Chapter 138
Chapter 138
Auren POV
Tarian ran to get the pups. I sat next to Lucien in the car along with Elias and the Shaman. His head was heavy in my lap. His face was pale and his lips were slightly parted as he took shallow breaths. Right now was not the time to panic. But I was panicking. How could I not? My mate, my love, my husband was on the verge of dying. My bond was weakening by the minute. It felt like sand slipping through my hands. I brushed my trembling hand across his cheek. “Just hold on. Please hold on.” Once he was fine, once he woke up, I was going to fight with him. And that made me cry more.
The car rumbled through the forest. It bumped along the gravel and dirt road which led to the ruins. The closer we got, the heavier the air became with magic. The same dark and oppressing magic. It felt like the trees were watching us. They were whispering of our doom.
As soon as we pulled up to the edge of the Eldermere ruins, I felt the ancient magic thick around me. “Take him to the altar,” I said to the guards.
Along with the guards, Elias carried Lucien to the altar as guided by the Shaman. In their arms, Lucien looked so helpless, so pale that I wanted to curl into him, to give my body’s warmth. I had never felt so hopeless and desperate.
The moment we were close to the altar, I sensed the magic around me, not threatening–but waiting.
Tarian had come by then along with Vivi with both my pups in their arms bundled in soft blankets. They handed me the pups. Tamara and Bradley cooed and squirmed in my arms, like even they could sense something was wrong around them.
I stood in front of the altar with my babies nestled against my chest. Then I looked at the Shaman and waited for his instructions. He asked the guards to place Lucien at the foot of the altar. Once they placed him in front of the altar, they all backed away.
“Call upon the shadows,” he instructed me.
I nodded tightly, clutching my pups tightly. This was it. Either we all lived, or we all died. To hell with this world. If the Moon Goddess didn’t appreciate her own creation, then there was no point in living.
I closed my eyes and from my heart I said, “Please,” I whispered into the silence. “Please, I’ve brought them. I have also brought your heirs. If there’s anything left of this bond, if there’s anything sacred about it–please save him.” My pups started getting agitated in my arms. They both opened their eyes and I expected them to cry anytime. This was too much for us, then imagine what it would be for the pups?
The altar in front of me vibrated. Shadows began to rise out of it, stretching from its edges, curling and twisting like smoke made solid.
I pressed my lips and allowed them to reach us. My knees wobbled, mimicking my courage. “Don’t take him from me,” I implored them. “Not after all this. He didn’t reject his mate. He always stood by me despite numerous hurdles. He even gave you heirs.”
The shadows hissed, and then they began to rise. They slid out from between the cracked altar. They pooled and twisted around us as they made their way toward us. They weren’t in a hurry. Instead, they moved slowly, like they were curious. Like they were testing us.
One long shadow crept across the floor, brushing over Lucien’s leg. It didn’t hurt him. It just watched him. I held my breath as I stared at it. Lucien lay motionless in front of me, his head lolled to one side. Blood was still trickling out of his chest as the thorny vibes pulsed. But they had slowed down, like they responded to the shadows.
One shadow curled around my leg. I stiffened as I clenched my teeth, panic coursing through me wildly. It slithered up and reached Tamara. She squirmed in my arm and my breath caught. Goddess, please help me–I sent a silent prayer.
The shadow brushed over her delicately. Tamara let out a tiny yawn and her eyes opened fully. She saw the shadow in front of her and without fear, she reached out for it as if it was a toy. Her little finger closed around the tail end of the shadow. A
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12:50 Thu, 17 Apr
Chapter 138
soft gasp escaped me.
30/%!
+5
The shadow wriggled to get free, but it seemed like Tamara was holding it tightly. My panic morphed into surprise. Tamara could actually feel the shadows? Were they so thick that she caught them?
Bradley was curious and quiet in my other arm. And suddenly, he reached out too. His pudgy fingers latched onto another shadow that had slithered over me. I was expecting the shadows to whirl around us, creating chaos, but they were ever so gentle.
When Bradley’s fingers closed around the shadow, the shadows froze. I watched in complete disbelief as the ancient spirits whimpered. They whimpered like pups. They didn’t hiss anymore like they used to. Instead, they… wagged.
It seemed like the shadow wolves—those ancient, cursed creatures, were playing with my babies. Surprise flared through
- me.
One curled around Tamara’s leg like a black, smoky ribbon, and she kicked playfully, cooing. Another one draped over Bradley’s chest like a blanket. He just blinked up at it, wide eyes. He brought his hand over the shadow and tried to grab it, lifting it in front of his face. He darted his tongue out as if to taste them. I gasped. The shadow retreated, whimpering, as if not liking the idea of being tasted by my pup. My pups started moving their hands up and down in a motion that looked like they were using the shadows like whips. And both of them giggled as they did it, while the shadows whimpered or hissed. It seemed like the shadows were getting irritated by the pups‘ antics. They tried to wriggle away, but my pups weren’t leaving them.
More shadows rose and moved slowly toward Lucien.
“No,” I cried out and knelt beside him. “Please spare him,” I implored them. “He didn’t come earlier because he was protecting me and his pups.”
I was expecting the shadows to strike him one last time and take him away from me. But what happened next shocked me.
