3. THE FAMILY RITUALS 

~ODETTE

Pain was the only constant emotion I had ever felt since I was a child. 

I had experienced it in many forms; physically, emotionally, mentally. . .

This ritual was just another form of pain which I could adapt to. I had endured constant whippings and tortures at the hands of my stepmother. 

I could take the burning coal. 

From the corner of my eyes, I saw Gaius making a call to his Prince again and he soon positioned his camera in my direction. 

I understood what was happening. He was making a video. 

Had I already caught the Demon Uncle's attention?

If so, then the show had just started. 

"Fine, I'll do it," I whispered. 

Rowena suddenly laughed. "Are you sure you can handle it? After all, you are very weak, even weaker than an omega." 

That little comment from her caused murmurs and whispers to start flying around. The crowd backed her up. They didn't believe I could do it. 

They were wrong. 

I took off my shoes and rubbed the numbing balm I always carried on me. I had made it myself years ago to numb the pain when Rowena started to whip me mercilessly. 

Adrian had someone bring pots of burning coals out like he had prepared ahead for this. 

They poured it out such that it formed a long hot trail of about three meters or more. The light in the sky began to darken and I looked up to see that it was going to rain soon. 

If only it could rain sooner and stop this madness before it even began. 

But my fate was already sealed and this was my chance to impress the Demon Rafael.  

"Ready, whenever you are," Adrian said. 

"I hope you haven't changed your mind, Big Sis. You must never go back on your words," Camille teased. 

I clenched my teeth together and placed the first foot on the burning coal. 

Pain shot through my leg and I gasped in shock. 

Camille and Rowena broke into laughter. A few snickers also came from the crowd. 

"Already regretting your decision?" Rowena asked but I ignored them. 

Now that I knew just how much it hurt, I could now adapt to the pain like I always did. 

I exhaled sharply as I felt my wolf come alive. I was slowly activating my healing powers and channelling it to my feet. 

No one knew that I inherited the healing powers in our bloodline. I had kept it hidden for my own protection in the Vale house. 

With my healing activated, I began to walk on the burning coal. The numbing balm wasn't doing much but it was helping and the instant healing from my powers helped me to keep going. 

My soul burned but I kept going. 

Slowly, all the laughter started dying down and turning into shock. 

"She's actually doing it," someone whispered. 

"I thought they said she was weak?" 

"Can you see? Her eyes are glowing! Didn't they say she had no wolf?" 

The ones who looked the most shocked were Rowena and Camille. 

I finally reached the end of the trail and I let out a shaky breath once my feet touched the ground. 

It hurt to stand so I accelerated my healing abilities to my feet until I felt the pain completely numb away. 

"Are you satisfied now?" I said as I turned to face Adrian. 

He opened his mouth to speak but no words left his lips. He was at a loss for words. 

No one breathed a word again as they all stared at me in disbelief. 

So I chose to break the silence. 

I faced Camille. "Your turn." 

"What?" Camille exclaimed. "My husband is here. He can vouch for me. I don't need to walk the coal!" 

But I grabbed her wrist instead. "As your elder, I have the right to tell you what to do and you will do as I say!" 

I dragged her to the trail of coal. 

"Mother! Adrian! This bitch has lost her mind!" Camille screamed. 

I threw a small amount of my numbing balm into the coal— it was highly flammable. 

This caused the fire from the coal to suddenly shoot up violently, right where Camille was standing. 

She screamed as she saw death.

Luckily, Adrian came in time and pulled her into his arms, out of harm's way. 

"Odette! Are you deliberately trying to harm my wife?" Adrian roared. 

I shrugged. "I was merely trying to discipline my sister. The future Wolf Queen must be willing to make huge sacrifices for her people. If she can't walk on a mere burning coal, how sure are we that she will be able to lay down her life for us?" 

This got the crowd murmuring and whispering again like they were now agreeing with me. 

"See, everyone thinks I have a point. Camille must also walk on the burning coal. After all, in her own words she said to always lead by example," I added. 

Camille was trembling visibly now. She had never had to go through any pain before. She was the sheltered most favored daughter at home. 

The worst part was that she also participated in the whipping sessions done to me by her mother. 

Karma was slowly coming for her too. 

Suddenly, cold wet air gushed at us. Lightning flashed in the air and the storm which I had noticed before finally came loose. 

It started raining. 

"I guess even the goddess has accepted Camille into the castle seeing as she sent rain to kill off the coal," Adrian said. "Let's all go inside." 

I was about to follow them in with Gaius by my side when Adrian placed his hand before us. 

"Where do you think you are going, Odette?" He demanded. "The ritual isn't over yet." 

He smirked and Gaius sighed this time. 

"You cannot enter the house until your husband brings you in himself. You'll have to wait here for him until the day he shows up," Adrian announced. 

I balled my hands into fists. Gaius tried to get me an umbrella but Adrian yanked it off him. 

"She gets nothing, no form of help whatsoever until her husband shows up," Adrian ordered. 

Camille giggled. "He's never going to show, is he?" 

"My uncle doesn't even care about this marriage. My grand-father is the one forcing him into it," Adrian answered. "We are doing him a favor."

"So you mean the Alpha King arranged all of this, then?" Camille asked. "She's so screwed. I was thinking that she would be dying by the hands of your uncle but instead, she'll be dying from staying out in the rain." 

They both laughed as they followed everyone inside and I was left outside, drenched in the rain that angrily poured on me. 

I looked up at the sky dejectedly. 

"I'm sorry, Mom," I whispered. "I doubt if I'd ever be able to get you the justice you deserve at this rate." 

My body began to tremble violently as the cold wind from the storm hit my body continuously. 

This ordeal reminded me of the time Rowena left me out in the rain as punishment for not finishing all the duties she had assigned to me. 

I was just thirteen at the time. In the end, I passed out in the rain. 

The irony, that day was beginning to repeat itself. Because I began to feel myself slowly swaying from side to side. 

If I didn't leave the rain soon enough, then I was going to pass out again and I didn't think that would look so amusing for the Demon Prince Rafael.

He'd probably leave me for dead here. 

I bit my lip hard until I drew blood. "Stay awake! Stay awake!" 

I was beginning to sway again— biting my lip obviously didn't work— when a black umbrella suddenly came over my head. I looked to my side immediately and was met with the most beautiful emerald green eyes I had ever seen in my entire life. 

And he whispered only three words that rippled through my core and awakened my wolf once again. 

"Let's go inside.”