Chapter 41

Deep within the heart of the ancient woods, Isabel Fleming, Goldie's grandmother, Greg Colby, her brother-in-law, and Camilla her sister gathered in a circle, their voices hushed in reverence. They stood underneath the shadowy light of a full moon, ready to perform the ritual that was meant to bring Goldie back. Their mission was clear: to call Goldie's soul back into a host body, Lisa, who had volunteered to be a vessel for Goldie. Lisa had been heavily drugged and she was unconscious and laying on the floor, her body ready as a vessel to receive Goldie Parson.

Isabel, the elder of the three, stood at the center, her silver hair gleaming in the moon light filtering through the trees. Her hands trembled slightly as she raised the ancient bell that she had taken out of its box. An ordinary eye would perceive it to be an old bell, some sort of relic, but a more experienced eye would notice that it looked similar to shaman bells, similar, but not the same. And one of its main purposes was calling souls and spirits.

Greg and Camilla, Isabel's younger sister, completed the circle, she had brought the personal items that belonged to Goldie. She had retrieved them earlier from Goldie's room without her mother's knowledge and the items lay in the circle that they had made. Camilla clutched an ancient tome, its pages filled with incantations and symbols, while Greg held a wooden staff adorned with intricate carvings that pulsed with energy.

As the ritual began, their voices intertwined, weaving a tapestry of power and longing. Isabel's voice, soft yet commanding, led the incantation. Camilla's fingers traced the symbols in the book, her eyes locked on Lisa, who stood at the edge of the circle, her face filled with determination. The air around them grew charged with energy, and the ground beneath their feet seemed to tremble. The spell was no ordinary spell and soon the birds that had settled around them started to fly away, sensing the change of atmosphere. Isabel rang the bell. Three times only, she was to ring it three times. She rang it first, nothing.

The second time, still nothing.

As the incantation reached its crescendo, a sense of despair settled over them. Camilla's eyes filled with tears, and she whispered, "I can't feel her presence yet. Goldie, where are you?"

Isabel's heart sank, and her hands trembled even more as she rang the bell for the third and the last time. Nothing happened. Nothing was happening. She had rung the bell three times, they had done everything that they were supposed to do, everything that they should have done and the spell didn't work.

Greg, his voice cracking with desperation, tried to maintain his focus on the staff, but it had grown lifeless in his hands. Camilla's fingers slipped on the book's pages, smudging the symbols she had so carefully traced.

They continued the incantation for what felt like an eternity, but the connection they sought remained elusive and since they couldn't ring the bell anymore, there was no use. Goldie's soul refused to answer their call, lost somewhere beyond their reach.

Exhausted and defeated, they finally lowered their hands and ceased the incantation. The woods fell into a heavy silence, as if nature itself mourned their failure.

Isabel's shoulders slumped, tears streaming down her face. "I was so sure we could bring her back, we did everything that we could." she whispered.

Isabel reached out and embraced her sister, offering her comfort. "There must be some sort of explanation for this, perhaps we can consult the leaders of the faith. This isn't normal" she said, her voice trembling with emotion. "Don't worry too much Isabel, I'm sure Goldie is out there somehow."

Greg nodded.

"As long as her soul is still out there, there is hope. We can try again."

Isabel sighed.

"We can't keep the bells with us forever, we only borrowed it from the society because of the ritual."

Greg nodded.

"And we will let them know that the ritual failed. I'm sure that itself would pique their interests. Maybe they would even help."

It was a longshot, but it did look like a possibility, if the faith wanted Goldie as their member, they would certainly be interested in getting her soul back.

"But why do you think it didn't work?"

Camilla asked.

This time, it was Isabel who sighed and replied.

"She could be very far away from us."

"Or, the other dreaded reason is that she could be very well lost to us forever."

.....

Goldie and Remy had been preparing for the night of the Lunathion ritual for days. In the heart of the forest, beneath the shimmering moon, their pack had gathered for the sacred event under the full moon. There was dancing, there were celebrations and the werewolves looked happier than ever. It was their very first ritual in years and a lot of werwolves had come, many of them wanted to witness the magic of the ritual, many of them were eager to set eyes on the luna that had saved them for decades and decades of no luna.

In the deep dark night, many of the werewolves had changed into their wolf forms, Goldie and Remy had decided that since she couldn't shift into her wolf form, they would be in their human form, there seemed to be no rules against it as long as the rules of the ritual were followed.

"Tonight, my people," Remy began as he addressed the pack, his eyes reflecting the silvery glow of the moon, "is a night of unity and transformation. We shall become one with the spirit of the wolf, and together we will dance under the light of our moon goddess, in high hopes that she will bless us with the power and strength of the Lunathion."

The werewolves around them howled in unison, signifying their agreement to the words of their alpha. Goldie's heart pounded with anticipation, this was it, it was about to begin, this was the ritual that she had told Remy that she would participate in. Her palms started to feel very sweaty but she managed to maintain her composure, Remy's presence was oddly comforting, she liked being near him.

As the moon reached its zenith, the werewolves and the whole pack gathered in a circle, a blazing fire was in the middle of the circle, their breaths visible in the chilly night air. Remy and Goldie stood side by side, their eyes locked in a silent promise, the atmosphere had changed, Goldie could feel it. Even in his human form, Remy held just as much power and influence as he would in his wolf form, she didn't know if it was due to the influence of the full moon, but he looked more wolf than human. While she had opted for a white simple gown, Remy had gone shirtless and even though she had seen him shirtless a few times before, this time he was different. He was pulsing with raw power and muscle and when he howled to signify the beginning of the Lunathion ritual, something in her instinctively made her join, something that was not her, could it be Valentina's wolf? Responding to the howls of her alpha?

The pack members howled too and the ritual began. In their wolf forms, the pack moved gracefully, a mesmerizing blend of power and elegance. Goldie once again felt that same instinct and she was compelled to join the dance. Her limbs moved on their own accord, her movements similar to the wolves even though their form was different. The whole pack moved as one and howled as one around the fire and the fire shone even brighter.

The ritual seemed to stretch on for eternity and yet pass in the blink of an eye. The bond between Remy and Goldie deepened with each step, each beat of their heart, and they could feel the presence of the ancient spirits weaving through them. Finally, as the moonlight started to wane, the wolves started to shift back to their human forms, gasping for breath and covered in a glistening sheen of sweat. The pack cheered and clapped, celebrating their successful performance of the ancient dance.

Exhausted yet exhilarated, Remy and Goldie were led back to their room with the pack elders in tow guiding them, they had twenty-four hours to consummate the ritual and despite the exhaustion on their faces, everyone knew the ritual was not over yet. It was the final step. The anticipation of finally consummating the ritual hung heavy in the air and Remy and Goldie were led into the bedroom, with the door shut tightly behind them.

The two of them stood awkwardly for a few moments. They were both sweaty and tired, Goldie's knees felt like churned butter after so much dancing. Remy himself looked tired too, his body was covered in an oily sheen of sweat and his dark hair looked damp and wavy, but his eyes remained on her.

Goldie smiled awkwardly.

"We should probably shower first..."

She started and Remy broke out of his gaze and nodded, a nervous look on his face.

"Right."

He said.

Goldie made her way to the bathroom, but as she was just about to reach the door, she clutched her head, a sudden, intense pain surging through her.

Remy's concern was immediate, he rushed to her side. "Valentina, what's wrong?" he asked, holding her trembling form.

She struggled to speak, her voice barely a whisper. "Bells. Bells."

"Valentina, what are you saying? Talk to me!" Remy's voice was frigid with fear as he held on to her.

"A throbbing... in my head... it hurts," she managed before collapsing into his arms.

Panicked, Remy laid her gently on the bed, his heart racing. He called for help, and Kale and Marielle rushed into the room first, when Kale saw her limp form on the bed, he sent for the healer. Goldie's eyes fluttered as she slipped into unconsciousness, and Remy's worry deepened.

The pack's healer was there in a minute, Remy cleared out the room to avoid unnecessary panic. The pack healer examined her and sorrowfully announced, "I don't know what's wrong with her, her pulse is weak and she has gone cold."

"She said something about a throbbing in her head."

Remy said.

The healer shook his head.

"Keep her warm, I will check on her in a while, let me get my bag."

Remy nodded.

Then he stopped the healer.

"I want your full discretion. Tell no one about this."

The healer nodded.

"Yes Alpha."