"I promise Zoe I can do this." Her best friend Janiva told her. She was sceptical but she believed in her friend's abilities. Janiva was one of the strongest Meisters that the coven had. Her strength was unmatched by all except for the High Priestess.
"I don't know, Janiva, this is a complex barrier," Zoe said as she looked at the layout. No one was able to project a barrier that extended the entire village. Most of the priestesses could create a barrier between themselves and the environment and even that only lasted a few hours.
Janiva was attempting to create and hold a barrier from the base of the temple out to the Pith of the village. Zoe was overseeing everything because she had medical training. They were still waiting on the High Priestess and Zoe's mother, The Acolyte.
When the doors opened, both women entered with their robes flowing as they walked. Zoe's mother wore a blue-jay colored robe with dark blue ropes fastened around her waist. While the High Priestess wore a robe of several different colors and a white core tied around her waist.
"Thank you both for being her Novice Zoe and Meister Janiva. We understand that the Meister has petitioned to become the center of the ritual for the next Alpha's carnation." The High Priestess gave formalities.
"Is this true, Meister," Zoe's mother said.
"This is true, High Priestess and Acolyte Madelyn," Janiva said, bowing her head.
However, this was not something that Zoe was aware of.
"Janiva, this is too dangerous just to be at a ceremony." Zoe hissed.
"Zoe, if I do this I will be able to find my mate out there and I can be away from the temple. I don't want to stay here forever," the young girl whispered to her best friend.
The circle had been prepped and all that was left was the ritual offering. However, since there was a transition between Alphas at the moment, it was taboo to use either wolves' blood until the new Alpha had been established.
Around the circle were representations of the elements and a sacred item that Janiva was giving to the Moon Goddess to bless for the next Alpha. If this came close to working, Janiva would be performing the ceremonial dance at Alpha Nikoli's coronation. If she failed…no one outside of the room would know nor would they speak of it.
"Novice Zoe are you on stand by for medical support," her mother snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Yes moth—I mean yes Acolyte; I am here as, acting healer in case Janiva needs assistance." Zoe said, bowing her head to both her mother and the High Priestess.
They both returned the gesture and moved to the other side of the room.
"Begin when ready."
Zoe moved away from the circle as Janiva stripped to just her undergarments. She wore a short gown that stopped at her thigh. She pulled her blonde hair into a ponytail and then wrapped it around in a knotted bun.
She took a deep breath as she entered the center.
Suddenly, Zoe's mind began to flash to images. One was of her trying to get air into Janiva's lungs. The next was of the moon, first in the light shade of pink and then growing darker til it was the same color as Nikoli's eyes. Then she saw the form of a young woman lying limp at the bottom of a ravine. Her eyes were open and in the background wolves were howling. She was dead.
The final image was of her best friend's body being carted off by ordinants. Zoe cried for days, there was nothing she could do.
Zoe jolted awake gasping for air. To her left she saw Nikoli moving to her side and on the opposite side she saw her mother and the High Priest. The doctor by the name of Eli Coleman was standing next to Lex.
"Zoe, how are you feeling," she looked and saw the doctor speaking to her, but she ignored him.
"Zoe, you scared us all, child," The High Priestess said. She looked at the two women in front of her but she could not respond. Her memories were making her mind hazy.
"Zoe, talk to me, are you alright," Alpha Nikoli brushed her hair from in front of her face. Still, Zoe said nothing.
She looked over at her other best friend Lex and smiled. She could hear Nikoli growling next to her, but she did not heed him.
"Lex, have you seen, Janiva," Zoe said as she slowly lost consciousness once again.
"Beta, who is Janiva?" Nikoli said as he looked at his right hand. He did not want to show how much it hurt to see his mate smile at another, but he remembered that Lex and Zoe were friends at one time.
Lex looked painfully depressed at Zoe's now sleeping form and then his face flashed to anger as his eyes set on the High Priestess and the Acolyte.
"She was a friend of Zoe and mine. She died when all of her energy and life force drained out of her body." Lex said. He was still angry when he learned that he lost one of his best friends because of a horrible accident that could have been avoided.
That same night, he changed and shifted into a wolf. Lex refused to shift back even when the previous Alpha tried to force him back to his human form. The only wolf that was able to do so was Nikoli. He coaxed and commanded Lex to return to his human form.
The next day, he was promoted to Beta of the Pack and Nikoli solidified his title as Alpha.
"How did she die," Nikoli asked.
"She was trying to create a barrier like Zoe did. No other maiden of the temple was successful and both the Acolyte and the High Priestess forbade it after Janiva's passing. Which is why I am surprised that you would put your daughter's life at risk like you did our best friend," Lex spat.
"Lex, it was Zoe's decision," Alpha Nikoli said. He motioned for the doctor to come and check on Zoe later. Dr. Coleman obliged.
"Alpha, please alert me when she wakes up again," the doctor said as he took his leave.
"She made the decision after she was exiled from the temple," Lex said growling. At that moment, Alpha Nikoli slammed Lex into the wall and began to use his command against his comrade.
"Look at me," Nikoli boomed.
Lex's thoughts and eyes never left the sight of the women in front of his gaze. Neither showed remorse for Janiva's death and hardly blinked when Zoe collapsed.
"Look at me Beta," Nikoli yelled. While he did not want Zoe disturbed, he did not want Lexi's emotions to get the better of him again.
Lex looked at his superior and began to calm down.
"I am sorry that you lost your friend and I wish I had known about what happened before I agreed to it, but do not let your anger take a hold of you," Nikoli stated.
"Yes, Alpha," Lex muttered.
"Zoe is alive. She just needs to recover. The doctor said that she will be able to fully recover in a few days."
"But she mentioned—
"Don't think about it," Alpha shifted the conversation. "Her mind is still foggy from the ritual. It happens when a priestess uses too much of her abilities at once. Zoe was able to cast the barrier because she is strong enough to sustain it." Nikoli said.
He motioned Lex out of the room, "When she is better I will let the two of you talk, but for now my friend go for a run. It will do you some good."
Alpha Nikoli turned to the High Priestess and the Acolyte.
"So I wonder where Lex and Zoe's friend got the idea that she would be strong enough to do such a feat?" Nikoli growled.
The High Priestess looked at Zoe's mother and spoke, "Janiva was always a bright student. She brought it up once when we mentioned that previous priestesses with the title Wiccan of the Pact could accomplish the task."
"We did not know until we were there that that was what the child had been planning," Acolyte said as she looked at her daughter.
"But no one made a move to stop her either. So Lex is right, you both were at fault and you were both wrong." Nikoli said as he leaned against the wall. "Get out. Go back to the temple where you two belong."
Both women held their heads high even though their spirits were low. They had lost one promising Meister to the ritual and they had also lost the Luna of the pack. The High Priestess knew that she had made the right decision, forcing Zoe to the pack and to Alpha Nikoli. Even if the Acolyte was not so sure of the choice.
As the High Priestess left, Nikoli spoke to Zoe's mother one final time.
"What made you believe that Zoe would be the Wiccan of the Pact?" Nikoli asked.
She turned and looked at her unconscious daughter. "When Zoe was fourteen years old, just two years younger than Alexandre and Janiva, she was able to create a barrier that engulfed the entire temple. This was during the mourning period before your coronation. We found out that Alexandre had shifted and become the Beta to you as well."
The mother looked at the Alpha and shrugged, "But the children were grief-stricken to the point that they unlocked their powers. We knew that we could hold off on Zoe's title until your coronation. So, when she was fifteen, she performed your ritual. She went from Novice to Meister in a few days." Zoe's mother said as she exited the room.