Chapter 139 The ritual
Chapter 139: The ritual
Damon's POV
"Damon. Damon, wake up."
I woke up to someone calling my name.
I opened my eyes, everything was blurry at first, followed by a sharp pain that made me close my eyes. It was the effect of the saturated wolfbane in the air, it had stung my eyes.
After a while, I slowly opened my eyes again, the pay was still there, but this time it was manageable.
“James” I cringed at the sound of my voice. It came out croaked and broken.
James sat outside my cage of chains. He was a mess, together with his face was covered in cuts and bruises.
I blanked out for a while, before memories started rushing in.
"How long?" I croaked, My throat was so dry.
"A day," he simply said. "You have been here a day."
A day…. I remembered the battle with the unrighteous happened three days before the bloodmoon. Then I passed out, for hours, waking up the next day when the sun was setting.
If my calculations were right, that means the blood moon was tomorrow!!
My stomach sank.
"The pack?" I asked, almost dreading the answer.
James looked away.
That was never a good sign.
"James, tell me."
"The pack..." He took a deep breath. "The pack is gone, Damon."
My heart stopped. "What do you mean gone?"
"I mean we don't have many packs left anymore. It's just chaos and fear that is left." I could feel his anger, his hands turned into fists, "We were betrayed."
He said my worst fear. I had always known that we were betrayed. That was why they were able to penetrate my unpenetratable wall. The dungeons burst open with all the guards and warriors killed.
It was the reason why they were able to injure Daphne and kidnap Milo right under my nose…
"WHO?”
"Catherine, Cornelius, General Garth, and General Elijah.” James called out the traitors, Each name hurt more than the last.
"They've been working with the enemy all along."
I couldn't breathe. Catherine? Cornelius, my shadow? My own generals?
I wouldn't say I didn't see Cornelius and Catherine coming, but for my generals…
"That's not possible."
"It is." James's voice was filled with bitterness. "They gave the enemy all our pack layout and hidden secrets. Every move we made, every safe house in the pack, they knew it all. There was a false alarm, at the eastern border. It was made by General Elijah himself.”
He laughed, but I could detect any atom of joy in it.
"We walked right into a trap. Enemies came from everywhere. They were prepared, we weren't. We didn't stand a chance."
"The casualties?"
"Five hundred warriors, and five shadows.” His voice cracked at the end. And so was my heart that was threatening to collapse on the heavy weight of all the guilt and pain that.
A total of five hundred warriors lost their lives because of some traitors in my pack. And not just that… Five of my best warriors. Dead because of them.
"Where are the traitors now?" A deep growl came out from my throat.
"Gone. They disappeared during the attack. My best guess, probably with the enemy."
I pulled against my chains. They burned my skin but I didn't care.
"I need to get out. I need to tear them limp to limp!!"
"No!" James stood up quickly. "You can't leave."
"Why not?"
"Because they are hunting you." He ran his hand through his hair. "The whole pack thinks you are the beast that attacked them, they saw you kill elder Marcus. They want you dead."
I sucked in a ragged breath, trying to ease the paint that was twisting inside my heart.
"Who's leading them?"
"General Josh. He's barely keeping order. Half the pack wants to surrender to the Righteous packs. The other half still believes in you.”
"They shouldn't. I'm a monster."
"Stop that." James's voice got hard. "You're cursed. That's different."
"I killed our own people…"
"It's the curse that killed them. Not you."
"Does it matter? They're still dead." A laugh tore through my throat, but it sounded more like crying. I closed my eyes, breathing the wolfbane air, letting the pain range my internal system.
My pack was falling apart and I was the cause of it.
"What about the other packs?" I asked, after minutes of blaming myself. "The alliance?"
James shook his head. "Most of the shadow packs have given up. They've sworn submission to the Righteous Pack."
"Most?"
"A few are still fighting. Alpha Marcel refuses to surrender."
I raised an eyebrow, "That tyrant?"
"Same one. Everyone thought he'd be the first to surrender. But he's still standing. Him and maybe three or four other small packs."
"That's all?"
"That's all." James looked tired. "The Righteous Pack is winning, Damon. They're taking over everything."
"And their Queen?"
"No one knows who she is. But from what I have heard, she is stronger than any alpha."
The atmosphere turned depressing following his words. Each deep in his thoughts,
everything was falling apart very fast.
My pack was on the brink of destruction, Milo was missing, and the bloodmoon was in a few hours…
"James," I said quietly, breaking the silence. "You should leave at once. Take the loyal shadows and the people, run towards the mountain. "
"Never."
"James…"
"I said never." His eyes flashed. "You're my Alpha. My friend, I am not leaving you."
"I am going to lose control tomorrow, I can already feel it, the curse is stronger than ever before. I might not be able to get out of this one when it happens. The blood moon…"
"We'll figure something out."
"There's nothing to figure out! I'm cursed! I'm going to turn into a monster and kill everyone!"
"Not everyone." A new voice said, interrupting.
We both turned, Daphne stood there, leaning against the wall.
"Daphne!" James jumped up. "You shouldn't be walking around!"
"I am fine." But from the tone of her voice, I knew she wasn't fine. Her head was wrapped in bandages and she was pale as snow.
"I came to help."
"You can't help me," I growled. "No one can."
"That's where you're wrong." She pulled out a bag. "There's one thing we haven't tried."
"What?"
“What!”
James and I asked at the same time.
"Accept your mate's bond." She replied, her face dead serious.
The room went into a pin drop quiet.
"No nooo, that is a no go area daphne.” I tugged hard at the chains.
“I am sure of what I am saying. The curse became worse when he lost her, 10 years ago.” she argued, looking at James who was silent throughout.
“You can't seriously be listening to her. I have had this curse since birth…”
“It's not a lie, and at the same time it's not entirely true.” James said, his eyebrows scrunched upwards, a sign that he was deep in thoughts.
“If you check it, you became worse after her death. That was 10 years ago, and since then, it has only become worse.”
“That's bulshit, and what if you are right, I don't have a mate…”
“...It's not entirely true either,” Daphne interrupted. “ You saved him with your blood.”
“That was just a coincidence, you can't rely on a mere coincidence” I rebutted.
“You calmed his wolf that was forced to shift for the first time. That is a fit only true mates could achieve.”
“That's impossible. Milo is an omega. A male omega."
"So what?" She pulled out a knife. "Milo is nothing but normal, who knows it's possible when it comes to him. Let's not forget he is an Ashbourne wolf."
“This is a waste of time, you want to bank your hope on stupid assumptions.”
"I am sure of this." She walked inside.
“The wolfsbane…"
"Won't kill me," she finished for James who stood wide eyed. " We all know that I am tougher than I look."
I sighed in defeat, nodding to James to allow her.
“So what if you were right,” I chose to humor her, “Milo is not here, there's nothing that could be done.”
“We don't know that, until we try.” She pulled out a bag. Inside were bottles and herbs I didn't recognize.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Something stupid." She cut her hand. Blood dripped on the floor. "But it might give you time to reach milo."
She started drawing symbols with her blood. Strange symbols I had never seen before.
"Is that…" James started.
"Blood magic. Yes." She kept drawing. "It's an old magic I learnt from my mother. Dont worry its nothing fanciful, but it's special.
"How special?" I asked.
"It can calm all types of curses. Not cure them, but calm them." She finished the last symbol. "For a little while."
"How little?"
"Maybe a day. Maybe less depending on the type of curse."
The symbols started glowing blue.
"This is going to hurt," she warned.
"Daphne, don't…"
She started chanting strange words I couldn't understand.
The blue glow got brighter. The air got thicker with the pungent smell of blood.
But nothing happened.
“Just give up, Daphne…”
An excruciating pain hit me,
I doubled over, my vision shone white, before a splitting scream forced it way out of my throat.
“Arrrggghhhh!!!!”