Chapter Seven

When I returned to my room after the grueling two-hour training session, I immediately headed for the bathroom. Without hesitation, I turned on the faucet, allowing the bathtub to fill with hot, steamy water. The thought of adding bubbles crossed my mind, but I was too drained and eager to soak my aching body.

As the tub filled, I shed my workout clothes and eased myself into the water. I didn't mind the scalding heat; I simply craved the soothing relief it promised. My entire body submerged, I reclined, closed my eyes, and surrendered to the bliss of relaxation. Exhaustion weighed me down, and soon, I drifted off into a deep slumber.

In my dreams:

""Millie..." The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as the darkness enveloped me.

"Millie..." Finally, I turned to face the source of the familiar yet chilling voice.

"This is just a dream," I asserted, trying to convince myself.

"This isn't a dream, Millie. I'm really here."

"No, no, no, this is a dream," I protested, shaking my head in disbelief, unwilling to accept what I was seeing and hearing.

"If this was just a dream, would I be able to do this?" He approached me, sliding his hands under my shirt as his other hand ventured to an inappropriate place.

"No!" I screamed, jolting upright in the bathtub, tears streaming down my face.

"Jesus, are you okay?" My servant inquired.

"Yes, sorry, just a bad dream," I stammered, wiping my tears away.

"Well, get out of the shower, I have to get you ready for your ceremony."

I looked at her, perplexed. It was around noon when I had finished my brutal training. She stepped closer to where I was sitting in the bathtub, holding out a blue towel for me to wrap around myself.

I stood up in the now cold water, walked over to her, and allowed her to wrap the towel around me. She left the bathroom and returned to my room.

"Dry up and come over here so I can do your hair and make-up."

I dried my body, put on my burgundy silk robe, entered my bedroom, and took a seat at the vanity chair. My servant began working on my hair, brushing and styling it until it was pinned up in a royal fashion. Then, she proceeded to apply my makeup.

Once she had finished, I turned towards the mirror and gasped in shock. She had used all-natural-looking colors, but I looked like royalty.

"So, you do know who I am," I remarked, studying her as she stood near my closet.

"I don't know who you are, but I know who you are to the king."

"Does anyone else know?

"No, but they will after tonight. Now come here so I can dress you."

I got up and walked to my closet. She pulled out an all-silver long gown with small, shiny gold stones adorning the dress. She helped me put the dress on without messing up my hair and makeup, and then she handed me silver heels to put on. With that done, she turned and began walking out of the room.

"You coming or what?" She sounded impatient.

My feet started moving, and I followed her through various halls, making numerous turns, and eventually stepping outside. The area was deserted, with no one in sight. After a few more minutes of walking, we entered a grand hall that resembled a church.

As the doors closed, resonating with a loud BOOM, all eyes in the hall turned toward me. Nervousness caused beads of sweat to form on my forehead. I hadn't anticipated having to walk past the entire pack like this. My initial instinct was to hurry towards where Damon stood, but my servant firmly took my arm, guiding me at a slow and deliberate pace.

"Just breathe and stay calm," my servant whispered to me, her voice soothing. "Lift your head high, exude confidence, and don't reveal your nervousness. You are their queen, after all."

Following her advice, I held my head high, trying to look as regal as possible. When we finally reached the front of the hall, I exhaled and offered a smile to Damon. An archbishop approached, handing me a book to hold with one hand on it, and began to speak.

"Madam, is Your Majesty willing to take the oath?" The archbishop asked, and for a moment, I froze, unsure of what to say or how to respond.

"You're supposed to say, 'I am willing,'" Damon's voice unexpectedly echoed in my mind.

Surprised by the mental link, I thought, *I haven't been officially welcomed into his pack yet, how is he mind-linking me?*

Damon's reassuring voice returned, *Don't worry about that. Just say the words. I'll guide you through this.*

I followed Damon's guidance, responding to the archbishop's questions as confidently as I could.

"I am willing," I finally replied, feeling a couple of whispers and murmurs from behind me. However, when Damon cast a stern look toward those who had spoken, they fell silent, and the church returned to a hush.

The archbishop continued his questions, and I continued to answer, still relying on Damon's guidance.

"Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the peoples of the Blood Moon Pack and all packs around the world and your possessions and the other Territories to any of them belonging or pertaining, according to their respective laws and customs?"

"I solemnly promise to do so."

"Will you, to your power, cause law and justice, in mercy, to be executed in all your judgments?"

"I will."

As the archbishop continued with the solemn questions, I listened carefully, understanding the gravity of the moment.

"Will you, to the utmost of your power, maintain the laws of God and the true profession of the gospel? Will you, to the utmost of your power, maintain the Blood Moon Pack, the protestant Reformed Religion established by law? Will you maintain and preserve inviolable the settlement of the church of the Blood Moon Pack and the doctrine, worship, discipline, and government thereof, as by law established in the Blood Moon Pack? And will you preserve unto the bishop and clergy of the Blood Moon Pack, and to the churches there committed to their charge, all such rights, and privileges, as by law do or shall appear to them or any of them?"

As I made my oath, I could feel the weight of my commitment. With determination, I walked up to the altar where a medieval-looking sword awaited. Laying my right hand on the book I had been given earlier, I spoke my oath before the entire pack.

“The things which I have promised here today, I will perform and keep, so help me God.”

After taking the oath, I kissed the Bible and signed my commitment, returning to my place. The archbishop approached me, offering a welcoming handshake and a kiss on the cheek. Yet, as I stood there, an intense heat washed over me, and dizziness clouded my senses. The room seemed to pulsate with power.

"What is happening?" I questioned in my mind.

"Just breathe; it's your power emerging for the first time. It's as if all this while, you've been under a spell that concealed your abilities, rendering them invisible and undetectable. Consequently, your entire potential has surfaced at once. Just breathe," the reassuring voice advised.

"I can't... I can't concentrate on anything. There's a buzzing in my ears," I replied frantically. My vision blurred as my eyes rolled back, and a cacophony of voices and words swirled around me. "Alright, witches, our duty is to safeguard this child from prying eyes. No one must discern her true identity or sense her powers until the appointed time. Join me in the chant for the glamour spell: 'Quidquid requiritur fiat.'"

The incantation echoed relentlessly, voices uniting as they repeated the incantation.

"Quidquid requiritur fiat, quidquid requiritur fiat!" they chanted in unison, huddled around a tiny infant, and this memory manifested as a shadowy recollection.

"Now, hearken, ancient Gods, this child's abilities must remain concealed from all. Witches, repeat after me," declared the leader, her long white hair flowing as she raised her arms towards the heavens.

"Phasmotos Oculacs, phasmotos Oculacs, Phasmotos Oculacs," they all boomed in unison. Suddenly, the lights extinguished, and I crumpled to the ground, gasping for breath.

Initially, I was plunged into darkness, as if rendered blind. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I heard my own labored breathing.

"I just recalled a memory," I mused silently. My body gradually relaxed, and once my powers were tamed, I succumbed to unconsciousness, the last thing I sensed being someone lifting me from the floor.