Seven pairs of eyes turn their attention to me. The room falls silent, something that doesn't happen very often in a house like ours. My mom walks over to me with concern etched on her face.

She tenderly wraps my face in her hands, forcing me to lock eyes with her.

"Darling, where did this come from? I thought you were excited for the ritual."

"I don't know, mom, binding myself for eternity to a man I've only known for five minutes doesn't sound very appealing to me," I murmur in response.

"I can assure you, you wouldn't be bonded with him if you weren't compatible in every way. Hecate and the moon goddess made it so."

"Yeah, you'd know that if you read the books."

"Ash, stay out of it," our dad scolds.

"He is right though. Read the books, they'll put your mind at ease," our mom continues.

"I just don't understand why we have to do the ritual. Willow and Riley get to have a normal dating life. Basil will too when he finds a mate. Why do I have to offer myself up like some piece of meat?"

At that, no one has an answer for me. My mom just taps the stack of books in my hands and winks at me. I let out another melodramatic groan, but I know I'm not winning this battle.

I turn away to head up to my room, two middle fingers raised high above my head at my brothers, who are still shouting asinine insults at me long after I'm out of sight. My book falls onto my duvet with a dull thud and I quickly follow suit, face first into the dark green velvet.

I take a few minutes and some deep breaths to just lay there and compose my racing thoughts. I'm not sure why I'm doubting everything all of a sudden. I've known about Lupercalia for as long as I can remember.

It's one of our longest standing traditions, one I was eager to participate in when I was much younger. I'm hoping this is just cold feet and that I can manage to get my shit together before it's time.

When I've finally calmed myself down enough, I flip onto my back and pick up one of the books. Thankfully the one I chose is a newer text and not one of the ancient, outdated readings they always pushed on us in school.

~

At its inception, the ancient practice of Lupercalia was a bloody, sexually charged celebration for the joining of covens and allied wolf packs. The Goddess Hecate paired with the Moon Goddess to bring about this bond through a sacrificial blood ritual.

In earlier rituals, animal sacrifice was the preferred method, but as time went on, this sacrament became a blood offering between the two mates, witch and wolf.

The wolf must cut themselves across the chest diagonally, using the dagger crafted by their mate specifically for this ceremony, and the witch must drink from this blood offering. In return, the wolf will drink from their mate's neck, forever sealing and marking the two as halves of a whole.

This union came about at the height of witch hunting in the 14th century. Coven numbers were being decimated, so the Goddess Hecate took it upon herself to form a pact with a nearby band of wolves and their moon goddess. In exchange for protection, the moon goddess asked the witches for special abilities that would strengthen her packs as well.

The wolves were blessed with shapeshifting abilities and uncommonly long lives.

This exchange did not come without cost, however. The wolves' longer life spans were tied directly to the life forces of their witch counterparts, thus creating the mate bond. In forming this pact, witches and wolves would be bound together until the end of time. Each mate was incomplete without the other, living together as equals, in this life and the next.

Failing to fulfill this mating ritual has proven to be fatal to any mates unwilling. If the blood sacrifice is not fulfilled by sunrise following the blood moon, the mates would live out the rest of their years in agony, doomed to lead cruel and wretched lives.

~

"What are you thinking?" My mom's gentle, soothing voice accompanied by a soft knock on my door tore my attention from the book in my hands.

"To be honest, I'm thinking it's pretty shit luck that I have to drink this dude's blood if I don't want to be in complete agony for the rest of my life," I admit.

Just the thought of slicing someone open and drinking their blood sent shivers down my spine.

"It's certainly difficult to wrap your head around it at first, but in the moment, you won't even question it, you'll do whatever it takes to be with that person."

I scoot over to the far side of the bed so that she can sit beside me. She wraps her arms around me, stroking my hair to comfort me, as I lay my head on her chest.

"What was Lupercalia like for you and dad?" I ask quietly.

"At the risk of sounding entirely cliche, it was... magical. Pure bliss," she responds.

She smiles fondly, recalling the night she met my father.

"Do I have to have sex with him after the blood ritual?"

My stomach turns at the idea. I knew it was common, even encouraged during the ritual, but I can't imagine giving into the blood lust so easily like that.

"Not if you don't want to. Some of the older texts declared it was a necessary part of the ceremony. Something about Hecate and the Moon Goddess requiring it for fertility between the two groups, I don't know," she waves her hand flippantly. "Most mates still do anyways. Finding your mate is overwhelming in the best way. You'll become overwhelmed by their scent, like your dad said, but it's more than that. When you find your mate, it's like finding a piece of yourself you didn't know you were missing. But ultimately, he'll respect whatever you wish to do, as long as you complete the blood ritual."

Hearing it from my mom definitely put me more at ease. She's obviously happy with my dad and they've been together for hundreds of years.

I can only hope to live a life as peaceful and loving as theirs.