Taming the wild alpha

Chapter four

A chill spread through the crowd as I lay on the floor nursing a scraped knee. A hush followed and whispers started to spread all over the pack members.

The beta who had tripped rushed to my side with an apology in his eyes, trying to help me up.

“Evil has graced us!” someone yelled. I looked towards the voice to see an old man glaring murderously at me.

At grave times like this, I needed the strange voice to reassure me and help me out. But, just as I expected, it deserted me and remained as calm as possible.

“Abomination!” another voice gritted out. The profanities continued, and I hung my head in shame. I couldn’t find it in me to stand.

“Move.” A deep voice bellowed. The smell of fresh water and mint filled my nostrils, calming my racing heart at once.

Alpha Nico towered over me, looking down at me with an expression I couldn’t decipher. I blinked back the tears welling in my eyes.

“I... I’m sorry. I didn’t mean-“

“Enough.” He caught me off. His jaw ticked with in anger and I looked down at my feet, feeling miserable.

Suddenly, he knelt by my side and took my hands. I had scraped and blistered my palms from trying to break my fall. He wiped away the splotches of blood with his sleeves.

“Come on.” He lifted me into his arms and it forced me to throw my own hands over his shoulder and hang onto his neck. I buried my face in the crook of his neck, not daring to look up at the crowd. Their murmurs had died down, and I was sure they were watching the spectacle playing out in front of them.

Embarrassment tainted my cheeks.

“I can walk.” I protested. Nico gave me a look that halted the argument and the words died down in my throat. I relaxed into him, breathing in the freshness of his scent. It was all male. And it made me feel calm.

He carried me to his chair and gently deposited me on top of it. Then, he climbed on and sat next to me. He tapped the chair and enforcers lifted us off the ground and into the air once again.

“Carry on, brave wolves. Nothing can stop our victory procession today.” A half-hearted cheer went up in the crowd. Not long after, everyone seemed to forget about my fall from grace and their happiness overtook all other emotions. The procession carried on and I released a breath I didn’t know I had been holding.

My eyes swept the crowd, and I caught Leah’s eyes. She sneered cruelly and turned to join the match.

I was very aware of the presence sitting next to me. I peered at him through my peripheral vision and noticed him staring ahead. He didn’t spare me a glance. My heart broke a little.

He had gone through such trouble to save my face for ruining the procession, and now he was giving me the cold shoulder. I bet he’s mad about how useless I turned out to be.

“I’m sorry,” I started to apologize. He glared at me, shutting me up at once. I looked away quietly and focused on the procession.

Soon, we were done with the march throughout the entire clan.

The cavalry halted in front of the shrine, and the warriors began to chant furiously.

The enforcers lowered us to the ground, and Nico stood. He joined in the chant, beating his chest wildly. His actions spurred the crowd, and their voices grew louder.

The cry ended as quickly as it began, and everyone quieted down, puffing. Nico raised his hands, and another roar went up. The women cheered, and the men howled. He put his hand down and their voices went with his actions. He turned to me and put out his hand. I stared at his rough palms, wondering what it would feel like to slide my hand into his.

The patches of blood on his sleeves caught my attention, causing me to remember my earlier disgrace. I looked up into his black onyx eyes to see him looking at me expectantly.

I swallowed loudly and drily. Then, I raised my hand and put it into his. My fingers trembled with nerves. He closed his palm over mine and helped me to stand on my feet.

“Come on.” He gestured for me to walk with him. We arrived at the altar, and the wolves howled. The shrine attendants flanked me, handing me the ceremonial knife and the bloody heart of a deer that was freshly killed.

As the moon goddess, they expected me to stab the heart and offer it up to the heavens. The sight of the blood made me queasy, and I swallowed my nausea.

I could feel Nico’s hand on my shoulder lending me strength and filling me with warmth.

I drew in another breath shakily and knelt before the Luna, ready to offer the sacrifice.

“Oh, mighty Luna!” I cried, spreading out my hands and opening my heart.

“Goddess of the heavens, and the light of the night.” The crowd responded.

“Oh, mighty Luna!” I cried again.

“Receive our sacrifice and bless our land.” The crowd responded. Nico’s voice next to me was as clear as day, and so I focused on it to keep myself in check.

I raised the bowl holding the bloody heart towards the sky and closed my eyes.

“Oh, mighty Luna!”

“Accept our thanksgiving, the heart of a deer, a symbol of our hearts, and our undying worship. Oh, mighty Luna!” the crowd roared.

I picked up the ceremonial blade from where I had previously put it next to the bowl and closed my eyes. My shaky hands held the hilt with a death grip. I knew everyone was watching, and I knew what they were expecting. Nausea washed over me at the sight of so much blood. I swallowed again, trying to calm my queasy stomach.

The blade felt heavy in my hands and so I raised it with all the strength I could muster and stabbed through the heart. More blood pumped out and splashed me across the face.

The crowd, oblivious to my struggles, roared at the sacrifice and ran around in circles, expressing their happiness.

I stood and walked closer to the altar. Opah appeared next to me, handing me two granite stones.

I accepted them warily, and she smirked. I turned back towards the altar and arranged the woods to enable me to burn the sacrifice. The burning fire would prove that the goddess accepted our prayers and our sacrifice.

I cracked the two granite stones against each other and they sparked to life with fire. I threw it onto the altar and watched as the fire cackled and the wood caught.

With churning nerves, I grabbed the bowl again and tipped the bloody heart into the fire. The fire sizzled and the smell of burning flesh filled the air.

The male wolves hummed in agreement, relishing in the smell of the burning flesh. Just as the fire caught and burnt brightly, the woods popped and smoke rose furiously, clouding my eyes and prompting quick tears.

At the sight of the enormous smoke, I panicked, knowing what was coming. The fire sizzled and died down.

“Hell, no,” I muttered in exasperation.

“The goddess has rejected our sacrifice.” The wolves cried. Opah stepped through the crowds to stand next to me.

“This stand-in has angered the moon goddess. She fell from her chair and embraced the ground. She has brought down the wrath of the moon goddess upon us.” People hummed in agreement, rocking their heads.

“We must kill her to appease the heavens.”