19 The last rundown

Author's note: This is from Seraphina's point of view

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In the afternoon, Duke and I met with Sergio, Zoe, Luca, and Ash in the study.

Sergio wanted to give us the last rundown of the ceremony and what it means.

"The three of you will each give blood while pledging loyalty to Seraphina and Drago", Sergio said to Luca, Ash, and Zoe. "This will cement your destiny as someone who can't betray them. If Seraphina and Drago want to harm you, you won't be able to act against them. Even the thought of rebelling will be painful."

Sergio turned to me and Duke. "Once the oath is completed, the two of you will be able to sense if they have malicious intentions and you can punish them no matter where they are. You will decide if you will cause them pain or death."

I let out a slow breath. I didn't like this, but Zoe, Luca, and Ash were unwavering.

Sergio spoke to the kids, "In exchange, you will get a power boost."

Ash's eyes lit up. "I didn't know that."

"It's not well known, but depending on the strength of your conviction, you will get a blessing from the Moon Goddess. Beware, the power of the blessing will reflect in the strength of the backlash you will experience in case you want to go against the oath. You have a few hours to think it over. Backing down is not shameful.", Sergio said solemnly, but the gleam in eyes of all three teens was a giveaway that he only sparked up their imagination.

"The oath will end with death or if all of you voluntarily go through cancelation ceremony, however, that ceremony has a very small chance of success and it usually involves a severe backlash so I don't recommend you consider it...", Sergio was warning the teens, but it was obvious that they were not listening.

"What kind of benefits?", Zoe asked and Luca and Ash leaned toward Sergio, their curiosity was adorable.

Sergio was not sure. "Normally, it's something that will impact your wolf or abilities."

I thought of one wonderful perk. "Maybe Zoe can shift after this."

Zoe's lips stretched into the biggest smile that was contained by the existence of her ears, and Sergio had to burst her happy bubble.

"Documented boosts were reflecting in strength, speed, or sharpness of senses. Don't count on miracles and don't think that it's instantaneous. It will take time for you to feel the differences and to adapt. Instead of daydreaming about getting superpowers, I want you to prepare for the process. Giving away your essence is not pleasant, and you will experience pain.", Sergio said before dismissing the kids.

"We will not change our minds.", Zoe said confidently, and then she left after Luca and Ash.

"Are we going to witness Moon Goddess giving away blessings?", I asked when Duke, Sergio, and I were the only ones in the room.

"No.", Sergio said. "They will get a power boost because they are pledging loyalty to the two of you. If you are commoners, there would be no benefits for the kids, but since they are voluntarily putting their lives in the hands of someone powerful, like the Supreme Alpha, they will get rewarded. The oath is give-and-take; they will get benefits as long as they don't break the oath. After they become aware of the young master's identity, you can clarify that benefits are not from the Moon Goddess, if you think it matters."

I was a bit irked that Sergio spoke about benefits only because of Duke like I'm not important, but Sergio doesn't know about my powers, so I had to suck it up.

While on the topic of sucking at the oath, this give-and-take that Sergio mentioned reminded me of the process of creating a familiar. The lesser one is bound to the Master, like a servant but it's more serious than just cleaning up in exchange for a paycheck.

Mona is my familiar and she gains an elixir from me that grants her beauty and youth, and in return, she serves me, whatever I need. So far, I only needed information, but in time, that might change.

I had another question, "If this is just between us and the kids, was there a need to do it during the Blood Moon?"

Part of me thought that we will see the Moon Goddess or something mystical happening. I would love to record it and take some atmospheric measurements. I have all the equipment in the underground lab.

"We will harvest the energy of the Moon.", Sergio said like that was supposed to mean something important, but I guessed that as a shaman, he probably never looked into the scientific part of the rituals. I wondered if he will let me put some measuring devices on (or at least close to) the altar.

Sergio glanced at Duke and then back at me. "Will you fulfill your part of the bargain?"

I knew that he was talking about Calista, and the whole drama of her being Sergio's mate and their incompatibility swelled in my mind. How could I forget?

"Yes. Mitch went to pick her up. Calista will be here in time for the ceremony."

Sergio frowned, probably displeased because I said her name. "How long will she stay?"

"I don't know.", I said honestly. "The deal was that she comes for the ceremony, and she agreed to come as a witness. There is a guest bedroom waiting for her, but it's up to her how long she will stay."

To be honest, I hoped that Calista will not stay overnight because I didn't want to risk having time for chatter that would include questions like: 'Where is Aldus?'

"Will there be any backlash for us?", Duke asked Sergio and I realized that his question made sense. So far, Sergio was only talking about risks for the kids.

"No.", Sergio said. "For you, it's safe. You will consume their essence and it will become part of you. In time, you will learn to distinguish subtle changes in their emotions and that will be your indicator if they are trying to betray you or not. By manipulating that essence, you can cause them pain or kill them."

"So, they will not take anything from us?", I asked.

"In this case, they are pledging their loyalty to you. Think of it like they are submitting to you, and you are their master. In exchange for your leadership and protection, they are offering you their services and loyalty.", Sergio said, and he saw me frowning so he gave an example. "It's similar to how werewolf pack members pledge loyalty to their Alpha. Most of the Alphas can sense the presence of their members and the general mood within the pack. However, the powerful ones can pinpoint the location of every pack member and listen in to private mind-link conversations without being discovered."

I thought that this is cruel and unfair, but after Sergio put it in the perspective of a pack of werewolves, I understood why Zoe, Luca, and Ash didn't think that this was way over the top. After all, they grew up with an idea that the strong ones are in control of everything, their lives included.

I needed to remind myself that they are werewolves, used to live in packs, and they find strength in numbers. They depend on strong leadership and that's why kids decided to stick to me and Duke because they see us as strong. After all, from the first day we met, Zoe, Luca, and Ash were saying how they want me to be their Alpha. In a way, this oath will make their wish come true.

Yes, I wanted to ensure they will not betray us, but I didn't want to look at them like my prey or someone who is below me. I wanted them to be my equals.

Is that even possible? Am I deceiving myself?

Will they be useful and obedient if they don't look at me as someone who is above them? Can we be equal and not risk their instincts kicking in to challenge my authority?

'Trust no one…', Aldus's voice rang in my head, stirring memories of many occasions when he warned me that absolute obedience is guaranteed only if someone's life is in my hands and secrets are safe only when no one knows about them. 'People will betray you even if they don't mean to.'

Yes, he was right.

'Thank you, father…', I responded in my mind, grateful that even in my father's absence, his teachings are keeping me in check and I swear that sometimes I can feel his presence like he is watching me from somewhere nearby, yet I can't reach him.

I needed a foolproof solution that we will not be betrayed by people close to us, and I will not waver. All this who is above and below is just semantics. The reality is that I need to be on top, only like that I can ensure that people don't get funny ideas.

My bottom line is that I will not allow anyone to harm me or Duke because I need to stay alive in order to awaken my father, and if anything happens to Duke, I will be devastated.

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