?’ he asked, his anger evident in his eyes as he grabbed it from her hands. ‘Hey!’ she said trying to grab it back. ‘Where did you get it?’ he asked again grabbing her hand. ‘I stole it from the warriors stash, okay. I heard that alcohol numbs the pain.’ Anna replied ‘Who told you that?’ Ricard asked again ‘What do you care? Why don’t you go to your little miss perfect and leave me alone’ Anna responded, pushing past him and dragging Cybele away who was blowing kisses at a random teenager. Ricard watches them go, holding his anger in check. He walks up the stone steps that also serve as seats, built like circular rings in semblance of the roman Colosseum. At the top stair he found Ari sitting with her head resting on the shoulder of her best friend, looking at the full moon as Sinder kept talking. Ari seemed transfixed by the sight of it, oblivious of the activities around her. He called her name and she turned to face him smiling sweetly at him. He smiled back at her as the moon light shone on her soft feature’s, seeming to enhance her beauty. He sat beside her and placed his hand over hers. ‘Are you nervous?’ he asked softly ‘Are you kidding?’, Sinder responded making Ari chuckle ‘Sinder can I have a minute alone with Ari?’, Ricard asked. ‘Only because I like you', Sinder responded standing up and walking away. Ari watched her leave and turned to face her lover who kissed her tenderly and held his forehead against hers. ‘I love you', Ricard said to her ‘I Iove you too Ricard', she responded 'I wish I could take the pain away', he said 'It is a necessary right of passage', she responded ‘After tonight we’ll always be together. You will be my Luna.’ ‘And you will be my Alpha,’ she responded smiling. His eyes glazed over and said, ‘we need to go to the center of the ring. The ceremony is about to begin.’ They both stand up and walk down the stone steps to the center where over a hundred young teenagers between the ages of sixteen and seventeen all stood, dressed in loose clothing. Amongst them were Anna- daughter of Alpha Ramos, Sinder and Asher- twin children of head warrior Arnold with Ari and Cybele- twin daughters of beta Lionel. Ricard leaves Ari with Sinder and walks to join his parents with high ranked officials and the pack elders on a wooden make shift podium. While the other spectators either sat or stood on the stone steps below. Alpha Ramos stood tall and proud on the podium. Standing at his full height of six feet eight inches, his piercing grey eyes scanned through the crowd as they settled down around him. ‘My people!’ he started to gain their attention ‘My beloved family! Tonight we celebrate, as our children prepare to find their ranks amongst us. Tonight Selene blesses us with her presence, as she always has for centuries on the third month of every lunar year and grants our children her gift of wolf spirits!’ The entire crowd cheers and howls fill the air, making some of the horses neigh and kick in nervousness. The Alpha stretches out his hands to calm the crowd. ‘We will be without the presence of our royals tonight because of the untimely death of prince Farad. We stand with our king during this dark period and pray for better times ahead for our king and our entire race! I am told that the auspicious time is arriving. Princess Nara, I leave the rest to you.’ A beautiful slightly aged woman dressed in a flowing white dress comes out from on of the surrounding caves and walks into the center of the ring. She opens a ceremonial jar containing the ashes of past Alphas and Luna’s. She uses some of the ashes to form a circle around the participating teenagers, she then takes a white goat to the center of the formed ring looking up at the moon with her eyes glazing over. After several minutes she slits the goats throat and all of the teenagers falls to the ground, screaming in agony except Ari who looks up at the moon. The crowd begins to murmur and her parents begin to worry as some of the teenagers are beginning to contort in pain while others are sprouting hairs and growling. Ari’s eyes glitter beneath the moon and she smiles lifting up her hands. ‘Come on Ari, come on’, Ricard whispers while the entire pack watches her curiously. A gust of wind blows into the ring lifting Ari to everyone’s surprise. Some women scream at the sight of her levitation and the Alpha orders through the mind-link for the warriors to exit everyone except the elders from the ceremony and surround the ring of teenagers which is carried out swiftly. Ari begins to show signs of discomfort and closes her eyes as her blood begins to soil her white dress. Ricard tries to run to her but is stopped by his father. Princess Nadia goes to Ari watches her intently. Ari opens her eyes once again and the winds around her grows stronger blowing her loose brown hair around her. Her eyes glaze over and more cuts show on her exposed arms and feet making her bleed on the sands beneath her. Sinder suddenly stops screaming and walks on all fours beside her levitating friend and begins to howl at the moon, her brother follows soon after until all of the teenagers form a circle around Ari howling as they begin to shift and their wolves begin to emerge. The wolves howl in unison until Ari is struck by lightening and falls to the ground; which causes them to come out of their trance. All the wolves in the ring, rush to devour the slaughtered goat while Ari’s parents jump down from the podium to reach her with Ricard running behind them. Ricard suddenly stops after perceiving the intoxicating scent of oranges, he turns to find a light brown wolf with strips of white on its back staring at him and his wolf shouts ‘MATE' in his head. Ricard steps back in disbelief, making the wolf whine at his withdrawal, he turns to Ari who is still unconscious and the wolf growls at the sight before darting away. Ricard tries to reach Ari but is held back by the Alpha and several male elders. He screams Ari’s name trying to break free of his father's grip as medics struggled to revive her, while her parents helplessly watched. ‘We need to get her to the hospital, her heart is about to explode', said doctor Frank. ‘Take her to my residence, it closer and everything you need will be made available to you’, Princess Nara said ‘Thank you', Sarai said to Princess Nara, before following her husband and doctor Frank to the nearest ambulance which drove them away into the night. Princess Nara looked in the direction of her son Alpha Ramos and the waiting elders with her grandson, who was sitting in the grass. The young wolves were guided away between experienced warriors back to the pack's living quarters at the instruction of Luna Star who was busy with the organization, to ensure the safety of the new wolves. ‘An alpha’s place is never in dirt. Even in the face of death, he stands proud' she says to him. Ricard gets up slowly and his grand mother touches his wet cheeks lovingly. ‘Mother what happened in the ring? I only allowed it to continue because you seemed unfazed by it', Alpha Ramos said ‘I will explain everything, but know this, no one was speak of tonight’s events or what I have to say to anyone. And no unmarked male should be allowed anywhere near Ari for now. If I am correct, Ari is indeed destined for greatness’ ‘I shall do as you ask', Alpha Ramos said. ‘Grand mother, what about me? I love her, please let me see her', Ricard said. ‘Your place is with your mate, Ricard' she responded, making Ricard flinch. 'Ari is my mate', he responded ‘I saw Ricard and I know this is difficult for you to accept right now, but you must accept it because Ari is not your destined mate' his grand mother finished. Ricard shakes his head responding, 'No, I don't accept it, I wont'; and runs away turning into his huge dark brown wolf. His mother calls to him but his father asks her to leave him alone. ‘So much has happened to him in one night, he needs time to process. I think we all need time to process what was witnessed tonight', before saying to a group of warriors standing beside him; ‘Follow him and keep him safe but give him space.’ They bow in response before going in Ricard’s direction. 'Is it just me or did anyone else notice that all the wolves tonight had traces of white in their coats?' said elder Ross 'Maybe its connected to Ari' answered another elder. 'Its a good thing no royals were here, how would we have explained it to the king? How do we convince him that we have not connived with witches? The elders were led to the Alphas residence to discuss the future of the pack as well as Ari’s stake in it.