She looked up at me with such immense emotion and love that it almost buckled my knees. This woman—my mate—had changed everything.
I cleaned her, and the kitchen countertop once my knot softened. Then I settled her at the dining table while I finished making breakfast. It was vital that she had hearty meals today filled with lots of protein and calories to prepare for her shift tonight.
While we ate, we discussed tonight’s ceremony one more time. I wanted to make certain I had answered any lingering questions she may have had concerning what to expect. There was no room for fear.
Her eyes shone with resolve. “I’m ready,” she said, taking my hand in hers, sealing her confidence with the touch of her skin on mine.
After all she’d already faced in her life, I knew this woman could take on the world. In just a few hours, we’d see if the world was ready for her.
We spent the day as peacefully as possible. A few visitors popped in and out. Ma dropped off a bounty of food for lunch and dinner. The men had stopped by to offer more encouragement. But mostly Juliet and I rested and talked.
Night had fallen, and we’d prepared for the ceremony. I gave Juliet privacy as she showered and readied herself in the bathroom. I’d dressed in a pair of white satin pants with the red heart and silver wolf Iron Valor MC Pack emblem embroidered on the leg. Sitting in the lounge chair in our room, I watched the door, anticipating her entrance. Juliet emerged from the bathroom dressed in a white satin robe that fell gracefully to the floor. She looked like a fucking angel. The long sleeves had a soft ruffle at the wrists. A wide red belt tied in a bow cinched the robe at her small waist. The Iron Valor red heart and silver wolf emblem was embroidered on the left side of the robe over her heart. Her golden waves trailed down almost to her waist. Her face was free of makeup, full lips naturally pink and those damn adorable little freckles dotted across her nose and cheeks. I rose to meet her, cupping her face in my hands.
“You are the most exquisite woman I’ve ever laid my eyes on, mate.” I whispered, kissing her with reverence.
Her voice was small. “Thank you, Bronc, mate, love.”
I guided us out of the cabin and onto the open plains, the grass soft under our bare feet.
This was as much a declaration as it was a celebration, marking Juliet’s transformation and our first full moon as a mated couple. My pack stood in formation, rows and rows of packmembers. The ancient songs of our people rose into the night sky, an unbroken chant of loyalty and strength.
We walked arm in arm into the front of the clearing, and as we faced our pack, the chants quieted. More than a hundred pairs of eyes looked to the ground as they gave us space.
I stood rooted in the damp grass as Big Papa moved to address us all, his ceremonial robes sweeping through moonlit clover. His gravelly deep voice rolled across our gathered pack like distant thunder—respectful yet impossible to ignore. We turned to face him. My pulse quickened when he turned those knowing eyes toward Juliet beside me.
“The Moon Goddess paints tonight’s sky for more than ceremony,” he rumbled, gesturing toward silver light that fractured through storm clouds. Every syllable carried generations of tradition.Her first shift,I thought fiercely, my mate’s trembling fingers tightening around mine. “She blesses not just warriors’ strength tonight.” A warm huff left my chest as his beard lifted in a knowing smile directed at us both. “OurLuna’s awakening.”
Heat climbed my neck when murmurs of approval rippled through the wolf-kind ranks behind us. My gaze never left Juliet’s profile—the determined set of her jaw beneath falling platinum and gold curls that suddenly seemed to glow with its own light.Our light.
Papa's tone gentled as fireflies began winking awake around us. “When stars crown midnight,” his palm pressed over his heart, “Bronc will guide his Luna beyond watchful eyes.” Pride swelled beneath my ribs even as anticipation coiled tighter. “Let sacred solitude cradle this becoming.” His wink flashed white in the shadows when nervous laughter broke from Juliet, musical notes swallowed by cricket song.
The ancient blessing came then—Old Tongue words flowing over us like warm oil. I barely registered my own claws pricking palms until Juliet’s scent sharpened, ginger and sugarcutting through pine resin. Her shoulder pressed harder against mine as JT’s final syllables vibrated in shared marrow.
Soon,I promised wordlessly as our pack began howling approval.Soon we’d disappear into black pines until moonlight carved beasts from our skin.Soon we’d return blazing twin trails through forest loam, our people running thunderous at our heels. But this next breath? This quicksilver moment before becoming?
This was ours alone.
I held Juliet’s gaze, the silent connection between us pulsing with intensity. She was everything I never knew I needed, and now she was mine in a way I never thought possible. As the blessing concluded, we began the short walk to the secluded area Ma and Maddie had prepared. They’d hung fairy lights and pretty ribbons, and the soft grass beneath our feet felt like it could give way to anything. Possibility hung in the air.
I took Juliet’s robe from her shoulders, my hands lingering a moment too long as she let it fall away. She stood before me, unashamed and beautiful in the night air, the pale light tracing her form like a lover’s hand. The sky above was clear, the moon so full and bright it was nearly blinding. I could feel its pull deep inside, an ancient rhythm quickening my blood. I looked at Juliet, watching the way her body seemed to glow beneath the sky. The men had gathered at a respectful distance, their backs to us. It was a silent testament to their understanding of what was to come.
“This is it,” I told her, hearing the gruffness in my own voice. “On your hands and knees. Let it happen. Don’t fight it.”
She nodded, eyes wide with trust. I helped her to the ground, where the moon’s light cut through the trees and lit on her skin like fire. Her heart rate accelerated, a wild beat echoing through the bond. I spoke gentle words of instruction, my voice soothing her through the tension.
She did as I told her, though I could see the uncertainty flash through her eyes. I felt it in her, a fierce resistance that burnedlike white flame. The pain of her struggle cut through the bond, nearly doubling me over.
I steadied myself and spoke with the full weight of my alpha voice, the command so strong the air around us seemed to hold its breath. “SHIFT.”
The force of it drove her further to the ground, her body shaking with effort. She screamed at first, a sharp, wild sound that fractured the night. I stayed close, urging her with every ounce of power I had.
“Stop fighting!” I yelled my words, finding the core of her resistance. “Let it happen, Juliet. This is who you are. Don’t fight your wolf.”
Her cries turned to whimpers as the words reached her, sinking deep into the marrow of her being. Her body was white-hot under my touch, and I could feel the moment she surrendered, the shift in her like the breaking of a fever. She welcomed her wolf, a sound more howl than human ripping from her lungs.
Then silence, and in that stillness, her form began its breathtaking transformation. I’d seen it a hundred times before, but never like this. Her skin rippled with new purpose, and the change was almost too beautiful to bear. Fur sprouted along her back, a rich, glowing gold in the moonlight. Her limbs elongated, her face contorting until the struggle disappeared into a breathtaking clarity.
The light poured through the trees and caught in her wild new eyes, the dark brown as brilliant as polished onyx. I heard her breath come out in a shudder, a long and shaky sigh as her transformation completed. I waited, watching, barely breathing.
