Chapter 147 The Luna's Rite (II)
Kristen's POV
Once again, the maids from before near my side, and they take hold of my arms and lead me towards where Elder Festus is standing, holding the tray of what I am about to eat.
The bull's heart and testicles.
Signifying that the main dreadful Luna's rite is about to begin.
The bull's heart and testicles wouldn't have been so gross if they were cooked. But they're fresh, still bloody. And I ground my teeth to keep from gagging.
It takes enough courage within me to stand in front of such a nauseating sight.
"You know as it goes," Elder Festus says.
"Yes," I reply, after wiping the blood from my face.
"Are you ready, or do you need a few minutes to prepare?" Elder Festus inquires.
And I hesitate before replying, "I am ready, sir."
He gives me a firm nod and then holds out the tray.
"Take and eat from it, Kristen. You're to finish everything on this tray."
Quietly, I nod.
My hands are shivering as I stretch them out to take the bull's testicle. And not a single sound is made from the crowd, except Aiden's cries.
My poor son.
Can it be that he feels things will go wrong?
I don't look to see him or Calhoun because I don't want to get
sentimental at this point when I am
about to do what will guarantee us staying together with Calhoun or not.
Still, I am afraid and I am certain my fear is written all over my face. For the past few days, I had stayed in front of the mirror, practicing how I'd keep my face tonight, bold, valorous. Except I am everything but that.
Taking out the bull's testicles from the tray, I hold my breath and wait for a few seconds to run by, and then refrained from closing my eyes.
And at last, I take my first bite.
Cold immediately slams through, raises goosebumps in my pores, and sends chills down my spine because the bull's testicles are even worse than I thought. The soft, moldy flesh, and the taste of blood, are enough to make me gag. But I curl my toes on the floor and try as much as possible to keep going. I am doing this for Aiden and mostly Calhoun.
Speaking of Calhoun, he seems
restless, pacing to and fro. Even Aiden's cries haven't subsided, and
when a maid approaches him to take the child. out of his hands, he refuses and waves her off.
When I direct my gaze to Maddy and Sapphire, the look on their faces is like they're watching the most controversial horror movie, and Lord knows I would have laughed if I was under a different circumstance.
They're holding their hands together,
and staring at me with wide, fright- driven eyes. And I know they're praying for me to pass this trial.
After spending five torturous minutes to eat the testicles. A gag finally rolls
from my throat, bringing back all of what I've eaten to my mouth.
Gasps of fear go through the crowd.
And with teary eyes, I gulp everything back.
"You're so brave, my child." Nana Joyce ignores everyone as she lets this out through a yell, "You can do this, you hear me?
And Calhoun on the other hand has his
hair tousled on top of his head, with restless eyes. Meanwhile, the expression on his Beta's face seems neutral.
I pant and puff out some explosive breaths before picking up the bull's heart from the tray.
My panic makes it slip out of my hands
and fall off.
And again, the crowd bursts into a collective gasp of horror.
It's not over yet, it's not over yet. I
chant inwardly as I hunk down to the floor to pick it up.
I ignore everyone's gaze as I dust the dirt off the bull's heart.
Knots are starting to form in my chest as I hold it close to my mouth, and then I shut my eyes this time before eating.
Nothing happens on my first and
second bite and even my third. I tremble as I chew.
But as I take my first hard gulp, I realize I can't continue anymore.
A gag erupts from me, and the undigested few bites I had eaten from the bull's heart, leave my throat and travel to my mouth. Something which makes my cheeks bulge like a bulldog.
Oh my god! I am one step away from vomiting.
"Stop this instance!" I hear Calhoun's
protest, and when I stare at him, I see that he's running to my side. He's not even carrying our son this time, it's Nana Joyce.
"Alpha Calhoun..." Elder Adolphus calls out to him.
"Fucking stop, alright!? She can't go any further," Calhoun roars, looking completely furious as he stops in front of the middle-aged man.
"There's no way out of this," Elder Adolphus reminds him, and I swallow quickly and uncomfortably.
"Says who? I am Alpha of this pack
and I make the decisions," Calhoun's
voice is loud and troublesome. It's almost like he'll shred the elder in
front of him, into pieces. Even the man seems afraid of Calhoun.
"Do you want to impose a curse on every pack member?" Elder Adolphus questions, the tremble in his voice giving out his fear.
And the fright on people's faces is
11
enough to make my knees wobble. "That's bullshit," Calhoun snaps, such barbaric custom has be extinct, tell me you're trying to separate me
from my mate and son." He grits out, balling his fists.
"You're acting on your emotions right now,"
"Do you fucking know what it means
to lose the woman who matters the most to me, and my son?" Calhoun takes a menacing step forward toward the elder before adding, "Do you!?"
"It is how things are done," Elder Adolphus replies.
"To hell with you all," Calhoun pushes Elder Adolphus out of the way and starts running in my direction. And my
heart begins hammering in my chest. "Do something, don't let him get close to her," Elder Adolphus yells from his fallen position.
And when the guards start advancing
toward Calhoun, he shifts and growls at them.
This is enough to scare them off.
"You can't do this, Calhoun. You agreed to the Luna's rite in the first
place." It's Bruce who says this time, completely against his Alpha's decision.
Calhoun ignores him and continues running in my direction.
Quickly, Bruce shifts and tries to catch up with him.
The continuous rise and fall of my
chest gives out how fast I am breathing
because there's an impending disaster lurking around.
If Calhoun stops me from finishing the
Luna's rite, five thousand people will be cursed, and the Greyhound pack will cease to exist. I cannot let that
happen.
No.
"Stop!" My voice is so loud and commanding when he reaches my side. Calhoun's wolf goes to a screeching halt and flattens his ears. Before he
lets Calhoun take over.
"Kristen..." There's so much pain in his eyes that I can feel my heart tightening in my chest, and my throat
getting clogged with the indescribable emotions.
"I can't lose you," he rasps out, his
blue eyes darkening with so much fear.
"I have already started, Calhoun. Don't
stop me, please." I implore, my gaze unwavering.
And Calhoun shakes his head.
"They're trying to tear us apart."
"You know that's not true." I shake my head.
Calhoun closes the space between us
and cups my bloody face. And his eyes
get brimmed with tears. My heart slams against my ribcage and
doesn't hold still even when I want it to, as it is out of my control after all.
I haven't seen Calhoun look so afraid before. He's being completely
vulnerable in front of me.
"I will not be able to live with myself if
you fail this," his voice is rough as his
fingers caress my cheeks. "Don't have such little faith in me, mate. I won't fail." I assure him, trying to be bold for his sake because I can't
be as vulnerable as him. Not this time.
No word is spoken as we continue staring at each other. And it's almost like it's just the two of us here.
Five pairs of hands reach out to Calhoun to hold him away from me.
And he lets them. But I know if he
disagrees, they will be no match for
The guards escort him back to his
position, and I can feel a sense of relief flooding through me. "Just so you know, I'll abandon everything for your sake if you fail,"
Calhoun says loud enough for everyone to hear.
And it's a bit surprising to hear him
say this to me when just a few minutes
ago, he was trying to stop the Luna's
rite upon seeing my state.
In a rush, I carry on eating the heart of
the bull. Not even pausing to catch my breath.
The urge to throw up is great even as I
am trying to withhold it.