Reborn As Cursed Alpha's Mate
Chapter 140: Burying Ara

Chapter 140: Burying Ara

Funeral preparations for Ara were completed.

She was bathed in the water of the oasis with the extracts of black lily. It was believed to ward off evil spirits in their journey into the afterlife.

Wrapped into a white sheet, Faris placed the red line on her chin using the red powder from the ground rocks. Guilt consumed him as his heart ached brutally, seeing her lay there.

Her arms were filled with colourful bangles Faris had bought her on numerous occasions.

He knew he should have marked her and made her his own a long time ago. The pain he must have caused her when he flirted with others, wrecked his heart with guilt.

"She is at peace and we will capture whoever has done this." Siroos placed a reassuring hand on his brother’s shoulder.

Marigold flowers were placed on her eyes. The sheet was closed and her face was covered after every pack member had taken a glimpse and said their farewells.

Ara’s mother sat beside her daughter’s body while Haylia held and comforted her.

Every female eye held tears. Most of them were yet unaware of the fact that their Luna was missing, including Lana.

Siroos, after consulting with the Elders and his closest warriors, had made up the excuse that Cassandra had asked to visit her family; due to the recent tragedies, Siroos had sent her away so she could find a moment of peace. The warriors had been sworn to secrecy so that the news wouldn’t spread.

The burial area was at the back of their dwelling. Siroos, Faris, Ranon and Ames lifted the board on which her body had been placed and she was taken to the burial site.

Warriors had dug a deep hole which was covered with colourful ribbons as Ara loved gaudy hues.

Faris personally picked her up and placed her inside the dug hole. She was a deer shifter and had a grace and shyness just like it. His vision blurred as he removed his hands from underneath her.

All those beautiful intense moments they had shared, all those passionate kisses that had passed between them, every precious instant that they had woven together was part of him now.

The painful tears fell from his eyes and became a part of her to be buried eternally. He hiccuped.

"I will avenge you,,,, Ara. I promise to bring his heart to you." He placed a final kiss on her forehead and climbed out, leaving a piece of his heart with her. Using shovels they buried her under the sandy soil.

Ara’s mother was given a seed of a palm tree to be grown above her grave. It would become a nurturing place.

She sowed the seed with trembling hands, her tears hadn’t ceased as Faris helped her water it.

Elder Pallia sprinkled her burial site with water from their oasis and recited prayers which other pack members narrated behind him.

Siroos made a small speech before the rituals were concluded, and Faris led Ara’s mom away, giving her comfort and reassurance.

They both still cried.

Faris’s heart had double guilt. He felt responsible for his sister-in-law going missing and wasn’t even sure how to face his brother. He was supposed to keep her safe while his brother was incapacitated and yet he had failed.

Lana’s eyes were blotched red as Ranon lovingly held her. She softly cried in his chest as they walked back to their chamber.

"Ara was so excited to see our child, Rany... She had been giving me massages every night so my feet wouldn’t ache. She was the best of us....."

"I know Lana. I am sorry." He rubbed his palms over the back of her head, trying to comfort and calm her.

Lana lifted her head and stared into her mate’s eyes and spoke through the mindlink so no one else would hear.

’Tell me the truth. Where is our Luna? It’s very unlike her to leave at such a point when Alpha has just woken up and Ara has been taken away. I know pack members can understand that it was done for her safety but I know our Nissa. She will never leave.’

Ranon gulped, he knew he couldn’t lie to his mate. She had already figured it out.

’Lana, you are already under so much stress. It’s not healthy for your condition. We will discuss this later,’ he tried to delay this conversation but they had arrived outside their chamber.

Lana opened the door and both of them entered. She settled in her bedding and pulled Ranon beside him. Wiping away the last of her tears, she sniffled.

"I want the truth, Ranon. Don’t do this to me."

Ranon had no other option but to give in. He tightly clasped her hands in his before revealing the truth to her.

Lana gasped; more tears pooled in her eyes as her head landed on Ranon’s chest, and her body began to tremble.

"Sash! I got you. We will get Nissa back. Alpha is working on it. Keep the faith." He tried to pacify his mate as both of them held each other.

Siroos called an emergency meeting after the funeral. They now had to figure out who had killed Ara and taken Cassandra.

***

Passing through the portal as she was snatched away from her mate had taken its toll on Cassandra and she had fallen unconscious.

She slowly stirred awake and instantly panicked as she couldn’t see anything.

She tried to move, but her hands and feet had been restrained; the iron shackles dug into her soft skin, leaving red indents. Something had been shoved into her mouth, so she couldn’t speak or cry out. Her eyes were covered with a cloth taking away her sense of sight as well.

She seemed to have been tied on a bed for the mattress underneath her was soft. Fear gripped every muscle of her body as Cassandra tried to writhe in the shackles and tried to set herself free.

"You are awake!" That deeply hypnotic voice that sent shivers throughout her body spoke from somewhere near and then she felt the coldest pair of fingers she had ever experienced on her ankle.

"I can see why that Alpha is so smitten by you," he teased, his fingers crawling up her smooth leg inching closer to her thigh. His sharp nails grazed her skin, and she wished to shake his hand away. His touch repulsed her.

"You see, I have never scented such a potent smell from any being before, the one you hold. Now I want to taste and see if it’s as good as it smells."

His nails dug into her delicate skin, and he parted her legs further, the cloth hitching up, revealing more of her skin to him.

Cassandra squirmed but there was no escape.

"And the best taste is from the vein in the inner thigh. I don’t usually drink from there, but for you, I will make an exception, Broken Butterfly."

He lowered his head and licked her inner thigh, making her shudder under his cold touch. His coarse, wet tongue grazed her soft skin under which he could smell that invigorating fragrance of the liquid that gave birth to the whole of her essence.

So many disturbing thoughts weaved into Cassandra’s brain.

Was he going to suck out every drop of her blood?

What if he wouldn’t only stop at sucking her blood, what if he forced himself on her?

Was he going to torture her?

Tears singed the back of her eyes but she willed herself to not drop them. She had to remain strong, she couldn’t let this predator see her vulnerability.

She felt two light pricks in the vein of her thigh as his lips settled on her soft skin and he began to suck her blood.

Her body thrashed trying to free herself. She wished to scream but only muffled nothings came out of her mouth.

The taste was so exquisite, he had never come across such delectable blood before. His nails dug further into her skin, puncturing it as his other hand reached out and pulled the cloth from her mouth.

Cassandra let out a slight, "Ssss," as pain racked her leg. That’s what he wished to hear, for her to writhe in pain below him.

"Let go!" She shouted in angst and rage at him but he watched her with predatory eyes while sucking more of her savoury blood. He pushed the cloth back into her mouth.

Raising her leg, the vampire let the blood droplets trickle out like tear-shaped rubies. His rough tongue laved onto her sensitive skin, licking the blood as it streamed down.

"Absolutely exquisite, I am going to have so much fun with you. And by the time I am done with you, all of your pretty body will be dyed black, blue, purple and red. So many pretty colours. Every inch will be mine."

Her heart dived into an abyss of despair as her mind conjured her mate’s face so she could get through this turmoil and not lose her mind from this predator’s words.