The Alpha's Fated Outcast: Rise Of The Moonsinger. - Chapter 178

Chapter 178: Harvest Moon proposal…
Lyla

I came awake slowly.

My body ached as if I had carried a thousand bricks. My head throbbed, my limbs were sore, and my mind was clouded with fragments of memory I couldn’t piece together. The first thing I noticed was that I was in my human form… thank goodness. The second thing was that I was lying on the ground like before, being cradled in someone’s arms.

My thought went to Xander.

My eyes flew wider in panic as I jerked upright, my breath catching in my throat.

“Easy,” came a soothing voice.

I blinked rapidly, trying to focus my hazy vision on the person holding me. Finally, when it cleared, I saw Nathn. His blue eyes stared at me calmly. His lips were curved into a small smile, though this face showed faint traces of concern.

“Are you alright?” he asked again.

I nodded, noticing to my dismay that all I had covering my nakedness were my tattered clothes. However, seeing each other’s nakedness is common in our world, as not everyone has mastered the art of shifting to their wolf form and returning to their human form without damage to their clothes.

Instinctively, I drew my legs to my chest, wrapping my arms around them as a protective barrier. Heat rushed to my cheeks as I noticed, Nathan following my movement with his eyes.

“I’m fine,” I finally muttered, my voice hoarse.

Nathan nodded and didn’t say any other thing. He simply reached for a bag slung across his shoulder and pulled out a neatly folded gown. It was the ceremonial gown I was supposed to wear for the Harvest Moon Ritual.

“Here,” he said, handing them to me. “Change into these. The Harvest Moon rituals have already started. They’re trying to be as slow as possible so you can join them.”

Without waiting for my response, he stood in one fluid motion and walked a few paces away from me, turning his back to me, to give me privacy.

I hesitated, glancing at the clothes in my lap. My hands trembled as I touched the fabric, my mind was racing. The last thing I remembered was Nymeris feeling trapped with everyone in the room and the warriors attempting to catch us. We had jumped out of the second floor of the pack house.

I touched my leg, wondering if I could still walk. All my pleas for her to listen to me had fallen on deaf ears. She had been so angry, and vengeful that I didn’t think I would be able to return to my human form.

How had that happened?

My hands flew to my neck expecting to see the pearls from earlier but it was bare. So, how did I change back? Why was Nathan here? Did he see me in my wolf form? What happened to Cassidy? And Xander? Did anyone finally catch him?

The question gnawed at the back of my mind as I struggled to undress. I wobbled to my feet, ignoring the way my muscles were screaming in protest. I finally slipped into the clean clothes; Nathan had given me.

It took me a while but finally, I was done.

“I’m done,” I whispered.

Nathan turned back, his eyes scanning me from head to toe. He was quiet – too quiet for my liking and it didn’t sit well with him. Although he wasn’t a chatterbox, I was expecting him to ask me questions not this silent treatment. That’s what it felt to me at least.

“Come,” he said simply extending his hands towards me.

I took it, noticing how he didn’t let go as we began walking through the forest. Both of us continued walking with Nathan leading the way. I was filled with unease. I wanted to ask questions – to demand answers – but Nathan’s silence was heavy, almost foreboding. It was as if he didn’t want to talk, so I swallowed the words and followed him in quiet obedience.

As we neared the edge of the forest, a figure came into view. Nanny stood at the entrance of the clearing, her ceremonial robes blowing with the night breeze. She was pacing, with both hands clasped tightly in front of her, and worry etched across her face.

The moment she saw us, she rushed forward and wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into a tight embrace.

“Thank the goddess,” she murmured, her voice thick with emotion.

My body immediately went rigid in her arms. The memory of Nymeris’s warnings about Nanny echoed in my mind. She lied to you. Nymeris had growled. What else has she hidden?

She must have sensed my unease because, in the next second, she pulled back, managing a fading smile. “They’re waiting for us, you must hurry.”

“What is she supposed to say if the warriors confront her?” Nathan asked stopping Nanny who had already dragged my hand.

“Nothing! Just leave that to me but I doubt they would raise an eyebrow if they see us together.”

Nathan nodded with satisfaction and together all three of us started towards the venue where the festival was taking place. The distant hum of chants and the rhythmic beat of drums grew louder as we approached the gathering. The air was thick with anticipation.

Just as I was about to enter the ritual ground with Nanny. Nathan’s hand clamped around my wrist, pulling me to a stop. His blue eyes, usually warm towards me, seemed almost black in the moonlight.

“Lyla, Who do you truly want? Me… or Ramsey?” he asked.

The question took me by surprise, making me momentarily speechless. My mind raced, searching for an answer to a question that never crossed my mind. “I…”

But before I could form a proper response, Nanny turned back, motioning for me to hurry. “Lyla, come! There’s no time!”

Nathan released me immediately, stepping aside with a look I couldn’t decipher. I hesitated for a brief moment before following Nanny into the ritual ground. My thoughts were in chaos.

The ritual circle had been prepared exactly as Mother Liora had instructed. Scared herbs burned in copper bowls at each cardinal point, their smoke curling up toward the Harvest Moon that hung low and heavy in the sky. The pack members stood in concentric circles; their faces turned to the sky in anticipation.

At the centre stood Mother Liora, to her left was Superior priestess Diane. Mother Liora immediately gestured for me to take her right-wing beside her.

I moved immediately and took the position. My bare feet pressed against the earth that seemed to be pulsing with power. I began the movements that had been drilled into my muscles through countless practice sessions. My arms rose like wings, my fingers traced signs in the air as I chanted the words that I had learnt.

“Blessed Mother of the Moon, hear our call. On this sacred night, when the veil grows thin, we seek your guidance and grace…”

The ritual words flowed from my lips as I danced between the cardinal points ignoring the soreness in my body. The smoke from the herbs grew thicker. The moon’s light intensified, just like on that night with Xander.

The pack members fell to their knees, heads bowed in reverence. As the ritual reached its climax, the energy in the air shifted. The crowd fell silent.

Then, a movement caught my eye.

My heart skipped a beat as I turned my head, my gaze locking onto a figure standing at the back. It wasn’t kneeling like everyone was.

It was Nathan.

But something about him was … wrong. His stance was stiff, his eyes glowed faintly in the dim light. They were fixed on me, unblinking, and his expression was blank. A shiver ran down my spine as I felt an unexplainable sense of dread.

I quickly lowered my head, trying to focus on Mother Liora who was going round the circle. After a while, I looked up, the spot where Nathan had stood was empty.

My breath hitched. Was it really him? Or was my mind playing tricks on him? Had I imagined it?

A short while later the ritual was done and every person present in the arena started jubilating as the festival officially started. I stepped away from the ritual ground with hopes to go finding Nathan when Ramsey’s voice stopped me.

When I turned, he was standing at the podium.

“Thank you everyone for making yourself available at this year’s harvest moon festival. Before we get on with the celebration, I’d like to make an announcement.”

He paused, his eyes scanning the crowd until they were fixed on me. “We thank the goddess for a peaceful celebration so far. Earlier, we saw had problems with the two-tailed wolf but I want to assure you that no one was hurt in the process and our warriors are still on the lookout.”

He paused again and took his gaze away from me. “As you all know, I have delayed for a while in taking a Luna and that’s because…” that subtle pause again, I could feel he was hesitating.

“I found my mate and I know…”

The rest of his words got drowned by the sound of a trumpet, making everyone in the festival ground jerk with surprise. When we turned to the direction where the noise had come from, we saw a wooden platform, decorated with bright lights that formed the words.

“Lyla, will you marry me?”

Leading the mini band and the wooden platform carrying the proposal was Nathan.