~~~~~~~~~~ <<< Ashlie >>> ~~~~~~~~~
Ba dum, ba dum, ba dum
There it was again, my heart. It beat a mile per minute but this time not from a run.....Seth. It was the first time I had ever been so close to a male. The feel of his body was enough to make mine scream.
However, I couldn't help but wonder, if that man didn't interrupt us, would Seth have... would he have kissed me. The very thought made me raise my hands to my cheeks, which burned from embarrassment.
"Ashlie you need to get ready or you will be late!" my mother shouted
Her voice snapped me out of my thoughts. She was right, I needed to get dressed and fast, luckily for me my lovely sister set aside a blue gown. The dress snuggled tightly against my waist but revealed my cleavage, it felt a little too revealing for me.
"Awww honey, you look beautiful." my mother said in a high pitch tone with excitement, taking me into her arms, embracing me tightly.
"Today is such a big day, my little girl is now all grown up." her eyes began to water.
"Oh mom, no, don't cry." I pleaded
"No, no, no, I won't. Now, don't you have too much fun out there." she teased
Her comment made me roll my eyes. The very thought of tonight still scared me, it must have been obvious because my mother started to pop questions.
"Oh honey, what's wrong?"
"Mom..." I paused, "I don't want to go to this ceremony to have fun." she could likely hear my voice shaking.
"Oh Ashlie, it is nothing to be scared of. The ceremony is how I met your father." she admitted. Next thing I knew he was standing in the doorway of my bedroom.
"Hmmm, speak of the devil and he shall appear" he said as he crept up on my mother and placed a kiss on her head.
"Oh Dear, don't call yourself that." she wacked his shoulder with her hand playfully, making him chuckle.
"You look beautiful darling." he said to me with a smile
I smiled back "Thank you Dad."
It was nice to see my Father and Mother displaying their affection for each other. It made me have hope, maybe..... just maybe, I would find my mate this very night. After all the ceremony was about two things; finding the love of your life or a plaything. A plaything was not on my list though. Before I had any more time to think or ask my parents questions, we were disturbed.
"Awwoooooo"
The howl was deep and long.
Our High Alpha was calling, that only meant one thing....it was time.
Time was going by so fast, I was now walking down our village following a path lit by torches. Pack members descended from their homes to take part in the event, joining me on the walk down the path.
The path seemed never ending, it was my nerves starting to get to me. Eventually, it finally brought us all to an open field. The field was lit up by the dancing flames the torches provided.
To calm my nerves I looked up to the moon.
My, my, my, I've never seen it so full before, how lovely. The way the white and blue mixed with grey gave it a 3d effect.
The crowd was alive with different conversations going, until... the Alpha appeared. A large black wolf stood in front of the crowd, my eyes couldn't help but notice his muscular physique. The alpha was rather mouth watering, all the females within the clan wanted to be claimed by him. However, the way I saw it, it was best to stay clear. The High Alpha always had his way, whenever he wanted something, he made sure he got it.
"Members of the Sawtooth Clan, tonight as you all know, is a night for pleasure. Reveal to me your true forms!" he commanded
One by one people started to shift into their wolf forms, bones cracking filled the air. No, not yet, I still needed to find him. My eyes started to scan through the crowd of misshapen bodies not fully transformed. Where is he?
"Ashlie."
His voice, it came from behind me. I turned around to find Seth standing with his shirt already unbuttoned. Before I could speak he embraced me.
"It's okay, everything will be okay." he assured me
He cupped my cheeks into the palm of his hands and leaned in close, I could feel a small pressure on my forehead. His lips.... they felt soft. A temperature started to rise within me. What is this, this feeling? I questioned myself.
Half of the crowd was already in wolf form. I didn't want to be the last, being the last meant more eyes, including Seths who already pulled away and shifted.
My bones cracked and stretched, tearing my gown to pieces. The change wasn't a pleasant feeling, it felt like my body was breaking into a million pieces before coming back together and snapping into place.