The pack waited in anticipation while Doc tended to Ellie before giving the all-clear to continue. Tears streamed down Ellie's cheeks, and she gripped a pack member's arm as Doc treated the burn. Other than that, she looked okay.
She looked strong.
Ellie looked up at Indianna and smiled. I'm brave, she mouthed.
Indianna nodded. "You are."
She turned to Brooke, who was clutching Harry's hand tightly.
"It's fine," Brooke said to herself. "Just a little burn. A small amount of pain. No biggie. You can do this, Brooklyn. Just take a deep breath and block out the pain. What pain? There's no pain. It's not going to hurt. It's not. You're going to be fine—"
Brooke gasped in surprise when Harry suddenly grabbed her and crashed his lips against hers, stopping her nervous babbling.
"You were making me nervous," he grumbled before kissing her again.
"I wouldn't advise doing that to me," Indianna whispered as Greyson walked up behind her. His hands were hot when he placed them on her waist.
"And why is that?"
"I'll probably be sick in your mouth," Indianna admitted. Even in her scared state, she managed to chuckle.
Greyson rolled his eyes and kissed Indianna's neck. "I'm worried for Brooklyn," he said softly.
"She's strong," Indianna said.
"No, you're strong," Greyson argued. "Brooklyn isn't. She pretends. She bottles things up and doesn't talk about them. I'm surprised she's even taking part in the ceremony."
"It's because she is strong," Indianna said and turned to face Greyson. "She's terrified, Greyson, but she's facing her fears and doing it. She's strong, she's brave, and she's going to be fine."
Greyson pursed his lips and cupped Indianna's face. "I hope you're right," he said and gently kissed her forehead before stepping back.
"Brooklyn," he called.
Indianna's hearing picked up Brooklyn's rapidly beating heart.
"You ready?"
A squeak escaped Brooklyn's mouth, and she slowly walked over to the table with Harry right by her side. Indianna gulped and made her way over to Laura, Mark, Kirstie and Mac.
"How are you holding up?" Kirstie asked quietly as Laura took Indianna's hand comfortingly.
Laura knew exactly how Indianna was holding up.
"I've been better," Indianna whispered.
"I'm sorry," Kirstie frowned.
Everyone's attention went back to Greyson, who was standing next to Brooke as she lay on the table.
"Brooklyn Fox," Greyson called, and the whole pack held its breath as he hovered the searing iron rod over Brooke's hip. She squeezed her eyes shut as Greyson continued. "As the Warrior's mate, you require not only the branding of an Alpha but also the branding of a Warrior."
Indianna looked at Harry, who went rigid at the idea of hurting his mate.
"I'll do it as quickly as I can, babe," Harry whispered. He quickly kissed Brooke before standing beside Greyson.
"As your Alpha, I officially welcome you to the pack," Greyson said.
Indianna noticed a scar already on Brooke's side just as Greyson pressed the burning rod into her skin.
Before Brooke's scream had ended, Harry had the rod in his hand. He looked at his mate, who was writhing in pain, tears streaking down her face and her hands clenched so tightly that she drew blood.
"Do it," Greyson said calmly.
Harry was frozen. "I..."
"Do it," Greyson repeated. "The quicker you do it, the better it will be for her."
Brooke looked up at Harry. Nothing could distract her from the pain of burning flesh, raw and fresh. "Don't," she whimpered and reached out, weakly grabbing his hand. "P-please."
"Harry," Greyson snapped. "Do it now! That's an order. You're only going to make it worse if you don't do it!"
Harry tightened his hold on the rod. "I'm so sorry," he whispered.
He gently grabbed Brooke and held her still before pressing the rod against the already bright-red mark. Brooke screamed out in pain again and slammed her fist against the table, crying out for Harry to stop.
Harry immediately threw the rod back at Greyson and grabbed Brooke, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his chest.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm so sorry."
Brooke sobbed quietly, and Indianna already knew the words that were going to come out of her mouth.
"I'm fine."
"Well done, Brooklyn," Greyson said. He shared a curt nod with Harry before they made their way over to Doc.
"I actually think I might be sick," Indianna blurted and lifted her hand to her mouth.
"You'll be fine," Laura said soothingly. "Trust me, Indie."
"For someone so little and shy, you're pretty tough," Kirstie said with a smile, placing her hand on Indianna's shoulder. "Just like a Luna should be."
Indianna swallowed nervously and scanned the faces of the pack. They looked even more serious in the firelight, dark shadows covering their faces.
They were now waiting for the branding of their Luna.
"Me," Indianna croaked.
Her eyes found Greyson, who was talking to Ace. Ace was holding another rod over the fire.
Brooke is strong, Greyson said, but you're stronger.
Indianna didn't reply.
"Indie," Laura said after a few minutes, breaking Indianna out of her thoughts. "It's time."
All eyes went to Indianna as she gripped Laura's arm nervously. They both walked over to the table.
Greyson stood in front of Indianna and cupped her face.
"I'll be by your side," he said softly.
Indianna stiffened when her back touched the cold table.
"The whole way."
Indianna closed her eyes and rested her forehead against his. "I'm nervous."
Greyson ran his fingers through Indianna's hair and kissed her head.
"Let's get this done," he muttered.
He lifted Indianna onto the table before turning to the pack.
"It is now time for the branding of your Luna! As you are aware, pack members have to brand the Luna. It's tough and painful, so I want this to happen as quickly and efficiently as possible. We do not want our Luna to suffer for longer than necessary! All werewolves over the age of eighteen need to queue up by the table. Laura, the former Luna, will start the branding. Then you will all brand Indianna quickly. Pass the rod on as soon as you can and move along. Speed is the key."
Werewolves? Indianna asked. The humans don't brand me?
Greyson looked at Indianna as pack members started to line up.
"Just werewolves," he said.
"How many are there?" Indianna wondered.
"A few," Greyson said stiffly. "Lie back."
"Now?" Indianna whispered, her eyes widening.
"Now," he nodded.
Greyson linked his fingers with Indianna's as she lay back on the cold tabletop.
A chill ran through her, and she looked up at the sky, taking long, deep breaths as she tried to distract herself by counting the stars.
A few minutes passed before Indianna was brought back to reality by Laura, who stood beside her and gently lifted her dress to reveal the bare skin that would soon be marked.
Laura's voice carried clearly over the silent pack.
"Indianna Hughs, I am honoured to pass on to you the title of Luna of the Warrior Pack."
Indianna stiffened when Ace passed Laura the branding rod. Laura took it cautiously and glanced down at Indianna.
"I'm sorry, my dear," she whispered.
"Just do it," Indianna mumbled and squeezed Greyson's hand tightly in both of hers.
"Welcome to the pack," Laura said softly.
She gritted her teeth and glanced at the skin just below Indianna's hip, where she had to press the rod. Laura hesitated slightly before Indianna gasped at the sudden arrival of hot, burning pain.
It was like nothing she had ever felt before. She could feel her skin blistering beneath the rod, and a pained groan passed through her lips. She gritted her teeth and begged herself not to scream, even though she wanted to run, cry and scream as loudly as she could.
The second brand came suddenly, and Indianna cried out. The fresh wound made the pain even worse. Sweat formed on her forehead as she gripped Greyson's hand and screwed her face up in agony.
As the fourth brand came, Indianna desperately wanted to cry and scream for them to stop. The pain was horrible. It felt like a fire was burning across her hip, growing hotter and more painful with every mark.
"You're doing so well," Greyson whispered.
Indianna gasped loudly and rolled over in pain after another brand. She wanted to be strong and show everyone that she could do it. She didn't want to scream or cry, but she doubted she could hold back much longer.
After a while, Indianna slipped into a numb state. She was conscious, but not fully aware of her surroundings. She could feel every brand and the heat spreading through her body like wildfire.
The pain grew stronger and stronger.
A strangled cry escaped Indianna's mouth, and she couldn't help thinking about where she had experienced pain this bad before.
Rogue.
Flashes of the attack when she was younger entered her mind. She gasped as an image of him clamping his sharp teeth down on her wrist appeared at the same time as the branding rod touched her skin.
Greyson winced when he saw into Indianna's mind. Her emotions were so strong that he could see everything she was imagining. With every brand came an image of Rogue attacking her.
Her waist. Her wrist. Her neck.
"Look at me," Greyson said sternly and cupped Indianna's face. "Open your damn eyes!"
Indianna was pulled away from her thoughts and looked up into Greyson's dark eyes. Her breath came out in short bursts, and she frantically grabbed him, wanting to feel the sparks that kept her from screaming and crying out in pain.
"Don't think of him," Greyson said. "Focus on me."
Indianna opened her mouth to speak, but the pain in her side became so intense that she couldn't stop the agonising scream that tore from her lips. Tears streamed down her face, and her chest moved rapidly as she desperately tried to breathe.
"Shit, why me?" Kal whined. "She screamed for no one else until I came and did it!"
"Move, you shit!" Harry snapped and shoved Kal to the side.
He quickly moved in and branded Indianna. He knew how Greyson felt watching his mate go through this, and he wanted to get it over with.
It was nearing the end, and Indianna couldn't believe she had lasted this long. There were about 150 pack members in total, but only the adults were branding her, excluding human mates. She estimated that around fifty or sixty people had to brand her, and she had endured most of them.
"Sorry," Ace whispered. He was next in line.
Indianna whimpered. She felt too weak to scream and too exhausted to stay awake. Her eyes drooped, and she just wanted to sleep.
Sleep would make all the pain go away.
"You're doing so well," Mark said as he was handed the rod. "You're so strong."
Scorching pain reignited on Indianna's side, and more tears streamed down her face. Silent tears that wouldn't stop flowing.
Kirstie and Mac were next.
"You're a right little toughie," Kirstie commented.
"It's nearly over," Mac said.
Both of them looked away when they branded Indianna. They couldn't bear to watch her go through so much pain.
After the last pack member had branded Indianna, all eyes went to Greyson, who was clutching her hands and wishing this moment would never come.
He didn't want to hurt her.
He remembered the pain he had caused her inside her head and gritted his teeth, regretting how he had treated her. He had realised that he was the reason Indianna hadn't liked him when they first met. She had been right. He was controlling, and he couldn't believe he had used pain to control her.
He had promised to change, and he swore to himself that he would never hurt Indianna again.
And now he was going to permanently scar her.
I'm so sorry, sugar, Greyson whispered as he forced himself to stand and walk around the table.
He took the rod from Ace and looked at the glowing orange end. He swallowed as he looked at the scar and flinched. He knew how painful it was. He had endured the entire pack branding him—young and old, human and werewolf.
The brand looked horrible.
The W was red and raw, bleeding from the number of times the brand had been burned into the same spot on Indianna's skin.
Greyson gripped the branding rod tightly and looked down at Indianna. She had her arms over her face, smothering the sound of her quiet sobs.
"Do it," she said, her voice muffled. "P-please, get it done."
Greyson took a deep breath.
"As your Alpha, I officially welcome you, Luna Indianna, to the pack."
I love you, sugar.
Indianna couldn't finish the thought before she screamed for the final time. This brand felt a hundred times worse than all the others. She didn't stop screaming until Greyson dropped the branding rod onto the floor and lifted her into his arms, pulling her sweaty, shaking body against his chest.
"It's done," he whispered. "It's done. It's over."
Greyson wrapped his arms around Indianna and kissed her head.
"I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry."
"I'm going to be sick!" Indianna blurted.
She pushed Greyson away from her just as she emptied the contents of her stomach onto the floor. Greyson immediately grabbed her arms, stopping her from toppling off the table, and rubbed her back while patiently waiting for her to finish.
Indianna groaned and forced herself off the table. As soon as her feet touched the ground, they buckled beneath her. Greyson caught her, lifted her up and placed her back on the table.
"Let Doc fix you up," Greyson said sternly.
Indianna lay back on the table, closing her eyes and letting exhaustion take over.
She heard Doc a few minutes later and cried out in pain when she felt something dab at the burn. Greyson held Indianna down and gently massaged her shoulders, trying to calm her.
"He's going to help," Greyson said.
Soon, the burn felt cooler. It was still hot, but not nearly as unbearable.
A few more minutes passed, and Indianna found herself wrapped in one of Greyson's soft jackets with her burn bandaged. She was pretty sure she had briefly blacked out.
Greyson helped Indianna off the table and wrapped his arm around her waist, helping her stand.
"Tonight, we united our pack. We welcomed our Luna," Greyson said loudly. "We are now as strong as we can be to stand against Rogue. Starting tomorrow, our plan to attack begins. We will get Martha back, I promise. No one messes with my pack and gets away with it. There will be blood."
The pack cheered, and Greyson leaned down and kissed Indianna on the head.
"Ready to go home?" he whispered.
Indianna nodded weakly, and Greyson easily lifted her into his arms. She rested her head against the crook of his neck and closed her eyes, begging sleep to finally take her.
Greyson had barely made it two metres when a cheap, girly perfume filled his senses. He froze and looked around, scanning the area for the source.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me," he growled when his gaze landed on an annoying human girl. "I thought she was gone!"
Greyson spun around and glared at his parents.
"I'm not dealing with her shit right now. I'm taking Indie home. She needs rest. You can deal with the girl."
Greyson cast a cold look towards the human and growled under his breath.
Indianna frowned and looked up at him. "What is it—?"
She spotted the girl and gasped.
"Kimberly."