Chapter Three: The Blood Ritual
879 Words
They led Aria through the winding halls of the stronghold, torchlight casting jagged shadows along the stone walls. Her legs trembled with each step, not entirely from fear, but anticipation. She had not felt anything in weeks, and now her heart thudded like war drums.
Lucian walked in front, silent, while Lilith followed behind her, eyes burning into her back. Aria did not know what scared her more—the thought of dying during the ritual or the idea of living forever chained to Kael.
They entered a circular chamber, far underground. Symbols were carved deep into the stone floor—ancient, glowing faintly blue. A silver dagger rested in the center, its hilt inlaid with obsidian.
Lilith folded her arms. “You’re sure she can survive it?”
“She has to,” Lucian said.
Aria stepped into the circle, the air growing colder. She stood in the center, heart pounding.
“What do I do?”
“Offer your blood,” Lucian said. “And speak the name of the one who betrayed you.”
Aria picked up the dagger with trembling fingers. It hummed in her hand, like it recognized her pain.
“I—” Her throat tightened. “I don’t think I can—”
“You can,” Lucian said gently. “It’s the only way to free yourself.”
She closed her eyes.
Then, slowly, she dragged the blade across her palm.
Blood welled and dripped onto the stone.
“Kael,” she whispered.
Suddenly, the runes ignited. A sharp wind whipped around the chamber. The stone beneath her feet pulsed with heat and magic, shaking the floor.
Aria cried out, dropping to her knees.
Flashes of memory exploded behind her eyes, Kael’s face, his words, the coldness in his gaze when he called her unworthy. The way he tossed her to the ground, banished her like she was nothing. The pain of losing Elara. The shame. The rage.
She screamed.
Then everything went black.
When Aria opened her eyes again, she was lying in Lucian’s bed. Firelight flickered across the room. Her hand was bandaged. Her body... whole.
And something was different.
She could feel it.
She was not alone in her head anymore.
Elara.
Her wolf stirred faintly.
Lucian stepped into the room, carrying a steaming mug.
“You did it.”
Aria sat up slowly. “I felt her... my wolf.”
“She’s coming back,” Lucian said. “The bond is broken.”
Aria let out a shaky breath. “I didn’t die.”
“You nearly did,” he said. “Your heart stopped. But you came back.”
Lilith entered the room behind him. “You are lucky. Most do not survive the severing.”
Aria met her gaze. “Why do you hate me?
Lilith snorted. “I do not hate you. I hate your kind. Naïve. Loyal to monsters. You trust alphas who would rather kill you than question tradition.”
“I didn’t trust Kael,” Aria said quietly. “Not after what he did.”
“But you still loved him,” Lilith shot back.
Aria lowered her gaze. She couldn’t deny it.
Lucian broke the silence. “Enough. She made it through. That is more than most.”
Lilith's jaw tightened, but she left the room.
Lucian sat beside her on the bed, the distance between them intimate but cautious.
“You said something earlier… about a prophecy.”
He nodded slowly. “A long time ago, a seer spoke of a Broken Luna and a Cursed Alpha. That their union would destroy the Bloodline Kings and restore balance to the wolf realm.”
“I’m not a Luna anymore.”
“But you were,” he said. “And that’s what matters.”
Aria frowned. “Who are the Bloodline Kings?”
Lucian hesitated. “Kael is one. There are four. All alphas of the oldest packs. Each carrying corrupted blood. They have ruled for centuries through fear, manipulation, and secrets.”
“You want to bring them down?”
“I have to,” he said. “They murdered my family. Marked me cursed. I have been hiding ever since.”
“And you think I’m part of that mission?”
Lucian leaned in. “I think fate put us on the same path. You survived betrayal. You survived the ritual. That is not a chance. That is the purpose.”
Aria held his gaze. For the first time since her exile, she felt something stirring, hope. Rage. A strange pull toward the man in front of her.
“I don’t know if I can fight,” she whispered.
He leaned closer. “Then let me teach you.”
A slow silence fell between them. Then, footsteps echoed down the hall.
A soldier burst through the door.
“Alpha—she is gone. Lilith. She took the blade.”
Lucian shot to his feet.
“What?”
“She left a note. She is headed to Moonhaven. She plans to kill Kael herself.”
Aria’s stomach twisted. “She’ll die.”
Lucian cursed under his breath. “No. She’ll expose us both—and get herself killed.”
He turned to Aria.
“We must go. Now.”
- Writer
