Episode 2, The Mate Bonding Ritual
1649 Words
Selene's pov
How did I end up in the arms of the big bad wolf himself you might ask, well here is what happened;
The Valtor's pack had a tradition, it was an ancient tradition that rarely any other pack used anymore. It was the mate bonding ritual.
When a werewolf either male or female come of age and begin to experience the first signs of the mate bond, the pack's secluded shaman comes out to perform a ritual called the mate bonding ritual.
It was a ritual that revealed the mate of the supposed individual in question at the same time, strengthens their bond allowing them to feel each other's existence and sense their location no matter how far they are.
Today was such a special occasion and the main protagonist of this event was me, Selene Valtor, daughter to the Alpha Lord of the Valtor pack. Always considered as the little princess of the pack, everyone had high expectations for me when they heard I was about to undertake the mate bonding ritual.
For me though, I had no opinions, I just hoped it would be someone who would treat me well, same thing every other she-wolf wanted I guess.
It was nighttime and we had chosen a secluded area in the pack's forest region to hold the ritual.
I glanced at the bright full moon in the sky and looked at the pool of water that magically swirled around a few inches from the ground under the control of the pack's shaman, a old woman I had never seen before. Apparently she was the shaman assigned to the Alpha's family only.
A few feet behind me were my family a, My father, mother and older brother. They all watched in anticipation. "Give me a drop of your blood" the shaman said as she approached me, her hoarse voice making me tremble slightly.
I composed myself and took out a dagger nipping by thumb with it, as blood flowed out, it magically floated in the air and slowly flew towards the woman. I glanced at my thumb that was already healing rapidly and then back at the shaman.
She let the drop of my blood fall into the swirling pool of water as she muttered incantations I have never heard before.
Suddenly, the sky seemed to change, thunder clapped and lighting tore through the sky destroying a bunch of trees in a row, I felt a little panicked, wondering if that was normal during the ritual, but the stupefied look on the shaman's face told me something was extremely wrong.
As more thunder claps filled the sky, a strong heavy wind accompanied it. Several lighting strikes flew and struck at the ground randomly. I was truly terrified this time. Just what in the Goddess name was happening.
Then, the swirling pool of water began to flow upwards, swirling around and slowly transforming into a figure of a young man, he had a strikingly devilish handsome face but had this aura of ferocity and dominance that made me shiver violently. I felt something inside me scream, not out of fear but out of excitement.
At this moment I knew, I knew that this terrifying individual was my mate.
"By the moon goddess! It's a curse, a curse!" The shaman suddenly exclaimed loudly, drawing my attention, then the seemingly inanimate young man formed from the pool of water seemed to suddenly come to life.
His eyes glowed in a bright red, the brightest red I had ever seen. Filled with dominance, the urge to conquer and destroy. I felt so suffocated by the pressure that I had to take a few steps back.
Then I locked eyes with him, he stared at me and smiled slightly. It was a demonic smiled, one that promised to hunt me for the rest of my life, that's when he shocked me and everyone present when he said;
"Selene, you are mine!" With his domineering words, the pool of water scattered. Something seemed to shift in the world as the originally shining moon dimmed down.
"By the moon goddess! How could this be?" The shaman exclaimed again. But I couldn't be bothered with her at the point.
Something was happening to me, my breathing was getting heavier, my heart pounded rapidly, I felt as if my skin was crawling off of me. I tried to speak but nothing came out, it was horrifying, and just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore, I fell limply to the ground, my vision gradually darkened as I lost myself to the darkness...
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I opened my eyes and saw myself in the middle of a lake that reached my knees, it was night time and the bright full moon shone down, reflecting from the still lake. A blanket of mist seemed to cover the range of the lake in a far distance.
"How did I get here?" I muttered as I looked around, feeling a little spooked by my surroundings, I tried to move but found myself stuck to one place. Before I could even panic, I suddenly heard a voice, it was soft, beautiful, as if it was a musical note, but the words it spoke send shivers down my spine.
"Cursed be the one who is bonded to the one with an ancient blood.
Cursed be the one who awakens the ancient core.
Cursed be her, in her pains, in her agony, in her misery, as she watches life whither away from her.
Cursed be her, until she is claimed!"
As the voice spoke, I felt my body grow cold rapidly.
I felt a sudden pain in my heart, I gasped, it was piercing and painful. I shivered as I slowly sank to my knees. The calm lake began to freeze over, the intense cold crawled up to inch and every corner of my body. My heart hurt so much, it was painful, the cold was like a sharp dagger, piercing my heart, trying to tear my heart in half.
As the voice finished the final line, I slowly frosted all over, my last thought was one of agony as my world turned into a blanket of white, 'What have I done to deserve this!'
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I woke up with a start, my heart pounding madly in my chest. I checked my body and felt a slightly relieved, it was a dream, I was in my bed, at home with my family and friends. But the dream felt so real, too real, I had thought it was the end for me.
"The mate bonding ritual....what happened?" I muttered as I got up from my bed and rushed outside.
Right outside my door was my father and mother arguing quietly.
"Mom, Dad, what's going on?" I asked nervously. They both looked at me, my mom was on the verge of tears while my dad sighed heavily, his face grim.
"I'm sorry my dear, we never expected this to happen to you" my mom said and I frowned slightly,
"Did the mate bonding ritual fail? Is it because of that man that appeared?" I asked a bit confused about their reaction at the moment.
"Oh, it would've been better, it would have...." My mom muttered as she burst into tears, prompting my dad to pull her into a hug.
My frown deepened as a foreboding feeling slowly enveloped me. My dream from before surfaced in my mind and I shivered slightly, "Dad, can you please tell me what happened?" I asked softly, my voice shaky.
My dad sighed, "After the events of the mate bonding ritual. You fell unconscious and the shaman explained everything to us" he said as he paused slightly.
"I'm sorry little one, you have a mate, but it is not a mate anyone would wish for. Not a mate any parent would wish for their children" he said and I swallowed hard,
"My little one, you're mated to be with Ronan Nightshade, the banished alpha".........
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I sat on my bed as I stared at nothing blankly, my brother, Brandon Valtor and my best friend Lysandra Vale sat with me silently. Giving me the time to process what I had just been told earlier.
Apparently, I was fated to bond with Ronan Nightshade, a banished alpha werewolf of our race. Ronan Nightshade was a terror and a walking, living nightmare to all werewolves. It was rumored he was the heir to the throne of the werewolves but it was discovered that he killed his own kind for sports and entertainment, he hunted down other werewolves and made them his food. He was considered a predator among werewolves. A savage bloodthirsty alpha.
Normally, as long as he didn't come to claim me, there would be no problem, I could live my life normally without any fear or worries but the shaman revealed a shocking twist. I only had until the next full moon to live if I didn't mate with Ronan.
The news made my heart drop, not because I was afraid of mating with Ronan, although he sounded terrifying, I didn't think he would be terrible as that voice in my dream. The shaman's revelation made me remember it again.
The terrifying stories about Ronan Nightshade were endless and I couldn't help but feel afraid. I remembered my dream, the words the voice said to me, the last line the voice said, "Cursed be her until, she is claimed!"
The voice seemed to speak in a loop in my head, driving me crazy. I shuddered and stood up abruptly. No! I couldn't accept this! I had a long life ahead of me, I couldn't just die to some curse, I refuse to die to some curse.
"Where are you going?" My brother Brandon asked as I began to walk out.
"I can't stay here, I need to find him" I replied........
- Writer
