CHAPTER 3~ THE RITUAL

"Shall my trial begin?"

He looked at her, his stare was cold, no empathy even though he was looking at his Luna. “Yes," he intoned, the word echoing across the now silent grounds. "We shall begin your trial."

The elder stepped forward, clearing his throat to begin. "Linessa Raven, are the charges brought up against you true? Are you unfit to bear a child, thus rendering you unworthy to be a mate and, consequently, a Luna?"

“I confess that I am unfit to bear a child, but that doesn’t implicate my duty as a mate or a Luna.”

“I doubt that Miss Raven, one of a Luna’s main duty is to bear the alpha a child. If you are unable to do that, then that title doesn’t belong to you and neither does the title of being a woman. For that you will be punished by death, one far colder than any other; your punishment will be rejection.”

If Linessa was still in a weak state of mind, then she'd lose her composure. However, she'd long ago accept that this would be her fate. “I accept.”

“Good… Now go ahead, Alpha Kenneth.”

Kenny ~the name she called him when they were behind closed doors~ stepped forward until he stood directly in-front of her. “I; Kenneth Drew Cole reject you; Linessa Sloane Raven as my mate. You are no longer Luna of this pack, but even after death, you will remain a member that contributed your life to it.”

Linessa tried to hold it in, the scream that manifested from the very pit of her stomach, but she couldn’t. The pain that erupted from his words was far too violent, so much so that it pulled that loud and agonizing scream out of her.

She saw the vivid flashes all fade into nothingness; recollected memories of him and her. The smiles, the laughs, the hugs, the kisses...the happiness they shared or at least the happiness she thought they shared.

At the end of her searing scream, she fell to her knees in front of him. The impact jarred her bones, but she barely felt it over the bond being ripped to shreds in her chest, cutting her numerous times on the inside.

Kenneth knelt down in front of her, index finger lifting her chin and steadying her face so she looked only at him. “You accepted the punishment, Linessa, accept my rejection as well.”

Linessa breathed out heavily, trying hard to catch her breath, her body felt heavy, it was as if she was too weak to manage her own weight. “I…I…”

“Just say it and everything will be over…two words, angel.”

No sympathy laid in those eyes as he urged her to end herself…nothing, not even a tiny bit of love. And mind you, these were the same eyes that once looked at her as though she was a diamond in a world full of stones, the same eyes that once regarded her with respect and longing. She couldn’t believe it, how could he have played her so well for five whole years? Regardless, she choked out the words… “I…I ac-accept.”

A violent and immediate pain exploded along the side of her neck where his mark had been, pulling harsh and dragged breaths from her lips. It felt like her skin was set ablaze; the fire burning away at the one thing that displayed the bond between them…the one thing that enabled their connection.

A chuckle departed from his lips…those lips that used to envelope hers so passionately. She didn't miss them, she just regretted that she'd ever yearned for them to touch her, regretted that she had once been attached to such an evil man. “Thank you, Linessa.”

He then let go of her chin, and her head hung immediately. Uncalled for tears dripped down her cheeks and then onto the podium. Her lungs felt like they were failing, she was fighting to breathe…fighting to live.

And her limbs felt the same; paralyzed, the pain not allowing her the chance to even move. She'd promised not to cry, she'd begged herself not to, but she couldn't hold the tears in no matter how hard she tried to blink them away...and she wasn't crying because she sought pity...these tears were forged from the pain.

“Release her hands.”

Linessa knew it was the elder’s voice, but she was too disoriented to care, or rather to focus. Her consciousness was in and out, her vision blurry. This pain wasn’t one she’d even wish upon her enemies.

She felt as someone freed the shackles around her wrist and she heard as the chains fell, then the elder spoke again. “She has accepted the rejection, it is now time for the ceremony to begin. Alpha Kenneth…”

With the little strength Linessa had left, she forced her head up, watching as the elder handed Kenneth a knife. “Tonight, a new bond will form from the death of an old one. A new luna will be crowned, one that shall bring forth prosperity to the Night Howl Pack. She will bring forth a son, a future leader, she will do the wonders this pitiful being couldn’t…and tonight under the gaze of the moon goddess, Miss Raven’s blood will quench their thirst and pave the path to a new future.”

The priest lifted Linessa’s right arm, giving it to Kenneth, and he slowly slid the knife in his hand across her wrist. Pain flooded her, but it was nothing compared to the pain in her heart, the pain of rejection…of this betrayal that crippled her. 

The knife was passed to Katya and her left wrist was cut, and then both her hands were clamped together, dripping blood into a golden goblet.

When it was full, they let her loose and she fell completely against the floor, gasping for air.

Her eyes were hazy, but she saw as Kenneth took the first gulp of her blood, and then the goblet was passed to Katya who drank what was left inside.

This was the only moment in her life where she wished she had poison in her blood.

“You two can now seal your bond with a mark and your…prosper…unforgettable…lead this pack togther…the moon…”

The words faded out as Linessa finally lost consciousness, falling into a sleep that would probably last forever. But before everything went black, she looked up at the moon that shone bright above her head…and chanted a prayer that she wanted to end in nothing but blood.

'Goddess, do not grant me peace...that's not what I bent my knee to ask for. If I am to die tonight, then let my soul stay behind as a rot in the soil. Kenneth wanted a perfect garden of roses, let my blood be the salt that ensures nothing ever grows there again. May every breath he draws carry the bitterness of the herbs he fed me, and may the scent of Katya turn to ash in his throat. If my whole life was a lie, then let my death be the truth that burns their house down. Let my shadow take them down a bloody path that leads to their graves, but first, I must ask that they suffer just as I did tonight.'