Happy squealing drifted to Pax's ears as his younger cousin ran around the house with boundless energy. She was finally of age to join a special ceremony with the other Omegas in their town, where they would finally be allowed to seek out their mates. The older werewolf shook his head and smiled. Omegas were revered and respected for the peace that their presence brought to the Alphas and Betas, and their family was quite proud that his cousin Maribelle turned out to be one.

Pax's family was part of one of the oldest packs in the town, the Akashi pack. The young man and his immediate family members shared his grandfather's rich mocha skin tone. But, only he had inherited the striking silver hair of his grandmother. As a result, the pelt of his wolf form gleamed like pure silver, and his eyes were a golden yellow with the slightest hint of orange.

"I wonder what kind of piece I'll receive," Maribelle wondered aloud as she danced with joy, moving her hands out in front of her as she imagined where her Gift would go. "A headband, perhaps? Or maybe something smaller like a ring?"

"Do you plan on keeping your Gift as it is?" Pax asked her in curiosity. "Or will you fashion it into something else?"

"Depends on how pretty it is! I'll probably fix it up if it ends up being an ugly anklet or something."

The older werewolf chuckled. "If it lights up, I doubt you'll even think twice about what the rest looks like.

"So true! Celestials, what if it lights up then and there? That'd be so cool!" 

"Are you that eager to meet a mate?" 

"Wouldn't anyone?" The young woman countered. "I mean, it's the best part about being an Omega."

Their conversation was halted when Maribelle's parents, Pax's aunt and uncle, finally came downstairs. Urging them out the door, the small group then left the house and began making their way to the large, central building in the middle of their town. The academy had been built for werewolves to be taught from young pups to adulthood in a protected position within their town. While Betas and Alphas graduated with robust enthusiasm, Gifting Day was considered the biggest celebration of them all. Everyone gathered for the Omegas to support and protect them during their extravagant ceremony.

Packs of all sizes were funneled into the building with an ease and expertise that put most airport customs to shame. Pax's cousin rushed off to join the other Omegas as the rest of his family found seats. They settled somewhere in the third row, one of the perks of having a clan name at the start of the Alphabet, and waited patiently until the ceremony kicked off.

"Citizens of Carnelian, welcome to the Gifting Ceremony." greeted the head Khonsu devotee as the remaining werewolves standing began to find seats. "To visitors who have come from other towns to wish our Omegas well, my name is Tatiana Laurette. I am the head devotee to our beloved Khonsu, goddess of the moon."

"Being an Omega carries a great responsibility. The aura of peace that they radiate has been known to put a stop to civil skirmishes between our kind for centuries," Tatiana continued. "However, this unique gift from Khonsu herself bestows a higher honor upon them today. Each of our Omegas that have come of age will receive a unique Khonsu Stone that has been fashioned into a jewelry piece."

Carts were rolled out in a line beside the head devotee, each packed to the brim with stones of all shapes and sizes embedded into jewelry and accessories of all kinds. 

"Our goddess infused each of these stones with a drop of her own blood. That gifted power is what will allow this group of Omegas to finally seek out their mates." She held her arms outward, palms facing up. "May this Gifting Day be fruitful for all of you."

Tatiana's words reminded Pax of just how differently the werewolf community treated Omegas. Betas and Alphas received nothing as tangible as a gift upon graduating. But, he imagined that the power dynamics were more balanced that way. He’d witnessed for himself how his cousin Maribelle was treated like a princess at home.

As they stood closer to the stage, the Omega next to Maribelle shifted uncomfortably. Tension hummed through him from the tips of his toes to the roots of his auburn hair. Elias didn't know how to feel. He'd been sheltered by his family and pack since his birth. Finding his mate could mean freedom. At the same time, once his mate claimed him, Elias would essentially belong to another werewolf. It could end up being worse than being stuck at home, never allowed to go anywhere alone. The entire situation chafed terribly.

"Please step forward to receive your Gift when I call your name," Tatiana announced to the Omegas. "Andrew Abel...Nia Abel..."

"Can't wait!" Maribelle squeaked as her row stood up and got ready to file out. "I'd be happy with just one mate...how about you, Elias?"

"Pfft. Can I claim myself as a mate and skip being assigned a keeper altogether?" Elias muttered.

The young woman shook her head. "A keeper? Come on, El, you know us Omegas can twist our mates round our little fingers if we wanted. We're their keepers, not the other way around," she insisted.

Elias shook his head, not wanting to go on a tirade that might ruin the poor girl's day. The ceremony was something unique, wonderful, and exciting to her. As much as Elias might not feel the same, he wouldn't do anything to ruin that. He knew he was probably the only Omega in the room who wasn't elated at the prospect of finding their mate. He didn't want to settle down and do nothing but make all the wolves around him feel warm and fuzzy for the rest of his life.

None of that was what Elias wanted. It never had been. He wanted to have a life of his own, make real choices and mistakes, and not just live wrapped safely in cotton as some kind of happy drug for everyone else.

"Maribelle Akashi..."

The young woman let out a little squeak of excitement when it was her turn. She was handed an earring with a dangling stone in the shape of a tear-drop. All of the stones were clear, to begin with, but they would change their colors to match the Omega's mate or mates. Though she had worried about the design, Maribelle was relieved that her earring was pretty enough to avoid altering it. The stone didn't glow when she held it in the palm of her hand, so she quickly pulled the earring through her ear hole and allowed it to dangle. She tried not to feel too disappointed that her mate or mates weren't anywhere in the building.

"Elias Andrews."

Elias stiffened, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly before stepping forward. He could almost feel the watchful eyes of his family as he approached the Khonsu devotee handing out the stones. He looked the jewelry over as he went, wondering which would be his while fighting the urge to turn tail and bolt for the exit. There were several rings with small clear stones, bracelets, earrings, and necklaces. There were many different colors of metals, though Elias knew none would be made of silver. No one enjoyed the itchy rash from wearing that kind of metal.

His eyes were drawn to the necklace in the middle, shocked at the size of the quartz-like gem. The other stones ranged from half of his pinky nail up to as big as his thumbnail. This gem, however, was as large as his entire thumb. It was as crystal clear as the others, facets shining in the light. The chain looked like copper with a rich brown patina, the links carefully formed into curls and curves. The fastening featured a dangling, tribal crescent moon, and another smaller moon was settled around the crown. It was pretty, really. Even Elias could admit that.

The young Omega looked for the tiniest gem that had been worked into a gold ring. That one would likely be his. He had been told plenty of times that the size of the stone didn't necessarily reflect the depth of the mate bond; no one knew for sure why the gems were different sizes. The devotees claimed it was a mystery of the goddess, but Elias still wanted that teeny one to be his. A small bond stone might lead to a less restrictive mate.

Elias took a startled step back when the devotee lifted the necklace with the largest gem and held it out to him with a beatific smile.

"I...No. That can't be mine," Elias said, voice startlingly loud in the quiet of the room.

"Khonsu is never wrong, sweet one," Tatiana responded without missing a beat. She placed the stone into the palm of the young man's hand and curled the fingers around it. "This one is yours."

Elias felt a thrum through his body like he'd been plucked like a harp string. The stone felt warm in his hand, like it was alive. He opened his hand to get a better look at it, startled to find it glowing, the light pulsing as though to the rhythm of a heartbeat.

"Ummm..." Elias blinked down at his necklace in surprise. Was it supposed to do that?

"As I said, Khonsu is never wrong. Your mate is in this building right now, sweet one," Tatiana explained. "This is a great opportunity. Omegas, look on as young Elias seeks his mate!"

The head devotee placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Hold the stone before you and slowly move from left to right. When you see the flickering light faster, that is the direction you must go to find them."

"Oh, shit," Elias whispered, earning a smirk from Tatiana.

This seriously wasn't happening. Eli was either hallucinating, or he was still in bed, having a messed up dream caused by the stressful anticipation of the Gifting. Right. That had to be it. Well, fine. He'd go along with his dream hallucination. The faster he woke up or came to his senses, the quicker this weirdness would be over.

Elias turned in a slow circle, the other Omegas' avid eyes making a sweat bead on his forehead. He kept going until he faced the assembled witnesses, family, and friends of the Omegas receiving their bonding stones. Eli's eyes widened as the stone's shimmering light pulsed faster. His eyes were wide and shocked as they snapped to Tatiana. She smiled like a mother watching her child solving complex math problems without help. Elias swallowed and took a step forward. Nearly stumbling when the stone flickered faster. The wolves parted for him as he walked on, some with kind smiles and others with disappointed faces as he passed them by. He'd passed his beaming family and several others when the gem went bonkers, flashing so quickly that Elias thought it would give someone a seizure.

"Oh crap. Oh crap. Oh crap, crap, crap," Elias muttered as he hesitantly looked at who was in front of him.

Three werewolves were staring at him. Two stood slightly in front of a third; a brunet and blond in front, and one with beautiful silver hair behind. Elias's legs seemed to move on their own, the light glowing brighter and flashing faster with every step. The brunet looked devastated as Elias passed him. Then, Elias passed by the blond, who nodded in resignation.

Elias stood in front of the silver-haired werewolf, the tip of the bonding stone touching the center of the man's chest. The flashing had stopped, replaced by a bright light, so Elias had to look away until it died. When he glanced down again, the gem was still mostly clear, with beautiful golden-yellow streaks. Elias blinked for a moment before looking at the man's golden eyes.

"Uh, hi," Elias whispered, mouth dry as sand.

Pax gulped hard as his gaze was held captive by Elias's gorgeous green eyes. The attention had shifted from cheering loudly for Maribelle upon receiving her Gift to a hushed silence as Elias searched for his mate. Shock. Pax had felt pure shock when the stone was pressed against his chest and flashed in the telltale sign of a mission accomplished. Though he had prepared, as most Alphas did, on saving money and buying a home worthy of a mate or two, he hadn’t expected to be on the other end of an Omega’s Khonsu stone so soon.

"H-Hey?" Pax responded, equally as inarticulate and nervous. He held out a hand for Elias to shake. "My name's Pax. Pax Akashi."

"Ah, I'm Elias Andrews." The Omega shook his head. "Sorry, that was dumb. You know that. She just said my name."

"Actually, with all the cheering, I had missed it," Pax admitted. "Elias...it's a pleasure to meet you."

Maribelle rushed over to her family. She couldn’t have been more glad that Omegas were allowed to return to their families immediately after receiving their Gifts. She had gawked at the scene as avidly as everyone else. But, she’d nearly burst into a loud bout of squealing when she saw El land on her cousin. 

"I can't believe it, how exciting!" Maribelle gasped when she caught up with them. "Elias and I have always been friends, but we never had much of a reason to get to know each other beyond pleasantries. Now, we have a great chance!"