Enslaved To The Alphas-Chapter 297: The Golden Moon

"Let their blood cool your wrath," Shiqi finished softly. "And let their sacrifice return balance... and power... to the one who remains faithful to you. Me."

Just as she finished the incantation, a sudden shift rippled through the magic in the courtyard and Shiqi smiled. Yes. Another layer sealed. She almost gave in to the urge to look at Aron and Mira. Did they really think they could stop the past from repeating itself. They were too naive..

She had lived for the last hundred years and learnt quite much... at least much more that Aron who had been held captive all this time and Emira who was born yesterday.

Suddenly, just as she was considering taking a look at them, the light that she had formed around the podium flared brighter but what made her frown was that, it was no longer alone.

A second glow emerged.

It was sharper and somewhat colder. A pale bluish light that cut cleanly through the gold like a blade through silk. It rose from the ground just beyond the podium and expanded outward, wrapping itself around Shiqi’s magic instead of dissolving into it.Or being barred by it.

Shiqi frowned. That was not part of the ritual. This magic...

She whipped around sharply, her robes snapping with the movement, and her eyes locked onto the source of the unfamiliar light.

Aron Mast stood a short distance away, his head slightly bowed, his lips moving in a quiet chant. His hands were raised, fingers spread, dark-blue threads of magic weaving steadily from his palms. Unlike her own ceremonial magic, his was precise. Controlled. And almost restrained.

And yet, with every word he spoke, the barrier around the podium grew stronger.

The golden light thickened like it was supposed to but the blue sealed it. Not allowing it to escape the circle towards her...

This was the first time she had seen him use magic, Shiqi realised. In the past, he had not been given a chance... Shiqi’s expression hardened. "What is the meaning of this?" she demanded sharply, her voice cutting through the charged air.

Aron lifted his head slowly and looked at her. His expression was calm. Almost bored.

He shrugged lightly, as if this were nothing more than a minor addition. "Well," he said easily, "I thought I would also bless the mating."

A murmur rippled through the now forgotten crowd. At this point they were nothing but spectators, unable to do anything but sit there like pigs for slaughter.

Shiqi stared at Aron and scoffed, "This ritual does not require your interference."

Aron smiled faintly. "Doesn’t it. I would think it does...Because this magic?" He gestured toward the glowing barrier. "It will ensure that nothing... inconvenient happens tonight." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

His gaze slid briefly toward the edges of the courtyard. Then, pointedly, back to the podium.

"It will stop anyone from the outside stepping in to make trouble," he continued calmly. "Or," his voice dropped just a fraction, "prevent anyone from stepping out to reject their mate.. like the last time..."

The words struck like a lash. Shiqi stiffened.

For a moment, the world around her seemed to narrow, the golden moonlight blurring at the edges. Her breath caught despite herself.

Because she remembered the past...

She remembered standing where Ramona stood now. Remembered the vows spoken under a sacred sky. Remembered how she had thought to capture and torture Aron and Mira because of their betrayal. She had believed that the three lords had been under her control...

Only for them to step away at the last moment and publicly reject her...

Publicly. Absolutely. And without mercy.

Her jaw tightened and her nails dug into her palms as Aron’s eyes remained on her, cruelly reminding her of her own humiliation.

Rejected by the man she loved. Rejected by the men who were supposed to be ’fated’ to her.

Shiqi straightened slowly, forcing her face back into calm. The smile returned to her lips, but it was thinner and tighter.

"Be careful, Dark Lord," she said evenly. "You tread on sacred ground."

Aron inclined his head slightly, the blue light pulsing once in response to his magic. "I know exactly where I stand," he replied. "And tonight, I am only making sure that fate is not... escaped again."

The barrier sealed with a low hum and Shiqi glared... What did he mean by this barrier. Was he trying to steal her power. But as she studied it with her magical eye, she realised that it really was as he said... A barrier to stop anyone from going inside and anyone from coming out...

Just as she was trying to understand his reasoning, his words slipped straight into her mind, "I know what you’ve done, Shiqi."

She stiffened.

Her eyes snapped back to him, as he continued in her head, "You have bewitched them, Aron. You planted the idea in Zen’s mind when he came to visit you. You fed it carefully then. That Ramona is their true mate. That Emira interfered using dark magic. They never did believed it after the initial investigation but you used that little seed you had planted to make them believe it now."

Her jaw tightened at the truth of the words. She had indeed done that. Covered their mind with doubt and suspicion... And even though she knew he could not do anything about it anymore, it didn’t mean she liked him knowing her thoughts....

"But you made a mistake, Shiqi, he continued lightly. "The same one you made in the past."

Her eyes darkened. I made no mistake, she snapped back in his mind, her tone sharp with anger. Everything is exactly as it should be.

Aron laughed softly.

It was not loud. Not mocking. It was worse than that. It was amused.

"Aren’t you curious?" he asked. "Don’t you want to know why the three lords—who were once convinced you were their mate—suddenly turned their backs on you? Why they rejected you so completely? In front of everyone? Did you never think about it?"

Shiqi’s breath hitched before she could stop it.

"Look at them. Look at the triplets standing there now. Look carefully. See the difference in their expressions."