I Volunteer As Tribute Novels & Stories

A wave of guilt consumed me as I continued. "The sacrifice needs to be a woman who is pregnant for this to work correctly, but I don't expect you to. We can try to make it work with anyone who volunteers." Cries of anguish and fear filled the room. To my surprise, one woman stood up. My heart ached as I watched her, her head held high as she moved forward. Many gasped as she stepped toward the front, parting to let her through. Creed and I stared at her in disbelief; it wasn't' something we expected. Many gave her a nod and bowed their heads as she walked forward. "I Rachel Bloodstone, wife and mate of Phillip Bloodstone volunteer." She shouted

“Tell me, Cristian, did we used to be close before?” “Not as much as me and your mother. But you used to call me Cris when you were younger. I guess Cristian is a start. I’ll take it,” he beamed, leaning against the bar counter. “She helped my family greatly back in the day and for that I’m forever indebted to the Vero family.” “She sounds like an exceptional person.”

Whose blood? My blood? Someone else's? I clenched my jaw, refusing to show hesitation or weakness. Lucas gestured toward a black bowl on the podium. Inside was a small white cloth with the Iron Vibe’s emblem, a coiled viper. “Hope you are not squeamish,” Lucas joked, and I resisted the urge to glare at him. “You must mark yourself and let the blood fall on the crest,” he continued with his serious voice. “It's a show of commitment and sacrifice and being bonded by blood. We are your brothers now.”

I kiss her lips gently then step back. One by one we walk up to the pyres with the torches to light the pyres. I am supposed to go first, each of the others right after me. She was a Luna, an Alpha. This is the tribute she deserves but all these people are equally important so we decide we will go all at once.

"My name... my life... I am part of an organization that exists in the shadows. The Argentum Order. I founded it nine years ago." "The people in that video," Aubrey asked, her voice small but brave. "Did you really have to kill them?" Travis found it harder to breathe. "Those people... were traitors. I made the rules. In that world, treason is met with death. I'm so sorry you had to see that side of me. If you want to leave because of it, if you want to cancel the wedding... I’ll accept it. I just don't want you to live in fear of me. If you want me to stop."

“They want to see if he’s like our father. Some are seeking to align with us.” “And is he?” I asked, biting the inside of my cheek with my teeth. "Are the tributes people?" Oliver’s head dipped down and he shook his head. “No, he’s fair. He wouldn’t put us in danger. Usually, the tributes are food, booze, or expensive gifts. Humans are not really traded anymore. I think Lucian just saw something in you that he wanted.” A door opened and Bash stuck his head out into the hallway, a lazy smile spreading across his lips. “Did you bring me my favorite person?”

I picture him outside in the snow, coat collar up, not looking back. My chest hurts. He was supposed to protect me, not trade me like a bag of coins. I feel small, alone, cold without his hand, even if that hand only ever hurt. We stop in front of one box. A small lamp on the wall gives dim yellow light. I look at the door. My breath catches in my throat. A crest is carved deep in the wood. Black wolf. Snow around its paws. Stars above its head. The Morozov crest. Even a child knows it. Even I know it.

We head out towards the armored SUV and I start it up. I haven’t seen the rest of the Gammas since my return, and hopefully they’re all not worked up like Levi here. The brides were an unwelcome addition to our peaceful lives, and I know they feel the exact same way as me. We don’t want this but know it would benefit our Alpha. “Section 33 today?” I ask, and watch as Levi reaches for the tablet on the dash. “Six unpaid tributes, three late for the last two months,” he says as he scrolls down the list of our debtors. “Ex Rogue packs.”

Raimere’s breath hitched and her body trembled more from anguish, than from the fear and pain that she felt at encountering a life and death ordeal. “Don’t worry, the Rogue Kingdom’s yearly tribute is just a week’s away, and it’s the perfect time for our clan to give tributes while helping you apologize for your offense to the Valerius clan.” Her father gave a satisfied smile that seemed to portray that everything worked out well. “We will give that half-breed as an extra tribute to the Valerius clan, and they will surely accept it willingly, cause even if she is a half-breed, that bastard child of mine was still born with a lunar gift.”

Her mind wandered away and she could only see the priest lips moving but she wasn’t hearing anything he was saying. Different pack members paid their last tribute to Milan, starting from the Luna and then to Ethan and other close people of Milan. Suddenly everywhere went silent and she wonders why all the pack members were staring deeply at her. “ Dana! It’s your turn,” the priest callled softly.It was them she realized she was being called to pay her tribute to Milan. She walked up there, her feet moving trudgingly on the floor. She lowered her gaze as she step in front of everybody. She felt the burning gaze of some pack members on her skin.