Chapter 21 22
Chapter 23
ADRIANA CROSS
Zoey. My precious little sister was dead. Gone. The few seconds or minutes that had passed felt like a lifetime already but the pain was still immense. This was all my fault. Nikola went after my sister because of me. Zoey was dead all because she was dragged into the problems of my world. I failed to protect her the way I promised I would.
“Hey,” Dimitri cupped my face in his hands, lifting my head so that my eyes could meet his. “It's not your fault. This isn't on you Adriana. They killed Zoey, not you. Your sister's dead because of them. It's not your fault,” Dimitri locked with mine. I could also see the sadness and pain in his eyes. We had made so many plans already for when Zoey successfully had her surgery and came home with us. Dimitri cared for her just like I did.
Tears burned my eyes, and I leaned against him to let his warmth consume me, even for a second. And that was it.
I pulled away, my eyes fell on my beautiful sister's lifeless body. Dimitri was right. This was Nikola's fault.
“And I swear to you, Zoey. Every one of them will suffer the same fate as you. Nikola and his empire will burn,” I kissed my sister's forehead, turning to my left where Maya and a few warriors were standing. “Please can you take her,”
Maya nodded, and swiftly, she and the warriors found a cloth to cover Zoey with, taking her away.
I stood up, glancing at the full moon. “We don't have much time. We have to break the curse. I just lost Zoey, I can't lose you too, Dimitri,” I held back the tears in my eyes, turning to Agatha.
“The right time will pass if we head back to the pack. The Blood Moon will be over before we get there,” Agatha said.
And she was right.
“Then we do what we need to do here instead. Nikola and his witches have fled, and everyone who stayed behind is dead. The foxes and the bears will be standing guard when we begin the ritual,” Dimitri said, and everyone nodded.
“Sounds like a plan,”
At once everyone got to work, and thankfully Agatha and her witches had brought everything we needed for the ritual.
The witches made the necessary markings on the ground of Nikola’s courtyard and on Dimitri. Red and blue moonstone candles were lit, illuminating the darkness around. Every wolf around had formed a small circle and Gwen went round with a bowl and a ritual knife, with which Dimitri's warriors slit their palms, pouring their blood in the wooden bowl.
As Dimitri's mate, I also slit my palm, pouring my blood into the bowl, passing the knife to Dimitri and he did the same. Instantly howls from wolves around and distant echo howls from afar filled the night. And suddenly, the full moon turned red, now taking the form of a Blood moon. At this point, the Blood Moon ritual to break Asula's curse had begun.
I spared a worried glance to Dimitri, as he stepped into the circle the witches and I had created. Red lines appeared on his veins and his eyes glowed bright red. He crumbled to his knees, growling in pain. Dimitri was going to feel twice of anything that regular wolves felt.
Naya too was howling in my mind, I wasn't sure why I couldn't feel the effect of the moon like everyone else, but we had only a few minutes before the Blood Moon fades away.
Instantly, the witches and I began the ritual. We were using the spell my mother had originally written for the ritual, chanting in our native Czech language for witches. The courtyard was charged with enormous magic, and at every chant we made, the fire around us burned brighter.
Agatha shifted her gaze to mine amid the ritual, nodding, and at once I understood what she meant. It was time for the other part of the ritual where the Alpha King was required to mark his Luna. But it wouldn't be like any regular marking rite, this would hurt more for Dimitri and I. If we weren't too strong to withstand the effects of the Blood Moon, this could either lead to a success or a failure leading to one of us dying.
I stepped out of the witches’ circle, joining Dimitri at the center. The instant I reached for him, a loud growl rippled through Naya, and my eyes burned, glowing red. I could instantly feel everything Dimitri was feeling. As the Alpha King he was connected to every wolf under the curse, feeling everything they were feeling. The pain was excruciating.
Dimitri's red eyes locked with mine, his very own soul reaching out to mine. His wolf connected with mine. I could feel everything, his own emotions, his silent promises. He was letting me feel it all. Slowly, his canines elongated, as he leaned closer. I tilted my neck, giving him access to my marking spot, and with a final glance, Dimitri's fangs pierced into my flesh, crushing everything inside of me.
Everything slowed. The whole world felt like it was vanishing into complete darkness, and all I felt was the pain in my soul and the fire burning through my veins. It was too much to bear. The pain was excruciating and I couldn't take it anymore.
I collapsed against the ground, succumbing to darkness.