Oath Of Devotion 소설 & 이야기

Giovanni released my arm. I sat. He stepped forward to take the oath. The ceremony began. I watched him — tall, broad, voice steady as he repeated the words. “I swear loyalty to the family. I swear to protect its honour. I swear to lead with strength and silence.” The bishop placed the ring on his finger — heavy gold, black onyx. The room erupted in applause. Giovanni turned, eyes finding mine. For a moment, the world narrowed to just us. Then someone touched my shoulder.

Everyone bowed their heads and muttered, “Alpha.” My chest tightened and I nodded. I looked towards my mother who nodded. Of course my father wasn't here, he had just renounced and he had to go through his own rites. He was now one of my elders. I cleared my throat. “Under the moon and with the goddess’ hem on my heels, I take this oath and I swear to be bound to you. In blood and in mind, I will serve and protect. My pack and my bride. Whom I will stand by, come sun, come moon and with whom I will lead this pack to greater heights.”

Linnea rose to her feet and knelt in the center of the room. There are three kinds of loyalty oaths. The first type is the loyalty oath which risks the neck. The second type is the loyalty oath which risks the heartbeat that is the source of life. Then the last, the type of loyalty oath that risks the blood in the whole body. The third type of loyalty oath is the oath that brings the most painful death, where the blood of a person who has been violated will be pulled out by the Moon Goddess slowly. The person would feel excruciating pain for three days until all the blood in his/her body dripped out through mouth.

Next to them was an older looking woman and two men. “…it is now time to say your vows." I directed my attention back to the altar. I hadn’t prepared anything special, I didn’t even have the time or the energy. I had to come up with something on the spot, and I expected Christian to do the same. “I, Hazel Bennett, promise to love you through thick and thin, through sickness and health, and promise to be there for you all the days of our lives.” I ran through the vows quickly and was done. It was now Christian’s turn. I looked at him expectantly.

“But if you truly want to join our cause, you’ll need to swear an oath of loyalty first.” I was not all too surprised that I needed to swear my loyalty to their cause. They needed to have my word in order for me to continue in their plans with them. I nodded in understanding and I started to feel the weight of the moment settle over me. “I’m ready to swear my loyalty to your cause.” I said, my voice firm. “Good.” The redhead stepped closer, her eyes locking onto mine. “Repeat after me. I pledge my life to the cause of freedom, to protect the weak, and to fight against the tyranny of the crown.”

Alex continued, "The oath you take today is not just words. It is a pledge of your heart and soul to the Gaia clan. It is a promise to defend our home, to stand by your fellow clan members, and to face any threat with bravery and integrity." The guardians knelt, their heads bowed in reverence. Alex and Kai moved along the line, each placing a hand on the guardians' shoulders. The air was thick with the solemnity of the moment, the weight of tradition and duty palpable. "Do you swear to protect the Gaia clan, to uphold its values, and to serve with honor and loyalty?" Alex's voice was clear and resolute. "We swear," the guardians responded in unison, their voices strong and unwavering.

I added, already made up my mind to reach out to them one of these days. But to my greatest surprise, Agatha my maid shook her head sideways, saying a few words that felt so strange. "She's an Oblate my queen." "Oblate?" What's that?" I gawked and Agatha slowly stared up at me, shocked that I have no idea what an oblate is. She spoke. "My lady Oblates are those who took an oath in the chambers of mercy, swearing to offer their whole life as a sacrifice. No marriage, no children, not even a time for themselves. All they do all their life is humanities."

"Adeline, are you sure you want to join the research program?" My mentor, Erica Graham, asked. Her eyes sparkled with hope, as she feared I might refuse again. She added, "You've always said you wanted to stay here, get married, and settle down. What made you change your mind?" I took the confidentiality agreement from her hand and signed it without hesitation. I explained, "Something bad happened yesterday. It made me realize my future matters more than being with him.

They wanted to bind themselves and their bloodlines to her service not because duty demanded it, but because they'd witnessed something that convinced them she deserved devotion that transcended mortality itself. Blood oath. Generational binding. Service that would continue long after everyone present had passed into memory. She'd gained more than rescued guards. She'd gained something precious beyond description—people who understood exactly what she was capable of and chose to serve her anyway. People whose loyalty had been tested in fire and emerged stronger than steel. People who would never doubt her again, never question her methods, never underestimate what she would do to protect wha

“And I’m not the one who razed a fortress to claim a woman who stopped being his the second he turned her into a target.” Alessia saw the flinch ripple across Dante’s face. “You don’t know anything about us,” he said coldly. The woman smiled thinly. “I know she loved you. And you used that to break her.” Alessia stepped between them. “Enough.” Dante lowered his gun—slightly. “Alessia, we don’t have time for riddles. That vault isn’t just a myth. It holds the contracts. The original blood oath between our families.”