"Where do I put my bags?" I ask in a panic.

I didn't have enough time. I needed more time to collect my thoughts, to prepare myself. I look up to see the moon steadily making its way up into the sky, illuminating the surrounding stars and bringing the night to life.

It had a deep red tint to it, like the moon goddess herself picked it up and soaked it in blood as a celebration for tonight- a blood ritual of her very own.

"Just leave them over here. Your mate's Alpha will come pick it up during the ritual," Lennon tells me.

"But how will they-"

"The pack bond, Poppy. I swear, do you know anything about werewolves? I mean, you do live with three of them. Your mate will be able to tell them which one is yours."

"Yeah, I guess..."

I still didn't feel comfortable with a complete stranger touching my things. I suppose now was the time to get comfortable with a lot of new things and I had to do it quickly. I throw my duffle bag on the ground and bend down to open the top zipper.

The wooden box I made sits on top of my clothes. I gingerly open the lid and pull out my dagger, replacing it will the paper bag in my hands and closing the bag up once more. I look over to see Lennon blessing her rose quartz dagger with a radiant smile on her face.

I didn't bother blessing mine again- I had already done pretty much all I could do in terms of pouring positive energy into the piece, so the rest was up to fate. Instead, I slip the dagger into the top band of my stocking and stand silently next to Lennon, waiting for her to finish.

"Okay, let's go," she says quietly as she tightly wraps her hand in mine.

We walk side by side to the edge of the forest where the rest of the girls are lining up. The elders walk around, helping the girls tie up their blindfolds. Before they reach me, I notice hundreds of dark shadows looming in the the trees on the other side of the clearing.

Our mates.

My heart starts pounding rapidly and I can feel the blood rush to my face, filling my ears until I can't hear anything but a high pitched ringing. Elder Chapman finally stands in front of me and wraps my blindfold around my eyes, surprisingly gentle for the old man's bony hands.

Without my sight, I try to slow my heart rate with deep, meditative breaths so that I can concentrate on the sounds around me. As a nature witch like my mother, I had a pretty good ability to connect and tune in with the sounds of the wild, but it was no match for a wolf's hearing.

I wonder if my mate can already hear my shallow breaths or the erratic thumping in my chest.

Elder Bishop's voice booms across the field, loud and clear. I can tell he's standing back at the platform, but it's almost as if he's right next to me. He begins reciting a string of ancient binding spells to consecrate tonight's ritual. He calls upon Hecate and the moon goddess to bless tonight's ceremony.

As this first part of the ritual ends, I feel those same bony hands turning me around and guiding me further into the woods, but Elder Bishop's words are still right in my ear. The sound of countless twigs and leaves crunching under each of us as we walk barefoot through the trees permeates the air.

The bony hands release me and the woods become as quiet as the dead. I don't hear the other elders walk away. There's no more crunching leaves, no more ancient spells. Not even a single cricket dares to disturb the silence.

Sweat beads on my forehead despite the chill in the air. The tips of my fingers feel charged with energy and my body begins to tingle. The high pitched ringing returns full force.

After what feels like forever, Elder Bishop speaks again, one final message, in English this time.

"Tonight we honor the sacred bond forged between witch and wolf. Tonight, like many nights before this, we join as one in celebration of eternal life and unity between two worlds. Witches, it's time for the hunt. Take off your blindfolds and run."

The forest erupts into peals of girlish giggles. Without hesitation, I rip off my blindfold and push deeper into the trees. Floating candles adorn every inch of the sky above me. I take a moment to contemplate the fire hazards such a thing presents, but I suppose the elders figured a hundred powerful witches could prevent anything catastrophic from happening. That, or they just enchanted them to not actually burn anything.

There are a number of blankets and pillows stationed underneath the trees, all spaced out to allow at least a little bit of privacy. Most of the girls don't seem to try and escape at all and allow their mates to capture them pretty quickly.

More giggles ensue and soon the forest breaks out into a chorus of sounds of pleasure. My cheeks heat in embarrassment. It seemed like such a private moment to have with your mate, not something to do in the middle of the woods with hundreds of others within listening distance, but they didn't seem to care.

I ran faster, going beyond the candles and blankets, into the dark depths of the woods. I don't know why I was trying to run so far- I knew he would catch me. Still, part of me wondered if I could escape, go undetected and just accept whatever misery awaited me.

No such luck.

I could hear the soft thud of paws barreling down on me and he was definitely picking up speed. I take a sharp right and double back, hiding behind a large tree to catch my breath. I place a hand over my mouth to diffuse the sound of my ragged breathing.

With my eyes closed, I manage to calm myself down. It's been a few minutes, maybe I really lost him?

A large hand wraps around my shoulder from behind, causing my entire body to explode into tiny goosebumps. My senses are flooded with the smell of cinnamon and cardamom, an intoxicating combination.

The hand moves from my shoulder and tucks my wild hair behind my ear. I can feel his hot breath against my neck as his mouth finds my ear.

"How'd you know I love a good chase?"