He was still living in that moment. The one where they played in the woods and laughed until their stomachs hurt. He didn't even know what they were laughing about, but it made him happy every time he thought back to it. He couldn't even be annoyed with how much extra work he had been given or the fact that he still had not heard from his father about important matters. None of that seemed to matter to him as much at the moment.

The rest of his pack seemed to notice his smile and relaxed demeanor. When they asked him about it, he merely told them that he was given a day of rest in which he could meditate. They believed him, for they hadn't gone a day without seeing him working on something. He made sure that Geo had his rest, as well as all of his council members. Jin was the one who worked quite a lot. It was difficult getting him to rest. But Shiro knew that he had a reason. He had to help his father and battle his own issues that he was going through. Sometimes, work helps with that. Sometimes it was its own therapy.

Hiroko kept giving him knowing looks whenever she passed by. He was sure that she would start teasing him as soon as they were alone in a room together. She had decided against going on her trip this time around, as it was too close to the time in which he gained his title. The second that he did, Hiroko would become the Luna and all of his council members would take their rightful place. That was another reason in which he was happy. They were merely days away from the thing that they had all dreamed about.

The whole pack was buzzing about the event. Everyone was excited for the ceremony which was to take place. Shiro had contemplated inviting the other Alphas from their neighborhood packs over to see it, but he decided against it. The ceremony was something important to their pack. And he figured that he could invite them to the celebration that he was planning the day after, in which everyone would finally be united and happy. That was the celebration in which everyone would be free from the restrictions that his father had put in place. There were so many things to do once he became the leader, and so many laws to change. It didn't overwhelm him. It merely excited him.

"Shiro," his father's voice rang in his head. "I need to see you to discuss something important."

"Yes, Alpha," he answered him. "I'll be right there." He didn't like the sound of his father's voice. He thought that he could stay happy throughout the day. That nothing would be able to dull his mood. But that tone in his father's voice threatened that notion. For he had a bad feeling about it.

And all he could do was pray to the moon that it wasn't anything too bad.

He walked through the halls of the house, weaving his way past the many rooms that had been built in the mansion. It had been upgraded since it was first built, as it didn't even have electricity when it was first made. But it still kept the old charm to it that their ancestors had given it so long ago.

On the very top floor held not only his father's chambers, but his office as well. It was a small floor that only consisted of two rooms, but they were the grandest rooms they had in the pack house. For the top floor was only meant for the Alpha.

He knocked before entering, waiting to hear his father before coming in. He had spent the whole month preparing to gain his title with his father. It had been stressful, but tolerable. He had dealt with worse things.

His father was sitting at his desk, looking at paperwork. He always looked angry whenever he was doing his paperwork. His long gray hair was put in a ponytail, much like how Shiro did his hair. The only difference was that his hair wasn't as thin as his fathers, and he didn't have thick eyebrows that made him look angry every time he concentrated on something.

"You called, Alpha?" he got his attention. The last thing he needed was for his father to get angry at him for merely standing there. He got so focused in his work sometimes that he didn't notice when people came in, or that he had told them to come in at all.

"Ah, yes," the man looked up from his work. The scowl on his face that he would normally have when Shiro came in wasn't there this time. This time, there was a smile. "Shiro, sit down." He motioned towards one of the chairs in his office.

Shiro did as he was told, the bad feeling getting greater with every second that passed. He didn't show it on the outside, though. He kept his emotions hidden from his father. That was what he had learned to do at a very early age.

"I have some exciting news for you, Shiro," the man said. "Regarding your ceremony in a few days."

"What is it?" he asked him.

"Well, you remember that it's going to be on a new moon, correct?" his light eyes shined with an excitement that Shiro hated seeing in the man. He hated when he mentioned the New Moon. It always led to more trouble for him to deal with.

"Yes," Shiro said, his face still emotionless. "Is there a problem with it being on the night of a New Moon?"

"No," he shook his head. "Actually, it might just be the perfect thing for the start of your reign. We have someone for our ceremony of the Black Skies."

His heart dropped to his stomach. Not that ceremony. He hated that ceremony. All it ever did was cause fear. No wonder why his father actually seemed excited for once.

"Surely that can wait until after I gain my title," Shiro told his father. "One would think that the Alpha Ceremony would have greater importance than the Black Skies ceremony."

"You know the rules of the Black Skies ceremony," his father said. "It has to be the next New Moon after you find someone for it."

"I remember the rules," he said, his voice remaining neutral. "However, I don't believe that my ceremony should wait any longer."

"I don't believe we should either," his father leaned back in his chair, an evil smile on his face. "That's why I'm proposing it happening on the same night."

A new fear rose in his chest, allowing for his heart to come back up from his stomach. He couldn't have the Black Skies ceremony on the same night he took leadership. That would taint his reign forever. The Spirit of the Moon would never forgive him, no matter how much good he did. For it is something in which she would hate more than anything else in the world.

"I won't have my ceremony happen on the same night as the Black Skies ceremony," Shiro told his father. That smile of his only seemed to widen at hearing him say that. "If you must do that ceremony first, then I will have no choice but to wait."

It pained him to say that. He had been planning this for so long, success being so close he could almost touch it. And, of course, after years of planning, there has to be something that happens to ruin it. So many questions flew through his mind. He didn't know how long he would have to wait, or what his father's intentions about his ceremony was. He didn't know who he had found for that ceremony, either. That was a whole other problem for him to solve. If he was supposed to take leadership while that ceremony was taking place, then he wouldn't be there to help with that ceremony either. His people needed him.

"If you wait," his father told him. "I'm not going to stop you. But it will take two more weeks until you can gain your title. On a full moon, in which the Spirit of the Moon can truly bless you gaining your title."

"Then I will wait for the next full moon," he nodded and stood up. "Until then, I'm requesting a week of leave in which I can travel to another pack in order to find my mate." He was already thinking about his back up plan. He had created countless plans for every scenario possible. With this pack, it was safe to say that anything was possible and could very well happen.

"Alright," his father nodded. "I'll have Hiroko take your place for the week in which you leave. This is the only week in which you can do this, Shiro. Don't take it for granted."

"You have my word," he bowed to the Alpha and walked out. As soon as those doors closed, he began to speed through the building.

"Council meeting," he notified all of his friends. "Now. Get to the meditation room immediately."

They might not be the council for the pack just yet, but they were still Shiro's council. And he needed to tell them all the news. None of them were going to like this.

They all flocked to the meditation room as quickly as possible. Hiroko was the first one there, her eyes reading his easier than anyone ever had before. She knew that something had happened. Putting a hand on his shoulder, she tried to comfort him.

As soon as the others came in, she stiffened and went to a spot on the opposite side of the room. She was ready to hear what he was going to say.

"What's going on?" Miki asked. Jin stayed quiet and stood near the door. Geo just gave him a worried look.

"The Alpha Ceremony has been rescheduled," Shiro told them, his voice held all the authority it could behind his emotionless demeanor. Now was not the time to show emotion. Now was the time in which he needed to inform and replan.

"What?" Geo asked. "Why?!"

"The Black Skies ceremony is to take it's place," he explained, then looked to Hiroko. "Which means that we have a job to do."

"Who is it?" Hiroko asked, her eyes turning darker, almost angry. "We have to work fast."

"Why was that ceremony more important than yours?" Miki asked. She looked just as angry as Hiroko at that point. "Yours should supersede it!"

"Because the Alpha does not wish for me to take his title," Shiro told her. "He told me that either I have my ceremony with the Black Skies one, or I must wait until the full moon to have my ceremony."

"But that's in two weeks!" Geo said. "Why can't you just tell him you want to do it on the same night? You could leave the responsibilities of the Black Skies ceremony for us."

"I will not risk the lives of my pack for my own personal gain," Shiro told him. Even if there was only one member for the ceremony, he wasn't going to risk failing them.

"But, Shiro," Hiroko said. "Your thirty days are almost up. And Geo's will be up soon afterwards."

"His won't be up before the new scheduled ceremony," Shiro told her. "Geo won't have to feel it's effects if we wait."

"But you will."

"I can handle it," Shiro told her. "I already told the Alpha that I would take a week off from my duties in order to travel to another pack to find my mate. He didn't think twice about it."

"But-!"

"Enough!" Shiro hollered at her. The room almost shook with how loud he was. He was glad that the room was soundproof, or he was sure that the entire pack would have heard him. "I will do whatever it takes for this pack to be safe. My health and happiness does not matter. I will find a way through it, just like you have for three long years, Hiroko. But I will not take command at the expense of an innocent. And that. Is. Final."

The room was silent for a few seconds as everyone took in what he had said. He knew the consequences that he was getting himself into. He knew that he would have to tell Jett that they would have to wait, and that he would probably hate him for it. He was prepared for the hatred that his mate was most likely going to have towards him. He could handle it. It would cause him more pain than imaginable, but he would bare that weight.

He would risk it all if it meant that his pack, his family, stayed safe. He was their rightful Alpha. And they were his responsibility.

"How are you going to tell Jett?" Geo asked, breaking the silent spell that they were all under. "He's going to freak out if you tell him that you have to wait."

"You could tell him about the ceremony," Miki said. "It might make him understand a little more if you do."

"No," Shiro shook his head. "No one on the outside must know about the Black Skies ceremony. That's an order." He looked at Geo when he said it. Knowing Jett, he would try to use Alex to get answers out of Geo. Shiro couldn't have that. If Jett was willing to wait for him, then he would tell him everything. He would tell him all the secrets and horrors that this pack had to go through. But, for now, he would have to wait. And, if he couldn't, then Shiro would have to bear the weight of being rejected.

He thought back to the days before when he was simply playing and laughing with the man. Everything seemed so happy during that day, even though he wasn't used to all of the things that they did. It was a pleasant surprise. It seemed like so long ago now; as if it was a distant memory that he was looking back on, rather than one that had just happened a day or two ago. But it was one that he would keep in his heart forever.

Even if they didn't make it, and he wound up being rejected due to having to wait to mark him. Even if he was never able to see him again, or they merely had to suffer in the same meetings throughout their entire leaderships. Shiro would forever keep that memory with him. For that would probably be the last time that he would ever feel happy.

"I'll get you ready for your vacation," Hiroko said. "I've had to do this plenty of times. It's going to be painful, but it should only last a week at most."

"Focus on that later," Shiro told her. "Right now, I need you to worry about the newest ceremony. We're going to need everyones help for it."

Everyone nodded their understanding. They had all dealt with this before, and knew their part in all of it. This wasn't new, there was just one factor that made it different from the rest.

Shiro dismissed them all, waiting until each and every one of them were out of the room. Then he took out his phone. He wasn't looking forward to what he needed to do. A part of him wished that he could hold back for a few days just to enjoy the loving messages that he always sent. But he couldn't enjoy them when he knew that they would most likely not last long.

"I'm sorry, Grandfather," he spoke to himself. "For I cannot love him as much as he loves me. I'm afraid that I will fail at the most important lesson that you have taught."

He prayed for forgiveness for the Spirit of the Moon and sent out a single text before heading out to perform his regular duties.

Shiro: I need to talk to you about something important.