Chapter 344 - 78: Sound The Good Cheer

The temple grounds were already crowded when they arrived. People filled the wide stone steps and gathered beneath the trees around the entrance, their voices blending into one steady hum. Some had come from the estate, while others had traveled in from outside BloodMoon for the Alpha’s birthday blessing.

Dane’s shoulders dropped the moment he saw the crowd.

"I thought Henrik was exaggerating."

"He wasn’t. Apparently."

"He’s enjoying this."

Destiny smiled. "A little too much."

They barely made it through the entrance before the first person stopped them.

"Happy birthday, Alpha."

"Thank you."

Another person stepped forward almost immediately.

"May the Moon Goddess keep you strong."

"Thank you."

Then another.

And another.

Dane handled each one patiently, shaking hands, accepting their blessings, answering questions, and smiling whenever someone made a joke about his age. Destiny stayed beside him, greeting people as they came forward and occasionally nudging him when his polite smile began to look strained.

By the time they finally reached the inner part of the temple, he leaned closer to her.

"How many was that?"

"I stopped counting at twenty."

"Twenty?"

"You’re popular."

"I preferred twenty minutes ago."

Destiny laughed under her breath.

They eventually took their seats near the altar, and for the first time since entering, Dane had a moment to breathe.

Then the priestess healer appeared.

The conversations throughout the temple faded until there was almost nothing left but the shuffle of feet and the soft movement of robes against the stone floor.

She carried the sacred stone in both hands.

Destiny’s eyes settled on it immediately. It rested in a shallow bowl of black stone, smooth and pale beneath the temple’s muted light, with silver veins running through its surface. The fracture from Dane’s succession was still visible across it.

Dane noticed it too. His fingers moved once against his knee before he clasped his hands together.

The healer stopped before them.

"I call forth Dane, Alpha of the BloodMoon pack. Kneel before your creator."

Dane stood and walked toward the altar.

Destiny followed when she called her name.

"And I call forth Destiny, Luna. Kneel beside your husband."

They knelt together before the statue of the Moon Goddess.

The healer dipped two fingers into a small bowl of oil and touched Dane’s forehead. She marked each of his shoulders before moving to Destiny and repeating the same ritual.

The scent of the oil reached her as the healer stepped back and lifted the sacred stone from its bowl.

She held it above their heads.

"By blood, by bond, and by the will of the moon," she began, her voice carrying through the silent temple, "let what was started be finished."

The stone remained still.

"By the power invested in this sacred stone, I bless the Alpha and Luna of BloodMoon. May their bond be recognized before the Moon Goddess. May the Alpha be strengthened in his duty, and may the Luna stand beside him with wisdom and grace."

Dane’s hand found Destiny’s.

The healer’s voice continued.

"May their union bring strength to this pack, and may the will of the Moon Goddess guide them through what lies ahead."

A strange warmth brushed across Destiny’s skin.

She looked up.

Silver light suddenly burst from the stone.

The healer’s hand jerked violently.

A gasp moved through the temple.

Dane tightened his fingers around hers.

"What is it?" Dane asked.

The healer didn’t answer. She was staring at the stone, her fingers trembling as she slowly lowered it and turned it toward the light.

Then she gasped.

"The sacred stone."

Dane rose halfway before Destiny caught his arm.

"What happened?"

The healer looked at him. The disbelief on her face was impossible to miss.

"The crack."

She turned the stone over.

"It is gone."

A murmur spread through the temple.

Destiny stared at the stone. The fracture that had been there only moments ago had disappeared. The pale surface was whole again, the silver veins running uninterrupted across it.

Dane looked at his Alpha band, then at the healer.

"What does that mean?"

The healer stepped closer.

"It means the stone has accepted you."

Dane said nothing.

She looked at Destiny next.

"And you."

Her eyes moved between them.

"The stone recognizes you as his Luna."

The temple erupted into whispers.

Dane looked at Destiny, and she could see the same disbelief in his eyes that she felt. The stone had been broken when he was named Alpha. Now, in front of everyone, it had healed while they knelt together.

Destiny squeezed his hand.

He squeezed hers back.

Neither of them had an answer for what it meant beyond what the healer had just told them.

Then a slow clap came from somewhere near the back of the temple.

Clap.

Clap.

Clap.

The whispers died.

Everyone turned.

Aurora stood among the crowd.

She looked nothing like the polished woman who had walked into their home the previous evening. Her hair was slightly disheveled, her cheeks flushed, and she had the unmistakable unsteady sway of someone who had been drinking far more than she should have.

Elara stood a few steps behind her, watching her with an expression that suggested she had already tried and failed to stop whatever this was.

Aurora continued clapping as she made her way forward.

"Would you look at that?"

Her words carried easily through the silent temple.

Dane’s body went rigid beside Destiny.

Her stomach tightened.

Aurora smiled at them. She looked at the healed stone first, then at Dane. Then her eyes settled on Destiny.

She gave another slow clap.

"How beautiful."

No one moved.

Aurora took another unsteady step toward the altar.

"I suppose congratulations are in order."

Destiny rose beside Dane.

Aurora’s eyes flicked toward her.

For once, Destiny had nothing to say. Not because she was afraid of her. She simply couldn’t understand why Aurora had chosen this moment to appear.

Dane’s hand found hers again.

Aurora noticed.

Her smile tightened.

"Don’t stop on my account."

She spread her hands toward the gathered crowd.

"Please. Continue."

Nobody did.

The healer still held the restored stone.

The temple remained silent.

Aurora looked around at all the faces staring at her, then laughed softly.

"What?"

Her voice carried a strange edge now.

"It’s his birthday."

She looked directly at Dane.

"Surely I’m allowed to offer my congratulations."

Dane’s jaw tightened.

"Not like this."

Aurora’s smile returned.

"Like what?"

She swayed slightly and caught herself.

"I’ve had a little to drink. That’s hardly a crime."

Elara stepped forward.

"Aurora, maybe we should go."

Aurora ignored her. Her eyes remained fixed on Dane.

"Happy birthday, Alpha."

Then she looked at Destiny.

"And congratulations, Luna."

The title sounded almost mocking coming from her lips.

Destiny felt Dane’s thumb move slowly across the back of her hand.

Neither of them answered.

Aurora smiled at the silence.

Then she turned her attention back to the sacred stone.

"I wonder what the Moon Goddess sees that the rest of us don’t."

The healer’s expression changed.

Dane’s gaze sharpened.

Aurora’s smile widened.

"Now that’s something worth celebrating."

She lifted her chin and gave the stone one last look.

"Isn’t it?"