45
I stood near the ceremonial table, the glass of potion in my hand feeling heavier than it should have. The guests, prominent alphas and high–ranking wolves from various packs, were all waiting for the moment to come–the moment when the truth would finally be revealed.
Bianca, however, was standing beside me. She’d been oddly quiet since the announcement of the ritual, her usual confidence replaced with a strange, palpable tension. Her fingers were tightly wrapped around the glass, her grip so firm I could feel the subtle tremors running through her.
Suddenly, she turned to me, her face painted with an expression I couldn’t quite place. “Remi,” she said, her voice unsteady, “will you come with me? I need your help.”
I blinked, confused by her request. “Bianca, the potion is part of the ritual. We need to drink it with everyone else. It’s not something we can do separately
Her eyes widened with distress, her breath catching as though she were struggling to hold back tears. It w strange to see her like this, her usual icy composure slipping just enough for me to notice. “… I don’t feel well, she said, her voice trembling
There was something off about the whole situation, but I couldn’t exactly pinpoint what. The urgency in her voice, the way her grip tightened around the glass–it made me hesitate.
Against my better judgment, I nodded. “Alright. I’ll help you. If you’re not feeling well, just hold on to me.” I placed my glass down on the table and allowed her to hold my wrist as support, her fingers curling around my wrist with a force that made my skin crawl. Something wasn’t right, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.
As we stood there, separate from the others, I felt her pull me closer to where the Alpha King and the rest of the
voice, the way her grip tightened around the glass–it made me hesitate.
Against my better judgment, I nodded. “Alright. I’ll help you. If you’re not feeling well, just hold on to me.” I placed my glass down on the table and allowed her to hold my wrist as support, her fingers curling around my wrist with a force that made my skin crawl. Something wasn’t right, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.
As we stood there, separate from the others, I felt her pull me closer to where the Alpha King and the rest of the royal family were gathered. But as the clock ticked toward midnight, the ritual was about to begin.
“Everyone, gather ‘round,” the Alpha King announced, raising his glass high in a silent toast to the Moon Goddess. His presence was imposing, but there was a softness in his eyes that only a few knew how to read. “Cheers to the goddess,” he declared, his voice booming over the clearing, and one by one, the guests drank from their glasses.
I felt a flicker of discomfort in my chest as I brought the glass to my lips. I could feel Bianca’s breath near me, her fingers still gripping my wrist tightly, too tightly. It was almost as if she needed me to drink first, to seal whatever pact she had in mind. But I didn’t have the time to think any further. With the entire gathering watching. I raised my
glass and drank the potion.
The instant the liquid touched my tongue, a wave of warmth spread through my chest, as if the very essence of the Moon Goddess herself had entered my veins. Or perhaps, I was hallucinating. It was unlike anything I had ever felt. My senses were heightened, the world around me sharper, clearer–yet something felt off.
Bianca drank beside me, her eyes never leaving mine, her grip on my wrist now more of a vise than ever.
Then it happened
The world went white
The moonlight intensified, as though a thousand stars had exploded above us, bathing everything in a blinding glow. I couldn’t see, couldn’t hear, could barely even breathe through the overwhelming light. My body felt light, weightless even, as if the earth itself had vanished beneath me.
I tried to pull my arm free, but Bianca’s grip only tightened, her hold on me unyielding, almost possessive. I struggled to shake off the sensation, to ignore the overwhelming flood of power coursing through my veins
But it wasn’t just the potion. It was her.
There was something about the way Bianca was touching me, the way she held me, that made me feel as though
the ritual was affecting both of us.
Perhaps I was affected by the power of the princess–Bianca’s power.
