Rite of Submission - Rite 1

60: Lupercalia

                I'd asked Sophie to help me pick out the right outfit to wear. There was an expectation for the Alpha to dress in black and his Luna to wear all white at formal events. It was a visual representation of their duality. I still hated wearing white, always afraid it would get dirty.

She'd picked this blouse for the bare back and sleeves that were slit open from my wrists to my shoulders. The open spaces showed off the necklace and cuff they'd given me. She let me swap out the tight pencil skirt for a pair of dress pants. Being able to shift should keep my body running hot enough for the crisp winter air not to bother me, and if I got cold, she teased that I could always snuggle with Dmitri. She'd pinned my hair half up with opal set pins, my curls cascading over the shoulder opposite of the cuff. We kept my makeup simple, just trying to highlight my green eyes.

"I wish you guys could see how good you look together!" Her beaming smile brightened the whole room when his arm circled my waist to tuck me in beside him, "Awwwwwe! You're just so cute!"

He shot her a dark look, making me chuckle. "Yeah, I guess he's easier on the eyes now that he's not sulking."

"Keep it up, Princess," his frown shifting into a sly grin, "You'll be left alone with me eventually." He nuzzled my neck, dropping his voice so only I could hear him, "I'd hate to have to punish you again on such an important day."

"You don't have time for any of that, and if you did could you try not to do it in my room," she teased, grabbing my arm to pull me away from him and out the doors, "lots of stuff to do, and people to see, so let's go already!"

It was easy to see that she was second guessing her decision to leave the safety of her solitude, by the way that she fidgeted with her clothes and twisted her fingers while the three of us walked through the house together. "You're going to be ok," I promised, nudging her with my shoulder, "No one's going to club you over the head and drag you off."

"That's easy for you to say," she nudged back, "you're completely certain that some stranger isn't going to come snatch away your happily ever after."

If she hadn't been staring at the floor so intently, she might've noticed the worried glance he and I shared, our world could still come crashing down around us from any direction. I gave his arm a light squeeze before smiling at her, "Technically, I've already been clubbed over the head and dragged away." She nearly fell over, she laughed so hard. We had to wait for her to giggling to die down before we could walk again, but she looked less apprehensive now.

"That's 2, Princess," he growled softly in my ear, making my heart flutter.

I hadn't expected to have so much to look at as Nathan drove us all to the other side of the main campus. It made me wonder; just what did the humans hired to work today think was being celebrated? Valentine's Day was the day before and not really something that wolves celebrated.

Although, everything was decorated in red and white, the colors of blood and milk, so it could look like we were overdoing Valentine's Day. It didn't explain the Carnival-like costumes, or the half naked teenagers running around. Each vendor had to be thoroughly vetted and everyone one signed an iron clad NDA. It may have helped that they were all paid double their normal rates and promised to be put on the short list for the next year, according to Sophie.

She hopped out of the SUV and looped her arm around Nathan's "You'll ride some of the rides with me won't you?" She frowned back at us as Dmitri helped me climb out, "I don't think those two are going to do anything fun today, and I don't want to spoil Samuel's time with Lindsey," She pouted up at him and pleaded until he gave in.