BOOK FEATURE: “The Lunam Ceremony” by Nicole Loufas

“The Lunam Ceremony” by Nicole Loufas

Blurb: Born from a curse that allows her kind to shift from human to wolf, Kalysia won the genetic lottery. She is the offspring of an original, born to lead and bound by her duty to produce an heir to continue their bloodline she must leave the only life she has ever known to take part in The Lunam Ceremony. This ancient ritual will solidify her place in the pack and determine who she will love for the rest of her life. There’s just one problem – Kalysia doesn’t believe in love.

That changes when she falls into the hands of Dillan Dukes. The attraction is undeniable. The connection unbreakable. He is everything love at first site is supposed to be, suddenly her future doesn’t look that bad.

Unwilling to give up hope on going to college and having the life her and Dillan fantasize about outside the pack, she reluctantly takes on the role as pack leader. When an unexpected proposal is made that will grant both Dillan and Kalysia their freedom she is willing to put her ego, and her heart aside, to make her dream come true.

One night. One act of selflessness. For the life she’s always dreamt about. Only things are not what they seem.

Can Kalysia and Dillan find happily ever after with the consequences of that night haunting them forever?

EXCERPT

Finding out I am part wolf was the coolest thing that ever happened to me. After seeing my mom turn, I was obsessed. I kept calendars in my room, counting down the days until my eighteenth birthday when I would have my first phase. I begged to hear stories about my mother’s Lunam and how she met my father. Lunam isn’t just a coming of age ceremony where I will phase; it’s also where I am supposed to meet my true love. I can’t even think about that without rolling my eyes. Phasing from a human into a wolf is more realistic to me than love at first sight. I’ve seen my mom phase; I know it’s real. I’ve never seen her in love.

When I turned thirteen I stopped keeping the calendars. I was more interested in makeup and boys. Layla’s stories began to feel like nothing more than fairytales. By the time I was fifteen, I ran from the room whenever my mother said the word Lunam. This prehistoric ritual was the reason I couldn’t go to school dances or have sleepovers with my friends. I wasn’t allowed a social life because I was born into a bloodline that an entire species depended on. A species I had no ties to. Layla left my father when I was four. She moved us to a small town in the middle of the Nevada desert. I have no contact with my father or Layla’s family. Now she expects me to give up my dreams, my life, for a family she ran away from—all in the name of destiny.

**About the author: Nicole was born and raised in California. She claims to be a San Francisco native, however she’s lived in both Northern and Southern California. She credits her creativity to the fact that she attended 12 schools between kindergarten and her senior year in high school. Her nomadic childhood allowed her to reinvent herself often. Some might say she was a liar. While others see the stories she told as a coping mechanism. Twelve schools, in six cities, in twelve years – give her a break. Today she channels her storytelling ability into writing novels. Long story short – kids that lie become writers.