47 Chapter 47: Widow's tears and traitor's blood

Zack's POV

"Wait! Won't silver kill her?!" Elize exclaimed, her face construed in fear.

Zack chuckled, hearing her innocent question. It seemed that all the information that his mate knew about their kind was from the fantasy novels. Alex had once mentioned how his sister loved reading them ever since she was eleven. Apparently she had a whole collection of them back at home. It was a pity that she had to grow up in the outside world, far away from where she belonged. He made a mental note to get her a set of werewolf history books once she was healed and back to her normal self.

He looked at Elize, her gray eyes wide like a scared child, reflecting the dim yellow of the candles. She was so beautiful, laying in the tub lazily, her back supported by one side of the marble pool. Zack thought, his mouth settling into a gentle smile.

"No it won't." Aileen said, shaking her head. "Although a wound made with a silver blade will ensure that her werewolf mechanism would kick in slower. This way, she doesn't have to slash her wrist again and again to keep the blood flowing." She explained, stating it all as a matter of fact, devoid of any emotions.

Zack's heart felt warm hearing the witch's explanation. He could feel the concern that she expressed for his mother, although it was not easily noticeable. Although he wasn't able to do anything for Meiling, at least someone else was taking care of that, he thought with a heavy heart. He glanced at the pitiful figure of his mother. Although she looked worn out, she still held her back straight. Not once in his entire life had he seen his mother lose her grace, even while mourning for his father.

'I hope you're as innocent as Elize believes you to be mother'. Zack said to himself in his mind.

"Thank you Aileen." Meiling said, taking the dagger from the witch's hand with a slight bow of her head. Aileen nodded, acknowledging the former Luna's gratitude. The head witch then turned her back to Zack, completely facing Elize now.

"Let us begin." She said, raising her hands in the air. She started chanting something in a strange tongue that he could not recognize.

Within moments, the room was filled with a powerful static, one that he could feel with every hair on his body. His wolf senses were on high alert, sensing the magic that was in the air. Zack watched as the old woman's chants started increasing in pace. Her eyes were closed and her brows creased in concentration. Zack turned his attention back to his mate.

Elize was staring off into space as if something had overcome her. She had a blank look in her eyes, as if she was not really present with them. Zack's heartbeats increased in anticipation. A hundred possibilities popped in his head, all negative. He was scared that somehow the ceremony would go wrong. After all, he had never trusted this thing called magic. But he knew that complying with the witches was the only option that he had. He didn't want to lose her. They had just started their life together.

All of a sudden, Aileen stopped. She looked towards his mother and said, "It is time."

He knew what that meant. He closed his eyes, just as he heard his mother gasp. The smell of fresh blood filled the room. Zack didn't dare open his eyes, as he was afraid that if he saw his mother's wound, his resolve would waver.

A memory played in his head, where a childhood version of himself was sitting on the ground, holding his bleeding leg and crying loud with all his might. A beautiful woman came running to the child, a worried expression plastered on her face. With much care, she plucked out a silver pin from the gaping wound on his leg and blew at the wound softly.

"See son? It's all gone now." She said with a soft smile on her face.

The child stopped crying and peeked at his slowly healing wound. He then looked towards his mother and nodded with pursed lips.

"There. There. Cry all you want. Your momma is right here." The woman said, wrapping her hand around the little boy. The child sniffled, burying his head inside his mother's clothes. Zack sighed, a heavy weight settling on his heart due to the memory.

Suddenly, a shrill scream pierced the air, startling him. Recognizing the voice, he opened his eyes quickly. His gaze landed on the figure of his mate inside the tub. Her back arched and her bare breasts were thrust above the water. The veins on her forehead had popped, and the muscles on her face were stretched to its maximum as she continued screaming. Next to her, his mother leaned against the tub, her head resting on its edge weakly, as blood gushed into the tub from her left hand. Her face was becoming pale with every passing second. He felt as if someone was squeezing his heart out at the moment.

Unable to bear it anymore, Zack took a step toward them when a firm hand grabbed his arm. He turned around to see Agatha shaking her head at him in warning.

"You can't. Remember that you can't." She said, her eyes filled with sympathy.

"But-"

Suddenly the screaming stopped.

"Look." Agatha said, pointing towards the tub.

Zack looked back. As he watched, a single tear escaped his mother's eye and fell into the tub. Aileen's chants now became more high pitched, the static in the air increasing as a result. Elize's body slowly rose from the tub, suspending itself magically in the air. He could see a faint glow slowly forming around Elize, enveloping her body in an ethereal glow. Her mass of jet black hair draped around her naked body, barely concealing her private parts. His eyes widened at the sight.

He whispered, unable to comprehend the phenomena,"Is that-?"

"That's her soul resurfacing." Agatha replied, her voice resonating with awe.

Zack's heart skipped a beat at the sight of his mate. If she was beautiful before, her current state could only be described as the epitome of beauty. Never in his life, had he seen a more beautiful creature, he thought.

'Mate.' His wolf voiced its thought in his head, mirroring his awe mixed with a sense of possession.

"Mine." Zack whispered under his breath.

The sound of Aileen's chants stopped. All of a sudden, an intoxicating smell filled the room. It was a mixture of Elize's scent along with something else. Something, he couldn't quite put his finger on. Something, that was making the pace of his heartbeat rise. Heat rushed towards his lower body, as an overwhelming feeling of desire flooded his senses. It was so strong, that it was pulling him towards her body, still suspended in the air. Unconsciously, Zack took a step forward. His surroundings blurred, as his wolf senses focused on the object of his desire.

"Agatha! Quick! Wake him up!" Someone screamed.