Chapter 15
1141 Words
The white sacrificial robes felt like a lie against my skin.
They flowed around me like moonlight, pure and innocent, but underneath, shadows clung to my body like a second layer—Kael’s mark, invisible to everyone else but humming with dark promise.
I stood at the entrance of the Alpha estate as the procession prepared, the air thick with the scent of winter roses and fear.
Eight days.
That was all that separated me from the cliff. From him.
You look like a queen dressed as a martyr, Kael murmured, his voice a velvet caress that sent heat racing down my spine. Let them worship what they’re about to lose.
The pack had gathered in massive numbers. Banners of silver and crimson fluttered in the wind. Torches lit the main avenue leading toward the Northern Cliff. They had turned my death sentence into a celebration.
And I was ready to give them a show they would never forget.
My family waited near the front of the procession. Father stood tall in his ceremonial armor, but I noticed the tension in his shoulders. Mother’s face was a perfect mask of sorrowful pride. My brothers flanked Lyra and Cassian like loyal guards.
Lyra’s silver hair gleamed under the torchlight. The moonstone necklace—my necklace—rested against her throat.
When our eyes met, her smile faltered for half a second. She remembered the frost.
The shadows. The way her wrist had burned when she touched me in the cell.
Good.
Cassian stood beside her, jaw tight. He looked at me and quickly looked away, as if staring too long might c***k something inside him.
The Beta appeared at my side, offering his arm as escort. His expression was unreadable, but I felt the quiet concern rolling off him.
“Stay close,” he said under his breath. “The crowd is restless.”
I placed my hand on his arm. “I’m not the one who should be worried.”
The drums began.
We moved forward.
The moment I stepped onto the avenue, the crowd erupted. Cheers. Prayers. People throwing flowers at my feet. Children reached out to touch the hem of my robe. The same wolves who had once whispered “wolfless disgrace” now looked at me like I was holy.
The irony was delicious.
As we walked, Kael fed me strength. My steps were light, graceful, almost floating. Every breath I took seemed to pull power from the earth itself. Shadows danced at the edges of my vision, ready to obey.
Halfway down the avenue, Father raised his hand for silence and began his speech.
“Today we honor Seraphina Vale, daughter of Silverfang, whose brave sacrifice will seal the Abyss once more. The Moon Goddess has chosen her!”
The cheers were deafening.
But I felt the tremor beneath my feet. The cliff was calling. Kael was calling.
Lyra stepped forward next, playing her role perfectly. She placed a wreath of blood-red flowers around my neck, leaning in close as if to embrace me.
“Sister,” she whispered sweetly, lips brushing my ear. “Enjoy these last days. When you’re gone, I’ll make sure no one ever speaks your name again.”
I turned my head slightly, letting my breath ghost across her cheek.
“Careful, Lyra,” I whispered back, voice layered with Kael’s resonance. “The Abyss has ears.”
A chill visibly ran through her. She pulled away too quickly, nearly stumbling. For a brief moment, real fear flashed in her eyes before she forced her mask back on.
The crowd didn’t notice.
But I did.
Cassian was next. He was supposed to offer a blessing, but when he approached, the golden thread in my chest pulled tight. Kael’s growl vibrated through my bones.
Cassian reached for my hand. The second our skin touched, a spark of dark energy jumped between us. He jerked back with a hiss, eyes wide.
“What…?” he breathed.
I smiled softly. “Something wrong?”
He stared at me, really looked at me, as if seeing the girl he once loved for the first time in years. Regret? Guilt? It was too late for either.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, too low for anyone else to hear.
The words should have hurt. Once, they would have destroyed me.
Now they meant nothing.
“Sorry?” I tilted my head, letting just a trace of shadow flicker in my eyes—visible only to him. “Save it for when the Abyss looks back at you.”
He stepped away, face pale.
The procession continued toward the great square near the cliff’s base. The ground trembled again, stronger this time. Gasps rippled through the crowd, but the elders quickly turned it into “a sign from the Goddess.”
I knew better.
Kael was restless. Hungry.
As we reached the square, a powerful vision slammed into me mid-step.
Strong arms caught me as I fell from the cliff. Kael’s body was solid heat and raw power, pressing me against the jagged rock wall inside the Abyss. His golden eyes burned into mine as he pinned my wrists above my head.
“Mine,” he growled, lips crashing against mine in a claiming kiss that tasted like darkness and starlight. Power flooded me—wild, ancient, unstoppable. My wolf surged awake inside me, no longer suppressed but fused with his curse.
“Eight days, Little Moon,” he rasped against my mouth. “Then I make you scream my name as you become eternal.”
I gasped, nearly stumbling. The Beta steadied me, concern flashing across his face.
The vision left me flushed, breathing harder, every nerve alight with need. The bond was growing dangerously addictive. I craved Kael’s touch, his power, his darkness.
The ceremony ended with more prayers and blessings. As the crowd began to disperse, Lyra shot me one last poisonous look. Cassian lingered, watching me with haunted eyes. My parents stood proud, completely unaware they were parading their real daughter to her “death” while praising her.
I turned toward the Beta before returning to the estate.
“Thank you,” I said quietly.
He searched my face. “Whatever is happening to you… be careful, Seraphina. Power like that always demands a price.”
I smiled.
“The price has already been paid. By them.”
That night, back in my room instead of the cell (a final “kindness” before the ritual), I stood by the window staring at the distant cliff. The golden warmth pulsed stronger than ever.
Kael’s voice wrapped around me like a lover’s embrace.
Soon.
I closed my eyes, letting the shadows dance across the room.
Eight days.
Eight days until I jumped.
Eight days until I stopped being their sacrifice…
…and became their nightmare.
- Writer
