Chapter 24: Luca Passes the Torch

He stepped forward. Luna Rosa stepped back. They shared their blood. They made vows. And beneath the moonlight, a new Alpha rose as the Luna gave her final blessing. Three more years had gone by, and Luca was ready to pass the reins of the pack to his eldest son, Rocco, who had just turned eighteen last week. The ceremony would be held in the backyard clearing after the rest of the pack had decorated it. Two hours later, everything was in place for the ceremony to begin. Everyone was waiting for the Alphas' family to arrive. When Luca, Rosa, and their four children arrived, the pack members clapped and cheered as they made their way to the platform and faced the pack. Raising his hands to quiet the group, Luca said to them, "Thank you, everyone, and we are here tonight to pass the Alpha title to my eldest son, Rocco." He waved him forward towards the ceremonial bowl and knife. Luca questions his son, "Rocco, do you vow to the Moon Goddess and this pack to be the best possible Alpha?" Rocco responds, "I do." Luca continues, "Do you pledge to protect this pack and its members with your life?" Rocco confirms, "I will." Luca then announces, "I, Luca Salvatore Ferrera, pass my title as Alpha to my eldest son, Rocco Salvatore Ferrera." He cuts his and Rocco's palms with the knife and holds their hands together as their combined blood dribbles into the bowl. Luca shouts, "I give you Alpha Rocco Salvatore Ferrera," holding his son's arm in the air. Everyone stands to clap and cheer their new Alpha. Then, everyone comes over to congratulate their new Alpha, while the old Alpha, Luca, observes and notices that an exceptional guest has arrived. It is their friend and the godfather of their children, Elder Gabriel Lombardi. Luca walks over to the Elder, who notices him approaching. When Luca reaches the Elder, he hugs him, and the Elder returns the embrace, saying, "Welcome, Gabriel; thank you for coming on short notice." He replies, "No worries, Luca, as if I would miss this." Gabriel then says to Luca, "I am very proud of you and what you and the pack have achieved over the years, but mostly how you and your wonderful Luna have raised such brilliant children," smiling as Luca and Gabriel chat. The new Alpha, Rocco, welcomes the Elder and thanks him for coming. The others then join them. Suddenly, Rocco's head shot up, and he looked around; his eyes met those of two striking, emerald-coloured eyes, which widened as he realised what they meant, especially when Rocco said, "Mate!" Luca, Rosa, Gabriel, and the others gasped in surprise when Rocco finally found his mate after three years. The woman in question approached them and introduced herself as Aria De Marco. When Luna Rosa introduced everyone else, Rocco watched in awe as his mate stood beside him. Luca then suggested they spend some time together to get to know each other. He asked if they wanted him to announce that he had found his mate. They both looked at each other and agreed. Then they left. An hour later, Rocco and Aria return, ready for Luca to make the announcement. Luca requests silence as he addresses the pack members, saying, "It is with great honour that I announce, as the former Alpha, that my son Alpha Rocco Salvatore Ferrera has found his mate tonight. Please join me in welcoming Miss Aria De Marco to the pack." The crowd goes wild at the news, turning it into a double celebration. The celebrations wind down, and everyone is tired. They decide to leave the cleaning until the next day. Everybody says goodnight to each pack member as they slowly head back to their homes or packhouse, including the Elder. Rosa and Luca head upstairs after saying goodbye to their kids and Aria. They both instantly fall asleep after a big day.

They celebrated at Alpha Rocco's and Luna Aria's mating ceremony three months later. The ceremony went smoothly. Luna Rosa stepped onto the platform and said, "Welcome to the Luna ceremony of Aria Ferrera," addressing the pack members in the crowd. "We are here as I pass down the Luna title to Aria Ferrera." She gestures to Aria to approach the ceremonial bowl and knife on the table before them and beside the fire. Rosa asks Aria, "Do you, Aria, swear to the Moon Goddess and this pack to be the best Luna you can be?" Aria responds, "I do." Rosa inquires, "Do you vow to protect this pack until the end?" Aria confirms, "I will." Rosa then announces, "I, Rosa Maria Ferrera, pass my title as Luna to Aria Ferrera," she said. She cut her and Aria's palms with the knife, holding their hands together as their combined blood dripped into the bowl. Luca then announced loudly, "Ferrera Wolf pack, I present to you, Luna Aria Ferrera." Everyone stands up to call, clap, and cheer their new Luna, then everyone comes over to welcome and congratulate her while the old Luna Rosa watches on. When she realised an exceptional guest had arrived - their friend and the godfather of their children, Elder Gabriel Lombardi - she moved towards him and hugged him. They then approached the others upon recognising who had arrived. After exchanging multiple hugs and kisses, Gabriel took a seat at one of the many available tables and chairs. From his seat, he observed pack members dancing to the music, and others gathered in groups, chatting. Somebody moved the chair to his left and pulled back as someone then sat down. Gabriel turns his head towards the person. Beta Gianna De Luca, Stefano's mate, was sitting next to him. They found each other when she finally got away from work to see her colleague and best friend, having heard about the attack and wanting to catch up. In the meantime, Gabriel nods at the Beta Female, asking her how she's going, as she responds. When one of her two kids arrives on the scene, her eldest son, Marco, is the same age as Alpha Rocco and is his Beta, just as his father was with Luca before they retired. He quietly sits down next to his mother and the Elder, listening and watching over the Pack, especially his younger, red-haired, brown-eyed sister, Seraphina. She's hanging out with some of the other females in the group. The celebration went on for another two hours after they had eaten everything they could see, along with all the dancing everyone could manage with their energy. It was a brilliant night to celebrate, but it was also tiring. Rosa couldn't wait to retire for the night. She didn't have to wait long before Luca came for her. Before leaving, they said goodnight to everyone, especially the new Alpha and Luna. Luca and Rosa went to their room, showered, changed into their nightclothes, slipped into bed and under the covers, embraced each other, and fell asleep soon after their heads hit the pillows.