CHAPTER 8—THE RITUAL
1328 Words
AVELINE
“I am Kira.” The girl said. We had left the courtroom and headed to another building I had no idea what it was.
“Aveline.” I smiled at her.
“So..are you the Luna?” Her wide eyes stared at me. She was no older than Sixteen. Her chestnut hair wrapped in a scarf. She has a striking resemblance to the Healer.
“Is your Mother the Healer?”
“Yes. She is.” She replied. We stood in front of a house and she pushed open the door.
“I am not the Luna.” We walked inside. it was a small house, the living room had a fire area by the side. a woman sat on a chair, a vape in her hand.
“Hi.” She stood up and faced me. “How are you doing?”
I stared at the woman who had stood up for me at the courtroom, the Healer. I heaved a sigh of relief. I might not know her, but something in me tells me she’s to be trusted.
“Come have a seat, your sister is still asleep,” she patted at the chair and I went to sit.
“So, Aveline I know all these might look and sound confusing, but trust me the Alpha means no harm. If anything, he’s protecting you from those who will want you dead.”
“You mean Kael?”
She looked at me, shock written all over her face. “You picked that up fast.”
“Well, it wasn't hard to miss.”
“Right. It was so obvious there’s bad blood between them.” She took my hands in hers. “That’s why the Alpha sent you to me, this is the safest place for you now.”
“But I don’t want to be here,” I mumbled.
“I know you don’t, but he’s not entirely a bad person. He's just hurt and heartbroken.”
I scoffed. “He kills humans, that’s what bad people do.”
“If humans had not betrayed us, we all would have been living like one big family.”
“But I am not his Luna.” The words left my mouth.
“We don’t know that yet, but in all honesty, you do look like her.”
“What was she like?” I asked, curiosity got the best of me.
“Aria was a goddess. Born from a lowly omega family, her Parents were workers in the Castle. But on her Eighteenth birthday, the Moon goddess crowned her to be the next Luna, a lot of Pack members were not happy with it, especially the Alphas and Betas who had thought it was going to be one of their daughters.”
“That was when a rift was drawn. unbeknownst to Alpha Darian, some pack members started plotting with some humans to kill her and seat one of their own on the throne. Eventually, she was killed and Alpha Darian had not recovered from it. He banished humans from his land and killed the werewolves who had a hand in her death.”
“Why do they brothers hate themselves?” If I was going to stay here, I needed to know all the details.
“Kael and Darian are step-brothers. Their Father, the late Alpha, bonded with another Beta when Darian’s mother died when he was three years old.”
I shifted in my chair, so they were step siblings. That explains the rivalry.
“Their rivalry began,” she continued. “When Darian was chosen as the next Alpha instead of Kael. It intensified when Darian was bonded to Aria.”
“Why?” I asked, but I already knew.
“Kael was in love with her. He had seen her first and was going to take her as his mate until Darian bonded with her.”
“Aveline?” My eyes snapped to the voice. Nyra stood at the door, her hair disheveled.
“Nyra!” I ran to her and hugged her.
“I like it here, let’s not go back.” She hugged me back. She looked better than she did yesterday.
She must have gotten a good sleep and was fed well. Something I never did for her.
“How are you feeling?” I didn’t comment on her earlier words. I can’t promise her that. Here might be better, still doesn’t mean our lives are in less danger.
“Your room is ready,” The healer stood up from her chair. “You should get some rest. Tomorrow is the moon ritual.”
The fact that I might die tomorrow doesn’t sit well with me, I can only hope things don’t turn out bad.
Nyra had gone to play with the youngest child who was the same age as her. “If something happens to me tomorrow, please take care of her for me.”
“Don’t say that, I have a strong feeling you’re the chosen one.” She was trying to make me feel better, I appreciated it but I knew I wasn’t.
I ate the dinner she had prepared. I hadn’t eaten something so tasty in a long time. “Thank you ma’am.”
“Call me Akira,” she whispered.
I said my goodnights and retired to bed.
A knock on the door woke me up. I sat up, glanced at the room trying to remember where I was.
The events of yesterday hit me like a train.
I was going to die today.
I opened the door, Kira was holding out a dress to me,
“You’ve been instructed to wear this.”
“By whom?”
“Alpha Darian.”
I took the dress from her. It was beautiful. long and blue with a moon, shaped at the neck area.
I got ready for the ritual, when I was done I came out of my room. Akira was dressed, waiting for me.
“Nyra?”
“Kids aren’t allowed during the ritual.” She said.
I nodded, it was for the best.
The ritual was to take place in the field. Everyone was gathered and all eyes were on me when I walked to the middle. I was shaking, my chest pounding so fast it felt like I was going to collapse.
“Welcome,” one of the wolf elders began. “To yet another moon ritual to our goddess. This time will be different, this human girl,” he said pointing at me. “Will partake in it.”
People started whispering among themselves. From the corner of my eye I saw Kael laughing. Darian was seated at a chair, his eyes fixed on the fire.
“Let us begin.”
The priest started some incantations, the people joined in and I stood there not knowing what to do.
When he was done he opened his eyes and signaled for me.
I moved close and he took out a small knife. “Your hand.”
I extended my hands to him, he used the knife and drew blood from my hand. He dropped the blood in the fire and waited.
The crowd held their breath, and it felt like time went still.
There was a loud thunder bolt in the sky, I looked up and saw the moon was out on a mid day.
The fire was beginning to get stronger and it was turning into a blue flame, I felt a sharp pain piercing through my chest. I looked up to the sky, my body shaking as a bolt of thunder split the air and struck me to my core.
Raw power surged through every fiber of my body. Wild and untamed.
People gasped as they stared at me, their eyes wide in disbelief.
I stared at the blue flame before me, catching my own reflection dancing in its flicker and froze.
My once brown hair had turned pure white.
- Writer
