"Are you sure? It's not to late to turn back," she glanced around us with a small pout," If you're not ready, that is."

"I'm ready," I uttered in a strong, but so so small voice. To prove it wasn't just a slip of thought I found myself lifting the long dress but fistfulls and walking up the steps of the platform to the front center of the altar, right between the flames.

I closed my eyes and for a moment tried to imagine what I must look like. A human dressed like an empress, titled a Luna, mated to the Alpha. Her hair flicking back and forth over her shoulder from the force of the flame and her eyes lit even brighter than their usual auburny amber from the yellow lights all around as she watched over her subjects.

I imagined myself as strong, powerful, fierce, respected. All those things I whispered in the back of my mind that one day I would be.

"Please," one of the figures came up to me and whispered in my ear," Lay down."

I looked at them and tried to desipher anything about them. Gender, hair color, height, race, anything but those stupid cloaks were all concealing. I nodded.

A pair of them came up and grabbed my arms. Something about the way they held me stuck in the back of my mind. This is familiar also.

Star. Grasp. What else?

My eyes searched the figures yet again as I layed down on the wooden table in the center. There were flowers surrounding me.

Anemone.

Star. Grasp. Anemone.

Something's wrong.

I turned my head to see Nicole standing at the front of the altar as she spoke to the pack. I made a move to sit up but hands held my arms, legs and head in place. I couldn't even look at her but I swear her words will be forever burned into my mind.

"Wolves! Listen to my plea! We have been infiltrated by our suppressor! Our so called Alpha has brought us this excuse for a Luna? Will we stand for this? Will we allow her to tame the beast that resides inside of us? Or will we be what we are? Wolves! Tonight we break free of our mortal halves and return to the way the Goddess meant for us to be. Animals! Join me, brothers! Join me, sisters!"

She turned her head to look at me, her long, delicate arm stretching out to condemn me. Shadows flashed upon her face in the mixture of moonlight and firelight. Oh, how they cheered when she shouted-

"We will show them the monsters we truly are!"

My eyes started to water with tears ready to fall. I closed my eyes and counted to 10, sure that when I opened them again I would see the morning light coming through and Mike's bare back half covered with our soft sheets. I'd see his chest moving up and down when he took in and let out breaths and I'd smell his cologne that still lingered from him working late and forgetting to take a shower. Instead he crawled into bed with me and all thoughts of everything else disappeared because he loved me.

"I love you, too," I whispered the words I wished I had said that morning.

When I opened my eyes I was startled to see another pair of dark eyes looking back at me. An old friend wearing that same star necklace with that same dark mole on his cheek. 

"Ryland," I questioned," Ryland, is that you?"

"Good to see you again, Lacey. I see you've been busy."

My mouth opened and closed like a fish. Ryland had always been strange compared to the other kids but for him to be here. Now. Acting like nothing was the matter at all.

Nicole came over and pulled his eyes away from my own by force as she curled her fingers into his unruly hair and kissed him. His hands stayed firmly on the sides of my head but that didn't stop him from moving with her every whim, his lips contracting when hers pushed and vice versa.

"Lacey, this is my mate," Nicole said in a rather sarcastic voice as she fiddled with a flower near my ear," I assume you've met."

"You could say that."

"What? No tears? I was really expecting more from a spineless fool like yourself. Oh, well. I guess this will do. Is the spell ready?"

My mind ticked at the word spell. I do not need anymore mysterious spells cast on me. I struggled against the restraints with all my will, all the strength I'd learned from Nicole and it did nothing.

"You know, it really did something to me when you rejected me all those years ago, Lace," Ryland started ranting as he mixed something into a silver goblet," I was basically a social outcast before that so imagine what it did to me to be knocked down a few pegs by the lamest chick in town.

"I spent more time at home, alone. My sister was never my biggest fan so you can be damn sure she didn't try to help me. It was my mother who told me to go play in the attic that one fateful day. I found my great grandfather's spell book."

"Your great grandfather was a witch?"

"Not by a long shot. A Pasteur, actually. He was just one of the ones who practiced magic in the holy name of God. Can you imagine what a douche he must have seemed to be to the witch he stole that thing from? 'Goodness no, you can't use this. It's the Devil's work. I'll just do a spell or two.' Awesome!"

"So, what? You do a spell or two from an old book and all of a sudden you're a witch? I don't get it."

"You always were slow," he tilted my head back," Nicole, hold her mouth open. All of you town people are. Mortals are idiots."

Nicole grabbed my mouth with as rough a hold as she could muster and held it tight while Ryland made one final comment before pouring a sticky, sour substance down my throat.

"If only you had seen what we were going to do sooner. Maybe you could have stopped us."

The substance slid down my cheeks as he poured too much in, making me choke and cough in the process. My body started to tremor as it took hold and before I knew it Ryland was chanting over me and the crowd was cheering.

Then it went dark.