COMMENT
Chapter 44
In front of us was a large, podden chamber, in m hram that caught the light from fi kering
inspestries depicting my al symboli. The ceiling war
supported by
At the center stands a golden cauldron surrounded by puding golden runes, about twice as a basketball
Cat and Kyle have already been inside the mom waiting for
pay when Lare a man found and suspended above the cauldron. Marcus groans with pain as we approach, his wounds not yet bealest but I can
inrls when he sees is
vam stops in front of him and annminces. “Marcus Keenan, attacking your King’s guest, your princess and then your king himself! You will be
I remember you as nothing more than a stain.”
“The only crime 1 committed was simply taking ba
I AM NOT YOURS IN
hairsty kothers look at
What is RIGHTFULLY MINE
surprising everyone. “You gave up that right when you sold me and tried to kill me?”
upon and ch
But Lignore them. I explain to them later
“Toman‘) my fail” my ex–husband greels, “hi was Lalith, she convinced me! She’s the one who convinced me that you were useless.”
“And von barlinsend hier.
in in her lies because you a desired her,” I say butterly
iterject. “Do you know she made her own attempt on Ariella’s lite
Land Tailed. Erhastised her for at-
ground soon enough”
fir ground: 1 haven’t gotte to trial ye
nd Books Maria dead in die eyes. “A 630% piece of shit doesn’t deserve a trialTM
aill you, I swear! I just wanted you back, I was going to treat
to treat yumurught
Die pulls out a dazerr and offers the hilt to me.
zukty. “Tár Þrast Marcus Keenan deserves to die, but his blood can be used to wake up your
i by “part of the nual. There was absolutely no mention
The
Chapter 44
In front of us was a large, golden chamber, its walls adorned with tapestries depicting mystical symbols. The ceiling soars above, supported by beams that caught the light from flickering torches, casting a warm glow throughout.
At the center stands a golden cauldron surrounded by pulsing golden runes, about twice as a basketball.
Castor and Kyle have already been inside the room, waiting for us
1
gasp when I see a man bound and suspended above the cauldron. Marcus groans with pain as we approach, his wounds not yet healed but I can see that he’s focusing all his energy on it.
He snarls when he sees us.
Ethan stops in front of him and announces, “Marcus Keenan, attacking your King’s guest, your princess and then your king himself! You will be stripped of titles and land. Of everything. History will remember you as nothing more than a stain.”“
“The only crime I committed was simply taking back what is RIGHTFULLY MINE!”
“I AM NOT YOURS!” I hear myself roar, surprising everyone. “You gave up that right when you sold me and tried to kill me?”
“What” My brothers look at me with confusion and shock. But I ignore them, I’ll explain to them later.
“It wasn’t my fault,” my ex–husband growls, “It was Lilith, she convinced me! She’s the one who convinced me that you were useless.”
“And you believed her, you gave in to her lies because you desired her,” I say bitterly
“On the subject of your current wife.” Ethan interjects, “Do you know she made her own attempt on Ariella’s life.”
Marcus pauses. “I am aware that she tried something and failed. I chastised her for it”
“That is all we needed to know,” Ethan says, “She will join you in the ground soon enough”
Confusion washes over him “Join me in the ground? I haven’t gone to trial yet!”
Ethan crouches and looks Marcus dead in the eyes, “A filthy piece of shit doesn’t deserve a trial.”
“No! No! You can’t! he begins to cry and beg me, “Ariella, I wasn’t going to kill you, I swear! I just wanted you back, I was going to treat you right this time! Please believe me!”
Ethan turns to us over the screams and pleas for mercy. He pulls out a dagger and offers the hilt to me.
“What is this for!” I was confused.
“Only blood can cleanse his crimine, Ethan answers coldly, “Like I said, Marcus Keenan deserves to die, but his blood can be used to wake up your dormant wolf”
“What?” I say, flabbergasted. “You’ve never told me that! I have no idea what you mean by “part of the ritual. There was absolutely no mention of sacrificing anyone in the wolf reawakening chapter!”
“That’s because I removed it,” Ethan explains. “I didn’t want you to hesitate at this crucial moment, especially now that we’re so close. The one seeking the retum of their wolf must fill the Cauldron of Harvest with blood to symbolize the primal nature of hunting and killing. Ideally, it should be the blood of an enemy. Also, the more powerful the blood’s owner, the more effective it would be. Marcus is an Alpha, and given your history with him, he’s the perfect choice for this.”
Marrus looks at Ethan with widened eyes. Enraged.
“You did this on purpose!” Marcus spluttered, “You used her as bait to lure me here!”
I know Marcus, I know when he is lying and when he is genuine. And right now there is no deceit in his voice. He truly believes so
I pause, thinking how quickly Ethan and Kyle showed up to save me and Cassandra. We were deep in the woods; there is no way they could have heard the commotion and made it to us in that short amount of time. They must be at least somewhat close at that time.
“What’s this?” Ele growls at Ethan before I can confront him, “please tell me this bastard is lying and you didn’t use my sister as bait!” Eshan stares straight back at Eli, unwavering
Kyle interjected, “Of course we didn’t use Princess Ariella as bait! Yes, we were aware that Marcus was on the loose, but we couldn’t abandon our plan to awaken Her Highness wolf simply because there was a potential threat. As we’ve mentioned previously, we’ve tightened security. We admit that we failed to anticipate the dark magic, but regardless, Princess Ariella needed to participate in the night hunt to awaken her woll”
Rafe growls, “Still, you shouldn’t have put Ariella in danger!”
“That’s the risk we must take,” Ethan said coldly. “The next true Harvest Moon is in five decades. Are you willing to wait another fifty years?”
Rafe still wants to say something but Castor jumps in. “Your Majesties, what matters right now is that the culprit is caught and there is a way to reawaken the princess’s wolf. Is that not what we all want!”
Marcus is about to start again but Kyle has shoved something in his mouth to prevent him from saying another word. Veins on his forehead pops as he struggles, blood drips from his nose.
1 see Ethan’s eyes shining bright gold and realize he’s holding Marcus in place with his power as Marcus’s Alpha King
“Ariella, what are you waiting for!” Ethan asked.
I stare at Ethan, the knife, and then at Marcus. My thoughts swirl in my head like a storm.
I hate Marcus. I hate everything he did to me. There were nights I dreamed about ending his life with my own hands. What’s more, he didn’t just hun me. He almost killed Cassandra. Quite honestly, given the chance, he would not hesitate to kill any of the people in this room.
Ethan was right, a filth like Marcus doesn’t deserve to live.
I take the knife from Ethan and walk to Marcus step by step. The emotions in his eyes shift from anger to fear, and then to plea
Would a monster like him actually be afraid of the consequence of his own actions! Would his blood cleanse all the hatred and pain that haunt me day and night
It doesn’t matter. Everything will be so much better when I get my wolf back. All I need to do is to stab this dagger into his heart and fill the golden cauldron with his blood!
Other than the muffled sounds Marcus is making, everyone else is waiting quietly for my next move. I raise my hand and aim the dagger at Marcus‘
heart.
“UMMMMM–A muffled shriek from Marcus echoes in the room as my dagger enters his flesh. I stumble a couple steps back and bump into a solid wall of muscle
Ethan’s voice rings above me, a bit annoyed, but mostly curious. “Why did you spare him, Ariella?”
It’s then my knees buckle and I start gasping for air. Ethan’s strong arm loops around my waist and he pulls me into his embrace. His finger lifts my chin, forcing me to look at his eyes.
“Why?” he asks again. “Did you forget what he’s done to you?”
“Of course not!” I shake my head. “I don’t know, Ethan. I just can’t bring myself to do it. If you must have an answer, I guess it’s because I’m too weak”
Tears stream down my face. I can’t believe it!
Myl hands cover.
cover my face. How could I give up my wolf for someone like Marcus I hate him, but at this moment, I hate myself even more! Fihan let out a low sigh. I thought he was about to persuade me to try again, however, what he says takes me by surprise.
“Oh well, in that case, we’ll just need to go with my original plan
B