Chapter 65 THE CHOICE
\-VANCE'S POV
On my mind was Sianna's safety. My mate and my child.
I had to be strong for them, and pull through. This was a consequence of my foolish mistake, for which I accepted full responsibility. Whether I was soaring high or low, I would get through this.
By now, Blayne should be on his way. I had to hold out a few minutes more. Endure this torment until they got here. My chest was heavy and I felt like a burden of hell's fire was on me.
My eyes burned with a sandy feeling to them. The pulsation of my heart was all the way in my throat, and that disgusting rustic taste is back in my mouth. Flashes of Chole and our past fuck session came into my head. I feel her need for me, it's pulling me and I bite my lip so hard that it cuts and bleeds.
The fucking images won't stop the slide show in my head. Her chants were flogging my mind with desire for her. No, I don't want this. The formidable battle prolonged as I gave it all that I've got.
'Use our mind manipulations to counter hers.' My wolf suggested. I was glad to hear him.
Without second thinking, I festered memories of my happy times with Sianna. I compiled the memory gallery, then teleported them into Chloe's mind. She ceased reciting the incantation and I felt the chains of the spell loosen.
Screaming, she held her head with her two hands, twisting from side to side. "Stop, make it stop!" Chloe's nose bled. Surprisingly, I felt none of the pain that she was feeling from my mental projection, so my mind manipulation was working. As a testament to how furious I was with her, I exerted all my might, hoping for her head to explode. There would be a depleting side-effect on me. However, this should hold her down until Miriam got here.
I slouched my muzzled body as I sat waiting. I could not mind-link while I was conducting the mind manipulations. I watched her squirm until she was unconscious. I didn't discontinue until she made no further movements where she laid.
I cleared my mind and massaged my temple while respiring deeply. Feeling slightly disoriented and torpid but was very glad of her motionless state.
"What the fuck happened here?"
I shot my gaze to the right and I have never been happier to hear my Gamma's voice. It was Marlena who accompanied him. They bustled towards me. Blayne used his strength to elevate me to my feet. Marlena darted to a tree to search for clothes. Quickly, she handed me a sports shorts. Groggily, I managed to put them on with Blayne holding me up.
"Alpha....."
"She has done a binding spell. Her life affects mine." I turned to Marlena, "Can you undo it now?"
"Could you tell me how the spell was cast?" She went over to Chloe, turned her on her back, and checked her pulse for life and energy.
"She injected me with something, I fell to the ground. Then she pour some potion down my throat and used her blood to draw this symbol on my chest." This brought Marlena's attention to my upper body, but she stayed by Chloe's side.
Marlena chanted a spell while making an invisible marking on Chloe's forehead. "I've rendered her to remain unconscious for now." Then she raised herself for a closer view to inspect the symbol on my chest. She walked over to me, and as she touched my chest, my skin glowed with old cryptic writings within the symbol.
"Alpha, she has used an ancient binding spell that can only be broken by blood." Marlena gave me the solution with a hint that there was more to it than giving my blood.
"Marlena, how?' I growled at her because I hated to interrogate her in this critical situation.
"You won't like it, Alpha." She timidly denoted. Obviously, she did not learn about my personality and that beating around the bush only aggravated me exceedingly.
"Speak!" My patience departed and all I craved was to see Chloe dead.
"The word 'bemoróbe' refers to a baby of your bloodline." Marlena pursed her lips as she delivered the tragic news. "Only the sacrifice of your child can break the spell in its entirety."
"What?" If Blayne had not been reinforcing my stance, I would have hit the ground again. I twisted my head to stare at her in disbelief. "Did I hear you correctly?"
Marlena's eyes fell to the ground, her fear of my reaction was very transparent. "Yes, Alpha Vance. This spell bonds your heart and soul to her, and it takes a blood sacrifice to sever the connection."
My murderous aura emitted and though I knew it would impact Marlena and Blayne, my wolf was ready to destroy and rip the unconscious woman to pieces. I wanted to shred her body into mince.
I'm shaking my head in incredulity. How does a father sacrifice his own blood? The brutal reality of her words petrified my entire body. My mouth curled into a scowl as my eyes snapped over to the wicked log of a woman on the ground.
"Damn! How the fuck did Chloe mastermind something this big?" Blayne too was reeling in shock.
Chloe's ultimate goal was to secure her life while she bound me to her on the premise that I would not kill my own flesh and blood. Every time that I hurt Chloe, my child's life became in jeopardy. Sianna would be overloaded with pain. Not only that, but the fake bond overshadowed my real bond with Sianna. At some point, with a spell like this intact, I might have ended up falling for Chloe. Thus, losing Sianna.
In the end, she would manipulate me to get whatever she wanted, possibly by threatening to harm Sianna or my son, since if she died, I would also die. Chloe would pester me and the pack as she caused more issues because I would have to defend her life in order to preserve mine. That level of worth and importance would get to her head. After all, she was one of those arrogant snobs that I utterly despised.
"Is there no other way?" Blayne asked what I couldn't. His eyebrows furrowed with deep concern as he looked at the witch. "I'm sorry." Marlena matched his expression with a frown since she understood that this was not an easy decision.
"Will Sianna and I be able to have other healthy pups? Will we be able to have another heir?" The pain tore at my insides like something was dicing up my heart. Perhaps this was my karma for Alpha commanding Esme to abort my first child. Although, that baby was hard to claim without a paternity test.
Marlena's right palm laid on my chest. With her eyes closed, she concentrated and nodded. "Yes, you will."
I removed myself from Blayne's grip and mulled things over. My strength was regaining. I shut my eyes feeling my world bursting into flames. Every strong wall that I had up crumbled as my world shattered. My wolf whimpered because he knew my decision even though I haven't said it yet. Sianna would be devastated to lose our baby. Would she forgive me for making this choice?
Isn't it better to have another child and get this filthy bitch out of our lives? Keeping Chloe alive could cause a rift in our mate bond, especially if I became helpless to her spell and betrayed my mate's trust, as Curtis did. Losing Sianna would never be in the equation, and I am nothing like Curtis. My Luna is my choice, every single time.
"Do it." I steeled my emotions, not even able to recognize my own voice. This decision's heinousness would never leave me.
"Vance, please think about this carefully." Blayne opposed it, begging me not to do it. He almost touched my shoulders but withdrew his hand as I shrugged.
"Where's Miriam?" I inquired from Marlena, as she crouched over Chloe to begin.
"She stayed with Luna at the house and sent me here to help." Marlena gave me that questionable look, searching for my final word.
Blayne sighed in sadness, shaking his head in protest. "Vance, think about Sianna." Looking at me in dismay, "Please!"
I prayed to the moon goddess for Sianna to recover from our loss and issued my command, "Do it now." My hands shook at my sides and I gripped them before me. Far from being calm, I locked my wolf away to shield him from surfacing to stop the process. I followed her movements as she began the ritual, and a cloud of magical dust with specks of light engulfed Chloe's body.
"Wait," I almost forgot to mention, "She had help, I want to know who are the ones behind this. Get that information out of her." My weakened state was in no shape to use my mind manipulation again.
Marlene nodded and proceeded.