Chapter 2 The Sacrifice

Amelia walked up to the hill, her hands bound with rope and her mouth covered with a piece of white cloth. She was scared to the bones, but at the same time, she did not know how to feel, knowing fully well that her aunt had talked her father into sacrificing her no matter what, because of the consequences.

The priests looked concerned, but they had to go on with the sacrifice anyway. Amelia wondered why on earth it would be her that would be chosen for this kind of thing. What can anyone offer to the pack other than chaos once her father decides to leave his seat of power and crown the next Alpha, which should be hers.

She was laid on the stone, and they started to chant some words she didn't know. She closed her eyes, waiting for the worst to happen, but what she heard instead was her father's angry voice. "Take my daughter away from that sacrifice stone this instant." He thundered, and she opened her eyes to look at him.

"But your highness, the tradition."

"What tradition?" He asked, pulling Amelia away to stand behind him. "I will not give my only child out for a sacrifice and end up having no one to continue my family legacy. Get this nonsense out of here now." He pulled her to the carriage and Amelia was still in shock as they rode off.

"But father, won't it cause any problems between the packs?" She asked him. He looked raging mad and she could tell why.

"You do not have to worry about anything, sweetheart. I will deal with everything even if it means that I have to protect you from them." He said, brushing the strands of her hair behind her ears. "You just trust me, okay dear?"

"Okay father." She nodded gently.

People were already arriving for the festival, and she stayed in her room as ordered by her father. He was furious, and she could hear them exchanging words downstairs. "She is my daughter and I never once believed in this nonsense killing of pack members to sacrifice to the moon goddess. She didn't ask for it."

"You cannot bend whatever it is that has been written, Alpha. All of us will have to pay for this selfish act of yours. Do you know what is at stake if we do not go on with this sacrifice? It can still be done, just give her out already."

"None of you has ever been in the position of sacrificing your child, have you? If you have, then you would never stand before me now and tell me to sacrifice my child for all of you who will end up forgetting about her weeks later when she is gone, just for prosperity in your land. You can pick any maiden and sacrifice her, but not my child, and that is final." The Alpha King thundered and Amelia could pick it from her room due to her sense of enhanced hearing.

She did not want to know what the consequences were, but then she could sense it wasn't a good one at all.

"Brother, we have to sacrifice her, or we will all be at risk. If blood isn't taken."

"Enough, Mira. You do not have a child to sacrifice, so you won't know how it feels. This conversation is over. You close all the borders. No visitors allowed till I say so." The Alpha said angrily.

Amelia sat in a corner in her room, sobbing. What if something really happened to everyone because of me? What if something really did happen just like everyone has said it would? She thought out loud but asked no one in particular.

That night, the whole house and the whole pack was quiet. Amelia was used to silence, but this silence was suffocating her, and she felt like she would die any moment from the silence.

Morning came and the first thing she heard was screams coming from downstairs, and she rushed out of the room to see Aunt Mira being rushed out of her room too, covered in blood that flowed all out of her mouth. She was stunned and hid behind the wall, not wanting to see the dreadful scene.

"She just died. She had not poisoned or eaten anything harmful." The pack healer confirmed and Amelia could see her father looking troubled already. She could see he was not happy with what had just happened, but he did not say anything. He just dismissed the healer and looked straight at Amelia with a small smile. "Go to your room sweetheart. When it is time to come out, I will ask you to." He said, and she nodded before rushing back to her room, trying hard to catch her breath.

Could this seriously have happened because I was not sacrificed last night? She curled up in bed as she picked up the information her father's Beta was giving to her father. "It was like a killing spree. People are dying in the pack. I received news that the same thing is happening in a few other packs too." He reported to the king. "You can't think it is because of the sacrifice, my Alpha?"

"That is nonsense. Find a way we can deal with this if it is connected to the sacrifice without anyone going near my daughter." He said and Amelia shivered gently, trying to cut off her hearing ability.

"What is going to happen now?" Her wolf asked as she shivered in the place that she was curled up in.

"I do not know. I do not want to cause father any problems. He has gone through losing my mother, and I am sure he does not want to lose me either, but it seems people are dying because of this sacrifice that was not made." She said to her wolf as she sat up in bed. "They could just sacrifice me. Besides, no one would be affected if I was."

"The pack will be after your father steps down from his position as the Alpha. Even your aunt can't take over, maybe she still."

"YOUR MAJESTY." A loud shriek came from outside and Amelia rushed out of the room to see her father on the floor in his throne room, lying in his pool of blood.

"Father." She screamed as she rushed over to him. She thought to herself that this should not be happening, as she could not afford to lose him now. He can not just leave her in the midst of these wolves.