Reborn As Cursed Alpha's Mate-Chapter 130: The Ominous War Drums

As usual, Siroos was watching Cassandra train with Faris near the oasis. He was at a safe distance, standing at the top of their stone dwelling, so she wouldn’t be able to spot him.

Faris was helping her identify different kinds of plants and edible berries.

Healer Fownso was with them as well, he was educating them about different common herbs and plants so Cassandra could learn their names and uses.

She had become rather skilled in her training, she could easily shoot at a moving target now.

She had seemed calmer for the past few days, there had been a shift in her and Siroos couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

But Cassandra hadn’t been crying incessantly during the nights. He usually took a round outside her chamber when she retired to it. He hadn’t heard her soft whimpers which he used to hear daily whenever he neared her chamber. It was a relief that at least she wasn’t punishing herself.

"Luna is strong, she will emerge victorious," Ranon joined him, passing him a tankard.

Siroos quietly accepted and took a big swig.

Ranon’s concerns were grave regarding his Alpha; every groove of his face had hardened like graphite since the incident, and he had forgotten to smile, sleep, or even carry out much conversation. freeweɓnøvel~com

"I know, I am more concerned about her emotional state. The hurt I have caused her has created this chasm between us. I can’t seem to cross it, and she won’t even look at me."

Siroos flopped down on the edge of their dwelling, his eyes not wavering from his mate.

She was holding a flower now, smiling warmly as she took a deep whiff of it.

"Do you want Lana to speak with her? Nissa listens to her," Ranon offered, settling down beside Siroos.

"I am not sure if she is ready to forgive me, and she shouldn’t; I don’t deserve it. I mated with someone else, in front of her and then physically hurt her. How I always prided myself on being a man of principles. See how it’s working out for me."

Ranon placed his hand on Siroos’s shoulder, hearing his laments.

"First you need to forgive yourself, then you need to heal. All this guilt you are carrying along with the curse will be disastrous in the long run. Luna Trials are two days away, other packs can’t know about this rift between the both of you," Ranon suggested, taking a deep swallow from his own tankard.

"I know."

Cassandra had returned inside so Siroos got up and leapt from there, swiftly landing on the ground below. Letting the dust settle he straightened up. Meanwhile, Ranon mindlinked his mate.

***

"Nissa! Can I make a request?" Lana asked as Cassandra wrapped fresh bandages around her hands. Both of them had been bruised in the training, there were cuts and calluses on them.

The Luna Trials were just two days away and all preparations were in full swing. Everyone was busy looking over the arrangements and setting up the arena along with the warriors.

"Yes! Lana," she answered, adjusting her dress as Lana seated her on the high stool so she could braid her unruly hair.

Picking up the brush she softly began to unknot Cassandra’s tresses.

"Forgive our Alpha, please. Make peace with him." Cassandra stiffened at Lana’s request, her hands squirmed in her lap.

"I have forgiven him; I just don’t trust him and my fate anymore," Cassandra quietly answered, trying for her voice not to break. She had to remain strong.

"What happened was cruel but what they did to him was even crueler. No one should be forced to mate with someone, such potions turn our wolves feral, the one they used on the Alpha. Sometimes the wolf spirit never recovers and dies. It happened with a relative of mine from another pack. He was forced to mate using such a potion, and his wolf took the brunt of it and never recovered."

Cassandra’s heart dived and fell into a deep chasm of gloominess. She didn’t know that his spirit animals might have been hurt. It would make sense why they didn’t stop him. Could it be that they were drugged and hurt too? Especially his wolf.

She was still contemplating this horrible reality when the war drums began to gong an ominous beat. Lana yelped behind Cassandra and the brush dropped from her hands, making Cassandra turn and give her a look of deep concern.

"What’s happening?"

"Sikalas! That’s a sound we haven’t heard in a long time. They have emerged," Lana’s voice trembled and so did her hands as she stared into space. Cassandra grabbed them, turning her attention towards herself.

"What are Sikalas?"

Lana’s eyes widened from the shock she was experiencing.

"Carnivorous worms, hundreds of feet long with teeth sharper than daggers. They used to live far underground and were wiped out by one of the previous Alphas. Seems like he missed some and they surfaced after a very long time. They bring sand storms with them," Lana hurriedly explained as her mind link opened and Ranon’s voice came through.

’We are going to hunt Sikalas, they are very near and we don’t have time. Gather everyone in the common area, guards will be posted at all the entrances. Keep Nissa safe, Alpha’s orders. I love you.’

’I love you too, Ranon; please be safe,’ Lana answered with a frantic sigh.

Cassandra had gotten up in the meantime.

"Nissa! We have to go," she grabbed Cassandra’s arm and they rushed out. Cassandra heaved a deep sigh and willed herself to relax.

She was their Luna; in the absence of their Alpha, while he was going to battle it out for their survival, she had to step up.

Gathering everyone in the common area, Cassandra observed the frantic faces of the pack members. Mothers held onto their children clutching them to their chests. A panic seemed to have settled on the pack at this new alert as the drums banged even more ominously than before.

Haylia was trying to keep the elderly from panicking so Cassandra took the initiative of settling and calming the others.

"We are in capable hands of our Alpha, stay calm and let’s just offer a prayer. This danger will pass," Cassandra announced, gesturing for them to sit and be patient.

They did, watching her stand in front of them, all calm and composed. No fear lingered on her face but a smile of hope for the pack.

"They have ridden out. Sikalas are very near, and there are two of them. So all warriors had to leave because they are not easy to kill. They destroy everything that lay in their path," Ara came up to Cassandra and whispered in her ear. Cassandra nodded in understanding, keeping the information to herself.

Sikalas couldn’t break the hard surface and it was not easy for Siroors’s dragon to kill them because they took cover in the sand and went deep.

It was then a frantic woman came up to Cassandra and grabbed her wrist. It was Wila’s mother.

"Nissa! My Wila was out playing near the Saffron Fields. I thought he would return with other kids, but I can’t find him anywhere." She began to shake and cry.

Cassandra seemed to have been stuck by thunder at that revelation. She held the crying woman’s shoulders and determinedly said.

"I will get your child."

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