7 THE MOON FESTIVAL - Part 1

The next day, I skipped classes yet again. I wasn't feeling it and I wouldn't be here for much longer anyway. It didn't matter if I had a perfect attendance record or not. I woke up late, took a long shower, missed another opportunity to talk to my roommates and ate breakfast for the first time in what seemed like ages.

I tried my best to not think about what was about to happen that night. I had made a conscious choice and I was going to stick to it, no matter how hard it was. Instead I pulled out the campus map and began listing possible locations the great god might be in.

The campus was as large as about 700 football fields. After all, it was the biggest and most reputed institute in the entire world. Everyone who wanted to be someone hoped to get an offer letter from here. But the admission was strictly limited to important families.

Representation was obviously not what they cared about here. As I looked through the map, I couldn't help but sigh in annoyance. It still irked me that Lord Dragomitus wouldn't just tell me where he was. But I was coming to terms with that too, or at least was trying to.

I spent the entire day cooped up inside the room. All three of my roommates were nowhere to be seen and I couldn't care less if they had classes or not. I had drawn the curtains shut. The change in the position of the sun outside made me miserable. I didn't want to know the time. I couldn't think productively. After what felt like a very short day, I heard a knock at the door. I got up to open it.

Clad in a strapless red bodycon dress with a sweet-heart neckline, Keelin stood leaning against the door frame. She held a dress cover in her hand and looked extremely impatient as she tapped the wooden flooring with her stilettoed foot. I raised my brow questioningly. She huffed before pushing the door wide open and inviting herself in. She forced the bag into my hand then, looked away. Her deep brown curls bounced back and forth.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked.

"Isn't it obvious? Open it. It's the dress we bought for the rosa this time. Didn't think it would be you," she said, rolling her eyes.

I unzipped the bag and pulled it out. It was a red slip dress with crochet lace details. The light and airy skirt had a tiered hem that would probably fall just under my butt.

"I'm not wearing this," I said.

"And why is that?" she asked as she sat on my bed, crossing her legs and folding her arms across her chest.

"It's barely there. I might as well not wear anything," I said, putting the dress down and leaning against the table.

"Well, that's the point, isn't it?" she said.

I just stared at her, unable to come up with a smart response.

"Look, it's sacred to be the rosa. Yes, you get down and dirty with the wolf who wins you and that too in front of everyone. But, the red rays of the moon increase the core energy of all who participate. The rosa, as the head of the ceremony gets the most of it," she said uncrossing her legs and attempting to dignify my role.

"What do you mean by the wolf who wins me?" I asked.

"Well, the rosa is the head of the ceremony. She wouldn't just give herself to a random wolf. So, the boys usually have a sort of competition and the one who wins it gets to... you know," she shrugged.

"By the way..." I brushed my fingers across my bracelet. "The energy would be of no consequence to me," I said, "I am a human."

"Which is why it's your punishment," she replied with a grin.

I shook my head, "Then there's no point in making it seem divine." I picked up the dress, "Let's just get this over with."

"Oh, no! As the head of the werewolf echelon, I won't have any of that. If you are fulfilling a role, you need to do your best at it. And if you're going to be the prize of a competition, you should be desirable enough for the boys to want you."

I was annoyed at her for calling me a 'prize'. "Then what do the rest of the girls do today? Spectate?" I asked with a scoff.

"Oh, please. Do I look like someone who's going to stand and watch from the side-lines?" she walked to the full-length mirror and checked herself out.

"Um... so you're participating too?"

"Of, course! The rosa begins the ceremony with the victor. Then, the girls get to choose their men from among the rest of the competitors. This is a carnal ceremony. So the more powerful the guy, the more energy is absorbed and shared between each other. It's going to be fun!" she said with a genuine smile and I was taken aback by how friendly she was being. Especially after the way she treated me yesterday.

"But, don't you like..."

"Hmm?" she asked turning to look at me.

"No, it's nothing, never mind that," I said quickly. It wasn't in my place.

"Ryne?" she asked with a sigh. I chewed my bottom lip and nodded.

"Yeah well, sex is sex and love is love. The ceremony has nothing to do with feelings."

"So, you do like him. I knew I wasn't wrong," I said with a smirk.

"I mean, I was being obvious yesterday. I would be surprised if you didn't get it," she said as she grabbed me and sat me down in front of the mirror.

"Are you going to doll me up?" I asked with a gulp. A chill ran down my spine and I couldn't help but shudder. I had ignored my feelings up to this point. But it was all suddenly feeling very real. My stomach felt like jelly and I tried to keep the anxiety from showing on my face.

"I'm just going to give you pointers," she said as she wildly tugged my face left, then right and examined the mirror. "Well, you have a pleasing face. Just light make-up would do. Do you have red shoes?"

***

When I stepped out of the building with Keelin, I couldn't believe my eyes. The moon was so big, that it took up half of the space in the sky. It loomed directly over our heads. The light it emitted was a deep crimson. Everything looked and felt different under it. It completely differed from my expectations. I had never seen something like this before. Dragons always took shelter during a blood moon. It had something to do with the moon amplifying our energy to monstrous levels. Fortunately, I didn't have to worry about that now as I was nothing more than a human with my energy sealed.

"Feels amazing, doesn't it?" Keelin said, her voice hoarse and seductive.

I understood what she meant. My skin was electric, my heart felt like I had just run a marathon and my core throbbed with need. I had never felt so stimulated before. The red light of the moon caressed my skin and every part of my body that was exposed felt like a million kisses landed on it. I was so glad that I had decided to wear my thick black cardigan.

I hugged myself tightly and tried to get rid of the dazed feeling that was taking over my brain. "Well, at least it feels good," I thought when I suddenly remembered where I was headed.

"We should go," I said, swallowing the lump that was forming in my throat.

"Ye...ah. We should," she said shaking her head and taking a deep breath.

We followed the trail within the woods. Other girls, all in red dresses were walking in the same path. Some even turned to stare at me and whispered amongst themselves. My heart felt too heavy to care about them. I focused on the clicking of the beetles instead.

We walked silently for almost twenty minutes before reaching a large clearing with a stone platform in the middle. At the far end, stone stairs ran like the seats in a theatre. Seated on the top-most level were Ryne, Arlan and Gyrod.

"I thought this was only for the werewolves?" I asked Keelin, surprised by their presence.

"They aren't here to participate. They are going to watch the competition between the boys and leave," she said as she began walking towards them.

I didn't know anyone else here, so I followed her. Ryne stared at me and never the one to lose, I stared back. I waited for him to look away but he didn't. I could hear the pounding of my heart in my ears. My already flushed skin felt even more sensitive and my throat felt so very dry. Unable to bear his heated gaze any longer, I admitted loss and looked away from him, directing my attention to the ongoing fight on the platform.

It seemed to be a one-on-one combat between a dark-haired wolf and one with long blonde hair. Their muscles rippled as they swung their arms, threw punches, blocked and rolled on the rough stone floor. Both of them shirtless, had various bruises that decorated their skin. When looking at them began to suffocate me, I turned away.

We reached the seating area and and I followed Keelin up the stairs. Arlan got up to greet me and when our eyes met, both of us paused in our steps. He was still wearing the uniform but he had lost the tie. His light brown hair appeared auburn under the crimson light and his high cheekbones were highlighted. It must have been the moon's effect, but facing him made me breathless. I wondered if the crimson light messed with the air and made it thicker. He, in turn looked stunned as if he were seeing me for the very first time. He let out a breath and slowly smiled at me.

"You look amazing," he said huskily.

"Not for you, though," I heard a silky voice and looked up to see Gyrod. The already ethereal looking fae, seemed even more so under the ghostly light of the moon. His amethyst eyes glowed unnaturally. I would have been charmed by his appearance if I hadn't heard what he said. However, he wasn't wrong in the least so I could only look away.

"Ditty, you don't have to do this," Arlan said as he strode forward and held my shoulders.

Even with the cardigan on, sparks flew from where he touched me right down to my core. I grit my teeth and glanced up at the moon unable to understand how it could be so powerful.

"Meredith, listen to me," he said, almost urgently, "I can't let you do this. I-"

"She's made up her mind, Arlan. I have known her for three days now and I believe that she's the most stubborn creature I've ever met. Shouldn't you already know this about the girl you claim to be your fiancé?" Ryne said as he leaned back and continued to watch the fight.