Chapter 1
Lyra.
My heart was racing as I faced Damien in the dimly lit room. His blue eyes looked deep into mine, and he knew I was nervous. But I could also see the love and determination in his eyes that had brought us to this moment.
The Shama walked to the side. "Are you sure about this?” His voice was like gravel against a stone. "The Chosen Mate ritual is no joking matter."
I swallowed hard and looked at Damien who gave me a small, reassuring nod then his fingers intertwined with mine.
"We're sure," I said firmly, though my voice betrayed my words. "We've chosen each other, and this is what we want."
Damien's deep voice followed mine. “Our love is worth the risk."
The Shaman nodded his head, his lips curling into a strange smile. "Worth it, you say? We will see about that." A low, unsettling chuckle escaped him as he shuffled toward an altar in the center of the room.
The Shaman beckoned us to come closer.
"Place your hands on the altar," he ordered. "This will bind your souls, and shield you from fate's interference, but..."
I hesitated. My hands pulled back.
"Lyra," Damien whispered, and my gaze met his. "We can do it. Trust me."
I nodded, blowing out a shaky breath. We laid our hands on the cold, rough surface of the altar. The Shaman started chanting in a foreign language, his voice rising and falling in a hypnotic rhythm.
The chanting grew to a lower pitch and the Shaman produced a wickedly sharp dagger encrusted with gleaming black stones. "Don't flinch," he warned.
I closed my eyes as he made a shallow cut across my right palm, I tried my best to manage the pain. Blood pooled in the wound before he moved to Damien, repeating the process. Then, with a dramatic sweep of his arm, he pressed our hands together, our mingled blood gushing on the altar. The moment our wounds touched, a searing pain shot through my entire body.
I cried out, my knees nearly buckling, but Damien's grip on mine had tightened, consoling me. I could see his jaw clenched so tightly as if about to crack.
"Do not unlink your hands," the Shaman warned gleefully, his blind eyes seeming to glow in the dim light. "If you do, the ritual will fail—and the consequences are severe.
"We're not letting go," Damien gritted out, his voice strained but filled with determination. I nodded, tears streaming down my face as I focused on his unwavering eyes.
The Shaman continued to chant, louder and faster, until the room seemed to shake around us. The pain grew stronger, peaking to a scream from my throat, but miraculously, I held on.
Finally, in a flash of light and with the sound of breaking glass, the ritual was complete. The pain vanished, leaving a deep ache in its wake. I slumped against Damien, our hands still clasped, both of us gasping for breath.
"It is done," the Shaman intoned, stepping back. I glanced down at my chest, where a strange mark now pulsed faintly beneath my skin, just above my heart. I looked up to see an identical mark on Damien.
The Shaman's voice broke through, "You are now immune to fate's interference. No destined mates, no divine meddling. But—" He leaned closer to me, his milky eyes narrowing. "If you ever find your fated ones and give in to them. Your lives will spiral into ruin.
My heart sank, and my head started spinning. Was this really the right choice? Damien's hand tightened around mine. "We made this decision together," he said quietly, his voice steady despite the turmoil in his eyes. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat, Lyra. For you. For us.
I blinked away tears. "We'll face whatever comes, together."
A faint smile touched Damien's lips. "Together," he echoed, his voice soft but resolute.
Under the bright radiance of the moon, our lips met in a kiss with all our love and hope, a fragile yet resilient promise to face the world as one. Damien and I stepped out of the shrine.
Did we make the right decision?
