"Does anyone know where Lucas is?" a voice asked once everyone found their seats. There were twelve people in a spacious living room with large windows, through which dim daylight shined inside.

"Lucas Cassius? Isn't he out preparing for the Red Moon ritual tonight?" a middle-aged woman replied. Cassius, 'empty' or 'void' in Latin, was a nickname given to Lucas by some older werewolves that they used in his absence.

"Right, he and Augustus are both participating," a man beside her nodded.

"Poor Augustus has to deal with all those younglings again," the woman sighed, shaking her head slightly. "He didn't even want to take part this time and I can understand him, honestly."

The room fell silent for a while, everyone thinking about tonight's Red Moon celebration. Each Red Moon, all single adult werewolves in the area would gather together in hopes to find the fated mate. Most would be successful; few would even find a mate in a person of another magical race if the range of the spell allowed to. Then, there was Augustus – a 31-year-old alpha of the Eastside Lakewood pack who hasn't yet found the "fated one" despite participating in the ritual for the 6th time. Last time, he even traveled to Greece as his father insisted. The only good thing that came out of it was his trip to Portugal afterward to surf in the ocean.

At least Augustus wasn't the oldest participant this Red Moon – there was a recently turned 32-year-old member of another pack, for whom it was the first mating ritual, however. The others were in their late teens-early twenties. The situation didn't seem very optimistic for Augustus – what would he, an alpha in his thirties, do if his fated mate was a teenage omega? Omega rank was given to the newest members of a pack who had yet to prove themselves and find a place within the pack hierarchy. It wouldn't be a good look for Augustus to be affiliated with someone that young and inexperienced.

After a minute of silent reflection, the meeting of alphas of fourteen – minus two – main packs of the West Coast continued as usual.

***

Lucas spent most of the day preceding the Red Moon celebration fooling around. Just like other participants, he was given two days free of any pack duties to prepare. The only worry he had on his mind that day was which outfit to pick – they were to stay in their human form and dress up for the event. He picked black jeans and a red shirt at first, but then changed to a light-blue lounge suit and a white shirt – if he's going, he might as well be visible with the naked eye in the dark forest and a huge, bloody red moon on the background. He also had waist-long dark, straight hair that he just left loose.

It was his first Red Moon, but he wasn't particularly enthusiastic about it – Lucas was still young, he had just recently gotten the power and status of an alpha, was learning to use them, and didn't want to give up his lifestyle for the "fated one". After all, being as handsome as he was, Lucas wasn't feeling particularly hot about being tied to one specific person at twenty-four for the rest of his life. He only attended the celebration because that's what was expected from a recently ascended alpha who had never participated before and hoped his fate won't come for his soul tonight. "The old fart Augustus still hasn't found a mate, why would I?" he thought, leaving the house and heading towards the meeting point on the edge of the forest.

Once Lucas arrived, he was given a dark red scarf he had to wear around his shoulders and a wooden bowl like other participants. He was just thinking he should've worn the first outfit to better match the scarf when he saw Augustus wearing a black lounge suit and a red shirt. "Must've somehow stolen my idea," Lucas smirked.

When the Moon had fully risen up above the tree peaks, all participants headed towards the forest lake, leaving everyone else waiting at the edge. They approached the water and dipped the bowls in it, filling them up. Lucas hesitated for a moment and looked around. Everyone held their filled bowls up and muttered an enchantment before drinking it up with expressions of joy and anticipation all over their faces, even the older guy Lucas didn't care enough to remember the name of. Everyone except for Augustus who sat there with the bowl resting in his hands. Their eyes met and Lucas pushed a friendly smile, "Cheers!". They looked at each other for another moment before whispering the spell unenthusiastically in low voices and drinking the cold liquid up.

Lucas didn't feel any different. He stood up, dusted his clothes off, and walked away from others towards the forest – they were instructed to do so until the enchantment's effect starts working. He wasn't sure what that meant exactly and was too embarrassed to ask at that point.

He wandered around for a while. It was a cool summer night in the middle of June, the sky was clear and the wind carried around the smell of damp soil, tree bark, and a light scent of flowers growing near the lake that a werewolf's nose could easily pick up. Lucas knew the area well – they would often spend time here with packmates or go for night hunts. Though this kind of hunting became less popular with the rise and centralization of magical communities, it was still a bonding tradition in werewolf packs.

Walking around a familiar place helped Lucas to feel a little less anxious about this whole ordeal with his first mating season.

"Hey, maybe you won't find anyone this time," Lucas told himself. "Or maybe they're going to be really pretty and… open-minded! Maybe they also want to live freely for a while before settling down…"

"You like this whole thing as much as I do, huh?"

Lucas turned around and saw none other than Augustus standing a few steps away and leaning against a tree.

"What happened to the old, boring August who wouldn't talk to me?"

"It is Augustus and you know it," the man sighed. "I saw you at the lake, you weren't excited. At least we have one thing in common."

"I am not thrilled," Lucas confessed, approaching Augustus. "See, I think I am a little too young and handsome to be tied down already. What about you?"

"I…I'm just tired of everyone being concerned about my personal life."

"That's brave of you to tell to someone who can and will use this against you," Lucas smirked.

"We are the only alphas here. Who else would I talk to without sounding creepy?"

"So you do recognize me as an alpha?"

Augustus didn't say anything to this. Neither was he sure what he could reply.

"When does this thing start working?" Lucas asked after a while of silence.

"I wouldn't know," the other one shrugged.

They stood there for a bit longer, staring at the big, red, full moon. Lucas caught the scent of something pleasant and looked away, trying to locate the source. It was mostly earthy but had an unusual, subtle scent of something sweet and tangy at the same time. He was about to walk away deeper into the forest, unable to pinpoint the direction, when Augustus suddenly murmured, "I'd rather die."

"What do you... Oh, are we..." Lucas just turned around to look at the other alpha and suddenly felt dizzy. He wobbled on his feet a little and shook his head. He was sure there was something wrong with his eyesight as well - it all looked fuzzy, and everything went blurry except for... Augustus.

"Are we... the fated mates?" Augustus asked in disbelief.

"That can't be... How do you know?"

"Come closer," he said in a firm voice after a second.

Lucas made a step toward him as if he was afraid to approach the other man. Augustus gestured to come nearer. Lucas made a big leap towards him and stopped an arm's length away. At that moment, he felt the scarf sliding off his shoulders, transforming into a thin silky ribbon and wrapping around his wrist. Augustus's scarf did the same. In a blink of an eye, the two ribbons tightened and connected with each other.

"Is it... going to stay like that?" Lucas asked after a moment of staring at a thin, red thread between them.

"Yes, at least until the Moon hides behind the trees."

Lucas looked up at the Moon that hasn't even reached its highest point yet and sighed deeply.

"But how is it possible? Isn't it supposed to find mates to repro... continue werewolf bloodlines?" Lucas murmured to himself. "I'm sorry if I'm rude, I think I have the right to know as... your "fated mate". Are you trans or intersex?"

'I'm... what?! No, definitely not." Augustus replied. He seemed a little taken aback by that sudden question but quickly recovered from it and seemed to be lost in thoughts for a while after. Lucas also didn't speak, he just looked at the man in front of him, hoping he would pull out some kind of a magical sword to cut the enchanted thread. Unfortunately, it did not happen.

"So what are we going to do about this?" Lucas finally asked after five minutes of silence.

"We are going to pretend like it didn't happen."

"Didn't happen? Is it possible to just ignore it?"

"No one knows except for the two of us. You didn't seem to like the idea of having a forever partner, didn't you? Neither do I want a partner like you."

"Couldn't you at least phrase it differently?" Lucas snorted almost irritatedly. That last sentence admittedly hurt.

"It is the truth," Augustus said without a moment of hesitation. "I do not trust you and do not recognize you as an alpha."

"Recognize me or not, I am one."

"You are weak. Your wolf forms are average at most."

"Well, there is a part that is bigger than average."

Augustus looked at Lucas puzzled for a second and then sighed, pressing the palm of his hand against his forehead.

"Do you ever think twice about what you're about to say?"

"Well… there is one thing I've been thinking about lately," Lucas said in a low, charming voice, making a step toward Augustus and slightly pressing his index finger against the other man's chest.

"Get off me!" the man shouted, pushing Lucas' hand away.

"Can't I even make an innocent joke? Anyway, why do you hate me so much?"

"Harassing me in the middle of the dark forest is not exactly a trustworthy move."

"I… guess you're right. What I meant is, what makes you and other alphas despise me?"

"We don't know who you are and what to expect from you. I'm sure you've heard of rumors going around."

"The ones about me sacrificing another werewolf in some sort of an ancient ritual? Oh yeah, I've had a glimpse of those. I assure you, if I had that kind of knowledge, we wouldn't have been casually conversing here."

"This doesn't make you sound any better of a person."

"It is the truth," Lucas smirked.

He wanted to say something else but they heard distant rumbling in the bushes. Augustus grabbed his arm and dragged him deeper into the forest before Lucas could say anything.

"So, we are what? Handcuffed together for the rest of the night?" he asked once they finally stopped.

"Not exactly. Once the thread is formed, it will be there no matter the distance. It is also visible to everyone, which is why we shouldn't spread around."

"Oh the horror, you might be exposed being my mate," Lucas rolled his eyes. "It is not like this thread is a binding marital contract. We could still live our lives as usual."

"It is more than a marital contract. We are bound by magic itself. It is not recommended for a werewolf to actively avoid their fate."

"Which is why we should come clear that we are the "fated mates" but don't want to engage in this twisted joke of a "fate?"

"Do you even know what this means? This is not just a romantic quest to find the "love of your life."

"Then what is it?"

"It doesn't matter. What matters is that no one should know about our unfortunate fate."

"Who's being untrustworthy and keeping secrets now?" Lucas shook his head angrily. This whole situation started playing on his nerves.

"Listen, I don't like you and I don't want you as my mate. There are many reasons why, the main of which at the moment is that you are an arrogant fool," Augustus seemed to also get angrier the longer this dragged. "Just do what I tell you this one time."

Lucas didn't know if he was more offended or furious with the other one's words. He decided not to continue this conversation any longer and just followed Augustus around for a while, keeping a few meters distance away.

They walked along a meandering, untrodden path first, then Augustus went off the trail and led them in the opposite direction through wild bushes. After almost twenty minutes of walking, it seemed like Augustus was finally satisfied. He sat down on a large rock and Lucas leaned on a tree trunk nearby.

"Care to explain now?"

"I don't owe you an explanation."

"What happened to the poor, old August who came to me with "oh, I'm so tired of everyone's pity?"

"I did not say this."

"Well, it did sound like that to me."

"You won't get what you want."

"And what do I want according to you?"

"My reaction, obviously. Does it hurt to be rejected as a mate?"

"I'd bet you have more experience with rejection."

Augustus glared at Lucas, grinding his teeth. They were both feeling irritated and annoyed by each other and the full moon did not help the mood.

"Yet you followed me for all this time without a single complaint. Not as much of an alpha, are you?"

"Don't dare me," Lucas snarled. He looked up at the sky and pointed at the Moon, "the eclipse is almost over."

"Do you really think I'd be scared by a wolf who's barely reaching my scruff?"

"Am I supposed to be afraid of an aging, love-deprived man who can't even keep an eye on his own family?"

"What do you mean?"

"Remember your adored, lovely niece and how you told her to stay away from me? She didn't seem to mind my company in bed on her twenty-first birthday," Lucas seemed very pleased with himself and had a slightly mischievous smile on his face.

He knew Augustus was extremely protective of his niece who moved to Lakewood three years ago to join his pack. He was more of her older brother – loving, caring, and sometimes overly controlling. Lucas learned this from her first-hand as well as that Augustus was strongly against him ever as much as looking her way.

"How dare you lay an eye on her?"

Augustus stood up on his feet and started approaching Lucas who was standing in the same spot as if he hasn't noticed the quickly escalating tension.

"Oh, I laid more than just an eye on her that night."

"You didn't…"

"You could ask her if you don't believe me. Look, the eclipse is over," Lucas nodded upwards. "Such a pity I'd have to ruin this suit."