Ritual

Ritual


Alea's POV
“Kairo…” I tried to caution Kairo but he had already made me stand on my own as he marched towards Atlas.
I didn't have a problem with it, if it was to save the pack members then I would gladly rip my skin open no matter how much it would hurt.
“She won't be doing it” He repeated, making sure Atlas heard him loud and clear.
“And you think you'd ever be able to talk to your wolf forever? You think those people won't die?” Atlas asked.
No. No. No. They can't die. They shouldn't. Kairo should be able to talk to his wolf again. No one should stay abnormally because of me.
I walked over to Kairo, holding him by the arm. “I'll do it, Kairo, I will”
He turned, facing me with his eyes blaring with fury. “Are you insane, Alea? They don't want a drop blood, they want a couples of your blood for fuck's sake!” He yelled and I flinched.
His tone was scary but that showed how much he cared about me.
“I will be okay, Kairo. Trust me” I said, but the Alpha wasn't willing to listen to me at the moment.
“There should be another way to solve this, not draining her blood out. Not causing her pain” He said, facing Atlas once again.
“That's the only way out of this, Alpha Kairo,” Atlas said, returning to the throne.
“Alpha. Alea is strong, she would be able to scale through, please trust her” Sage said to Kairo who only heaved a sigh of relief before pacing round the room like he was trying to bring another solution even when the messenger of the moon goddess couldn't provide another.
“Okay then. Let's do it then” He said, his voice barely audible for me to hear.
“I'd explain how the ritual is to be done before I leave and assign people who would help you get it done to you” Atlas said, and from the way he spoke, it looked like he knew his way around here so well.
What had I expected? He was more like a god who had lived for more than a thousand years.
Just then the door flung open again and this time when I turned, I saw Cassie.
She stood in front of us, face pitiful as her gaze darted between everyone of us before she finally walked up to Atlas and knelt in front of him like she knew who he was.
“Please assign me to help her” she requested and my eyes widened in surprise.
“What?” I couldn't help but ask. “Wait….how are you out of the quarantined camp?” I asked.
“I was let go because they didn't find anything strange after a series of tests. I'm not infected, Alea” She said and i didn't push it further but just let her be.
“Why would you want to assist her?” Atlas asked Cassie whose knees were still glued to the cold floor.
“I need her to save my Mother. I don't care how long this is going to take, but I will be with her through all steps of it all” Cassie said and honestly, I wanted to laugh.
She wanted to be with me through all the steps? She had said that like she was a sister who was willing to support and stay by my side but it's nothing close to that, it's mainly because of her Mother who was in the quarantined camp.
“Cool then” Atlas said, smiling on the throne that doesn't even belong to him.
“Then the two of you kids can also help her” he said, referring to Sage and Raven as kids.
They didn't complain, instead they just stood up and accepted the order.
Then Atlas stood up, walking down once again as he stopped in front of me.
“Keep this in mind, Alea. You are the Phantom Queen, the current ruler of our world, of our universe. Whatever step you take must be taken with caution” He said, placing a hand on my shoulder and even his touch emanated something powerful I couldn't pinpoint.
“You were born to rule, Alea. Don't forget that” He said and even though I was a bit scared of him, I nodded, agreeing with him.
“I will stay in touch till the ritual ends and the curse is lifted off the pack” He said and before I could even ask if what was happening was a curse laid upon us, he had vanished into thin air just the way he came.
Cassie stood up from the ground, dusting her legs off even though there was barely any dirt glued to it.
I heaved a sigh as I was quite glad that we had been able to find a solution to the situation, all that was left was to engage in the ritual.
“Alea, I will stand by you through everything” Cassie said, her tone like she was trying to comfort me, like she was trying to lift a burden off my chest.
I laughed, smirking at her.
“I know what you are like, Cassie. You are no human but an animal in human clothing, Cassie” I said to her, and the way her eyes lit up, the way she folded her fist, the way she was so crazy to fight back but was doing all she could to mask it showed me that she's still the same.
She'd never change.
It made me remember the days I lived with her as my stepsister before I finally became Kairo's wife, before I was called upon by the moon goddess to be the Phantom Queen.
A title I can't even just drop and announce that I'm no longer interested in anymore. A title that might forever live with me till the day I die.
Then it sinked in. Every throne, every power, every throne deserves a sacrifice and that was the same thing that was happening to me. To keep things together, to make sure nothing falls apart, I'd have to make little sacrificed which requires using my own fucking blood.