Cursed Lycan's Scarred Mate
Chapter 117: A price to be paid

Chapter 117: A price to be paid

Vivian’s mind was still unsettled from the binding ritual. Distracting herself with Ronan’s affections wouldn’t resolve the fact that her only chance at altering her fate had failed.

Perhaps she should never have tried to tamper with fate’s decision in the first place.

What would happen now?

She would still be under Alaric’s cruel mercy.

The binding ritual was her only chance at escaping his clutches and then she would find a way to bring Avery’s captivity to Ronan’s attention.

But now?

She would be forced to rely on Alaric.

Only he, the wicked Master of Estwood Coven, could reverse her fate and set Avery free.

’I made the wrong choice,’ Vivian scolded herself mentally, her expression forlorn as she pressed her cheek against Ronan’s chest for comfort. Her gaze was distant, almost lost. ’I need to find another way—a way that doesn’t put Ronan and Avery in danger.’

Unlike before, when she was prepared to use Ronan to her benefit and betray him in a heartbeat, Vivian no longer had the heart to follow through with her initial plans.

She would never betray him.

Ronan didn’t deserve that.

Vivian arched her head back to look up at Ronan, hopefully.

Would it be right for her to rely on him? Would she be considered weak if she depended on the man who wanted to support her through everything?

She didn’t want to look weak.

She was fairly tired of running from the darkness chasing her and weeping over unpleasant memories.

But just this once, Vivian wanted to rely on Ronan.

Just this once.

"Ronan, what happens now?" She asked in a soft, almost sorrowful tone. "The ritual binding failed... and I am still the same. What...what do I do now?"

Ronan’s eyes softened with hurt for her, but he didn’t want to abandon hope just yet.

Even if it meant travelling to the Old World to seek out some dastardly power or clue there that could break the Umbrafyre Curse, then so be it.

In a way, he was responsible since he promised that bringing her here to Sabre Coven would give her the help she needed.

Attempting the Triune Circle binding again with extra precautions this time was not an option.

There was no telling what that failure and backlash of energy had resulted in within her.

Ronan would not take that chance again.

"We will figure out what to do next once I take you to Frosthowl Frontier," Ronan said, affectionately running his hand soothingly up and down her back. "I need to get you out of here first. Staying in Sabre Coven isn’t doing us any good, Vivi. No matter what, I won’t give up on you."

Knowing that Alaric was her only salvation from the Umbrafyre curse, Vivian still wanted to believe that Ronan could triumph over it.

She trusted him now.

She trusted him with her life.

However, there was still the matter of the sabotage of the Triune Circle ritual. She’d been unconscious during the entirety of Rowan’s questioning, so what would happen next?

Vivian sought those details from Ronan, who calmly explained the situation to her, mildly keeping his anger in check.

"Rowan? I don’t think I have met him here before. Vivian said, tapping her finger to her lip as a gesture of contemplation, but judging from Ronan’s explanation, something didn’t quite add up or sit right with her. "I need to see him.",

Ronan frowned.

He wasn’t fond of that idea.

"Why do you want to see him?" The Lycan Alpha queried, his hand coming to a halt to rest on the small of her back. "The sooner the investigation behind him is concluded, the sooner his rightful punishment is decided."

Vivian wasn’t fond of that outcome.

Although she didn’t quite know Rowan personally and had never met him before, she needed to confirm something.

But before she could answer Ronan, they were disturbed by the arrival of someone unexpected.

Ronan made no effort to separate from Vivian regardless of whether their current position was embarrassing or not, but Vivian was bashful enough that she buried her face in Ronan’s chest.

"Forgive me for the intrusion, Mr. and Mrs. Wolfsbane," Orion greeted with a polite bow of his upper body as he stood at the entrance of the infirmary. "May I have a moment of the milady’s time?"

~~An Hour Earlier~~

Ever since Lord Eldric was brought to the second infirmary to be treated, Orion had never left his side. The unorthodox young coven master’s heart brimmed with guilt.

Regardless of Lord Eldric’s intentions of why he saved him, Orion was never fond of people sacrificing themselves for others.

And he absolutely detested those who sacrificed others for themselves.

Orion felt responsible for the ill-fated turn of events and knowing just how severe that second backlash of energy was, Lord Eldric’s energy points may have very well been destroyed.

Lady Morgana assured him she could restore them, but Orion didn’t want to sit around and wait for her to regain consciousness when she was in a detrimental state herself.

Orion inhaled a deep breath, steeling his resolve.

"I will repair your energy points myself," the young Coven Master declared, gently brushing Lord Eldric’s hair away from his face.

Normally the older man’s iron-grey hair was gelled back but after the catastrophe, his hair was dishevelled and fell over his forehead in tuffs.

He looked somewhat younger that way.

Orion stood up, standing beside Lord Eldric’s unconscious form while his chest heaved faintly with shallow breaths.

The Ashenhold Coven Leader’s energy points, which were the key channels for life force and magical facilitation, had been severely damaged and that was a fact that couldn’t be changed.

And after thinking long and hard, Orion reckoned the only way to repair them was through a dangerous and forbidden spell.

Vitalis Confluxion.

The young Coven Master hesitated, his hands trembling for the first time with uncertainty since he was a rather confident and overly arrogant Wickan Master.

However, Vitalis Confluxion was rarely used for a reason—it required the caster to pour their own life force into the injured person, risking their own health and possibly their life.

But Orion refused to let Lord Eldric die, even though the price of healing would be steep.

Lord Eldric didn’t deserve such a fate.

He was a respectable and reputable man in the Wickan world.

Orion wouldn’t be able to live with the shame and the weight of Lord Eldric’s death on his shoulders.

Closing his eyes after making a firm decision, Orion raised both his hands as if in prayer, clasping them together.

He began chanting the incantation in a soft tone, fuelling all of what he could spare from his life force into the spell.

The infirmary was engulfed by a soft golden glow that emanated from his body, bringing warmth.

Orion could already feel the price and weight of his decision changing something within his body, but it was the least he could have done for the Ashenhold Coven Master.

He placed his hands over Lord Eldric’s chest, and threads of light emerged from his palms to weave into the older male’s body like roots burying themselves into soil.

Orion winced and gasped as a sharp jolt of pain shot through him, his energy being depleted rapidly.

He’d also suffered internal complications earlier during the ritual binding but they were insignificant.

Orion’s veins practically burnt from the strain and his vision blurred, but he refused to stop.

The spell had to be completed at all costs.

The threads of golden light brightened, restoring Lord Eldric’s energy points one by one as if the magic had a mind of its own.

He gritted his teeth, grunting through the force of his actions as he fought to keep his hands steady so that the magic didn’t backfire.

Sweat broke out along Orion’s forehead and his face contorted with exertion, but he didn’t stop until every last energy point had been repaired.

And when the spell had been cast to completion, Orion collapsed to his knees, pale and trembling.

He did what had to be done even if it cost him greatly.

The golden light faded from his body, his energy drained completely and would need time to replenish through rest.

Orion only used but a minute fraction of his life force to execute the spell but the weariness in his bones and muscles told him that the physical consequences would be much greater.

Lord Eldric’s breathing stabilised, but Orion knew very well that he’d pay the price for days to come.