Chapter 5 Save Me
INDIE
The moment I stepped into the great hall, my heart sank. The space was lit with torchlights, the familiar stone walls echoing with voices that once greeted me warmly. My unease crawled up my spine as I scanned the place, one terrible thought looping in my head.
Did West see the kiss?
The ceremony was already underway. Elders stood near the altar. Omegas lined the sides. Warriors filled the back, their attention fixed on the raised platform where the Luna's seat waited.
West stood there, immaculate in his black suit, the image of a composed Alpha.
He turned and extended his hand to Stella.
Murmurs rolled through the hall.
She smiled as he guided her to his side, helping her settle there. Then West turned back to me.
"Indigo," he said, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Stand there."
He pointed to the side of the hall.
Heat flooded my face as the murmurs grew louder. My feet moved on instinct, carrying me where he had indicated, my chest tightening with every step.
Then West lifted the ceremonial glass bowl. Water shimmered inside it, the red moonlight reflecting on its surface.
"Carry this," he said, placing it into my hands.
The bowl was heavier than I expected. Or maybe my arms were just shaking.
I looked down, and my breath caught.
The path leading to the altar had been changed.
Where smooth stone usually lay, rough, jagged rocks had been scattered deliberately, forming a cruel, uneven trail. My heart began to pound.
Slowly, I lifted my gaze to West.
He looked at my feet. Understanding slammed into me.
"No shoes," he said calmly. "Proceed."
He'd insisted I become his Luna for the night not to honor me, but to punish me.
I swallowed hard, bending down with trembling fingers to slip off my heels. The cold stone kissed my bare soles, unforgiving. My pulse roared in my ears as I straightened, clutching the bowl tighter.
I wasn't meant to go barefoot. It had never happened before.
I guess this was my punishment for being a 'traitor.'
I had kissed my stepbrother after all.
My eyes lifted without permission and found Zade.
He sat among the honored guests, his posture rigid, his jaw locked so tight I could see the muscle ticking beneath his skin. His eyes burned into mine, the storm there barely contained.
He was close to snapping.
I could feel it.
I didn't want this to be the moment he lost control.
'Please,' I begged silently, holding his gaze. 'Stay still.'
For a breathless second, it felt like he heard me.
Then I saw her.
Lila.
My daughter stood near the front, small hands clasped together, her wide eyes fixed on me. She used to watch these rituals with pride, her little chest puffed out as she told anyone who would listen that her mother was the Luna.
A lump formed in my throat.
Maybe... maybe I can win her back, I thought desperately. If I don't cry. If I don't flinch. If I pretend nothing hurts.
I inhaled slowly and took my first step onto the stones.
Pain exploded through my foot. I bit down hard, steadying the bowl as water sloshed dangerously close to the edge. Another step. Then another. Each one worse than the last, the stones biting into skin that was already too tender for this cruelty.
I kept my head high, smiling.
I focused on Lila and on the way her eyes followed me.
Blood pooled beneath my feet, but I refused to look down.
I wouldn't give West that satisfaction.
By the time I reached the altar, my legs were shaking.
I lifted the bowl, my arms trembling as I leaned forward to place it on the altar—
A loud gasp pierced through the hall.
I froze.
The sound came from...Stella.
She lurched forward abruptly, one hand clutching her stomach. Her face had gone pale as she struggled to suck in air.
"I—I can't—" she choked.
Someone shouted her name. Another voice cried out in alarm. Before anyone could reach her, Stella collapsed from the chair, hitting the stone floor with a sickening thud.
The bowl slipped from my numb fingers and shattered at the foot of the altar. Water spilled across the stone, washing over my bleeding feet.
Then others started falling.
An omega near the left side of the hall staggered before dropping to her knees. A warrior collapsed beside a pillar, gasping and clutching his chest. Panic began to spread like a dreadful plague.
"What's happening?!"
"Someone get a healer!"
I was the chief healer, wasn't I? So, why was I frozen to the spot?
Stella convulsed weakly on the floor, her hands clutching her stomach as if something inside her was tearing her apart. West was at her side in seconds, dropping to his knees, lifting her carefully into his arms.
"Stella," he growled. "Stay with me."
She coughed, her lips trembling as she turned her head towards me. Her eyes locked onto mine.
"She did it," Stella rasped. "It was her!"
The hall fell silent.
"What?" I whispered.
Stella's breathing hitched as she clutched her stomach harder, tears rolling down her face. "I was cramping," she sobbed. "I—I was scared for the baby. So I drank her healing potion. She always keeps them."
My blood ran cold.
"No," I breathed. "I didn't—"
"She poisoned it," Stella cried, her voice rising despite her weakness. "She wanted to get rid of my baby! She wanted to get rid of me!"
A horrified gasp swept through the hall. West slowly turned his head, his eyes darkened by fury. I thought I'd seen the height of his rage, but I guess I was wrong.
"You vile bitch," he hissed.
I shook my head frantically, my chest caving in. "I would never—" My voice cracked. "I would never hurt a child."
I didn't even know...oh goddess, I didn't know she was pregnant.
Stella let out a strangled sob. "You hate me. You hate what I carry. You've always hated me."
Her hand flew protectively to her belly.
"Our child," she whispered brokenly. "You tried to kill our child."
West shot to his feet, his alpha aura exploding outward.
"You dared," he roared, pointing at me. "You dared to poison my woman and my unborn child!"
My knees buckled.
"I didn't do this," I cried. "Please—please believe me."
No one moved or spoke on my behalf. They stared at me with contempt. I crumbled to my knees, the pain of my sickness catching up with me.
Suddenly, the air thickened, vibrating with barely restrained fury.
Slowly, I lifted my eyes.
Zade was on his feet.
Every muscle in his body was rigid, his hands clenched so tightly at his sides that his knuckles had gone white. His eyes had turned pitch black.
'Ask me to save you,' his voice penetrated into my mind, and I glanced at Lila, who was holding her bear tightly to her chest. She looked horrified.
'Say it, Indie,' Zade insisted, and I lowered my gaze, my fingers digging into the ground.
'It’s over,' I thought, fresh tears rolling down my cheeks. I had lost everything. Why should I hold on?
"Take her away. She'll be punished—"
"ENOUGH!" My stepbrother thundered, and I squeezed my eyes shut, my chest tightening by the minute. I felt faint, a warm liquid trickling down my nose.
"What are you doing? You have no right to interfere—"
"I'll advise you not to speak if you still value that tongue of yours," Zade cut West off.
I could feel his aura pressing closer as he moved towards me, and suddenly my wolf began to stir in excitement. Something was happening inside of me.
‘I’m giving you one last chance to choose your own path, Bunny,’ his voice floated into my head, and I opened my eyes, looking up at him. I didn’t know what awaited me. My future was more uncertain than it had ever been. But Zade was solid. For now. If he was my ruin, so be it. I would take the salvation he would offer here and now.
‘Save me. Zade, save me.’