Riya Lesnar
The necessary rites were immediately brought into action. I was made to sit on the floor in the Hindi praying position, except that the exercise didn't require me to glue my palms against each other.
Keegan pranced around me, reading out the conjugation mantras with the guests chanting the backup phrases rather too enthusiastically each time Keegan left a half statement.
I bit my lips underneath my veil, hoping this time went by fast without involving any revelation sessions since the goddess seemed to completely be on my side.
Finally, I was made to take the Luna's oath of indebtedness and read my vows to Alpha Ethan. My lips trembled with every word I spelled out and made it almost impossible to completely make out my sentences.
"Will you be audible?'' Keegan jibed me, his deadly eyes forcing a flinch from me.
It was too much to handle. Though I commanded quite an audience at the club, it was always during nighttime and I usually had a mask that made no one recognize my identity.
But here it was a different game. Especially with the flouting eyes of my scornful sisters among the crowd. The anxiousness that accompanied my careful conduct to avoid meeting any of their glaring faces made it even harder to concentrate on the booklet.
Alpha Ethan returned to his spot, Keegan also left my side to fetch whatever, leaving me alone to the devouring eyes of the whispering guests who, beyond my instincts, seemed like they really had so much interest in the show.
"Take this.'' Keegan's voice chided beside me, his eyes as tight as his clenched jaw. He was holding back a lot, trying to push on with the ceremony.
"You wouldn't want to waste this single cup of gin like you did the tepid water yesterday.'' If this was made to be a reminder, then it came as a warning instead.
I carefully took the steel cup of reddish liquid, bombarding prayers in my heart that things went well. It would be a huge clash not only to me but to Keegan and Alpha Ethan's grace if I missed a single step and ruined anything.
"The Alpha's lady will now feed him with the virgin herb to kick off the nullification process. The goddess would look on her sheer cleanliness and purity each time she serves him and bless the effectiveness of the virgin herb in the Alpha's consummation.'' Keegan announced to the crowd, widening my knowledge on the importance of the surprisingly peculiar liquid in my grip, as well as the salient nature of the rituals in process.
"Go now and feed it to the Alpha that your decency might please the goddess and grant his revival.'' Keegan declared, and the guests chorused,
"Amen.''
"Be careful.'' Keegan snapped lowly at me.
I turned to where Alpha Ethan sat, watching. We had quite a lot to discuss because clearly, this man l was approaching had lost his mind.
There was no way he was deceiving everyone about the curse, but didn't he really want a revival or he needed me for some selfish purposes? Was it anything to do with the men who were after him at the club or something else I didn't know about?
Oh goddess, never forsake me. I hadn't taken my intercessory sessions very seriously recently but I could at least be granted a second chance to make things right.
My eyes fused with Alpha Ethan's seductive green ones as I approached his seat.
His gaze managed to steal my breath away each time I caught them. How intensely those green orbs peered into my soul, like there was something interesting I had going on that he enjoyed watching.
Except that they looked rather duller again today that this time it pricked my sympathy. They were much brighter yesterday.
Just how effectively was this curse drying him up?
I caught a closer look of his lips as I knelt before him to hand the steel cup. I may not have taken proper note of their features before now, but I could tell for sure that they were paled out.
"Riya Lesnar!'' My name echoed in the hall, coming from Keegan's lips in the most spiteful way ever.
I turned immediately, startled by the invisible venom his voice dripped with.
"Get on your feet and feed it to him. You can't have him touch it or it'll be contaminated." Keegan snapped, this time he couldn't hide away his displeasure with the whole conduct.
"I'm sorry,'' I muttered to myself, getting on my feet.
Things quickly turned really awkward between me and Alpha Ethan as he sat motionless. I wasn't sure what to do or how to go about it. I couldn't make another spectacle of myself in the sights of the audience.
I shut my eyes, reached the cup to Alpha Ethan's lips level, and waited for him to take the lead.
"What are you doing?'' Keegan galled, simmering.
I chose to ignore him this time. To ignore everyone and tend to my own comfort.
"Please take it from me,'' I whispered shakily to Alpha Ethan.
''With your eyes closed? He didn't ask you to wash me up with it now did he?'' I didn't expect the come back.
My eyes flew open immediately, and I forced the rim of the glass to his lips. Thankfully he acted fast enough and gulped the liquid before it spilled through the sides.
Applause erupted from the audience, blessing my heart with the reality that everything was finally over now.
The ceremony finally came to its peak after a few little activities. Alpha Ethan lost himself in the crowd of elders while some maids came to get me.
"Step aside, I need to speak to her.'' The least voice I'd ever expected to make such a statement. A voice that always sent chills down my spine at the slightest order it threw my way. My father, Keegan Lesnar, ordered the maids.
They bowed sharply, scurrying away from me in the most betraying manner ever.
"F-father.'' I mouthed, squeezing my fingers against my sweaty palms.
What have I done now, was he going to deck daylights out of me for not rejecting the Alpha?
He snat
ched my wrist, pulling me roughly away from the exposed area to a secluded space.