onyx

"Are you ready?" Gaius questions.

Taking a deep breath, I fight the urge to bite my lip and shake my head. Today was the day I'd officially be joining the pack and I was absolutely terrified to say the least. Gaius' hands grip the sides of my face and I stare into his brown eyes.

"You're going to do great," he promises.

His words do little to help calm me down. What if I walk out onto the stage and fall flat on my face in front of the whole pack? That was just one of my irrational fears.

The door opens and Taylor walks in. He turns to me with a smile on his face.

"It's almost time," Taylor says.

Gaius looks back at me and leans in and kisses my forehead. "I'm going to go and help Foster make sure everything is ready. Don't be afraid, Love, you got this."

Easy for you to say. You don't have to be up there.

Gaius leaves the room and Taylor moves to sit down beside me.

"You know, I still remember the day I joined the pack. It was a hot mess," he shook his head, but I saw a small smile on his face.

"What happened?" I ask hesitantly.

"Well, I was a nervous wreck all day before the ceremony and when the time finally came for me to walk out, I tripped and took the whole curtain that hung over the stage down with me. That's why we don't have curtains anymore during these events. I was completely horrified until I heard Foster and Gaius cheering me on," he shook his head. "It ended up being one of the best nights of my life."

That just made me more nervous.

"Look, you can continue to worry about what could happen, or you could go out there and have fun despite of what happens. Either way, you're going to do great, Onyx."

I can faintly hear Gray talking outside and Taylor offers me one last reassuring smile before he stands up.

"That's my cue to leave, you got this!" He says.

Standing up, I pace around the room for a few minutes in order to get rid of some of my nerves. I can't quite make out what Gray's saying, but when he stops talking, I know it's time for me to come out. There's a knock on the door, signaling for me to come and I hesitantly move towards it. My heart feels like it's going to explode.

When I open the door, one of the pack members gives me a small smile before she steps to the side. I walk past her and Gray's form comes into view.

Just don't look at the pack members and you'll be fine.

I walk towards him and when I reach him, he gestures for me to turn to the pack.

Of course.

Doing so, I immediately spot Gaius in the front and can see the happiness shining in his eyes. That manages to calm me down slightly.

"Are you ready?" Gray asks me.

Taking a deep breath, I nod. "I'm ready."

"What's your name?" He questions.

"Onyx."

"Onyx, do you pledge yourself to the Dark Woods Pack?"

"I do," I say.

"Do you promise to do no harm to the pack or any of its members?"

"I do."

"As the second beta, do you promise to protect the pack at all costs?"

"Always," I promise.

Gray's blue eyes glow brighter. "Are you positive you wish to be a member of the Dark Woods Pack, Onyx? A beta of the Dark Woods Pack?"

I can feel my own wolf pushing forward and nod. "I'm positive."

"Hold your arm out."

I follow his instructions and Gray grabs my arm. His canines begin to come forward and by now, I can tell that Gray is no longer in control. I take a deep breath as his canines pierce my skin and I can almost instantly feel the link to the pack flowing through my veins. The wound quickly heals and the pack erupts in cheers. A smile forms on my face. This is what I wanted. To be apart of pack; to have a family.

As I walk off the stage, Gaius quickly moves and pulls me into a hug. My hands grip the back of his shirt and a smile breaks out on my face. I can feel the happiness coming from the pack link.

I'm no longer a rogue.

The thought has me grinning from ear to ear. Not too long ago, I was a feral wolf and now I was the second beta of a pack. Nothing could ruin today.

Gaius pulls away and leads me towards the back where food is. I move to reach for a plate, but stop when someone tackles me into a hug. I recognize the scent as Everest's.

"Congratulations!" Everest beams.

Novak stands beside Gaius with an amused expression on his face. "Congrats, Onyx."

"Thanks!" I tell the both of them.

"How does it officially feel to be a pack wolf?"

"Pretty great," I admit.

There was still a lot we had to work through like the trial, but I was confident Gaius, the pack, and I would be able to get through it. I wasn't on my own anymore and knowing that I had people on my corner made all the difference.

To think that if I hadn't wandered close to the pack lands, I probably wouldn't be here right now is crazy. Sure, it was a hard road, but I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Pulling away from Everest, I move to Gaius and wrap my arms around him before kissing him.

"Thank you."

His brows furrow. "For what?"

"For giving me a chance back when you found me and for always sticking by my side when things got hard."

Gaius doesn't reply, but he didn't have to. The love in his eyes spoke volumes.

"I'll always be there for you."