Book 5: Chapter 55 – Petrified

Book 5: Chapter 55 – Petrified
Cerelia’s POV 

“Stay right where you are. Don’t forget, I’m still the most powerful Silver Wolf alive!” My grandpa stepped backward, taking up a defensive stance. Before anyone could capture him, he grunted and closed his eyes for a split second. A large blade appeared in his hand, its sharp edges glinting under the lights. 

“Dad, drop that cursed sword,” cried Uncle Alarik, pulling the others backward, away from my grandpa. 

My eyes widened at what it entailed. Was the sword in his hand a cursed weapon? I inched backward towards my uncle and aunt. But it was too late. My grandpa’s eyes fell on me and he lunged at me. I tried to escape, but my speed and agility were nothing compared to my grandpa’s. He grabbed me and pulled me towards him, holding the cursed sword against my throat.

“Please don’t kill me, Grandpa,” I begged in vain, my eyes wide with horror as I tried my best to stay away from the sword. I had never felt this petrified in my life, not even when the Red Wolves captured me.

“Quiet or I’ll slit your throat for disobedience,” he snarled but didn’t touch the sword to my body. “Move away or Cerelia will lose her life.” 

“No one will harm you, father. Let Cerelia go. She’s the youngest and Cedrik’s only legacy. He left her behind for us to take care of her. Don’t harm her. She’s innocent in all this,” begged Uncle Viktor.

Grandpa’s grip tightened on my neck and he shoved me ahead of him towards the door. “Innocent? She’s the root cause of all the trouble. Her father started this rebellion by disobeying the pack rules and it will surely end with her. It’s my final decision. Whoever intervenes will lose his life.” 

My heart constricted with fright, but I was powerless to extricate myself and flee. He was too strong for me. 

“Don’t harm the poor child, Dad. I give you my word. She won’t go against you. I have listened to everything you said all my life here, never asking for anything in return. You’ve executed my son, my Spiros, yet I respected you. You’ve imprisoned Nikos, yet I begged you for mercy. I spiked Cerelia’s food just as you had asked me to. But I won’t stay quiet now. Let Cerelia go. She’s no match for you. She’s just eighteen. Cedrik’s soul won’t rest in peace wherever he is. He’ll haunt you forever, dad. I beg of you, let Cerelia go,” wept Aunt Elena, dropping to her knees on the floor with tears in her eyes. 

I wept even more, feeling guilty for yelling at Aunt Elena. She had gone through so much. Yet she was begging for my life. 

“It’s of no use, Elena. Cerelia has chosen the wrong path, unfit for a silver wolf. Sparing her life will give the others the courage to defy the rules I’ve worked so hard to uphold. The rules remain equal for all. Every silver wolf must follow them if they want to live. The rules will remain unchanged.” His words echoed around the still corridor as the guards trembled in one corner. It seemed everyone feared his cursed sword. 

He shoved me easily through the door towards his room. “I don’t want to go with you. I’ll say in my room.” 

He paid no heed to my feeble protests. Everyone pleaded with him, but he turned a deaf ear to them as well. I struggled, desperate to get free, but he shoved me into a room with so much force, I fell on my face on the floor. I would have broken my nose, had I not arrested my fall with my arms. 

“If you try anything, I’ll slit your throat, Cerelia.” His eyes narrowed to slits as he stood towering above me. 

“Fine, kill me. You’re the worst grandfather in this world. You don’t deserve a family.” 

He laughed and pointed his sword at my throat, but didn’t touch my skin. “Are you sure you want to die? This sword is cursed. It has the power to kill you and your mate in one blow if you’re a mated wolf. I can end two lives with one blow. Why else do you think those cowards were trembling at the sight of my precious sword?” 

My head swooned at his admission. Was he playing mind games with me? Strangely, my psychic power of mind manipulation didn’t at all work with him. He blocked me out effectively. How could I forget? He was the master of his game? 

“They aren’t cowards. They’re my family members. But you’re not. You’re the devil who deserves to die. You’d better kill me, Alpha Cassius, or one day I’ll surely kill you.” 

“You disobedient child!” He raised his sword in the air and swung it right at me. But I was faster. In two flips, I was up on my feet and moved farther away from him. The metal portion of the sword clashed with the floor, the sound echoing all around the mansion. Before he could attack me again, I closed my eyes for a split second and summoned my sword, too. 

“So, you’re going to kill me, eh?” He gave me an amused look. 

“Yes, I can and I will. Try me, Grandpa.” I waited for the thirty minutes to be over so that Grandpa’s cursed sword would disappear and he would be without a weapon. 

“I accept your challenge, Cerelia. Tonight, only one of us will be alive. Let’s see who the Goddess loves the most: me for being a true silver wolf or you for being a disobedient, unworthy, and stubborn wolf.”

He sprang at me, but I sprinted around the room, casting a dizzy spell on him. It was a special defense tactic my dad had taught me. My grandpa stopped to catch his breath and his sword disappeared as abruptly as it had appeared. I felt relieved while Grandpa looked agitated. 

“Drop your weapon, Cerelia.” 

It was my turn to stop and scoff at him. “Why? Are you afraid to die, Alpha? It seems you can only take others’ lives, especially those of your family members who you know would never go against you. But I’m not like them. I won’t think twice before decapitating you.” 

He looked grim as he watched me warily. “This isn’t a joke, Cerelia. You’re no match against my strength. I don’t need a weapon to kill you. So just surrender to me. You will stay here right under my care and I’ll start the purification process with you. If you obey me, no one will be hurt.” He took cautious steps in my direction, but I stepped backward away from him. I knew I was just a few steps away from the door. This was my only chance to escape. 

“Stop this right away. Cerelia, come here child,” yelled my uncle Alarik as he stormed towards me. But my grandpa was faster. He lunged forward and grabbed my sword to slash at us, trying to ward off Uncle Alarik. The sharp blade ripped Uncle Alarik’s arm, and blood oozed from his wound. 

“Stay away, Alarik, or you’ll lose your life. No one can harm me. I’m the ultimate Alpha of the Silvermane Warriors, and I shall uphold the rules until my last breath.” 

I screamed in panic when my grandpa raised the sword again to decapitate my uncle. “No, Dad. Don’t kill my mate,” yelled Aunt Elena. She sprang forward to save her mate. The sword was about to fall on her neck, but I grabbed hold of my grandpa’s hand to stop him. 

“You have no right to take innocent lives, Alpha Cassius.” My hand trembled against his immense power. Yet I held on until my uncle and aunt had safely moved away. 

“Innocent?” mocked my grandpa, his taunting laughter echoing all around us. “You all are an unworthy bunch of cowards. None of you seem worthy of being silver wolves. You all deserve to die.”

The sword disappeared from his hand, but he gripped my throat instead. At that moment, I knew what he was up to. He wanted to throttle me to death. I kicked him wildly, but he didn’t budge. My throat closed and my eyes pushed out, but he didn’t waver, staring at me, watching me die right before his eyes.

“You’re paying for your father and your disobedience. You two are the worst silver wolves of all time. I hate to acknowledge you as my family.” There was so much hatred in his tone that I knew he wouldn’t change his mind ever. I was doomed to die in this mansion. 

Suddenly rushed footsteps echoed around us and before I knew it, my grandpa was pulled away from me. His grip on my throat loosened, and I sputtered and fell to the floor. There wasn’t an ounce of energy left in me to get up. I felt myself picked up and turned my head slowly to check. To my immense relief, it was Nikos. 

“Hush, Cerelia, I’ve got you.” Relief washed over me to know I was safe. 

“Nikos, thank you, bro.” 

“Surrender yourself, father. It’s the only option left for you,” said Alpha Viktor as he and almost twenty guards surrounded my grandpa. 

“Never,” snarled my grandpa, touching the golden chain that hung around his neck. He uncorked a small bottle that hung from it like a pendant. Before anyone could realize his intentions, he poured its contents into his mouth and swallowed it. “I’m sorry, Goddess, I tried to uphold the true values of silver wolves, but I failed.” Froth erupted from his mouth and his skin turned purple. My grandpa fell to the floor with a resounding thud.

It was too much for me. My head swooned, and I lost consciousness too at the same time.