Chapter 34: Spilled Blood

ELAINE

^SIX YEARS AGO, SAKURA PACK…^

“You really think you can take me down?” Yuki grumbled, his face twisted in disbelief. I just laughed and ducked to avoid his swing.

“Depends on how much I want to win,” I replied, grinning.

Yuki just shook his head, and I took that as my cue to strike. His arm snaked around my neck, but I pushed back hard, flipping us both over.

With a muffled grunt, I drove my elbow into Yuki’s face. He winced, clutching his nose.

“Damn, Elaine!” Yuki cursed, his hand coming away bloody.

I got up, dusted myself off, and strolled over to the bench where our water bottles sat. I handed one to Yuki, who snatched it from me and plopped down in front of me.

“Are you still planning on doing that?” he asked, wiping his mouth.

“Doing what exactly?” I asked, reaching for my towel.

“You know what I’m talking about,” Yuki mumbled, glancing around the arena.

We were alone, the training grounds deserted. It was almost evening, which meant everyone else was probably in the cafeteria, getting ready for dinner.

I sat down next to Yuki, resting my arms on my knees, and stared out at the woods where the tower stood.

The massive structure loomed in the shadows of the night, a stark contrast to the lands we called home. I kept staring, lost in thought, as Yuki sighed next to me.

“You don’t have to do it, Elaine. It’s too risky,” he said, reaching for my hand. “I’m worried about what might happen.”

“But life is all about taking risks, Yuki. If I don’t do this, I’ll never get what I want,” I shot back.

Yuki fell silent, gently stroking my hand.

“It was your mother’s dream.”

“And it’s mine too,” I said, pulling my hand away. “My mother wanted to be queen, but my father…”

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself.

“Your father messed up. I know you never got to meet your mother, and she made it clear what she wanted, but that doesn’t mean you have to force it on yourself. You’re not to blame, Elaine.

“You shouldn’t risk your life for this! The moon goddess was clear about the punishment. Please, listen to me. Take my advice for once, and don’t do it.”

“I can’t stop it,” I said, moving to the center of the arena. “I’ve already made my choice.”

“But you can! You’ve been pushing this for two years!” Yuki argued. “Go apologize!”

With a sad smile, I shook my head.

“I can’t,” I said, sprinting off into the dense woods.

Panting, I stopped just before the tower. Its eerie presence sent a chill down my spine.

The tower, the eye of the wolves.

A place where you could see the entire pack land that surrounded the mountain and where, every two years, you could summon magic power if the moon goddess granted you permission.

I swallowed hard, remembering her last words before I left the temple. She was clear enough for me to regret my decision, but I didn’t have any doubts. I wanted to do this.

Taking careful steps, I made my way into the tower until I reached the entrance.

I peeked through the door, checking for anyone who might be in the tower, especially the alphas.

No one who wasn’t part of the council was allowed in the tower. You needed permission, or you would be breaking the rules we were taught in school when we became wolves.

But I didn’t need permission. My blood was enough to grant me access to the tower. All I had to do was offer my blood, and I could enter the tower whenever I wanted.

Closing the door behind me, I walked over to the edge, scanning the area for anyone who might have seen me.

So far, it seemed like the coast was clear. Not even the patrol was out on the cliffs, so I felt safe enough to proceed.

Crouching down, I pulled out the small duffle bag I had slung over my hip. Inside was a dagger, white chalk, lavender flowers, and an old bone from a lycan.

I stared at the bone. Its off-white color and small cavities made me gulp, a small wave of fear creeping up my spine.

A shiver ran down my back, making me question my decision.

Maybe Yuki was right. Maybe I shouldn’t be doing this.

Closing my eyes, I remembered what I had read in my mother’s diary: her deepest desires, and what my father had done to her.

I gripped the bone so hard my eyes started to water.

Taking a deep breath, I dropped the bone back into the duffle bag.

Picking up the chalk, I began to draw the pentagram I had memorized from the books in the library.

A triangle with a circle in the middle and the seven points of a strange star, each line carrying a small enchantment as I drew them.

Once I finished, I scattered the lavender flowers around the lines. Then, crushing the bone, I cut my palm and let my blood mix with the bone in a small bowl.

I was only missing two things: reciting the incantation and bathing in the blood once the full moon shone down on the pentagram.

I waited patiently for the clouds to clear and the moon to shine brightly down on me.

My hands trembled as I gripped the bowl. I didn’t know if it was fear, excitement, or something else. But I wanted this to be over.

As I lifted the bowl over my head and the moonlight bathed me, I recited the incantation five times.

I felt the air shift, and the pentagram began to hum, causing the tower to shake.

My eyes darted down. I couldn’t stop now. I had to keep going.

Ignoring the loud rumbling, I swallowed my anxiety and continued reciting. After the fifth incantation, I poured the blood over my head, letting it cover my body.

With my eyes closed, I dropped the bowl to the side, waiting for something, anything, to happen.

But it was eerily quiet—no wind, no sound, not even the beat of my heart.

Thinking it might not have worked, I picked up the dagger again, only to double over in pain. It felt like my skin was on fire.

I whimpered, my grip on the dagger tightening until it snapped in half.

A scream tore from my throat as I tried to scrub the blood off my skin. It seared like a brand, reducing me to tears.

I crawled out of the pentagram, only to be met with a blinding light that made me flinch.

“Elaine, I warned you there would be consequences,” the Moon Goddess said, stepping out of the light. “You defied me.”

I couldn’t respond. The blood that was still scorching my skin made it impossible to move, let alone speak.

“You’re going to pay for this, Elaine,” the Moon Goddess said, her voice a low growl as she moved closer. “You didn’t just defy me. You betrayed your own principles, your self-respect.”

Her words sparked a fury in me.

“And you underestimated me, Goddess!” I shot back. “I told you what I wanted, what I needed!”

“Yes, and your mother wanted revenge. But this isn’t your fight, Elaine. It’s between your father and me!” she shouted.

“This was never your battle. Not when you’re just an innocent child.”

The Moon Goddess knelt in front of me, cradling my bloodied face in her hands.

“You’re going to pay a steep price,” she said, her voice heavy with sorrow. “It breaks my heart.”

“I don’t need your pity,” I spat, wrapping my arms around myself. Tears welled up in my eyes and I sniffled. “Just grant me my wish.”

She looked at me, her white eyes filled with a sadness that seemed to say this was the last time she would feel that way about me.

I didn’t know how to process it. All her emotions were flooding through her touch, through the bond that connected us.

“Please!” I pleaded as another wave of heat washed over me. “I have to do this!”

The Moon Goddess frowned, then finally nodded.

“Listen to me, Elaine. For every year that passes until you turn twenty-one, I will take something you hold dear. I won’t tell you when or how. It will just happen, and you’ll know it.

“I’ll grant your wishes, but if I come to claim what’s yours before you achieve your wish, you’ll have no choice but to lose what you dream of having.

“This will be your punishment until I decide otherwise.

“And because you’re my child, I’ll show you some mercy and erase half of tonight’s memories, until you gradually remember what you’ve done.”

I gasped for breath as she leaned in closer.

“Now tell me your wishes, Elaine, and I’ll claim those in return if you don’t fulfill them in time,” she said.

I licked my lips, my hand moving to my side. My body was shaking from the unbearable pain.

“Speak,” the Moon Goddess commanded.

I tried to keep my lips sealed, but her command forced them to voice my deepest desires.

“Become an unbeatable lycan. Make Sorin my mate. Have a child, ascend to the throne, and avenge my mother’s death at my father’s hands!” I said, my voice filled with anger.

The Moon Goddess had forced me to voice my deepest desires, the ones I had been so reluctant to admit.

Overwhelmed, I lashed out at her, and she grabbed my arms.

I struggled, trying to break free from her grip.

My chest ached as I screamed at her in anger.

These were secrets only Yuki knew. I had kept them locked away in my heart, where they only caused me pain every time I thought of them.

They were both my dreams and my nightmares. And now she knew just how twisted my thoughts and my heart really were.

Releasing me, the Moon Goddess stood and took a step back.

“Those desires will lead you nowhere, Elaine. They’re just filled with hatred and greed. You’ve disappointed me,” she said, shaking her head.

“I had hoped that the future I saw in you would be the one I had planned for you. But now that I know your true desires, I can only see a dark path ahead.

“Remember, Elaine, I will come to collect the debt. There will be no mercy for you. Pray that I might find some compassion for you along the way, and perhaps, just perhaps, I might reconsider.”

With those final words, she vanished, and the entire building shook. The rooftop collapsed, and I was buried beneath the rubble.