Chapter 16: Chapter 16

BLAKE:

After leaving Ivy in Meredith's care, Blake and his men headed off to look for the Gremlins that dared to cause commotion. They searched for them, but couldn't find them.

"Any idea where their hideout might be?" Blake asked.

"I don't know." Ian answered, looking around.

Blake sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "The pack is already in an uproar because of what they have done. Let us calm everyone down first, before we proceed with the hunt."

"Wouldn't it be better if we leave some of our soldiers to look for them while you talk to the people?" Ian suggested.

Blake thought about it. Ian was right, besides they didn't have much time until the festival. Also, it was getting late and those little creatures might blend in with the darkness, and it would become hard to find them.

"You are right, Ian." He faced the soldiers, and divided them into groups of four. "Search everywhere, leave no stone unturned until you bring the perpetrator to me."

They bowed, and he left with Ian and a few others. When they got to the pack house, there was a commotion as it struck the people with fear because of the missing chalice. An announcement was made, and the people gathered at the front of the house to hear what the Alpha had to say.

Blake stood at the entrance and looked up at the people. He could see how anxious and scared they looked. He cleared his throat and began.

"My wolves, it is quite disheartening that the golden chalice, which we all are aware is the centrepiece of this pack has been stolen," he said and the people murmured. Ian calmed them down, and Blake continued."You don't need to be scared because we are going to find it. The perpetrators won't go unpunished! I assure you as the Alpha of this great pack, that we will find the golden chalice, and begin this festival!" He balled his fist and raised it up.

His wolves started clapping and cheering. Blake smiled as he could feel the tension calming.

"But, Alpha, we heard it was the Gremlins that stole the chalice for the rite." Someone from the crowd voiced out.

"Yes." Blake nodded in affirmation.

"Are you sure they would find it before the festival, considering how cunning these pests can be?" The man asked. Another round of murmuring erupted.

"We know the Gremlins are trickish, but we will find them. This festival has gone on for years. Nothing will stop today's event from taking place," Blake said, and the wolves cheered again.

He opened his mouth to say another word, but it came out as a burp instead. Before he could make out what was happening, he started belching uncontrollably. The people he was addressing stared at him in astonishment, wondering what could have made their Alpha to start belching so hard.

Ian held him by the shoulders. "Alpha Blake, are you alright?"

Blake opened his mouth to answer, but what followed was another long belch. He covered his mouth and glanced at his subjects in embarrassment. While some were trying to conceal their laughter, the shameless ones burst out laughing, and the rest followed. Blake waved his hand in a manner that meant that the meeting was over before running into the pack house. He could still hear the roaring laughter of his wolves. He covered his face in mortification.

Ian ran and got him a cup of water, which he hurriedly collected and gulped down in one go. What could have happened? He'd swea he didn't mean for that to happen. What could have made him belch like someone that had drunk a witch's prank potion? The last thing he remembered was having a glass of wine. Unless... Realization dawned on him, and he clenched his fists in annoyance.

"Those tiny miscreants!" He snapped, and belched again. "This is so embarrassing." He covered his face with his palms and prayed silently that Ivy wouldn't see him this way.

"We need to teach those jokers a lesson." Ian growled as Blake belched again. "Calm down, I'm sure that it will wear off soon." Ian patted his shoulders.

Few minutes later, his soldiers came in with the Gremlins involved pulling them by their large ears, while they grumbled and screamed protests. Immediately Blake set his eyes on them, he sprung up and walked up to the soldiers.

"Here they are, Alpha. We found them making music and dancing round the golden chalice," One of the soldiers said.

"Did you get the golden chalice from them?" Blake asked.

"Yes, Alpha. We've put it in its rightful place." The soldier answered.

"Good. That is exactly what I want," he said, and snapped his head in the Gremlins direction.

"So, it was the four of you that caused mayhem in my pack today, right?" He asked, and they shivered.

"We are sorry, Alpha Blake. We just wanted to have fun," a gremlin said.

"By stealing the golden chalice, right?" He asked and belched again.

The Gremlins burst into laughter, chuckling mischievously and without restraints. It annoyed Blake the more.

"Keep quiet!" He ordered, and they went mute. "Now, who amongst the four of you took it?" He asked, and they pushed the smallest one into their midst.

"He... he... he is the one," they said.

"Soldiers! Pick him up. We need to teach him a very important lesson, so that it can serve as an example to the rest," Alpha Blake said. The spell on his throat had reversed.

The Gremlin tried to beg, but they closed his mouth and picked him up. When the remaining three tried running away, they were caught and taken to the room where the soldiers often played darts.

They hung the culprit on a rolling board, and started throwing darts at him. Whenever his companions laughed, Ian would knock them on their heads. All his pleas met deaf ears. His expression, as the darts were being thrown at him, made the soldiers laugh so hard. They left him there and decided to let him go after the festival.

Since the golden chalice for the rights was found, the festival kicked off and people filled the whole place up. Blake, accompanied by his mother and the elders, came out and went to sit down on seats prepared especially for them.

Blake looked down and saw Ivy and Meredith. His eye almost popped out as he saw Ivy all dressed up. She packed her platinum blonde hair in a ponytail and her purple gown fitted her perfectly. She wore a gown which reached a little below her knees. It had crystal decorations around the elm which glittered under the moonlight. It was a fitted gown, but decently. He couldn't take his eyes off her, and his mother noticed that. She glared at him and hit his shoulder.

"Focus!" she snapped.

"I am focused, mother." He defended.

"Uh-huh!" She rolled her eyes.

There was merriment of a different kind, and just then, the full moon came out. Elder Baker looked up, and a smile found its way to his lips.

"The full moon is out," Elder Baker said, and everyone looked up.

It was time for the ritual rites to be performed. Alpha Blake stood up and, followed by his mother and the elders as they watched the Bakers come forward with the lamb for slaughter—the doppelgänger.

Elder Baker climbed down and went to stand with his family. After all, they had chosen the Dixon theme. It was mandatory for them to be together. They already set a pyre of combustible heaps up, and they placed the sacrificial lamb on it. Blake stepped down with his mother. The remaining Elders followed as a whisper of silence fell over the place. The Elders took their places at the centre of the heap.

Blake faced the people and said, "As we have done it for centuries, each year of the festival, we select a family to choose a theme for the ritual rites. This year, we have chosen the Baker family, and they chose the Dixon theme."

Immediately he said this. Murmurings came from different directions. He continued and silence returned as everyone was keen to hear what he was going to say.

"As a result, the Baker family has chosen the sacrificial lamb to appease the moon goddess."

With that said, he stepped aside as they dropped a heap of flames on the pyre. The body started burning, and the elders danced around the flames. Blake looked up to see the moon hung high and crystal bright in the sky. He saw Ivy sitting beside Meredith, but she wasn't smiling. His gaze returned to the dancing Elders, and in a twinkle of an eye, the moon goddess appeared and walked in a sparkling regalia.

As usual, they adorned her body with jewelry. Everywhere starting from her head, neck, hands, waist down to her legs was covered in golden jewelries, which appreciated her beauty. The wolves cheered and watched as she walked into the flames. To their surprise, the flames didn't hurt her, but the body beneath it perished. After she entered, there was a large spark, and the flame went out. Everyone looked down, but didn't see the moon goddess. The body was not there either.

"Our sacrifice has been accepted!" Elder Baker exclaimed, and the people started cheering and clapping their hands. The Baker family hugged each other with tears of joy in their eyes. They finally did it. They got what they wanted.

In the middle of all the merriment, an unexpected and uninvited guest walked in. An old enemy.

It was Vampire Keat.