THE ALPHA’S VENGEFUL LUNA

CHAPTER 23: THE MOON BELL

FREYA

The news of the full moon made me excited and also wary at the same time. During the full moon, different clans had different rituals depending on the season of the full moon, and these rituals could either make or mar the plans I had made.

The blue moon infused the Moonbell with its ability to harm wolves, but the full moon was like water to the Moonbell, it replenishes it and increases its bloom.

Now I just had to wait for the instructions from the White Alpha about the kind of full moon ritual it would be so I would know how to carry out my plans unnoticed.

“Since the full moon has graced us with its blessings on our masquerade ball, our ritual would be a test of your bond with your wolf mate.” The Alpha announced, and the murmurs began to increase.

“Silence!” He commanded, and the ballroom went grave silent.

“We would all go to Whiteclif for our transformation, after which you are to find your mate in the dark. The first couple to find their mate would howl thrice together, and they shall receive a reward.”

At the sound of reward, the entire room erupted into chaos as people chattered in excitement, their eyes gleaming with greed of an unknown price.

“Do you think we would win?” Icarus asked me, amusement dancing in his eyes.

“Maybe, I dunno.” I shrugged, looking away from him. Honestly, I was a tad bit worried.

“The males would converge at one end of Whiteclif, while the females would converge on the other end.” The White Alpha continued to explain the instructions. “We will now split into male and female groups, so say goodbye to your mates for you shall see them again soon in your different wolf forms.”

I reluctantly let go of Icarus, walking over to the other women who eyed me suspiciously.

“We will see if she is really a wolf this time.” One of the women muttered behind me. I tried to wave off the feeling that I was being watched, but I could not.

I could feel eyes on me, screaming unsaid words through their accusatory stares. Icarus boldly defended me, and so did the White Alpha and I knew It would be a shame for their words to be proven untrue.

I was in a dilemma, as the need to prove my innocence and the desire to find the Moonbell fought for ascendency.

It would be quite a challenge to do both, because I would be required to use a hallucination spell, which would make them look at me and see me in a wolf form when in reality, I was not.

I was willing to take up the challenge, and I knew I had to keep my focus on the task in front of me so I could perfectly hatch my plans.

Based on my research about Rivendale before I embarked on the journey, it was stated that most of the Moonbells were destroyed because of their effect on wolves.

But the last of the Moonbell sprouted at the top of the whiteclif mountain, which was one of the wildest woods in Rivendale and coincidentally, where we would be carrying out the full moon ritual.

We soon headed to whiteclif. Everyone hurried along but I lagged behind, pretending to adjust my shoes so it would be easy for me to use my spell and sneak out of the pack in search of the Moonbell without being easily spotted.

I looked up to see that there was a growing gap between me and the women, so I used it to my advantage. It was the perfect time to use the spell.

Geen ogen zien mij zoals ik ben,

alle ogen zien mij als een van hen!

I noticed they were slowly starting to transform, so I muttered the hallucination spell again to strengthen its effect.

Geen ogen zien mij zoals ik ben,

alle ogen zien mij als een van hen!

A holographic image emanated from me in the shape of a wolf. That was the image they were going to see when they looked at me.

My lips tilted up in a smirk and I quickly joined the other women, who had fully transformed into wolves. It was time for us to hide in order for our mates to find us, and I knew that it was my chance to search for the Moonbell.

I snuck out of the group, picturing the map of Whiteclif I had studied the night before in my mind as I journeyed towards Whiteclif mountain away from watchful eyes.

It was a rough journey, one that required me to rip the lower part of my dress because it kept getting caught up in the thorn bushes, slowing me down in the process.

Soon, I arrived at the foot of the mountain and I inhaled a shaky breath, eyeing the gargantuan mass of rock in front of me.

How was I going to climb all the way up without a harness? I could feel my heartbeat in my ears, cold fear washing down my spine.

I was terrified of heights, and I was even more terrified of climbing. But I was not going to get such a golden opportunity to get hold of the rare Moonbell, so I had to suck it up and get climbing.

I quivered at the thought of what awaited me at the top of that mountain. I had to stay alert, keeping my eyes and ears open.

As I climbed the mountain in the biting cold, I was grateful for the full moon whose glow illuminated my path and kept me from stumbling.

I soon spotted a white rose bush with some mountain goats around it, which was one of the prominent landmarks in the map I had studied. I was getting close and I was pretty unsure how to feel about it.

I almost lost my footing when the sound of howling wolves startled me. I guess we have our winner. I personally was not interested in the game. My sole aim was to find the Moonbell flower. Afterall, It was the reason I journeyed along with Icarus in the first place.

My hands were growing weak and tired so I took in a deep breath, bracing myself to continue. I resisted the urge to look down because I knew I had been climbing for a while and must have covered a large distance. I was not about to give myself a panic attack.

Finally I had gotten to the top and I hoisted myself up with as much energy as I could muster. I laid flat on my back, taking shallow breaths while I relaxed my aching muscles.

After I had taken a moment to rest and collect myself, I got up on my feet, taking in my surroundings. I gasped at how surreal it felt to be surrounded by so much natural beauty. The tall trees of the forest below looked so tiny and I chuckled at the irony.

I could stay up here and enjoy the view, but that was not the reason I climbed all the way up the Whiteclif mountain.

I was on the lookout for the Moonbell but it was nowhere in sight. Or did I climb the wrong mountain?

I decided to walk towards the edge of the mountain, and I gasped at the sight that greeted my eyes.

Glowing Moonbells were scattered just underneath the cliff which was a little bit out of reach. Tremor welled up within my stomach at the thought of getting so close to the edge in order to pluck a Moonbell flower.

I could not give up now. I had made it this far and I was so close to getting what I wanted.

“You can do this, Freya.” I muttered to myself as I inched closer to the edge. I have heard devastating stories about people slipping and falling to their deaths during adventures like this, and those thoughts haunted me.

I knelt down at the edge, reaching downwards to grab a hold to the flower.

“Almost...there…” I strained out, my fingers barely touching the flower. I knew that if I moved any closer, I could slip and fall but the flower was barely within my reach. I kept stretching my hands until I could grab hold of the stem.

“Yes!” I exclaimed, but my victory was short-lived and my cry of joy was replaced with a shriek of terror when I felt myself slip.

This was it. If I died this way, at least I knew I died trying my best and I was sure I would be welcomed to Hades like a hero.

I shut my eyes, ready to plummet to my death but I felt my feet dangling instead.

I was saved!

My eyes flung open and there he was in his wolf form, holding on to what he saw as my paw, but was actually the sleeve of my dress. With his help, I hoisted myself back up, quickly hiding the Moonbell out of sight.

He licked my face in affection, and I stared into his piercing blue eyes, dumbfounded but full of gratitude. I had no idea how Icarus was able to show up at the perfect time, but I was grateful for it.

He howled into the night and I followed, howling along with him thrice to signify that we had found each other.

I found it pretty ironic that Icarus saved me. I had risked my life so I could take his, but he was willing to lay down his life to save mine.