Siroos was having a meeting with the Elders.
"I think it’s the work of a mage plus a vampire. Colluding together. The way Ara’s heart was pulled out, vampires are notorious for that," Elder Pallia spoke and Siroos was reminded of Lotus’s warning.
Could it be the doing of Kamyn’s brother?
He knew very well how demented Stephanie was. She wanted Cassandra dead and could have shaken hands with Kamyn’s brother so both of them could exact their revenge.
"Vampire Monarch was enraged when Alpha burnt his son in front of his eyes in the arena. This could be their revenge plan," Ranon worriedly added, rubbing the side of his temple.
Suddenly a terrible pain radiated in Siroos’s heart, the pain that didn’t belong to him but to his mate. For very long excruciating seconds, Siroos couldn’t properly breathe, and he had to step out of the meeting he was having with his mother, Beta and the Elders. Not wanting for them to have him seen as vulnerable or weak.
The Elders continued to discuss amongst themselves the further course of action.
Haylia followed her son outside after a few moments. Siroos was leaning against the stonewall of the hut, clutching his chest under which his heart restlessly beat.
"Malakti!" He painfully whispered, letting the wind carry his words as he stared at the sky, hoping his mate was safe.
He was at such a crossroads, his heart desperately ached for his mate, and yet he had to remain strong in order to find her.
"Son!" Haylia placed a comforting hand on her son’s quivering shoulder.
"Why do we keep suffering, Ma? When will this cycle end? She is innocent and pure, and now someone took her," Siroos lamented, pushing his soft curls away from his pained face. Every contour of his face seemed to have been carved from granite.
"I know, Siro," she slowly sighed. Pain so starkly visible on her wisdom-ridden face.
And then the stillness of the morning was suddenly interrupted by the howling winds, they rushed past Siroos and gathered around Haylia. Her hair blasted from the impact as each strand stood on end as if she had been electrocuted. Her eyes rolled back, leaving only the white part.
"Ma!" Sirros couldn’t help but call out, but he knew better than to not touch her in that instant.
Her voice changed as she began to chant; Siroos watched, utterly shocked.
{In the shadowed mists and streaks of thunder, when the moon doth will hang heavy in the heavens and stars whisper of forgotten fates, shall arise the time of the forgotten goddess, whose name is sealed by the tongues of the ancients.
Cursed she was, her lover and kin alike, by a maleficent hand, bound in chains of sorrow and dishonour, their rightful place in the firmament obscured by a dark sinister veil.
Yet, in the hour of destiny, when the sands of time align and the tree of hope would grow, touching the heavenly abode. Shall come forth five chosen souls, bound by fate and purpose, to restore her and her mate to their rightful throne.
First shall come the Alpha, a shifter of shifters, the noble but cursed king, whose heart is as wild as the desert he roams. He is her mate, destined by the moon goddess, his strength and loyalty, her shield against the dark. Together, their souls shall intertwine, a bond unbroken by curse or fate.
Next shall be a maiden, pure of heart and gifted with the breath of nature. A mage of earth and life, she shall wield the elements in their truest form, her love for the goddess as unwavering as the ancient oaks. Through her hands shall the earth rise in defiance, to shelter and protect those who can’t.
The third shall be a man of ice, whose heart was once hardened by the chill of regret. He seeks redemption for his sins, and through his frosted breath, shall the fires of evil be quenched. His path is fraught with shadows, yet within him lies the power to cleanse and renew.
Fourth shall appear a shifter of swiftness, a fox spirit blessed with the gift of wit and cunning. Fleet of foot, sharp of mind, he shall outpace the darkness, his cleverness a blade against the forces that seek to bind the goddess. His tongue, quick and sharp, shall speak truths that others dare not utter.
Last shall come the trickster, a girl of nimble fingers and a heart that beats for the downtrodden. Though she walks the path of shadows, her soul is not lost to darkness. A thief with a conscience, she shall steal away the chains of the curse, guiding others through these perilous paths.
When the moon is veiled and the stars cry out, these six shall stand united. Together, they shall travel to distant lands, a perilous journey they must undertake. To shatter the bonds that hold her and the clan in thrall. By their assistance and through her goodness shall the curse be broken, and shall her honour be restored, her name once more sung in the halls of eternity for the heavenly abode awaits her destiny.
Thus it is written, and thus it shall come to
to pass, when the time is nigh, and the fates decree.}
Haylia’s words resonated like a single ray peeking through the dark cloud in the presence of Siroos lifting the foreboding shadow from his heart.
He was watching his mother, dumbfounded and he had seen her make prophecies before, knowing that he should remain silent and memorise every word.
Her charged hair dropped instantly as all the energy drained from her body. Siroos hastened forward and caught his mother as her eyes closed and she fainted.
"Ma!!!" He held her closer, deeply concerned but her words rang in his mind again and again.
Registering, settling, unfolding.
’Ranon! Finish up the meeting, Ma made a prophecy and just fainted. I am taking her to her chamber, we will discuss later,’ Siroos mind linked his Beta while carrying Haylia to her chamber.
A few pack members met him on the way with frantic looks but he had no time. His toned legs rushed along the lit-up passageways.
Siroos entered his mother’s chamber and gently placed her on her mattress. She was still unconscious, the prophecy had taken a toll on her.
Wiping away the sweat from her brow, Siroos tucked his mother’s hair back from her forehead and mind-linked his brother. He knew his brother was a part of this prophecy and now he knew who his mate actually was.
She was a goddess.