Rise of the Rejected Luna - Chapter 190

Chapter 190: _You Have To Wake UP
 

Phoebe

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Iona left abruptly after her announcement, leaving us frozen in silence.

I rubbed my forehead in deep thought, uncertainty filled my mind. The least she could have done was explain what the mind cleansing ritual entailed.

Her dismissive tone and disrespect me greatly grated on my nerves, leaving my fists obliviously clenched at my sides. I had heard of women trying to steal one’s husband, but a bitch doing her best to ensure I got the message… I, who was his legal wife?

It was uncalled for. Absolutely first class bitchy style.

Argh… I despise her!

One by one, the others rose from their seats in silence, leaving the room. I suppose they had lost their appetites at the mention of a ritual.

I glanced at Kaene, who looked just as disturbed as I was. Desperation welled within me as I turned to Elder Gita to ask my questions. I believe she must know what a mind cleansing ritual was, judging from her experience and spiritual intelligence.

As if she could read my mind, she said softly, “I don’t know what Iona meant but I do have an idea.” Her tone hinting at mystery.

I knew she was knowledgeable about these things.

I shifted my gaze to Kaene, reaching to his hand and gently squeezing it. He met my eyes with a smile that comforted me and melted my worries for a moment.

In this world, we only had each other. We had gone through a lot and we survived them all. From night the moon goddess chose me, the Luna ball and finally my betrayal. We would always stand strong, together.

“May I continue?” Elder Gita asked, her eyes teasing.

My face flushed as I realized that she had seen my little exchange with Kaene. At this rate, I shouldn’t be so uptight around my husband, outdoors or not. He was MINE. I might as well let the world see and bask in that fact.

“Yes, please continue.” Kaene said, taking the chance to speak.

Elder Gita nodded before she spoke again “In the past, mind cleansing rituals were performed by witches on a person suspected of harboring evil intentions against them. After capturing such a person, they would be forced to undergo the ritual.”

She took a short breath, as if her next words were too heavy to say.

“We are being treated as prisoners?” Kaene’s voice was laced with anger as he ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “I came here with dignified members of my pack, and this is what we’ve been reduced to—prisoners. I will not tolerate this disrespect!”

I made no efforts to calm him because I felt the same way too. He was an Alpha, not one to be trifled with.

We respected their witchy hierarchical system.

The least they could do was respect ours.

I understood they were the ancients, but Kaene was a leader as well. One shouldn’t treat guests who came in peace like enemies, should they?

What dark game were these witches playing at?

Elder Gita’s voice rang out in a firm tone, “You need to stay calm, Alpha. Listen to me.”

Kaene slammed his hands on the table, burning with rage. “No, I will not stay calm!” Even I refused to stay calm. It was time to voice our thoughts. They had no rights to dictate our actions or force us into what we didn’t want.

“Do you want to fight or do you want to know what this ritual entails?” Elder Gita asked, leaning back in her chair.

Oh, I would love to fight. But I was refraining from that for the sake of the pack, it almost seemed like these witches we’re testing out patience.

On second thought, it would be better to know about this ritual and prepare ourselves.

I reached for Kaene’s hand, intertwining my fingers with his hoping that would calm him. “We need to know what this ritual means. You have to calm down.” I said to him softly.

He stared at me, contemplating what to do before drawing in a long breath. Finally, he calmed down.

We both turned to Elder Gita, waiting for her to speak. Adjusting her dress, she continued, “The ritual starts with the person lying in the middle of enchanted candles while being forcefully put to sleep with ancient spells.” She spoke with a strange calm, her voice comforting me.

I was so focused that I almost forgot to blink.

“The real cleansing begins when the person is asleep.” she continued.

“Then, they start having a dream. In this dream, their greatest wish comes to pass and their worst nightmare comes to life.”

Oh Goddess. I felt chills run down my spine.

“What you have to do is survive your worst nightmare and find a way to wake up by daybreak.”

Elder Gita finally paused.

“What happens if I don’t wake up?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper as dread took hold of me.

This was a dangerous ritual. Was this what Iona had spoken about so nonchalantly?

“If you don’t wake up, your soul is lost forever. It will keep wandering for eternity.”

Oh Shit! My heart pounded in fear, the grave reality of the situation crashing in.

Our lives were at risk. How does this even relate to mind cleansing?

“Elder Gita, what do we do? We have to warn the others.” I said, trembling with fear, this was no joke.

“You have to pass my exact words to everyone.” She said.

I turned to Kaene, who was oddly quiet. “Kaene, say something!”

He stiffened at my sudden outburst. Did he zone out?

We had no time to dally.

“Go gather the others, I’ll be waiting outside.” He instructed.

I nodded in agreement, as I rose up from my seat. However, before I could leave the room, Elder Gita spoke once more.

“Remember, you have till nightfall. And may the Goddess shine her light on all of you.”

I didn’t wait a second longer. Sprinting out of the room, I headed down the hallway where our rooms were situated.

There was no time to knock on each door, so I screamed.

“Everyone! Get out right now!” My voice laced in raw panic.

I didn’t care if Iona heard me. The walls vibrated slightly from the force of my voice.

Sir Alan was the first to step out, his face etched in a frown. He looked visibly displeased.

“Luna, what is this about?” He spat out.

“This is not the time for arguments.” I said dismissively, shutting him up.

Soon enough, Lycan Davos emerged, looking confused but saying nothing. I crossed my arms over my chest, tapping my foot furiously as I waited for Negan and Sir Elijah.

Finally, they stepped out of their respective rooms.

I straightened my stance as I began to speak, “I apologize for rudely interrupting whatever you might have going on, but we have urgent matters to discuss.”

I paused, scanning their faces to ensure I had their attention.

“Kaene is waiting outside and we need to have a meeting right now about the ritual happening tonight.”

I turned back, leading the way. Surprisingly, they followed me without further protests.

Outside, Kaene stood under the shade of the biggest tree in the compound. His feet were planted on soft green grass that formed a large circle with the tree in the middle. I saw butterflies happily flying and the air smelled of flowers. It would have been the perfect spot for a picnic if I wasn’t thinking about how to survive a dangerous ritual.

A warm breeze drifted through the air, giving me a strange sense of reassurance that we would survive this.

We gathered around Kaene as he relayed Elder Gita’s exact words.

After his speech ended, silence fell and I almost thought everyone had gone mute. The air smelled of fear. No one wanted to lose their life over a ridiculous ritual.

Kaene spoke again. “I know we are risking our lives here, but we need to pull through. Stronger and better than before for the sake of our pack.”

He took a breath before adding. “We have to survive our worst nightmares and wake up before day break.”

Even Kaene looked scared, it was the first time I saw him this way. He pulled a brave face, wanting to be strong for us all.

The silence was broken by Sir Elijah. “I will not take part in this nonsense ritual.” He spoke with an unshakeable resolve.

What?!

Oh, Goddess! We didn’t need drama now.