The rejected offering

Shocked gasps and murmurs spread through the entire pack at once. Everything seemed to occur in slow motion.

A chill spread through the crowd as Raine lay on the floor with her face planted to the ground. She couldn't bring herself to get up. A throbbing pain in her knee forced her to sit up and nurse the scraped knee.

A hush followed and whispers started to spread all over the pack members. The beta who had tripped rushed to her side with an apology in his eyes, trying to help her up.

“Evil has graced us!” someone yelled.

Raine looked towards the voice to see an old man glaring murderously at her. At times like this, she wished she had her father's wisdom, Shania's fearlessness, or Atticus' strength. She would even take Bellona's deception and bravery if it would get her out of this situation.

She knew how disgraceful her fall was. Her family hid her like a plague away from others, trying to mask her defect. Not because they loved her and wanted to protect her. It was simply because they wanted to preserve their dignity and respect. But she still found other ways to drag them through the mud.

“Abomination!” another voice gritted out. The profanities continued, and Raine hung her head in shame. She couldn’t find it in her to stand. Even the beta that rushed to help had given up and moved to one side. Tears stung her eyes.

“Move.” A deep voice bellowed.

The crowd parted allowing whoever it was to come through. The smell of fresh water and mint filled her nostrils, calming her racing heart at once.

A male wolf she had never seen before towered over her, looking down at me with an expression she couldn’t decipher. She blinked back the tears welling in her eyes and focused on his face. She realized he was the intimidating wolf that had been carried alongside her father.

“I... I’m sorry. I didn’t mean-“

“Enough.” He caught her off. His jaw ticked in anger and Raine looked down at her feet, feeling miserable.

Suddenly, he knelt by her side and took her hands. She had scraped and blistered my palms from trying to break my fall. He wiped away the splotches of blood with his sleeves.

“Come on.” He lifted her into his arms, forcing her to throw her own hands over his shoulder and hang onto his neck. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, not daring to look up at the crowd.

Their murmurs had died down, and she was sure they were watching the spectacle playing out in front of them.

Embarrassment tainted her cheeks.

“I can walk.” She protested. Nikolai gave her a look that halted the argument and the words died down in her throat. She relaxed into him, breathing in the freshness of his scent. It was all male. And it made her feel calm.

He carried her to his chair and gently deposited her on top of it. Then, he climbed on and sat next to her. Raine looked at her toes to avoid making eye contact with her father, but she could feel his anger rolling off him in waves.

Nikolai tapped the chair and enforcers lifted them off the ground and into the air once again.

“Carry on, brave wolves. Nothing can stop our victory procession today.” A half-hearted cheer went up in the crowd.

Not long after, everyone seemed to forget about Raine's fall from grace and their happiness overtook all other emotions. The procession carried on and she released a breath she didn’t know she had been holding. Her anxiety dissipated and she felt herself start to relax.

Her eyes swept the crowd, and she caught Bellona's eyes. She sneered cruelly and turned to join the match. Raine almost got a whiplash from the change in attitude.

Meanwhile, she was very aware of the presence sitting next to her. She peered at him through her peripheral vision and noticed him staring ahead. He didn’t spare her a glance.

He had gone through such trouble to save her from ruining the procession, and now he was acting like she didn't even exist. She wondered if he hated her too. They didn't even know each other so she didn't know why his feelings bothered her so much.

“I’m sorry,” Raine apologized. He glared at her, shutting her up at once. She looked away quietly and focused on the procession.

Soon, we were done with the march throughout the entire clan. The cavalry halted in front of the shrine, and the warriors began to chant furiously.

The enforcers lowered the carriage to the ground, and Tiki stood. He joined in the chant, beating his chest wildly. His actions spurred the crowd, and their voices grew louder.

The cry ended as quickly as it began, and everyone quieted down, puffing. Tiki raised his hands, and another roar went up. The women cheered, and the men howled. He put his hand down and their voices went down with his actions.

Nikolai stood up next to Raine and held his hand out to her. She stared at his rough palms, wondering what it would feel like to slide her hand into his. She quickly halted those thoughts not knowing where they came from.

The patches of blood on his sleeves caught her attention, causing her to remember her earlier disgrace. She looked up into his black onyx eyes to see him looking at her expectantly.

She swallowed loudly and drily. Then, she raised her hand and put it into his. Her fingers trembled with nerves. He closed his palm over hers and helped her to stand on her feet.

“Come on.” He gestured for her to walk with him. They arrived at the altar, and the wolves howled. The shrine attendants flanked Raine, handing her the ceremonial knife and the bloody heart of a deer that was freshly killed.

As the moon goddess, they expected her to stab the heart and offer it up to the heavens. The sight of the blood made her queasy, and she swallowed her nausea.

"Don't do anything stupid," Tiki growled in a low voice next to her.

She could feel Nikolai's hand on my shoulder lending her strength and filling her with warmth.

She drew in another breath shakily and knelt before the Luna, ready to offer the sacrifice.

“Oh, mighty Luna!” she cried, spreading out her hands and opening her heart.

“Goddess of the heavens, and the light of the night.” The crowd responded.

“Oh, mighty Luna!” she cried again.

“Receive our sacrifice and bless our land.” The crowd responded.

Nikolai’s voice next to her was as clear as day, and so she focused on it to keep herself in check. She has never encountered such a deep baritone in her life.

She raised the bowl holding the bloody heart towards the sky and closed her eyes.

“Oh, mighty Luna!”

“Accept our thanksgiving, the heart of a deer, a symbol of our hearts, and our undying worship. Oh, mighty Luna!” the crowd roared.

She picked up the ceremonial blade from where she had previously put it next to the bowl and closed her eyes.

Her shaky hands held the hilt with a death grip. She knew everyone was watching, and she knew what they were expecting. Nausea washed over her at the sight of so much blood. She swallowed again, trying to calm her queasy stomach.

The blade felt heavy in her hands and so she raised it with all the strength she could muster and stabbed through the heart.

More blood pumped out and splashed across her face.

The crowd, oblivious to her struggles, roared at the sacrifice and ran around in circles, expressing their happiness.

Raine stood and walked closer to the altar. Dina appeared next to her handing her two granite stones.

She accepted them warily, and she smirked. Raine turned back towards the altar and arranged the woods to enable her to burn the sacrifice. The burning fire would prove that the goddess accepted their prayers and their sacrifice.

She cracked the two granite stones against each other and they sparked to life with fire. She threw it onto the altar and watched as the fire cackled and the wood caught.

With churning nerves, she grabbed the bowl again and tipped the bloody heart into the fire. The fire sizzled and the smell of burning flesh filled the air.

The male wolves hummed in agreement, relishing in the smell of the burning flesh. Just as the fire caught and burnt brightly, the woods popped and smoke rose furiously, clouding her eyes and prompting quick tears.

At the sight of the enormous smoke, Raine panicked, knowing what was coming. The fire sizzled and died down.

“Hell, no,” she muttered in exasperation. They were out to get her.

“The goddess has rejected our sacrifice.” The wolves cried. Dina stepped through the crowds and stood next to Raine.

“This stand-in has angered the moon goddess. She fell from her chair and embraced the ground. She has brought down the wrath of the moon goddess upon us.” People hummed in agreement, rocking their heads.

“We must kill her to appease the heavens.”

Raine's eyes widened at the proclamation and she knew there was no escape for her.