Chapter 2
1256 Words
Ariana's POV:
The morning sun had only just cleared the snowline.
I lay on the bedroll and didn't even have the strength to lift my eyelids. The backlash from burning my wolf soul the night before felt as if countless icicles were stabbing into my marrow. Every breath tasted of blood.
Just then, the wooden door was shoved open.
Cold air swept in, carrying a cloying scent of perfume and spices. Kyle strode inside in a new black sable cloak, with unmelted snow still clinging to his shoulders.
The woman bundled tightly in his arms was Lena. She curled against his chest, her face as pale as thin porcelain. Only one linen-wrapped wrist peeked out. She looked so fragile that one touch might make her stop breathing.
Kyle scanned the room. At last, his gaze pinned me in place, cold as a blade.
"Ariana." His voice was frighteningly low, heavy with condescending anger. "Why are you still lying here? The sacred fire has gone out. Do you know that because you stopped the blessing, you almost caused a disaster?"
I wanted to sit up. I wanted to tell him that I couldn't get up. My wolf soul had almost burned itself out. But I only opened my mouth. No sound came out. I could only sink weakly into the pillow and stare at him.
"Stop pretending." Kyle frowned. He carefully placed Lena on a soft chair beside him, then crossed to my bed in a few steps and seized my wrist. His palm burned hot against my skin. My wrist felt cold as iron.
"Lena has only just started to improve. The pack healer said she needs rest. At a time like this, how can you selfishly stop the blessing?" He stared into my eyes, trying to find some trace of deceit. "I don't care what kind of tantrum you are throwing. Go relight the sacred fire. Now."
I looked at the face so close to mine. This was the lover I had once nearly died to save. Now he looked at me as if I were an obstacle he wanted out of his way.
"I can't get up," I finally forced out. My voice was rough, as if it had been scraped raw with sandpaper.
"You can't get up?" Kyle sneered and flung my hand away, as if he had touched something filthy. "Ariana, you used to have more endurance than anyone. For Lena's sake, or at least for mine, can't you bear it a little longer?"
At that moment, Lena, who had been sitting quietly, coughed softly twice. Kyle turned from me at once and rushed back to her like a gust of wind. He nervously checked her forehead.
Lena gave him a weak smile. Then she turned her tear-filled eyes toward me.
"Ariana," she said in a thin, trembling voice, "don't blame Kyle. He just has such a strong sense of responsibility. You really should have seen how glorious he looked when he defeated Logan in the Blood Moon Pack. He looked like our god."
My gaze fell to her snow-white neck. I saw Kyle's mark there.
Lena clearly noticed my gaze. She lowered her head with fake shyness and touched her neck with her fingers. "Don't misunderstand, Ariana. When I was injured the day before yesterday, I thought I was going to die. Kyle only marked me because he wanted to grant my final wish. I never meant to fight you for the Luna position."
She struggled as if to stand, but Kyle pressed her back down. "Enough. Don't explain these things. Be careful, or your wound will reopen. I will get your medicine."
Lena nodded obediently. When Kyle left the room, the guilt in her eyes instantly turned into smug satisfaction. "Ariana, I have always envied you. You have the Moon Goddess's protection. You can bless the Pack. But you will never truly have Kyle's heart. Your so-called fate cannot compare to the more than 10 years I have spent by his side."
A wave of blood surged in my chest. My vision went dark in waves. I was too tired to argue and too weak to fight back, so I simply closed my eyes. I had seen Lena's true nature before. I had just never believed Kyle would truly treat me like this for her.
"Let me see whether these fake little fire tricks are enough to make him come back to you."
Before I could speak, she suddenly rose and staggered toward the hearth.
"Don't touch it."
I wanted to stop her, but it was too late. That was the sacred fire blessed by the Moon Goddess. How could she touch its ashes bare-handed?
The fire flared back to life in an instant and shot over 10 feet high.
Lena screamed.
Kyle rushed in from outside like a madman. "Lena!"
In the next instant, he was at her side. He dragged her away from the hearth and swept one hand back. A burst of force drove most of the flames back down.
He gripped Lena's burned hand and looked up at me with undisguised fury in his eyes. "Ariana, you went too far."
His voice shook, the first warning that he was about to lose control. "You clearly have the power to control the sacred fire. Why would you hurt Lena on purpose?"
I lay on the bed without moving. I didn't even have the strength to explain. I hadn't controlled the fire. My body had reached its limit, and my wolf soul was spilling out beyond my control. That was what had made the sacred fire flare up wildly.
"Kyle, don't blame Ariana," Lena sobbed in his arms. "It was my fault. I shouldn't have touched that thing."
"Enough. You don't need to plead for her." Kyle comforted her in a low voice, carefully carried her outside, and ordered the guards to watch over her.
Then he walked back into the room with a dark expression. He stood over me, his eyes cold as ice. "Ariana, you had better stop playing games. Tomorrow, I will bring the Blood Moon Pack here to watch your blessing ritual."
"What did you say?" I forced myself up on one arm.
"Have you forgotten? I am now the Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack. They are my people. Should you not bless them as well? Ariana, I don't know what you are sulking about. If this is because you are jealous of Lena, then you are far too narrow-minded. Do you even know how to be a proper Luna?"
After that, he slammed the door and left. The crash shook dust from the roof.
At last, I couldn't hold myself up any longer. I turned sharply to the side and spat a mouthful of dark purple blood over the edge of the bed.
He wanted me to bless him, bless his lover, and bless his new people. He took it for granted that this was a Luna's duty. But he hadn't even asked whether I still wanted to be his Luna.
A long time later, the door opened again.
This time, Eleanor came in. She looked at the blood on the floor and at my ashen face. Her cloudy eyes filled with sorrow. "I have prepared everything for you, Ariana. Tell me what else you need."
I shook my head. "Thank you, Eleanor. I will offer one last blessing for your kindness and mercy."
"No." Eleanor tightened her grip on my hand. "My child, you should pray for your own future happiness."
- Writer
