He Regretted Choosing the Half-Blood

Synopsis

The High Priest, who was in charge of the bonding ceremony, hesitated before setting down the holy water. "Miss Celeste, should we wait a little longer?" he asked me. "Today is Blood Moon Day. The Alpha Prince might be held up by the Tideforce." I shook my head, my voice a bit muffled. "He's not coming." Two hourglasses ago, a weak mental link was suddenly forced into my Sea of Consciousness. Lily Blackmane: [Would you believe me if I told you that as long as I'm here, you and Arthur will never complete your bonding ritual?] I was brushing my hair at the time. I thought it was a prank from some low-ranking werewolf and didn't take it seriously. But then Lily's taunts kept coming through my Sea of Consciousness every so often. Lily: [You're supposed to receive the Moon Goddess's blessing today, aren't you? Arthur is not going. He's here with me, helping me calm my frenzied inner wolf. [If you don't believe me, call him through your Bondmark. See if he answers.] I didn't take the half-blood's provocations seriously. But Arthur Greywolf, who had always treated the ritual as the pack's highest honor, still hadn't shown up by the time the moonlight fell upon the Sanctum. Afraid he might be suffering from Lunar Backlash, I activated the Bondmark on the back of my neck anyway. Nothing happened. As if she knew what I had done, the next second, Lily's sweet, delicate voice echoed in my Sea of Consciousness again. Lily: [He's afraid the heat from the mark might disturb my rest, so he's completely closed off his Mental Barrier. I suggest you stop waiting. It's pathetic.] Over the next two hourglasses, I rammed against Arthur's Mental Barrier 75 times. It cost me 28 drops of Heartblood. But I couldn't break through the wall he had built. In the two years we had been bound together, Arthur had always kept a sliver of his mind open for me, even in the middle of a fight. Yet on the very day we were supposed to be recognized by the Moon Goddess, he cut the bond between us. The High Priest looked at me with a hint of pity. "Miss Celeste, the ceremony can be canceled," he said, "but the offerings to the Moon Goddess cannot be returned. I hope you understand." I turned and walked toward the Skywing waiting outside the palace, the one that would take me to the Human Realm.