Nova entered the royal ceremonial hall with her hand in Jax's. She'd never been in this chamber before; it was much larger than the one used for her pack initiation.
It was carved deep into the heart of the castle and there weren't windows. The only light came from the large ceremonial metal basin at the front. Its flame always lit.
Rows of stone pews were built into the castle itself, part of its original foundation.
The air was quiet but charged. This wasn't just a ritual. It was a passing of titles, of duty, of power.
By ancient, sacred tradition, no other flames were allowed to burn when the Fire of the Ancestors was called.
Only the royal family members, Aeron, and Elder Kaelith were there.
Cael stood behind Elle, his hand holding hers, and kissed the top of her head. She looked nervous, but steady.
"Beta Designate, step forward," Aeron intoned, his voice echoing through the chamber like a steady drumbeat of tradition.
Elle glanced once at Cael, then moved toward the ceremonial fire, stopping a few paces away.
"Elle of House Varrin, now Luna of House Valehart," Aeron spoke. "Do you accept the mantle of Beta, to serve this pack in strength and wisdom?"
"I do." Elle said.
"Please, hold out your right hand." Aeron.
Fin stepped forward, unsheathing a ceremonial dagger etched with the rune of Beta. "This will sting," he said softly, voice barely audible over the crackle of the flames.
She nodded. She didn't flinch as the blade sliced across her palm — a clean line, deep enough for the blood to pool. A mark of choice. Of will.
She kneeled and placed her hand on the ancient obsidian stone. It pulsed faintly as her blood made contact. Fin did the same — slashing his own hand and placing it beside hers, their palms pressed to the stone together, two lifelines crossing.
"The flame knows truth. Should your heart bear deceit, should your soul have stained the bond of your mate, should you dishonor them, or should the ancestors deem you unworthy of dominion, it will burn you. Do you stand ready to be judged?"
Elle lifted her chin, the light of the basin fire catching the nerves shimmering behind her eyes — but her voice was steady.
"I stand before the flame without deceit. Let it judge me as it will," Elle recited — the exact wording Cael had coached her on. Formal. Ritualistic. Ancient.
"Alpha, it is within your right to deny or allow such motion. Do you have any objections for her to step into her role?" Aeron said.
"I hold no objections." Fin answered, not hesitating. His voice echoed through the chamber.
"Do you offer your oath to Shadowclaw," Aeron intoned, his voice low as thunder, "to serve with strength of heart, clarity of mind, and loyalty unbroken as Beta Luna? Do you accept the mantle placed upon you?"
"I do. Before my Alpha, before my pack, and before the ancestors who watch, I pledge my life and loyalty to Shadowclaw," Elle said, her voice quiet but firm.
Aeron turned to the Alpha. "Do you, Alpha, accept her oath?"
"I accept her oath and acknowledge her claim. Let the ancestors witness it." Fin said with a warm smile.
"Place your hand within the flame. Let the fire speak its judgment." Aeron said.
There was no fear in her face as she reached into the blazing hearth — untouched by the heat. The flame surged brighter, flaring up around her hand… and then changed.
Silver. Pure, radiant silver. Bright.
Cael's eyes burned with pride.
The flames flared around her hand like a crown of light — dancing, swirling — before pouring through her and dimming into her skin.
Her eyes widened.
"Silver," Aeron said solemnly. "The ancestors have heard your oath and marked you as Beta. The aura of your mate now binds to your soul."
Xeon stirred in Fin's mind: She is brave, that one. A good match.
The flame settled back to red. Elle slowly withdrew her hand, and Cael pulled her into his arms, whispering something only she could hear. She smiled.
"Ready?" Jax whispered into Nova's ear holding her hand. She nodded.
Her long hair shimmered faintly, her expression composed — but Fin felt the quiet nerves rolling off her through the mate bond.
"Gamma Designate, step forward," Aeron intoned.
Nova stepped forward, posture straightening, nerves dissolving the moment her feet left Jax's side. Something shifted in her — a heat blooming low in her chest, like a half-memory trying to claw its way to the surface. But nothing came. Just that warmth. That pull.
Fin and Jax felt it.
Both of them stiffened almost imperceptibly, wondering the same thing.
"Nova of House Moonveil, now Luna of House Thorne," Aeron spoke with reverence. "Do you accept the mantle of Gamma, to serve this pack in strength and wisdom?"
"I do." She answered.
"Please, hold out your right hand." Aeron said.
Fin stepped forward, unsheathing a new ceremonial dagger etched with sapphires and a rune of Gamma.
He gently took her hand, ignoring the surge of sparks that jumped across his skin the moment they touched. With a precise motion, he sliced down her palm. Nova didn't flinch.
Her silver blood pooled instantly, catching the firelight in a glow.
Fin smelled it, and to say it affected him would be an understatement.
Xeon: I am fighting the urge to mark her. Do you feel that?
Fin: Yes. Keep control of yourself.
Jax also smelled her blood. A sudden, primal urge slammed into him to mate with her right there on the ceremonial floor and to mark her again. Harder. Deeper. The instinct was feral, consuming, terrifying in its intensity.
He remembered her blood affecting him at the pack initiation… but not like this.
No — this slammed into him like a charging bull.
She kneeled and placed her hand on the ancient obsidian stone. It began to glow instantly, the surface turning silver beneath her touch.
No one reacted — almost as if they'd expected something unusual.
It was Nova, after all.
Fin stepped forward, slicing his own palm and pressing his hand beside hers.
The stone altar pulsed white once, then shifted, glowing bright gold.
For a heartbeat, the room froze.
Nova felt it immediately. A pull from the stone, strong enough that she couldn't have lifted her hand even if she tried.
Fin felt the same force latch onto him — a sudden, invisible grip dragging through his palm and up his arm. Instinctively, he reached inward, searching for his wolf.
Fin: What is that?
Xeon: Your ancestors acknowledging her blood and your blood coming together as one..
Meanwhile behind them, Jax was locked in a very different battle. His wolf slammed against the inside of his ribs, desperate to surge forward. The instinct to claim and mate detonated through him.
He closed his eyes, and gritted his teeth. Trying to keep his composure.
Jax: I swear to god, if you come to the surface and mark her and start mating her in the middle of this ceremony, I will be so pissed.
Talon: I'm not out of my mind. She would hate us if we did that. I'm fighting it too.
Jax: What is causing this? Is it her blood?
Talon: Hold your breath and don't look at her.
Jax: This is ridiculous. And yet I am the genius who's going to follow your instructions.
Talon: If we get out of this normal. You owe me a run in the woods!
Jax did what any self-respecting Gamma would do in a moment of primal crisis. He held his breath, and looked at the floor. Still in the general direction as them, but not at Nova.
Talon: Exhale before you pass out, genius.
Jax: If I let go of this breath I think I'm going to tackle her.
Talon: We do not tackle mate during a sacred ceremony.
Jax: I KNOW!
He finally exhaled — shakily, like he'd just survived a drowning attempt.
Jax:Alright. New plan. Tell me what else to do before I embarrass us both.
Talon:Focus on your breathing. Count. Distract yourself.
Jax:With what?
Talon:Think about paperwork.
Jax:Absolutely not.
Talon:Then think about Fin naked.
Jax:WHAT—
Talon:It worked, didn't it? You forgot about her for a second.
Jax:I would like a new wolf. Preferably one with dignity.
Talon:If you wanted dignity you should not have chosen to fall in love with a girl whose blood smells like moonlit sin.
Jax closed his eyes and held his breath. Again.
Jax: When this ceremony is over, I'm going to sprint into the forest and scream for an hour.
Talon: And then you owe me that run.
Fin, meanwhile, was tense, fighting the urge to mark her. He forced his gaze to the stone beneath his palm, refusing to look at Nova.
And then Nova's eyes shifted — from green to molten silver — and her entire body began to glow.
Fin lost the battle instantly and glanced at her.
He saw a literal goddess next to him. Gods she was so pretty.
Every time he saw her he was struck by her beauty. But now she was glowing a foot away from him and he really saw her.
Her light spilled outward across the altar, silver radiance crawling over the obsidian until it reached his hand.
The moment it touched him, Fin inhaled sharply.
A warmth shot through his palm, racing up his arm and flooding into his chest. It spread fast, engulfing him from the inside out.
Xeon roared in his mind, the sound rattling through him.
Xeon:Mark her. Your ancestors are telling you to.
Fin's breath hitched, the warmth from the glow now growing stronger. His entire body hummed. He clenched his jaw hard.
Fin:Control yourself.
A bead of sweat formed at his temple.
Between the scent of her blood, the pull of the obsidian-turned-gold stone, the matebond surging, and now this magic glow rushing through his veins—he thought it couldn't get worse.
Until it did.
A primal urge slammed into him to mate with Nova. Right there. It was more powerful than anything he'd ever felt.
It was as if his ancestors were deliberately making it as hard as possible for him not to mark her.
Fin held his breath and kept his gaze fixed forward. Even when he felt her eyes flick toward him—light, curious, uncertain—he didn't look. He couldn't. One glance and instinct would win.
Nova noticed the tension in his shoulders and swallowed. He wasn't breathing. He wasn't looking at her. A tiny knot formed in her stomach.
She wondered if she did something to make him uncomfortable.
And then she felt a wave of heat all over her body. A bead of sweat formed on her temple.
She looked at Aeron.
"The flame knows truth. Should your heart bear deceit, should your soul have stained the bond of your mate, should you dishonor them, or should the ancestors deem you unworthy of dominion, it will burn you. Do you stand ready to be judged?"
"I stand before the flame without deceit. Let it judge me as it will." Nova responded, voice calm, not betraying her discomfort.
"Alpha, it is within your right to deny or allow such motion. Do you have any objections for her to step into her role?" Aeron said.
"I hold no objections." Fin said in a strained voice.
Everyone heard his tone.
Nova glanced at him again concerned, but he didn't meet her gaze. She felt another wave of heat come over her.
"Do you offer your oath to Shadowclaw," Aeron intoned, his voice low as thunder, "to serve with strength of heart, clarity of mind, and loyalty unbroken as Gamma Luna of Shadowclaw? Do you accept the mantle placed upon you?"
"I do. Before my Alpha, before my pack, and before the ancestors who watch, I pledge my life and loyalty to Shadowclaw." Nova said, her voice sounding regal and confident. She gave no hint of the inferno burning inside her.
Her wolf Saraphine spoke.
Saraphine: Breathe Nova. You're holding your breath.
Nova: What is happening to me right now?
Saraphine: It's mate. But keep your composure. It will reflect on him poorly if we don't.
Nova: You're right. I think it is Jax.
"Do you Alpha accept her oath?" Aeron said.
"I accept her oath and acknowledge her claim. Let the ancestors witness it," Fin said, gritting his teeth. His voice carried the strain of someone holding a collapsing wall upright alone.
Aeron paused, eyes narrowing slightly as he studied Fin.
Fin looked up and gave a stiff nod. He was sweating now like he'd been thrown into a sauna — and Nova wasn't far behind.
The tablet pulsed white, a single sharp thrum — and suddenly they were released. Nova and Fin both jerked their hands back at the exact same moment, much too forcefully, instinct overpowering ceremony.
The tablet darkened, returning to obsidian black.
Xeon spoke in Fin's mind, his voice a low rumble.
Xeon: I have some good… or maybe very bad news.
Fin ground his teeth.
Fin: What? What else could possibly make this worse?
Xeon: Either she's having her first heat… not ideal timing.
Fin's stomach dropped.
Fin: Fantastic. Wonderful. Just what I needed during a sacred ceremony.
Xeon: Or… she's picking up on your pain and it's affecting her so strongly that she's now sweating too.
Fin's heart slammed against his ribs.
Fin: Why is either of those things good news? This is absolute torture.
Xeon exhaled — a sound like a wolf pacing behind bars.
Xeon:That kind of heat, so soon after coming of age, only comes from a fated mate. Your pheromones are affecting her. It's a sign the bond is ready to awaken.
Fin froze.
Xeon:And if it isn't her heat and she's channeling your pain, then it means the same thing. The bond is awakening.
Fin glanced at Nova and saw she looked feverish and out of breath.
"Place your hand in the flame. Let the fire speak its judgment." Aeron said.
With a composed expression, she reached into the blazing hearth putting her hand there. For a moment, it was calm.
Just as Nova breathed in, the flame exploded upward, shooting to the ceiling in a column of blinding sapphire. The blast vibrated through the stone, a shockwave pulsing hard enough to knock everyone backward. Everyone except for her.
Nova stood rooted, untouched, while the others staggered, braced themselves, or hit the pews.
"There it is," Cael's voice came from behind them, with a laugh.
Sapphire light roared out of the flames in waves, pulsing directly into her chest and racing down her entire body like living fire.
Fin felt it immediately. A tight, uneasy tension coiled in his chest — pressure tightening on the matebond itself, like something ancient had gripped it in its fist.
She heard whispers of ancient ancestors. Not trying to channel her. They were trying to understand her. To see her. To read her blood and her soul. She wondered if everyone else could hear them.
Then she felt them. They let her. She understood.
They were trying to show her they saw her and chose her as Gamma Luna.
A wave of gratitude washed through her the moment she realized it. She swallowed the lump rising in her throat and felt something settle inside her, firm and steady.
The light poured through her for a few more seconds, and then started to dim on her skin.
Aeron shook his head and smiled in awe. Cael sniggered from the back.
"Sapphire," Aeron said solemnly, with a smile on his face. "The ancestors have heard your oath and marked you as Gamma. The aura of your mate now binds to your soul."
Fin felt the pressure on their matebond release, and he finally let himself breathe—a fatal mistake.
Her scent hit him again so hard his eyes flashed gold, his wolf lunging upward. He shoved it back down with force.
The flame settled back to red.
Just as Nova pulled her hand away, she was yanked back so forcefully she let out a grunt as she knocked into the stone altar holding the metal basin.
Another wave of heat tore through her, followed by a surge of nausea.
Before she could recover, the pull intensified. Her arm plunged deeper into the fire—no longer just her hand. Half her forearm disappeared into the shifting light.
She tried to yank her arm free, but the fire dragged her in farther. So forcefully this time that her entire arm was in flame, up to her shoulder now.
A wave of heat rushed through her again, sharper this time.
She reached for Seraphine.
Nova: What is going on? Is it Jax still?
Seraphine: I don't know. His wolf is stirring and restless.
Nova: Why can't I pull my arm out?
Seraphine: Don't fight it. We would already be burned if it meant to harm.
From the side, Fin saw her eyes flickering gold and silver. He knew exactly what that meant.
She was asking her wolf what the hell was happening.
Aeron stared at her, jaw tight, clearly debating whether he should intervene.
Then the flames changed from red to pure white.
Nova's composed expression changed in the same moment, confusion flickering across her features.
Another heatwave rippled through her. Her green eyes flashed to silver.
The flame turned pure gold and erupted upward in a blinding column, slamming into the ceiling. The shockwave knocked everyone back except for Nova. A deep vibration tore through the chamber, shaking the stone underfoot and rattling in everyone's teeth.
Nova's eyes widened for a moment. She was not expecting that.
Another wave of heat crashed over her, harder than the last. Beads of sweat gathered along her chest, her face, her neck.
She swallowed, turning her face away from Fin and Aeron.
A stunned silence followed.
Jax stepped forward but Aeron stopped him. "Don't touch her."
The torches around the room flared in unison. Another shockwave tore through the room, timed perfectly with a searing heatwave that rolled through Nova's body. The force hit the others like a physical blow, staggering them backward.
She continued to keep her face turned slightly away from Aeron and Fin.
Her hair clung to her neck, damp. The dress beneath her cloak was soaked, no question.
More heat flooded her senses—right as gold light from the fire poured into her, slipping beneath her skin, calming the waves of heat and steadying her nerves.
Then she heard them.
Whispers.
Whispers of great wisdom that she knew to have the utmost reverence for. Another swell of gratitude washed through her. Whatever this gold was, it had chosen her. It believed she was worthy.
The gold seemed to understand her emotions, like it was a collective mind of past spirits and gave one final pulse into her before settling.
Xeon spoke in Fin's mind.
Xeon: All the Alpha's of Shadowclaw starting with the original just chose her as your mate, Shadowclaw Luna and Queen of North Varos. That includes your father and grandfather.
Fin's breath stalled.
Fin: She just absorbed the Gamma's aura. This doesn't make any sense.
Xeon: All the past Gamma's also chose her as his mate.
Fin felt the blood drain from his face.
Fin: What? I am confused. And why did Elle not have that? Or Cira?
Xeon exhaled, a rumbling sound lined a chuckle.
Xeon: Do you have to ask? What you just witnessed happens maybe once every 1,000 years. And it just happened for her. Twice.
Fin stared at Nova's glowing form, chest tight.
Fin: Is she okay? She's not looking at us.
Xeon: Heat. I sense it.
The fire sank back down, dimming to its normal burn, and Nova felt a silent tear slip down her cheek. She didn't know why it was there or why her chest suddenly felt tight.
Her face stayed turned away from everyone, unwilling to let them see that crack in her composure.
The flame held her for a moment longer—one final echo of whatever had just chosen her—and then she felt herself steady again.
The pull released.
Nova yanked her arm free immediately. Air rushed past her lips in a shaky pant as she bent over, bracing her hands on her knees. She hadn't realized how much the ritual had drained from her until her legs trembled under her.
That's when Jax ran to her, dropping to his knees in front of her so fast he nearly skidded.
"Nova," he breathed, hands hovering but not touching her. "Are you alright?"
She was sweating—glowing almost—and her scent hit him like a fist. His eyes flashed gold.
She swallowed. "Yes. All good."
Jax wolf spoke:
Talon: She is going into heat for the first time.
Jax: That would explain why I am sweating like it's the desert in here.
Talon gave a rumbling, almost a smug huff.
Talon: Her wolf and her think the heat is coming from you through the matebond. We taught Nova that one thing this morning in the bath, and now she thinks you're just sweating for no reason. Our mate is so adorable.
Jax would have smiled at that—hell, he wanted to—but he was in the middle of a war with himself.
She stood up from resting her hands on her knees.
Jax saw her hair sticking to her neck and beads of sweat. When a female is in heat, their mate takes them away for good reason. Pheromones go into overdrive, and any unmated male would be unable to control his urges. He knew he needed to get her out of that room immediately.
He looked at Aeron silently pleading with him to end this.
"This ceremony is adjourned." Aeron said, confused by why 3 people in the room were sweating when it was cold.
Jax kissed her hand and nodded at everyone.
"She's still tired from today so we'll see you all." he said, leading her out of the room quickly with his arm protectively around her.