Chapter 21 21

Chapter 21 21
Lacey’s POV

“Aaaaaargh!” I shrieked as the pain tore through me like a whip slicing into my flesh.

I fell onto the cold grass instantly, surrendering to the wages of my sins.

It was barely six in the morning, yet sleep refused to come.

Every time I shut my eyes; I saw it again, the scene of me stabbing Theodore again and again, his eyes filled with betrayal and hurt and me pushing him backward watching him stagger away helplessly.

I’m certain he died along the way, maybe fell into water, and was carried into the deeper parts of the ocean.

There was no way he was alive after all those stab wounds.

I looked up at the moon. It was full and bright, a reminder that the moon goddess had seen me commit this atrocity. With trembling hands, I lifted my hands in the sky, tears staining my face.

“I’m sorry, moon goddess, I shouldn’t have killed him, I had no choice, I loved my mate so much, he was my perfect match, but….” I paused, cleaning my tears. “He was going to expose me and ruin my plans, I can’t let that happen, I can’t let five years of wanting to be the only ruler of Sanders pack go down the drain.”

I lay my back on the cold grass as I couldn't bear the pain erupting from inside me. I pressed my palms to my chest as if that would ease the pain I was feeling but it did absolutely nothing.

“I’m sorry…. Theodore, you should have listened to me…. You shouldn’t have forced me to lie with you, you brought out that angry side of me, the one that wanted my sister dead!” I yelled as I jerked violently, feeling the bond sever between us.
It was like my flesh was being torn out of my bones. The pain was so excruciating that I couldn't move or speak, I just stayed still watching it burn through me, I guess this was the price I had to pay for killing my mate.
All of a sudden, the pain stopped. For a minute, I could breathe again. I smiled to myself. " Thank you, moon goddess,” I whispered to myself. I sat up, and the face I saw almost made me faint.

It was my mate, Theodore.
He stood a few feet away wearing a white flowing robe, his hair neatly trimmed and his eyes… they seemed like they had life in them, even his chest didn’t have a wound to indicate I stabbed him.
“Is this real? Theodore, are you alive?” I managed to mumble under my breath.
He didn't respond, he just smiled at me and walked away slowly. “Stop, please! Speak to me, why are you here?”
All of a sudden, thunder strikes and a loud and thunderous voice resounded almost deafening, “I forgive you, I understand why you did it, Lacey, I’d always love you.”
I closed my ears with my ears so tight, I couldn’t believe this was happening to me right now. “No, this isn’t real, I didn’t mean to kill you, I’m sorry, please, don’t leave me, I can’t do this…”
But it was too late, the wind began to blow and dust surrounded him like a whirlwind blowing him away, as he simmered away like some. “Don’t leave, please, Theodore!”
He didn’t listen, of course, how could he, he was dead anyway, as soon as he left the emptiness returned and the pain had just reduced a little.
I got up on my feet slowly feeling the hairs on my neck standing and my body weak, even though he’d gone, I can still feel his wounded soul trapped inside of me, it was exhausting I nearly stumbled to the grass, I didn’t inherit his strength, he only gave me his pain or maybe this was just the moon goddess punishment.
At least this was better than feeling like you were burning inside out.

I didn’t realize I had passed out on the soil, and I even began to wonder if it was a vision or reality.

I strode to my chamber and Andrea was there pressing my belly with a cloth drenched in water of boiled silver leaf. It helped relieve the pain I felt inside of me.

“Do you think I made the right decision?” I asked wincing trying to stir away from her grip even though her touch was gentle.

“Stay still, my lady,” she muttered as she tried to reduce the swelling along my shoulders and spine. “You made the right decision, he was going to ruin things for us.”

“Well, I guess it was a wrong decision, just like how I tried to end Laura’s life…” I paused feeling the pain rush through my brain. “Stop, Andrea!”
“Calm down, Lacey, you need this or the swelling would increase and you won’t want anyone to suspect what you have done.”
I pushed her away, the bowl splattered all over the mattress, and I began to sob quietly. “I can’t take it anymore. I stabbed him and I felt it, it was like I insulted the moon goddess telling her she didn’t know the perfect match for me.”
“Lacey….”
“No, the moon goddess is angry with me, I can feel her wrath and anger!”

Andrea squats beside me, “This rarely happens, in fact we think it’s a myth.”

“Well it’s happening to me right now,” I said sadly. “I’ve also seen it happen to people in the past, I’ve seen what she does to those who sever the bond she arranged, they either go mad or die within a few days.”
Andrea hand cups my face so I could gaze at her, “Then we must offer a sacrifice to appease the moon goddess.”
She cleaned the tears off my face and leaned in, our noses touching and lips almost melting against one another, “I’d make sure nothing happens to you, Lacey.”

Before I could say a word she had already begun to kiss me slowly and passionately, I trembled under my lips, scared the moon goddess might strike me right there.
“We need to stop,” I said, pulling away, “this isn’t right.”
She seemed disappointed as she looked away asking, “Why?”
“I’ve killed my mate, I don’t want to involve you.”
Her hands squeezed mine firmly, and she grinned for a fleeting moment before looking right into my eyes. “ I don’t give a damn, I’d be with you no matter what happens.”
All of a sudden a guard knocked, “Come in,” I said loudly inviting him in.
“My queen,” he bows.

“Why have you decided to disturb me?”
“You have a guest.”

“Who?”
“Chloe, Chloe blueblood.”
Her name makes my heart skip a beat as I swallow hard, sitting up. “ Is she alone?”
“No, she is with the Beta of the Blueblood pack.”

I smile at Andrea before turning to him. “Well, have them brought to the main hall, make sure they are treated well, and well fed.”
“Yes, my lady,” the guard said, bowing as he left.

“It seems we have guests,” Andrea chipped in, and I smiled, slipping into a red evening gown, wondering what Chloe wanted.
I faced the mirror fixing my crown at the top of my disheveled hair and took a deep breath.

The pain still gnawed at me but I ignored it, I had other important things to attend to.

Andrea touches my arm, “What do you think she wants?”
“I won’t know until I ask.”
“Are you sure you are in the right state to speak to her?” Andrea asked with a tinge of concern in her tone.
“Well, I don’t have a choice,” I said, staring back at my own reflection.
The door opened and I walked in, slowly, I was careful not to move a lot so I wouldn’t trigger the pain buried deep down in my chest.

I saw Chloe pacing, she obviously looked troubled like something had gone wrong and somehow it was linked to me. She wore a black leather overall and her black hair was tied up in a ponytail, behind her was the so-called Beta, he seemed like her personal bodyguard, tall and tough.

“It’s a surprise to see you again, sister, what brings you here?”I asked, faking a smile.

She stopped pacing, her gaze cold and dangerous. “I’d go straight to the point sister, why was Theodore trying to kill me?”
My heart skips a beat and my smile fades away slowly, I was caught off guard by her question.

“I have no idea, he doesn’t even stay here anymore,” I said.
She moved closer and the guard around brought out their swords prepared to attack her, “Don’t you fucking lie to me, you sent him!”

“I don’t understand, I haven’t seen him in two weeks, why will he even…”
“I found him dead at my gates!” She cut in and air instantly left my lungs.

“At your gates?” I repeated.
“Yes, he was already dead, stabbed repeatedly, I still don’t understand how?” She teased and then circled me slowly like a prey. “He was the archer who attacked me a few days ago, I wondered what killed him.”
All of a sudden I felt a sharp pain, and all I could do was clutch at my heart and fall to the ground.