Rejection One

Achilles POV

I can feel the moment Sophia pulled my energy and breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that my mate is well, that she is conscious and that is already a great victory for me, because every second we stand still, unable to do anything, is agony.

A few minutes later, the side door opened and I saw Azrik enter alone, he looked at Gáta who, before he could say anything, disappeared in a small purplish-green cloud.

Seeing that color and feeling that pressure, I know that Gáta is involved with the curse, somehow she manages to pull energy from the Mother of Monsters. Khalid had said that the name for people involved in the cult of the Ancient Gods was “Cultists” and Gáta is definitely one of those people.

The dragon's aura spread like fire spreading through a dry forest, but Hélios' aura protected me from the damage it could cause, especially since I am not at full strength.

Boreas is doing his best to keep the connection with Sophia open and I know that if it weren't for that, my mate would have been lost amidst Gáta's magic.

“Let everyone in this room know that I am putting a bounty on the witch Gáta's head!” Azrik decreed and his aura diminished as quickly as it spread.

Everyone agreed with the decision, whether out of fear or respect, but everyone knew that Azrik was the Judge and those words were final, as they were the result of Gáta's judgment.

After a few seconds, the dragon turned in our direction.

“The rejection ritual will happen, Shangō is preparing a room with special runes and enchantments.” Azrik spoke, his voice showing how irritated he is. Not with our delegation, but because Gáta escaped.

I looked at Hélios, because this means that we will connect and there will be no way to distance ourselves from the curse.

‘Calm down, we always have other options.’ Hélios spoke in my mind.

I made a brief bow to Perseus, as protocol dictated, before turning my back on him.

“Khalid and Hélios can come together to witness the ritual, if they wish.” Azrik spoke. “It will be good for Sophia to face Perseus before the rejection ritual, so she can interrogate him about his reasons for attacking her.”

Azrik looked at Hélios, expecting the wolf to give way to the human.

“Perseus is not available at the moment, when I awakened my demigod powers, my human side passed some time in the dimension between worlds. To be judged by beings beyond your power, Azrik.” Hélios calmly replied.

Azrik rolled his eyes, exasperated, as many things were slipping out of his control.

“Sophia needs to understand that by choosing Achilles, she cannot leave the Moon Warriors pack, because that would mean that Achilles would have to leave the pack.” Azrik explained, with a condescending tone.

Again, I get the impression that Azrik thinks of us as babies who need to learn everything.

“I understand the situation, but I doubt Sophia will accept staying by Ivar's side.” Hélios retorted.

“No, but she can choose to reject both and follow a completely separate path from the Moon Warriors pack.” Azrik once again rolled his eyes.

I felt my heart tighten, because I know that this is what we had already planned before, that Sophia would reject both me and Perseus, but now it is very close to happening.

“You are right, Sophia really needs to know about everything that is happening.” Khalid replied before I could retort. “That Perseus was wrapped in a spell cast by Gáta that made him see things that didn't exist and that to free himself from such magic, Hélios awakened his demigod side.”

Khalid then looked at me, as if trying to convey something to me.

I understood what he meant, because one of our theories to combat the curse was the awakening of Perseus' demigod power and my Lycan side. We were already halfway there, and that meant that Sophia didn't need to fear the curse spreading through the pack, as Hélios' new power would block it.

“Let's end this circus that this has become.” Azrik finally spoke.

The dragon turned his back and walked towards the side exit and we soon followed, several other leaders also moved to leave, but through another door. This indicated that the judgment had come to an end, with few words, but much action.

We followed Azrik through a few corridors until we reached a large, heavy wooden door that opened in the middle. As soon as the dragon touched the center, the doors opened.

I entered the ancestral chamber, feeling a shiver run down my spine as soon as my feet touched the ground marked by glowing runes. The air vibrated with intense energy, and the crackling of magical electricity reverberated through my bones, something completely different from Hyperion and Thunder's energy.

In the center of the hall, a circle of arcane symbols glowed in a reddish hue, threads of magic pulsing and intertwining like living serpents. Every instant, bluish lightning cut through the space, dancing through the mystical portal that floated before me, as if it were about to open to something far beyond my comprehension.

The walls, covered in ancient inscriptions and illuminated by the flickering glow of candles, seemed to whisper forgotten secrets, enveloping me in a veil of mystery and power. My heart pounded in my chest, because despite all this power, I am only concerned with one thing.

“Mate!” I spoke as soon as I met Sophia's green eyes, the only thing that hadn't changed in her appearance.

Sophia now has her hair falling to her breasts, in a platinum blonde tone that almost reaches white, her face is rounder and her lips have a heart shape.

I found her beautiful, but at the same time, I know that this is not the body Sophia loves, so I just smiled and approached her, holding her face with both hands.

“Heavens! How worried I was!” I confessed.

I heard a growl in the distance and knew it came from Ivar, but I ignored it and lowered my head to touch my lips to hers and felt her sweet taste.

Sophia embraced me and returned the kiss, and I saw some tears running down her eyes and felt in my chest how relieved she was. I moved away a little, just enough to bring her face against my chest.

I let our bond extend, to help her heal, Hélios was tired, but still had the strength to do this. I don't know how long we stayed like that, but no one said anything and only when Sophia felt comfortable, she put her hand on my chest and moved away from my arms.

“We can continue.” Sophia spoke, her voice steady.