I don’t give a fuck about the pain. It’s nothing compared to the anguish of losing my mate. I was an idiot to let her sacrifice herself for me, but it won’t happen again.
This time, I’m doing the sacrificing.
One of the links of the choke collar has a catch. All I have to do is shift to human form and unlatch it to get myself free, but when I read the Warden’s lips about sacrificing me in front of Aster, I decide to bide my time and wait until then. As soon as I have eyes on my mate, I trust I will know what to do.
It’s a weak plan, but it’s all I’ve got. Getting myself battered isn’t ideal, but I’m trusting my wolf will pull out all the reserves of energy and power for Aster.
They drag me out, bloody and beaten. The hallway is filled with red-eyed wolves, lurking in man form. There’s something off about them. I can sense a red tinge to the air around them–maybe their auras?
They lead me to the forest.
The Warden walks in front of me. Two red-eyed enforcers drag me in chains behind him. A crowd of hundreds of wolves in human form part as we come through. I smell excitement, anticipation, fear, wonder. Some horror. This pack is used to violent spectacles. A part of them probably craves it–as long as they’re not the ones suffering.
Through my paws on the earth, I sense the pulse of a steady beat. A drum, perhaps. The ritual has begun.
I peer through the blood dripping in my eyes to the black obsidian altar nestled at the base of the Celestial Cradle.
A surge of electricity runs through my body and every bit of fur that’s not matted with blood or silver dust on me stands on end.
My mate.
My beautiful mate stands like some ethereal goddess on the altar. Aster appears unharmed, dressed in a filmy white robe with the moonstone tiara on her head. Power and magic emanate from her.
For a horrible moment, I wonder if I was wrong to come. If she did, indeed, mean to take her rightful place by Aiden’s side and forsake me as her mate.
The Warden climbs up beside Aster and points at her feet. The enforcers heave me up on the cold stone.
The Warden addresses the throng. I don’t watch his lips. Instead, I stare up at Aster, my heart balanced on the tip of an ice pick.
She doesn’t look at me. Her face is a serene mask. I don’t even scent fear on her. I just feel power vibrating from her.
Something cold shimmers beside her. If I narrow my lids, I can make out the edges of a large wolf guarding her.
A spirit, perhaps? One of the Grandmothers?
A soft energy blankets me. My pain disappears. Wounds close–even beneath the silver chain. Whether Aster is feeding energy into me or just being near her is healing, I can’t be sure. I still don’t know for certain what Aster wants.
Either way, the moment is now. I need to figure out if Aster wants saving and start fighting my way out of here if I’m going to survive.
Except I’m realizing my plan is total shit. I’m surrounded by hundreds of enemy wolves. I don’t see how we’re going to get out of this alive. Esme and Sully worked out an escape route for us but even if Aster wants saving, it’s the two of us against maybe five hundred wolves.
But I plan to go down fighting. They sure as fuck won’t be binding my mate to another male today.
The moon begins to disappear behind a dark swathe of clouds.
The Warden produces a long curved obsidian blade with a jagged edge. He grasps my scruff to lift my hanging head and bare my throat. “Time to atone for your sins, Seeress.”
Aster
Oh fate, Noah.
Grandmothers, no!
I flick my hand to signal Hugh, and the ghost wolf charges. He’s incorporeal, but when his ghostly form leaps through the Warden, the man staggers back a step. His face under his absurd face paint leaches of all color.
The power of the eclipse pours into me, activating the moonstone in the tiara and cycling through every energy center in my body.
Noah seizes the moment, sinking his teeth into the Warden’s hand and snapping his head to send the knife flying.
