Chapter 146 Moon and darkness

Chapter 146 Moon and darkness
ELARA’S POV

Soon, it was night time which meant it was time for the blood ritual of the moon to be performed, but there was a feeling I couldn’t shake off. 

I didn’t know if this was excitement from the anticipation of performing a ritual that hadn’t been performed in an impossibly long time or a feeling that something might go wrong. I decided to shake it off and pay it no mind. Today wasn’t the day to dwell on any unnecessary feelings, Beros and I were fine again and there was work to be done with my wolves.

I felt him behind me before he placed both hands on my shoulders. 

“How are you feeling Elara? You’ve been quiet” Beros said, running a hand down my arms, effectively warming me up.

I turned to face him. “I feel alright, I’m excited for the ritual, but there’s this feeling…” I shook my head slightly, as if that would shake off the weird feeling “I just can’t shake it off”.

“What feeling is that?” His hands stopped running up and down my arms.

“I don’t know Beros, it’s just a weird feeling, I just hope nothing bad happens”

His face relaxed into a smile as he resumed rubbing his hand on my arms “it’s alright Elara, probably just excitement, it’s been so long you performed this ritual, I remember it used to be your favorite”

“I hope it will be…”

“Of course it will, everything will go well, and don’t forget, the barrier you set over the camp is holding strong in place. No one can get in”

He was right. There was enough protection around the camp site, I would immediately be alerted if anyone or anything came in.

“You’re right, everything will go fine” I relaxed myself too, willing myself not to ruin this night with my anxious thoughts.

“Shall we?” He stepped away from me and held a hand out to me.

I didn’t say anything, I smiled and took his hand as we walked out of our tent.

We met Alicent waiting for us just outside our tent and we all walked to the arena where the ritual would be held.

The moon was high up in the sky signaling it was time for the ritual to start. All the wolves had shifted into their wolf forms, except for Alicent.

Once I get there, Alicent separated from us and shifted into her beautiful brown wolf before trotting off to stand with the Alphas and Lunas, they stood in front of the other members of the joined packs.

It wasn’t necessary for Beros to shift too, since he didn’t belong to the wolf packs, but he shifted, for me. His wolf was midnight black, the color of the night sky, and easily towered above every alpha wolf there. I could feel them gazing at him as he shifted and began making small circles around me, as if protecting me.

The only light coming from Beros’ wolf were his eyes which twinkled like the stars in the sky now. He was a perfect representation of the night sky in the body of a wolf. My beautiful Beros.

It had been a while I had seen him too, as a shifter, he had other forms, and it had been a while I had seen him shift. It seemed like everyday I was missing something about him, like everyday there was so much more to discover. Three thousand years was really a long long time. 

I forced myself to look away from the towering form of Beros’ wolf and to the preparations the wolves had made. They had done everything according to plan, the fire, the clearing, the gold bowl for the blood collection. Everything was done perfectly. I had Alicent to thank for that, she had made sure all my instructions were followed to the detail.

I took a deep breath and took one more glance at the wolves waiting for me, the scent of anticipation wafting off them, all eagerly waiting to see what I would do, to see if this ritual would be as safe as I had promised.

When they all had their eyes on me. I closed my eyes and left my skin drink in the essence of the moon. It was a beautiful full moon and wolves were strongest on the full moon. Doing this ritual on such a night would not only guarantee increased strength and bonding, but it would also guarantee it for the rest of the year. I had to make this one the most powerful one yet. 

Slowly, I lifted up my hands towards the moon and I let it wash over me. I knew by now I was glowing, and that the wolves could feel the aura from me now. I confirmed that when I heard them make a few noises. I smiled to myself, everything was working perfectly.

I opened my mouth and said the words, words that hadn’t been spoken in ages, words that I barely remembered, but somehow they rolled right off my tongue like I had been practicing them.

“Moonlight of the night, dawn of the star painted sky, fall on me.

Wash us clean, cleanse our blood, purify our essence, strengthen us. 

The moon is for us and we are for the moon. Flow through me and strengthen me wolves, your creation, flow through us, in all your power, in all your strength, flow and change and turn out blood to liquid moon”

And as I said the last word, I felt a surge through me. I opened my eyes and I saw something, a white light, straight from the moon approaching me with full force. This…this was bigger than any essence I had ever seen, would I be able to take control of it? To guide it to the wolves?

And then, I began to panic, in a few seconds, it would hit me. But then, I cut off the thought. I was the moon deity. I am the moon deity, and therefore I am strong enough to withstand anything, the moon is only a blessing to me. And as I thought of this and affirmed it to myself, the moonlight hit me straight in my chest, washing over me and surging the power in me.

I had never felt so powerful, this powerful. Not even when I had used the moon’s essence to defeat Nyxar.

But I couldn’t let it dwell in me for too long, I began to crave the taste of it? Not wanting to let it go.

I fought against the urge as I glanced around the wolves, they all craved it too, I could see them struggling to stay still, and Beros had stopped pacing around me. The whole arena was illuminated with the light on my skin. 

I quickly reached for the gold knife and bowl and I slit my palm, blood easily flowed through it, red blood mixed with a streak of white. I said a prayer to the bowl and I poured it into the earth.

I watched as the blood began to slither on the ground, making its way to the wolves before enveloping all of them. I could feel the essence steadily drain from my body. I let out a deep breath I didn’t know I had been holding.

The wolves glowed briefly for a while before rioting into a series of howls, the ritual was done. Bonds had snapped into place and strength had been released upon them.

I let it flow into all of them before allowing myself to heal fully.

It was done. It was successful. I had barely begun to bask in the aftermath of the success of the ritual when I heard a tapping by the side of my head.

The wards, something or someone was trying to breach the wards, and my mind was getting alerted.

Before I could give an order, darkness burst into the arena…