Chapter 009

The hall emptied quickly, pack members hurrying to the courtyard.

I followed, my heart racing with anticipation.

Vivian's gaze lingered on me before she turned to leave.

Alpha Elijah and Dominique flanked her, their faces stern.

Sophia, Alice, and the red-gowned woman remained on the stage, their eyes fixed on Kael.

He stood, his eyes looking everywhere but me.

As I exited the hall, the cool night air enveloped me.

The courtyard was packed, pack members gathering around the center.

The sky above transformed, turning pitch black, thunder rumbled and bright light flashed through the sky, illuminating the yard.

Everyone gasp, huddling against each other.

Stars disappeared, replaced by an eerie darkness.

A collective murmur spread through the crowd.

The air thickened with tension.

I stood at the edge of the crowd, unsure what to do.

Alice appeared beside me, her eyes serious.

"Astrid," she whispered, "come with me."

I followed her, weaving through the silent pack members.

We reached the center, where Kael, Sophia, and the red-gowned woman stood.

Alice positioned me beside her, her gaze fixed on Alpha Kael.

The group stood in silence, awaiting whatever was coming.

“What is going on?” I whispered to Alice.

“The Blood Moon ritual.” She replied, her voice low and airy.

The darkness above seemed to pulse, as if alive.

Suddenly, Alpha Kael's gaze dropped, his eyes locking onto mine.

My heart skipped a beat.

But he didn't speak.

Instead, he turned his attention back to the sky.

The crimson glow intensified, casting an ominous light on the courtyard.

The pack members held their breath, anticipating the next move.

Just then Alice raised her hands, her voice rising in a haunting chant:

"Vena, sanguis, caelo!"

("Veins, blood, heaven!)

The words echoed through the courtyard, amplified by the eerie silence.

The red glow above intensified, and suddenly, thick droplets began falling from the sky.

At first I thought it was just rain, but then a string metallic smell hit my nostrils.

I looked down at my hands, it was stained red!

Blood had began raining down upon us, splattering the ground, the pack members, and me.

I gasped, shocked by what I was witnessing, color drained from my face and the good I had managed to hold down earlier, was in my throat again.

The blood soaked through my gown, weighing me down.

Alice's chant grew louder, her eyes flashing with an otherworldly energy:

"Sanguis, vena, caelo! Redemptio et damnatio!"

("Blood, veins, heaven! Redemption and damnation!)

The pack members began to shift, their bodies changing into wolf forms.

Their howls rose, mingling with Alice's chant.

Soon brown and Ash wolves filled the yard. Maya had changed, and so had Vivian, Elijah and Dominique.

I turned around, looking for familiar faces, anything to hold on to, to know it wasn’t just me that was witnessing this.

Alpha Kael stood tall, his eyes burning with an intense power.

Sophia and the red-gowned woman flanked him, their faces twisted in a mixture of ecstasy and agony in their human form.

The blood rain intensified, pooling around our feet.

I stumbled, struggling to maintain balance.

Alice's chant reached a fever pitch:

"Vena, sanguis, caelo! Redemptio et damnatio!"

The courtyard became a sea of red, as if the very heavens themselves were bleeding.

I felt a presence beside me.

Alpha Kael's gaze locked onto mine.

His eyes gleaming with darkness, a hidden truth.

And I knew, in that moment, I was forever bound to this pack, and their mysterious, psychotic blood-soaked ritual.

Sophia approached Alice, holding a delicate, ornate cup.

Alice took it, her eyes gleaming with an intense light.

She raised the cup to the sky, letting the droplets of blood fall freely into it.

The cup filled quickly, overflowing with the crimson liquid.

Alice's chant continued, her voice weaving a dark, hypnotic spell:

"Sanguis, vena, caelo! Redemptio et damnatio!"

The pack members' howls grew louder, their wolf forms writhing in ecstasy.

Alpha Kael's gaze never left mine, his eyes burning with an inner fire.

The red-gowned woman stepped forward, her eyes flashing with excitement.

She reached out, taking the cup from Alice, she held it out to Kael,

"I, Veronica StormCloud, daughter of the legendary Alpha Victor Nightshade, hereby gift my son Kael, the greatest alpha of all times, his heritage!"

She held out the cup, its crimson contents glistening in the eerie light.

"The Blood of the Ancients, spilled from the heavens themselves, to awaken the true power within!"

Alpha Kael's eyes flashed with anticipation.

He took the cup, his fingers closing around it like a vice.

Veronica's gaze swept the crowd, her eyes burning with pride.

"By this sacred ritual, Kael, son of Draka, claims his birthright!"

The pack members erupted into cheers and howls.

Kael raised the cup to his lips, and drank, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, down to his throat.

I couldn’t believe what was happening. This people were barbarians! Animals!

Turning around, I pulled the now heavy gown up to my thighs and ran, the rain and wind wiping across my face in a stinging motion, I kept on running as fast as my legs could carry me, hurling my guts upon the grass when I got to a fountain behind the pack house, my stomach churned.

A hand grab my shoulders causing me to shriek wiping my head around.

“Shh, it’s me. We have to go back.” Maya said, her eyes holding pity and apology.

“What the fuck! is going on?” I screamed.

“It’s a ritual we have performed for the last decades after the curse.”

“What curse?” I asked, my eyes glossy from the tears that gathered in them.

“It’s not my story to tell, we have to get back now. And just do as they say and you’ll be fine.”

Maya pulled me up, half dragging me back to the courtyard where they were all gathered still in their wolf forms. I could see Alice from here, her white hair was now pure red.

The blood rain intensified, soaking us all.

I felt a shiver run down my spine.

As Kael's eyes met mine, it was blood red. That was when it hit me, he wasn’t just an ordinary Wolf, he was a werewolf the last of their kind.

Horror swept across my face, I could feel my legs giving away under his gaze.

“Astrid,” Alice called pulling me out of the trance I thought I was in. “Step forward,”

Maya nudged me.

I swallowed, placing one foot I front of the other until I got to the center of the court yard.

“Drink.” She said, holding out the same cup to me.

“Wha…what?” I stuttered, unable to find my voice.

“You have to drink from the cup Astrid, remember what I said, do as they say and you’ll be fine.” Maya whispered from behind me.

I slowly stretched out my hand that was visibly shaking. I took the goblet into my hand, peering inside it.

I couldn’t see what was in it but I already knew what it was. I looked back up, glancing around me, the howls had died down and the blood rain had reduced to a drizzle.

Everyone was staring at me like was a prey and they were all hunters.

Closing my eyes, mind and hopefully tastebuds, I poured the contents of the cup straight into my throat.

The bittersweet taste hit me almost immediately, my face twisted in disgust and the crowds erupted in deep long howls once again.

In a matter of seconds I couldn’t feel my feet, I broke out in sweat and the world started spinning. Calling out a name, I fell backwards, just as the sky began to clear up and the moon peaked from behind the dark clouds.

Then everywhere went silent.