A bond between soulmates is sacred. After the marking process is complete, when the bond is sealed, soulmates have a very strong understanding of each other. Some of the perks of the bond are the ability to share thoughts even without a mind-link ritual and the ability to share each other's strong emotions whether it is love or pain. There is a downside to the latter ability when one soulmate dies. The chances of the other to follow the same fate is extremely likely.
Much like how the bond makes both people stronger, it weakens the person when their soulmate dies and they don't. The ability of werewolves to age slower after the age of eighteen often makes people think that we are immortals, even when we are not. That ability is lost by the mate that survived and they start to follow the laws of nature of humans. The surviving werewolf will age faster to join their other half sooner, if no other circumstances get to them first.
Both my parents had an untimely death. However, they died almost two years apart from each other. My mother, Aria, provided us with our Royal and Italian heritage. She used to be the Alpha of the Valentino pack. She made sure that from a young age we were prepared to tackle situations that would have been otherwise reserved for werewolves who were more experienced. My brother and I were trained thoroughly every since we were able to shift. Before that, we learned other forms of combats and strategy planning. Matteo and I were addressed as the prodigy twins in many occasions. Of course, we milked that name to our advantage as teenagers, but due to our royal status, we were generously forgiven for our endless pranks.
On Matteo and my seventeenth birthday, our mother was killed. I was with my father at the time and when I saw him collapse on the floor, I knew that something had gone horribly wrong.
To assume a titled position in a pack, a werewolf has to be at least eighteen years old, as that is around the time we stopped ageing at the same pace as humans. Back then, it didn't cross my mind for a second that my brother and I did not meet the requirement yet to take the position of the Royal Alpha. Fortunately, my father survived.
As the Luna, and due to it being one of the special circumstances, he assumed the position of Royal Alpha temporarily. I remember how much he tried to seem fine in front of us, but the reality of the situation was quite different. My father lost the love of his life and if that wasn't bad enough, he was under constant scrutiny for pathetic reasons. They made bogus reasons to dismiss his decisions even though he was more than capable of being the acting Alpha.
Every decision he took would be under question, regardless of how much it benefited the pack and the royal region. It was the most painful year. I remember how relieved our father was once Matteo took over, but the worse was yet to come. With his soulmate gone, he had already started to age like a human. He passed away before I became the Beta of the pack. He didn't live long enough to see us figure out who instigated the attack on his soulmate. It was like he was holding on till Matteo became Alpha, after that he just gave up on living. My father powered through until he reached his goal and if nothing else, I am my father's daughter.
I closed my eyes shut to brace myself for the next wave to hit. I have been able to keep myself from making any noise so far. I didn't want to give the Elder the satisfaction of seeing me scream in pain. On my right was the spectacle room. Even though I couldn't see anyone through the mirrored glass, I refused to face that way. My head was tilted to my left and my hands were balled into a fist. With every wave, the pain increased and it looked like I would have to give in to my agony soon.
A cold breeze brushed against my skin. It was welcoming as it made the sweat droplets on my forehead cooler. It was odd considering the room didn't have the facilities for that. I heard a gentle whisper next to my ear. I couldn't make sense of it, but I had the familiar feeling of being called. I tilted my head backward when a shiver ran down my spine. It spread across my entire body and left me with a feeling of comfort. Pop.
Just like a switch, something inside me flipped. There was a tingling sensation on my fingertips as the pain started to subdue.
The chant did not stop, but I was too caught up in the sensation of euphoria to focus on that detail. Power surged through me. This time I clearly heard my name being whispered. It was not coming from the speaker in the room, it was nearer. Almost like, someone was standing next to me. This new feeling was breaking me free from the effects of the sedative. My mouth twitched as I let my head fall further to the side. My eyes were on the reflective glass in front of me. I moved my hands upward and the restraint came off easily. I had marks on my wrists that were proof of how tight the bind had been. For a split second, I thought I saw through the glass and got a glimpse of the Elder looking worried. Truthfully, that traitor had every reason to be because there was only one physical partition between us.
The easily breakable two-way mirror glass.
I was back to my normal self, perhaps even a bit better than usual. I licked my lips and straightened myself up in the chair. My mind was filled with rage and the urge to get revenge. It did not matter to me that I was not aware of the full situation, considering that I was provided with cryptic messages only.
At the given moment, I lacked the mindset to overthink about why I felt stronger instead of suffering endlessly. The corner of my mouth quirked up as I stared down at my own reflection. My eyes were glistening and I almost didn't recognize myself.
There was an unfamiliar aura surrounding me. It wasn't visible, but I was sure that the Elder could see the hate in my eyes. I still very clearly remember the conversation and with this new strength, I certainly would be able to skip making a trip to a medical center. Which meant that I would have ample time to warn my brother about all that I knew. If I played my cards right, we would also be able to get more information out of the Elder. That was the only reason I was not bashing his head in. There was also another tiny reason and that was because he was going to do another ritual on me after he was done with this.
'I survived and I definitely remember everything,' that's what I wanted to inform the traitor but I decided against it.
To taunt the traitor, I leaned forward towards the mirror. The voice through the speaker sounded a bit shaky as he finished chanting. The title strip off ceremony was over. It was now time to conduct the birth ceremony, to purify my Lycan blood.
I am one chant and potion away from making my brother aware of the traitor. Subconsciously I tried to mind-link but it was radio silent. Looking to my right, I found myself offering a sad smile. I would never be able to mind-link with the Valentino pack again. For the first time since I gained the ability to shift, I was unable to mind-link anyone. Not even Skylar, my soulmate, because we didn't seal our bond yet. It was oddly calm but I couldn't say it was a reassuring feeling.
My head moved in the direction of the door through which the traitor walked in, he had a potion bowl in his hand.
"Uh, how are you feeling?" he asked extending his hands towards me but keeping a safe distance from me. The Elder noticed that I was no longer restrained but he did not comment on it.
I pouted and put a hand on my chin as if to think carefully before answering, "refreshed." To prove my point I stood up from the chair and moved closer to him. It caused the Elder to take a few steps backward, hastily.
"G-good. That is very good news. You should drink this so that we can proceed," he bowed and left the room, locking the door behind him as soon as I took the bowl from him.
"Violet" I heard the whisper again, causing me to look at the spectacle room glass. It was also mirrored so I couldn't see them. I raised a thumb upward to show them that I was okay before drinking the potion from the bowl.
"You better not have poisoned me," I announce loudly with a joking undertone.
"Of course not, Violet" I heard over the speaker. He almost seemed annoyed by my suggestion. "Shall we continue?" The Elder asked. I placed the bowl on the chair and moved it to the side so that I could stand in the center of the room.
Royals only have this done to them once in their lifetime. It happens one week after our birth. A simple ritual to enhance our pure Lycan blood. A ritual that establishes our royalty amongst werewolves. This would mark the beginning of my new life. I didn't know what awaited me but I was ready to face it all headstrong.
"Absolutely, I have things to tend to after," I added the last bit, knowing it would cause the Elder to stress more. Perhaps I shouldn't be as cocky towards a person conducting a ceremony on me but I couldn't help it. I was in a beautiful rush and I never felt better. I didn't understand why the other werewolves writhed in pain till the end or why the title strip-off ceremony was even considered a punishment. The initial wave of pain was understandably considered a punishment but the exhilarating sensation afterward was an amazing reward. I would have to have a chat later on regarding the logistics of this.
The chant began soon after and I swayed a little to the rhythm. They were quite soothing. But somehow standing in the room surrounded by the rocks and mirror windows, I felt alone. My hand reached for the charm attached to my necklace. It was a reflex action for whenever I missed my family or needed reassurance. Instead of the familiar texture of the Valentino emblem, I felt the outline of the Royal Zonarus emblem.
The more I touched the charm, the more curious I got. I wanted to memorize every curve and surface of the emblem as I did with my family's emblem. It was different from ours but it seemed to be getting the job done for now.
"... lustret anus sanguine (purify her blood)," I heard the Elder pause as I shook my head. Something was not right. Breathing had become difficult again and the previous feeling from the effects of the sedative crept it. However this time, my throat was closing up.
"what did you-" my sentence remained unfinished as I struggled to get air into my lungs. I clawed at my neck and dry coughed. I was rapidly inhaling but my efforts were pointless. I jerked forward as a numbing pain jolted through the rest of my body. I was burning up and my sight was blurry. It was nothing like the waves of pain I felt before. It was a sensation of being mutilated from the inside. Everything burned. I fell on my knees as the air filled with the sounds of my pleading screams.
I heard my name being called but I was too busy trying to claw at my skin. I had to get the fire out. I had to get it out or else it would eat me alive.
In the brief moment my eyes focused, I saw Skylar's face. I let myself lean into him as the darkness consumed me.