Cursed Lycan's Scarred Mate
Chapter 110: Triune Circle Ritual [1]

Chapter 110: Triune Circle Ritual [1]

Precautions were one thing.

But could they have accounted for any gaps and vulnerabilities in the ritual binding?

Vivian still couldn’t shake the revelation about her brother’s crimes either.

Since the time Ronan first rescued her, she’d buried the reveal deep within her mind, but now that she was faced with yet another Wickan ritual, she couldn’t help but recall the betrayal.

Why was Vince compensated and hired to bite Alexa by Alaric? Just so that the Estwood Coven Leader could bind Vivian to him for his own twisted obsession?

And what common goal did Moonborn share with Estwood Coven that Alaric spoke of?

If Vivian was ever going to learn of the answers she sought, she needed to regain her niece’s freedom and question the child.

The next time she would meet with Alaric, either by coincidence or as intended, then she’d need to strike a bargain with him.

’First, I need to think of what I can offer him in exchange for Avery—something other than information,’ Vivian thought to herself, but that dilemma distracting her mind was interrupted when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Mrs. Wolfsbane," Orion greeted with a polite smile. "You seem lost in thought. If your mind is at unrest then we cannot proceed with the binding ritual." His eyes were too keen for their own good, appearing friendly on the surface but subtly searching deeply into her eyes for what was hiding there.

’Alaric’s mark,’ Orion remarked mentally, his gaze narrowing as he noticed a hidden symbol reflected in Vivian’s irises, one that was not visible to the naked eye. ’I must find a way to remove it.’

Vivian quickly regained her senses and shook her head, forcing a smile.

"Rest assured, I am fine," she said quickly with a nod. "Is everything alright?"

Orion’s lips formed a smile again and he gently tapped her shoulder, earning him a disapproving scowl from Ronan. He snorted in amusement and lowered his hand.

"All is well, Mrs. Wolfsbane; there’s simply a few preparations I need to complete with you," he stated, reaching into his white coat to retrieve a small vial filled with ash.

He popped off the lid and signalled Ronan over, who’d been glaring a hole into him since earlier.

He shook some of the powder out into the middle of his palm before pocketing the vial again.

The Lycan Alpha immediately approached them, uncrossing his arms.

"Apply this in two lines to your wife’s forehead, Mr. Wolfsbane," Orion instructed politely, holding out his palm to Ronan.

Wife.

Ronan smirked while Vivian’s cheeks warmed up, but she still didn’t correct Orion’s misinterpretation of their relationship and neither did Ronan.

"This is phoenix ash, one of the necessary components," Orion explained as Ronan dipped two fingers into the powder from his palm and drew a swatch across Vivian’s forehead, leaving a two-line mark of the ash.

She closed her eyes, remaining still and relaxed for Ronan.

"Wise decision," Ronan said to Orion, eyeing him with a sideways glance.

Orion shrugged and chuckled light-heartedly.

"You’ve been glaring a hole into me since earlier; I forget Lycans are extremely territorial," Orion justified his reason for touching Vivian earlier. "I will keep my hands to myself." He held up both his hands in surrender and Ronan nodded.

Vivian avoided staring at Orion directly, but she was pleased by his respect towards her and Ronan. Perhaps he did seem rather eccentric, but she noticed that he never overstepped his bounds thus far.

"Orion, we must proceed," Eldric alerted him and the young Coven master nodded.

He sprinkled the phoenix ash around Vivian, creating a circle. He popped the lid of another vial from his coat, releasing a misty grey air that was known as wyrm’s breath, which also surrounded Vivian.

And finally, he returned to his position on the ritual circle, placing the bloodstone, which he would use to channel the seal, in the middle of his palm.

Vivian, standing in the centre of the circle, closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Ronan bid her farewell with a kiss to her forehead, holding her in his arms for a few minutes before leaving the ritual circle.

The symbols of the Umbrafyre Curse glowed faintly on Vivian’s arms and other parts of her body, a constant reminder of the dark magic that threatened to consume her. She clenched her fist.

"I’m ready. Do what you need to," she said with determination and the three coven masters exchanged glances before nodding to each other to proceed.

Lady Morgana inhaled a deep breath, preparing herself as the anchor of the ritual.

She lifted her hands high, eyes closed, as her arms were ringed with dark magenta energy crackling. She began to chant the spell, speaking in an otherworldly language and voice Vivian had never heard before.

No. That wasn’t quite right.

She did hear it before.

She heard it when Alaric was burning the symbols into her skin.

The runes on the ritual circle around Lady Morgana’s feet lit up brighter and the energy in the chambers thickened, becoming more potent.

Vivian could feel her body and the symbols responded to the chants, which grew louder.

There was a wilfire in her blood, bringing a heat akin to burning flames on her skin. She grimaced, her knees threatening to give away.

Ronan stepped forward instinctively, his teeth gritting as he fought against his Lycan instincts to dive straight through the ritual circle and yank her away from the formation.

However, with his foot merely an inch away from the circle line, he followed his better judgement and restrained himself.

He never wanted to be a spectator to Vivian’s pain and suffering, but the situation demanded that he be patient and not interfere.

Soon, Lord Eldric joined in the chanting; his deep baritone provided a grounding force to the spell, reinforcing it with his arms outstretched with green magical energy crackling around his arms.

Orion’s gaze turned deadly serious and he followed suit, his sharper than usual to ensure that he too was properly grounded in contributing to the spell.

Their chanting roused unpleasant memories for Vivian and it was almost as if she found herself back in the clutches of Estwood Coven.

She found herself right before Alaric’s malicious red eyes that bore deeply into hers, remembering every unintelligible word he chanted to cast her doom.

Vivan felt the energy of the ritual swirling around her and it brought an unwanted mix of warmth and pressure that made her skin prickle. The symbols on her body began to shift and glow, as if responding to the magical energy being poured into the Triune Circle.

Her heart thumped vigorously but she fought hard to keep her breathing steady.

And noticing her growing instability, Lady Morgana’s eyes fluttered open slowly, briefly halting her chants.

"Focus," the Coven Leader instructed sternly, her gaze never wavering. "The energies are aligning and you need to be in control, Vivian."

Vivian shook her head to clear her muddled thoughts, pouring all of her concentration into what the ritual demanded from her.

Ronan struggled with remaining composed.

He barely managed to keep his Lycan hlaf under wraps since the beast repeatedly threatened that it would emerge forcefully if Ronan didn’t put an end to Vivian’s suffering.

And Orion, who was deeply focused, had his brows furrowed as he concentrated on channelling energy into his portion of the spell. There were beads of sweat forming on his forehead, but he steeled his resolve and his voice remained steady.

Orion felt unusually strained.

On the other hand, Eldric’s hands glowing brightly with magical energy stabilised the energy flow between the three of them, ensuring that he stood like a formidable rock that kept them banded together.

Ronan’s fists tightened at his sides as he watched. He despised the feeling of helplessness, but he knew this was beyond his power. "Just hold on, Vivian," he muttered under his breath. "You’re strong enough for this."

’You need to focus, Vivian,’ the she-wolf reminded herself. ’You went through it once... you can do it again.’

The energy in the room surged wildly, and Vivian’s eyes snapped open. Pain shot through her body as the curse fought back, the symbols on her arms burning with dark fire. She bit back a scream and a cry, refusing to show weakness and instability.

Her mind became unruly, flashing memories of her dark fate even as she fought to bury them again and again.

"It’s working," Lady Morgana said, though her voice was strained. "Hold steady."