I spent the rest of that afternoon kicking those newbies asses, pushing their strength and stamina as I tossed them around like rag dolls. It has been a long time since I've trained like that, and it made me and Ziva feel like true warriors again.

After training finally ended, Gamma Marcus asked if I would like to join the training on a regular basis, saying that he would love some help with busting the warriors chops. I, of course, said absolutely. This was what I was born to be, why the hell would I pass up the opportunity?

After that, Tyron returned and took us to a restaurant owned and operated by werewolves for a late lunch. Best. Barbecue. Period. I'm definitely going back to eat there, and I wouldn't have to twist Adrienne's arm to go.

After lunch we continued our tour of the territory, deciding to go into the city that was included in the land before heading back to the wooded area. Lots of restaurants, gas stations, and small stores filled the area. Bookstores, clothing boutiques, Antique shops, and a large number of garages and auto shops. However, the thing that really grabbed Adrienne's attention was the humongous mall. And after pleading with Tyron to ignore my crazy sister and drive back home, he listened. Thank the Goddess.

Upon returning to the central pack land, we returned to exploring. There are so many houses on this land, even more then I expected. Not to forget the large playground for the pups, the rec center that has a swimming pool and a baseball field, and an emergency bunker full of rations and clean water. This pack has thought of everything.

We saw everything...well, almost everything. The only place we weren't taken to see directly was the detainment cells, or prisons, as they are. We both saw it from a distance, and Tyron told us what it was when we asked about it, but he didn't take us to it. Which is probably for the best...I've seen a lot as a warrior, and I have been to a couple of...'interrogations', I could've handled it up close. But, I rather not have Adri exposed to that. Not in the slightest.

I spent the last couple of days repeating that schedule, mostly. Early morning solo training, breakfast at the pack house, a visit to see Avery and read to her some more, followed by training with the warriors.

The day after our tour, I went to town with Andrea to eat lunch and go to a couple of grocery stores to restock the kitchen. I ended up going with a girl named Tiana, who turned out to be Tyron's little sister. We hit it off surprisingly well, both of us enjoying kicking Tyron's butt for fun.

Andrea had also given me a debit card to buy things with, saying that it was issued to me by the Alpha himself. I tried to argue my way out of taking it, considering I'm not even part of the pack yet, but both she and Tiana tag teamed me and I caved. Which led to me buying several of my favorite books that I was forced to leave behind at Blue Mountain, as well as a pair of sneakers to replace the ones I shredded the last time I shifted. I spent an hour debating if I should even be buying anything before I purchased them however.

As for yesterday, I spent lunch with Tiana and Adrienne, going to a Japanese restaurant that I ended up liking, much to my surprise. What wasn't surprising was that both of them hit it off very well, which I was grateful for until they both coerced me into going to the mall with them. I spent the rest of the day being drug around by the two, going into almost every store. They even managed to get me into Victoria's Secret, much to my absolute discomfort.

I did end up buying stuff though, admittedly. A few new t-shirts and tank tops, some jeans and shorts, a sports bra and leggings from Underarmor, and a new pair of headphones. And maybe I bought a couple pairs of underwear and a bra or two from Victoria's Secret...which the girls thought were on the boring side.

At the end of the day though, I only had a total of five bags, while they had at least five in each hand. I wasn't gonna ask what was in half of them, I didn't want to know, and still don't. I had already seen enough in my opinion.

Today, was a different story. Breakfast was serve yourself, and warrior training was cancelled in light of the ceremony for me and Adrienne's swearing in. Lunch was also self serve, and much of the pack was getting ready for the ceremony taking place in an hour and a half.

The event itself follows a short dinner party, which starts in about 15 minutes. This leads to where I am now, banging on Adrienne's door and yelling at her to hurry up. She's been getting ready for the past hour, the last twenty minutes on her hair alone. I don't know why she's making such a big deal out of this, it's not like the Royal Alpha and Luna are going to be here. And even if they were I wouldn't spend more than an hour getting ready.

"Come on Adri, it starts in ten minutes!"

I call again, pounding on the door.

"My hair isn't finished! Fuck off for five seconds!"

I forget how irritable she is when she's hungry, which only gets worse when she's under stress. I sigh and lean against the wall, deciding to wait five minutes before going down alone. I take in my attire for the occasion as I wait. The fitted, long sleeve t-shirt is a perfect match to my eyes, the sleeves pushed up to my elbows. The dark blue, denim capris go halfway past my knee, snugly fitting my body. I chose to wear a pair of newly purchased black ballet flats with little purple stitching in them, I'm not a particularly big fan of heels, but I compromised on these since my other shoes wouldn't fit the occasion. I even have my hair up in a French braid, per Adrienne's advice. My necklace sits on top of my shirt tonight, the gold ring shining brightly against the soft fabric.

I play with it idly as I continue to wait, and just as I'm about to tell Adrienne that I'm leaving without her, she swings open the door. One look at her ensemble makes me feel underdressed.

Her olive green dress stops at her knee, the color matching both her fiery red hair and fair skin beautifully. A brown braided belt circles her waist, and a matching pair of sandals adorn her feet. Her hair is up in a braided bun, a few loose strands curling gently to frame her face. Her make up is perfect, the smokey eyeshadow and light pink lipstick completes the look.

She takes one look at me and shakes her head, sighing in disappointment. She shouldn't be, she knows as far as fancy goes, this is what I'm comfortable with...fancy occasions aren't really my thing.

"Really Kat? That's it?"

I cross my arms."We can't all be fashionistas Adri. Lets just get going, we have five minutes."

I turn my heel and head downstairs, listening to Adrienne's tapping feet as she follows behind me. No doubt she's silently dreaming of the day she gets to do my makeover, whether I'm voluntarily doing it or held against my will would be the determining factor.

We spent the entire dinner mingling with the pack while we ate. Meeting new faces and hanging out with ones we already met, all of them congratulating us on joining the pack. They served alcohol at the party, and I had to keep an eye on Adri to make sure she didn't sneak any of it. Not only is she not old enough, but a drunk Adrienne is not a good thing, and with her it wouldn't take much.

Once it became closer to moonrise, everyone but us heads out to the ceremonial stone. Tradition states that the initiation has to be held at night on a full moon, but each pack has a different way of doing it. Tyron informed us that the Red Fang tradition involved a blood oath and a renouncement of all former pack ties.

The blood oath would include opening a wound on our left palm and placing our blood on the stone as we swear our loyalty to the pack. Then in the same sentence we would denounce any ties to the pack we belonged to prior, and then the Alpha would officially welcome us to the pack and the pack link would open up to us.

As we wait, I rehearse the oath in my head, making sure I have every detail down. To be truthful though, the only part of the process I was a little bit hesitant about was the renouncement. Even if I left the pack four years ago, severing the final connection with them hurts a bit. But, I keep in mind that this doesn't change the fact that Blue Mountain was my home, where I was born, and where I became a warrior. It just means that I will put Red Fang above them in times I have to choose.

Tyron enters as I reach that conclusion, summoning us to the ceremony. Me and Adrienne walk together in silence, her thoughts unusually silent. I can understand it though, this is a very serious event, and we're doing it in front of almost the entire pack. About Three hundred werewolves total, and that's not including the twenty plus warriors patrolling the territory.

We climb up the stairs and to the stone, and I can feel the watching eyes of the wolves surrounding me and me sister. Out the corner of my eye, I see Sheila holding Avery up to see, both smiling at me as I pass. I give a small smile and Avery waves back, helping settle some of my nerves. The rest are settled when I face forward and my gaze meets the Alpha's, the warmth and pride in his blue depths making my concerns disappear.

Stopping in front of him, we share a look for a moment before he turns to face the crowd.

"Tonight we have gathered to celebrate the newest members of Red Fang. Katrina and her sister Adrienne will be swearing their allegiance to our pack."

He turns back to me and Adri, holding out the ceremonial knife to me. I take it in my right hand and carve a shallow cut into my left palm before handing it over to Adri, who mimics the action and hands the knife back to Seth.

Placing our bleeding palms against the stone, we both recite the oath that we had memorized by heart.

"By my blood, I swear under the full moon my loyalty and allegiance to Red Fang. I shall always uphold my duty to serve and protect the pack in times of crisis and peace, and never waiver in my convictions. As of now I denounce all ties to my former pack, and declare myself a sworn member of Red Fang."

The silence only lasts a split second before the crowd erupts in cheers. We remove our hands from the stone as Seth calls them to order, and I can't miss the broad smile he sports as we turn to face him.

"As Alpha, I now declare you both full fledged members of Red Fang."

The link opens up, and I can feel everyone's thoughts flooding to me and Adri all at once, like a dam has opened in my head. Me and Adrienne's link is still the strongest, Avery's voice calls from the crowd as she's not able to mind link until her first shift, and a chorus of howls echo around the territory and through the link. It has been so long since I have had a pack link, the sudden evaporation of loneliness is a welcome relief.

However, despite the multitude of voices, one drowns out the rest when it decides to speak. And I immediately recognize Seth's voice.

~Welcome to the pack, Mate.~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day, I went through my day as I did before. Enjoying the congratulations from the pack members I ran into. Andrea ending up hugging me profusely, nearly squeezing the life outta me before letting go. Tiana was also enthusiastic, trying to convince me to celebrate by going shopping, which I carefully declined.

My visit to see Avery was even more welcoming, she had drew me a picture to keep for myself, which was very well thought out and colorful. And the warrior wolves were eager to congratulate me shortly before I started whipping them into shape.

However, after lunch, Seth had visitors that turned out to be his parents. After briefly meeting with them I quickly determined Seth was the spitting image, and almost carbon copy of his Dad, Dylan. His mother Haley is the variable oddball with her dirty blonde hair and gray eyes. I pretended I didn't notice the looks they gave Seth, which let me know that they found out that I am his mate. That was difficult to say the least.

I had spent time upstairs reading my copy of Eragon afterward, needing an excuse to avoid both Seth and his family for a couple of hours. It's only when the sound of new voices entering the pack-house catches my attention that I decide to go downstairs...and I end up regretting it.

Standing at the bottom of the stairs, the old scent I hoped I would never smell again rams into my nose like a freight train. My eyes slowly turn to the entrance, and as they lock with a pair of brown ones, I can feel my heart tear in two all over again.

The beachy, ocean scent burns through my chest as his eyes widen in recognition. I'm left speechless and still in the gaze of my Ex-mate.

Beta Jamie.