Chapter 435 - 435: Who The Hell Is The Imposter?
Chapter 435 – 435: Who The Hell Is The Imposter?
The lock opened with a click, separating itself from the latch and hovering over the air as the door slowly opened. Luna stepped out of the room, whispering something under her breath as she passed her left hand over her head. A thin film of magic coated her frame, concealing her from the sight of all.
Taking hold of the lock, she placed it back on the latch, letting it hang loose on its handle as she shut the door behind her. With a satisfied smile, she turned around and walked down the path that was decorated with flat stones, making her way out of the alpha's property.
The stone was right. The mist was starting to rise from the ground, and it was slowly spreading through the forest lands. Since the ritual has already started, she knew that no one would be around to catch her roaming the grounds. But she didn't want to be careless this time.
She was using a bit of her magic after saving it up for such a long time. She couldn't let her efforts go in vain because of a careless mistake, Luna thought as she turned in the direction of the narrow path that led away from the main road and towards the temple.
Since the air was much clearer than the last time she had been down the path, it was easier to navigate her way around. The forest was dead silent tonight as well, and eerily so. It carried the low hum of the dark magic that was steadily rising from the direction of the giant mud building that was now only a few feet away from her.
'Master, why are we going towards the temple?' The Dam Sehlah's voice echoed in her head.
Luna narrowed her eyes in the direction of the building, double-checking for any wandering wolves as she hid behind a tree. Seeing that there were was no immediate danger, she progressed towards the gigantic doors with the nine-pointed stars studded on them glowing a mesmerisingly bright red color.
"Because something tells me that we'll find our answers here." She whispered, raising her arms towards the pair of luminescent stones.
The creak of the doors opening was dulled out by the sounds of ecstasy echoing from the hall inside. She flinched at the sight of the humans and fae that were mercilessly chained to the walls, maddened werewolves in a lustful frenzy entering in and out of them in their half-shifted forms. Yet, none of them begged for mercy.
They were all in the same drug-induced state that she had found them in the other night, spreading their legs wider, their eyes bloodshot with their never-ending desire. She wondered where they came from? Were they kidnapped by the pack? Or had they somehow ventured into the Island, hoping for the thrill of moving amongst the supernatural?
Luna shook her head. It didn't matter. Most of them were going to live past tonight. And even if they did, they'd only be begging for more tomorrow, unable to sate thirst until their death. There was a reason why werewolves only rarely found their mates in any other creature than another wolf.
Their venom was enough to give the highest of highs to anyone. And in the absence of a bond, it could drive anyone mad with lust, craving the bite of the wolf again and again while their life essence would slowly be drained away.
Her eyes wandered over the crowd until it reached the huge pool built on the raised platform. A steady flow of blood was dripping down from the nine sacrifices who were chained to the poles that surrounded the water body, the crimson liquid following the intricate patterns carved onto the floor before flowing into the pool.
Kirk dropped the dagger in his hands and leaned towards one of the sacrifices, the hardness straining against his pants rubbing the insides of a selkie whose cries of pleasure disappeared into the chaos that echoed the hall. The man smirked, reaching out to grab the creature's hips when suddenly he went still.
"Move aside, mutt." A familiar female voice came from behind him. "The sacrifice shall not be tainted."
Kirk hissed, baring his fangs at the barely covered woman in front of him. Lust flashed in his eyes as they scanned the contours of her body. Vera smirked. She leaned in to whisper something into his ears before turning away from him, her pace steady as she stepped into the pool.
For a moment, the man stood there, surprised by whatever he had heard. But the very next moment, he turned around, and with an invigorated growl, jumped into the crowd, grabbing the first she-wolf he could find on the floor before thrusting himself into her.
Luna crinkled her nose, shifting her attention back to the pool in disgust. She hated the man. There was something about him that made her feel disgusted. Her gaze landed on Vera, who was now wading her way to the alpha with a hungry look in her eyes.
William, on the other hand, was busy drinking from one of his servants, his head buried between her full breasts hungrily as the other women fondled and licked his body wet with the bloody water in the pool. Vera stopped short of one of the alpha's servants, her hands slipping down the woman's back until she gasped in surprise, moving away from the she-wolf in a hurry.
The others around the alpha followed suit, except the one on whose chest his teeth were buried in. Vera cleared her throat, putting a hand on William's shoulder. But the man didn't budge, too caught up by the blood-lust in him.
Vera frowned, leaning towards the alpha's ear. "Brother," She called, her voice as smooth as a siren's call.
William staggered back, his grip on the servant loosening as he looked at the she-wolf in surprise. "Vera." "I didn't know that you arrived."
The she-wolf smiled, pushing the wet strands of her long silvery hair to one side seductively. "I got bored when you didn't send anyone to retrieve me." She said, pursing her lips in protest. "So I came by myself."
"Oh," The alpha said, his eyes wandering a little too low on the woman's chest. But he immediately looked away, realizing what he was doing. He cleared his throat, motioning towards the men eagerly waiting at the poolside for the command. "Then let's begin."
Vera beamed, nodding at the man. "Do I look pretty today, brother?" She asked, batting her eyelashes at the alpha.
"Yes," William replied, licking the edge of his fangs in a daze.
The she-wolf laughed, leaning back towards the men who were eagerly wrapping their hands around her body. "I'm glad you find me pretty, William." She whispered as she raised a dagger high in the air before slashing her wrist in a single blow.
The moment her blood hit the water, Luna gasped, stepping back from the door in shock. She watched William follow suit before resuming their activities. The goddess clicked the door close, her heart thudding frantically inside her chest with the realization.
"Why didn't I think of that before?!" She exclaimed, her voice barely a whisper as she walked away from the building hurriedly.
'What is it, master?' The Tohar Sehlah asked, sounding confused.
Luna broke into a fit of laughter, shaking her head as she made her way through the misty forest. "It's her! There are two of them!" She said, her voice bubbling with excitement.
'What?!' The white stone asked, unable to see what she had already guessed. 'How is that possible?'
"Don't you see? The magic intensifies as soon as she enters the pool. The source of the magic is her." Luna paused, stopping in her tracks to think. She leaned against a moss-covered tree as she continued, her brows scrunched in thought. "It means that whoever it is, is using an illusion to swap identities."
'But only a witch can do that. And the Vera we saw-'
The goddess beamed. "Exactly. The woman must be in on this." She said, clapping her hands excitedly. "Now, we only need to know two things. Why is Vera doing such a thing, and who the hell is the imposter?"
'Oooh. I like where this is going.' The Dam Sehlah's voice crept in, pushing its counterpart to the side. 'Are we going to have fun, master?'
Luna chuckled, turning towards the direction of the she-wolf's den. If her guess was right, then a lot of things would fall into place. It could mean that the demon prince was not directly involved in the affairs of the Island. The year was 1201. It was the first time a Chosen One would get killed by a beast.
Baraz could well be busy making his moves to create the perfect beast, unaware of the presence of the Demon stones on the Island that could well have been stolen from him. If that were the case, then there was little that she'd have to guard against.
'Do you think it would be that easy, master?' The Tohar Sehlah asked, sounding doubtful. 'The Demon King could still be involved if we look at it in another way.'
'Yes, master.' The Dam Sehlah said, agreeing with the white stone for the first time. 'Let's not push away that possibility. We'll have more fun that way!'
Luna rolled her eyes at the red stone's comment. But her spirits were high as she pushed herself off the tree, her eyes trained towards the path that led to Vera's house. "Let's see if the wolf is still in her den." She said, a smile growing on her pale face, making her look like a demon rather than a goddess.