Rumors

LAKE

The crowd is bustling tonight. Many students who attend my school are here in their amazing suits and dresses. I’m standing near the punch table, fiddling with my dress.

“Lake!” Riley pushes through the crowd with Landon trailing behind her. “There you are!”

“Hey, guys.” I wave briefly. Landon is wearing a formal white shirt and dress pants. You couldn’t force that kid into a full tux or a suit if you tried.

“Where’s Jake?” Riley looks around at me and the people dotting the room. “Surely he’s here or almost here?”

“He texted me, saying he was going to be late.” I shrug. “Stuck in traffic.”

The multiple voices die down as the lights dim. Spotlights shine on the stage across the room. Alpha Steele and his luna stand in the center.

“My pack, thank you so much for joining us on this joyous evening!” Alpha Steele exclaims to the audience.

“May I be the first to welcome you to the Full Moon Ceremony! Tonight, the next generation of leaders will be named in hopes for a brighter future!”

“My children, the moon comes overhead, and the Goddess watches down upon us!” The luna smiles. “So please eat, drink, and dance the night away!”

The crowd roars as the alpha and luna walk off the stage, and the music blares through the speakers.

“May I?” Landon reaches his hand out for Riley to take. She looks at me, but I gesture for her to take it.

“Come find us if you need anything.”

I watch as my twin and his mate go around and around. Their smiles and laughter warm my heart. The crowd begins to push me back to the outskirts of viewers.

“Did you hear? There was a witch spotted outside the borders this morning.”

“Rumor has it that the outsider—”

“I need some air,” I say under my breath. There’s no one else on the grand landing as I lean on a column. The moon is so bright and mysterious tonight. It’s almost haunting.

I can’t help but feel a heat coming from the snow-covered earth. The trees are not happy. In fact, everything about nature is telling me that something isn’t right.

I pull the wrap my mother gave me over my shoulders tightly. Despite the earth’s heat, the air and wind are freezing.

Jake slips into my mind. With every passing moment he isn’t with me, my fears grow.

“Well. Look at what we have here.”

I look over to see Delilah and Lucas. Delilah has her arm linked with her mate’s. She wears a short, tight-fitting silver dress. Her hair is in an updo with curled pieces to frame her face.

Lucas is wearing a full-on tuxedo with a silver tie and a flower to match.

“Where’s your date?” Delilah dramatically looks around for my mate. “More importantly, where’s your mark? Surely you would have let him by now.”

“Is that really any of your concern?” I ask nonchalantly. “Your mate is standing right there, and yet you’ve again asked about mine.”

I can see the tension in Lucas’s eyes. His hands are tight fists, and his jaw is locked. Something about his demeanor is unsettling as he looks me up and down.

“I’m just simply looking after the well-being of my future subject,” Delilah smiles.

“Even as my future luna, and even my future alpha,” I reply coldly, “my mate is no concern of yours. Now, if you’ll excuse me, Mr. and Mrs. Steele, I’m sure my mate has arrived now.”

I enter the ballroom swiftly in order to catch my breath. Something isn’t right tonight. There’s something in this air that’s shaking.

“Lake, sweetie.” My mother comes to me as if she knows. “Come with me.”

We go to a small room sectioned off from the ballroom for staff. I stand against the wall, breathing heavily. Tears well in my eyes.

“Mom, what’s happening?” My voice is breaking, and I hold my chest. A pain erupts throughout my body. I can barely stand.

“I don’t know, Lake.” My mother takes me into her embrace and gently guides me to the floor. “I don’t know.”

“It’s like what happened with—” I scream out in agony as a searing hot pain comes from my shoulder. Steam comes from it as my mother removes the wrap.

“Oh my Goddess…” She jumps to her feet. “Someone get the pack doctor! Hurry, it’s my daughter!”

Landon, Riley, and my father rush into the tiny space. Their eyes widen as they look down at me.

I can feel the heat in my arms now. They tense around my rib cage. I cry out. My nails dig into the flesh of my rib cage and rip through my dress.

“Move!” I hear the pack doctor yell. “Let me see her!”

I’m in a fetal position on the ground. The cold tile helps provide relief for a brief moment before the heat intensifies.

“What’s happening to me?” I grit my teeth as tears form a puddle below my cheek. “Why is this happening?”

Just then, something breaks inside me. Not a bone. Not a vein. Something inside my soul itself breaks.