Page 10 of Red Hood, Bad Wolf (Cursed Kingdoms)
T wo weeks after Mae's death, with the pack healing and bridges forming between communities, Alder found Rowan in his study reviewing alliance documents between the Red Hoods and werewolves.
"Enough paperwork," he said, pulling her to her feet. The mate bond between them tickled with anticipation—he'd been planning something, she realized. Something that made their bond spark with nervous joy.
"It's the full moon," he said softly. "The pack is already gathering. And your Red Hood sisters arrived an hour ago."
Rowan's breath caught. They'd discussed a formal bonding ceremony but hadn't set a date. Through their bond, she felt his certainty that tonight was right. Even with his wolf rising, fighting to emerge under the moon's pull, he wanted this.
"Now?" Her heart raced. "But I'm not prepared—"
He smiled, that special smile that was only for her. "Serenity arranged everything before she shifted. Including your dress."
The traditional Red Hood ceremonial dress hung in their bedroom—crimson silk that shimmered like liquid fire. Monica had worked with Rowan's Order to combine Red Hood and werewolf bonding traditions, creating something unique for this first-ever union between their kinds.
An hour later, moonlight silvered the ceremonial clearing, turning everything to pearl and shadow. Red Hood witches in their ceremonial cloaks formed an inner circle, their magic creating soft lights that danced in the air. The pack gathered in their wolf forms, forming a larger circle—a ring of silver-touched fur and gleaming eyes. Their energy soared with acceptance and hope, their occasional soft howls harmonizing with the witch-lights above.
Only Alder remained in human form, fighting his wolf's urgent need to shift. He would speak their vows as a man, though the moon pulled at his blood. His father's ring gleamed on his finger, blessed silver keeping his change at bay for these crucial moments.
High Priestess Elena stepped forward, her crimson cloak flowing like blood in the moonlight. She alone would speak the ceremonial words, while the pack's voices would rise in wolfsong at key moments. The combination had never been attempted before—witch words and wolf song joining in blessing.
"Under the full moon," Elena intoned, "we gather to witness the binding of two souls, two traditions, two peoples long separated by fear and misunderstanding."
The wolves howled in harmony, their voices rising to the moon. Red Hood magic spiraled upward to meet their song, crimson light twining with silver moonbeams.
Alder took Rowan's hands in his, his skin fever-hot with the effort of holding his wolf back. The mate bond between them sang with all the love and certainty that came with finding your true match. Before all their witnesses, they spoke the words that would bind them forever.
"From the moment I first caught your scent," Alder said, his voice rough with emotion and the wolf's rising power, "my wolf knew. Even when I was fighting it, fighting you, something in my soul recognized its other half. You came to my territory hunting a monster, but you found your mate instead." His hands trembled in hers. "You showed me truth when I was blinded by lies. You fought for justice even when it hurt. You are everything my wolf could want, everything my heart needs."
The pack's howls rose in affirmation, their wolf-voices carrying his words to the moon. Through their bond, Rowan felt everything he wasn't saying—how completely she'd changed his world, how deeply their souls had twined together, how the fates themselves must have guided her to his territory.
"I tried so hard not to feel it," she whispered, her voice carrying to all gathered. "Tried to be just the Red Hood witch, to focus on the mission. But you..." She touched his cheek, feeling him lean into her hand, feeling his wolf press close to the surface. "You broke through every wall I'd built. My magic knew you, called to you. My perfect match. When everyone doubted me, you listened. When I was lost in duty, you showed me love was possible."
The mate bond pulsed between them, stronger than ever. Around them, Red Hood magic swirled with wolf energy, creating a spiral of power that rose toward the moon. The wolves' eyes gleamed brighter, reflecting the magical lights above.
"I swear by the moon and my father's ring," Alder said, lifting her hand to his lips, his words becoming rougher as his wolf pushed closer to the surface, "to love you, protect you, stand beside you for all my days. To build a future where Red Hoods and werewolves work together, where no one has to choose between duty and love."
"I swear by my magic and my heart," Rowan returned, her free hand calling crimson energy that wrapped around their joined fingers, "to love you, guard you, fight beside you until my last breath. To help heal the wounds between our peoples, to show that love is stronger than old prejudices."
Elena stepped forward, binding their hands with a cord woven of wolf hair and witch-blessed silk. As she spoke the final blessings, the cord began to glow—wolf magic and witch power combining in a way never seen before.
Their bond flared brilliant and beautiful as Alder pulled her into a kiss that tasted of moonlight and promise. The cord binding their hands dissolved into pure light that sank into their skin, marking them as true mates in both their traditions.
The moment the blessing was complete, Alder's control finally broke. His shift rippled through him, wolf form emerging in a surge of power. Where a man had stood, a massive black wolf now pressed against Rowan's side, his eyes glowing with love and moonlight.
The pack's howls reached a crescendo, joined by Red Hood magic that painted the sky in streams of crimson light. Elena's witches added their own blessings, their magic harmonizing with wolf song in a symphony of unity.
Rowan buried her hands in her mate's fur, feeling their bond pulse with joy and completion. Around them, wolves began to run, creating circles of movement and magic that wound through the witch-lights like a dance.
Together, witch and wolf, they ran with their combined peoples under the full moon. Their love had exposed decades of darkness to the light, had begun bridging ancient divides. And in this moment, racing through moonlit forests with their packs, they knew that together they could face anything.
Their mate bond was pure and perfect and eternal. Just as it was meant to be.
Just as they were meant to be.