Chapter 49 - Set Him Free

*“It is a though he is spreading a veil of protectiveness over me, and I am greedy for it.” ― Kathleen Glasgow*

***Third Person POV - Two Days Later***

Kiya stood in the middle of the grassy plain in front of the Onyx Moon pack house, staring into the bunches of maple trees with a fist to her hip. The cool breeze of the late afternoon picked up and danced with the strands of her coils. She let out a small puff of air, digging her free hand into her pocket to pull out her phone when it buzzed.

**PHOEBE**: *We’re on our way*. *Expect us in the next couple of minutes*.

After collecting the materials needed for the hex-breaking ritual, the time had come to finally free Neron from the dark psychic grips of his father. Kiya spent the past day perfecting the mini talisman for the ritual, now tucked safely in her back jeans pocket. There wasn’t a time she hadn’t thought about how both her boyfriend and his wolf truly were, as she could only go by what was told to her. Onyx did his absolute best to lift her spirits, even when he informed her of some invasion attempts by Jonathan. She grew angry day by day about the situation, but a few sweet words and caresses from the alpha were enough to tuck her fury back under its trenches.

Inhaling deeply through her nose, Kiya tilted her head toward the sky and watched the blue split and melt into a faint orange. The puffy, opaque clouds barely obscured the setting sun. Artemis arose in her mind, silently extending to her both her comfort and courage for the impending ritual. However, her human could feel her tension permeating her form like freshly misted perfume, even if she didn’t voice it.

"*It’ll be alright, Art*." Kiya said. The reversal was almost comical—Artemis was always the one to comfort Kiya. Now, it was Kiya performing that same task for her.

"**I know it will be, but it doesn’t stop my heart from beating as something could go wrong**."

Kiya knew that feeling all too well. She brought a hand up over her left breast to palpate over the throbs of her heart. "*It’s normal to feel anxious*. *You tell me that all the time*. *However, I do know one thing: if Neron and Onyx were strong enough to push back against Jonathan and his nastiness, they’re strong enough to survive the ritual*."

"**But you’re worried that they’ll get hurt, as I am**."

"*That’s the caveat of the situation, Art*. *I spent nights hoping that there would be some sort of divine intervention that would remove the pain aspect of it, but there wasn't any*. *Selene knows we’ll make it through today just fine*."

"**She’s about to get the spectacle of a lifetime**."

Kiya smiled to herself. "*Our goddess gave us her blessing. We both know that*."

"**She said that last night, so I am aware**."

While Onyx was asleep in their bed, Kiya snuck out of the bed and prayed beside the window with the talisman resting on the windowsill, asking for her benediction for the hex-breaking ritual. While the primordial goddess could not walk the earth, her avatar knew she’d answered her when the selenite secured by gold wiring emitted an enchanted glow, as if she had replaced the crystal with a piece of the moon. Even in her pocket, Kiya could feel the warmth of Selene’s touch within it.

She took another inhale and let out a sharp exhale. "*I’d like it if you were next to me, Artemis*."

"**I was going to be, either way, Kiki**. **You aren’t getting rid of me that easily**. **I care about Neron as well**."

"*Oh, how could I forget*?"

"**And as I love Onyx, I do love Neron as well**. **I want him to be safe as much as you do**. **However, I do believe that there will be more challenges in store once the ritual is completed**."

The world seemingly took a pause. Kiya’s breath hitched in her throat. "*Say that again*?"

"**There will be more challenges after the ritual for us**."

"*No, before that*. *You said you loved Neron*."

"**I do**."

"*Art*—"

"**Onyx and Neron are two sides of the same coin**. **It’s impossible to love one without the other, just as it’s impossible to hate one without the other, which I did for a long time**. **However, our paths have shifted, been intercepted, and now we are heading in the right direction**. **My heart rests with Onyx, and by extension, it rests with Neron as well**. **I understand it sounds odd for me to say that, but I’ve come to understand how I feel about our mate**. **Perhaps it’s because I’m a beast and there’s not much navigation and compartmentalizing my emotions as humans would normally do**. **I like to think that I had more time with my private thoughts to figure out the emotions myself**."

"*You’re the spokesperson for independence*."

"**Indeed, I am**. **But remember, Kiya, you always come first**. **I'll always wait for you**. **No matter the mate and boyfriend business, my heart is and always will be yours first**. **I’m just being honest with you in regards to all of this**."

Kiya dropped both her hands to her sides. It was a lot to take in. She knew she was slow to the uptake as it took her a little longer to understand how she felt, but when she was hit with the wave of her wolf’s honesty, it forced the gears in her mind to turn.

Where did her feelings exactly lie? Were they set somewhere else, or were the akin with Artemis?

Before Kiya could answer, a loud, resounding bark pulled her attention back to the maple jungle. A pair of molten golds pierced the veil of faint darkness and stared her down. One would think to run from such a scene, but Kiya instead shone her teeth in a wide smile. Onyx, in his true form, galloped between the tree barks and made his way to the avatar, greeting her with a lick on her cheek.

"Did you enjoy your run?" She asked, in between her giggles. The alpha barked and bobbed his head before sitting on his rear. He curled his downy tail around the woman’s waist and yanked her close. Kiya’s head went underneath his muzzle, and her body collided with the rest of his large body. Onyx’s ears twitched when her laughter arose from him tickling her skin with the tip of his tail.

Nuzzling her head into his fur, Kiya’s hand glided over anywhere on his body she could reach, sighing in content at his warmth. She rose on her tiptoes and kissed the bottom of his muzzle, earning a cute growl and another lick on her cheek.

"As much as I want to remain like this, we do need to get ready." Onyx tilted his head down in curiosity. "Phoebe and the others will be arriving via teleportation in a few minutes."

The alpha huffed and bobbed his head again, licking his mate’s cheek for the third time before ambling toward a set of trees where he set his clothes behind. After a few minutes, Onyx emerged fully clothed, much to his disappointment, and he returned back to his spot in front of Kiya. He wrapped his arms around her body once again, pulling her into him.

"Is it normal to feel excited and nervous at the same time?"

Kiya raised her head with an arched eyebrow. "Nervous, yes, but why are you excited?"

"Well, this is the first time I’ve been part of a super important magic ritual." Onyx grinned, twirling a finger around one of Kiya’s springy curls. "Am I going to start floating in mid-air? Or should I expect a pretty light show?"

"Um, I don’t think either would happen." The woman laughed while shaking her head. "You’ve been watching too much television, Onyx."

"No, I haven’t! Besides, you make the pretty light shows at will."

"You mean like this?" Kiya raised her and willed her powers to breach the surface of her palms. White light, delineated with crystalline blue, twirled around her fingers before rising into the air, pulling together to form a little light ball. Onyx watched with absolute awe as the ball bounced from Kiya’s fingers before dispersing back into tiny rays of light, seeping back into her palm. "It’s nothing too fancy."

"Don’t sell yourself short, my love." Onyx lowered his hands to her hips and squeezed. "You don’t think it’s fancy, but I think it’s amazing. You’re a walking ball of moonlight."

Kiya shrugged her shoulders, resting her head on his shoulder. "Having superpowers isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be, sometimes."

"I don’t know. I might be biased since I don’t have any."

"The visions are kind of like a superpower."

"Eh, that’s mostly on Neron’s side."

"I think the world would shake in its boots if the mighty Onyx suddenly gained superpowers."

"Because I’m a force to be reckoned with." Onyx shot her a wink before kissing both her cheeks. Oh, how Kiya loved his kisses. They made her feel like nothing in the world could harm her. "So, when do your friends arrive?"

Purple lights flashed in their peripherals. The couple turned to the side to see the light distorting the space in a spiral to form a large portal, swirling with many shades of violet, black, and red. Kiya grinned and pointed. "Now."

The couple watched as Phoebe, Violetta, and Asim walked from the portal onto the lush green grass with bags in hand. However, an indescribable blur of color burst from behind them and hurled straight toward Kiya, tackling her into a hug, in turn forcing her away from her boyfriend. Once her nose was hit with a sweet pomegranate scent, she already knew who it was.

"It’s been a while, Nuri." Kiya chuckled, hugging her taller friend back. "How are you?"

Nuria separated from the hug with a shining grin on her face. "Oh, I’ve been doing a lot better these days."

Kiya could see why. She followed Nuria's line of sight and saw her looking at Phoebe, who was sucking in a deep breath while toying with the hem of her satchel. The witch’s anxiety thickened the air around her, no doubt from standing in a state she vowed to never return to. Her blond hair was plaided into a long French braid resting on her right shoulder, conveniently hiding whatever was on her neck, but it was hard to miss the tiny red splotches stretching above her hair.

"Would you at least try to keep your hands to yourself while you’re here?" Onyx grumbled beside her, crossing his arms over his chest. "We do have important business we need to conduct."

His sister shot him a glare and rolled her eyes. "Oh, I know *you* aren’t trying to talk shit. You shrivel up like a raisin when Kiya doesn’t give you a crumb of attention!"

"I don’t shrivel up! The opposite happens, actually." He shot Kiya a wink. She blushed while Nuria made an audible sound of disgust.

"You’re such a mutt, Lumberjack."

"And you’re a bitch, Pipsqueak."

"The love of siblings is amazing." Kiya chuckled, backing away from the pair. Nuria’s eyes flashed gold. Angelika had sprung out of her cage. She turned her attention back to her fellow avatars the moment Angelika tackled Onyx to the ground like a football player. "Are we ready?"

"We are! Nothing is going to stop us today! " Violetta held up a glass jar filled with black salt. "Where will we perform it?"

"Over there." Kiya pointed to the large area beside them, ignoring the alphas’ sounds of tussling behind her. "Valerian and Kwame ordered the pack members to stay away from this area, so we won’t have any interruptions."

"Excellent." Phoebe patted her satchel. "Asim and I got the herbs and candles. We should set up while the sun is still high."

Asim dug into his satchel and pulled out colorful pins and handed them to the woman. "Courtesy of Nailah."

"With how the asafoetida will smell once burned, we’ll need these." The women picked up the nose clips. Phoebe turned to Kiya. "Do you have the talisman?"

"Yep." She patted her back pocket. "I’ll give it to Onyx just before we start."

"It looks like he'll also need protection from his sister." Violetta pointed behind her. All four heads turned to see Angelika holding Onyx down with a half-nelson around his neck. "Aaaaand she might kill him. Should we break it up?"

"They’re fine." Phoebe and Kiya said at the same time. They shot a look at each other before laughing.

Bright orange painted the sky as a sign of the sun's departing for the day. Phoebe outlined a magic circle grid with the mixture of the protection herbs as Violetta followed behind with a thick sprinkling of black salt outlining the circle. The women made a larger circle in the middle of the grid for Onyx to stand in. Asim and Kiya anointed the four black candles with a mixture of sage and tea tree oil before setting them at the four points of the circle, which will be the same areas where they’ll stand.

The wind gently picked up, as if it was preparing for the surge of powerful mysticism. Onyx and Angelika ended their roughhousing not long afterward, jogging over to check out the progress, fixing their hair and clothes. In the blink of an eye, Nuria emerged after her wolf retreated inside of her. "Is there anything we can help you with?"

"Actually, we’re just about done." Phoebe rose on her toes to kiss Nuria on the cheek. "All we need is to bless the circle and we should be all set."

"Where would I be during the process?" Onyx asked.

"Standing at the center of the circle. Once we start, Onyx, you cannot leave the circle under any circumstances until the ritual is over." The witch then elaborated. "Any disturbances, whether it be from you, any of the avatars, or from the outside, will result in adverse effects that we don’t want to happen."

"Such as?"

"Do you want to lose a limb?"

He blinked. "That seems a bit extreme."

"It's an extreme case, but it’s not a wise idea to test it out."

The alpha nodded firmly, steeling his resolve by flexing his fingers. He could feel Neron in his mind, watching and fully alert for the ritual’s commencement. Both watched as Asim stood at the farthest edge of the circle while he moved his fingers like he was tapping on glass. Gold light swirled around his fingers in double helixes. He kneeled down to the circle and touched a section of salt and herbs. The gold light sparked like a fire and raced throughout the grid’s outline, pulsating and shimmering. Then, the gold hurtled toward one of the four candles set at the four points of the circle, bursting into many smaller lights with one spark landing on a candle’s wick, lighting it up instantly. The sun god’s avatar rose to full height, ambled toward that candle, and stood behind it.

Violetta followed suit, kneeling and blessing the circle with her magic with strips of enchanted lightning before the mini bolts popped at another candle, lighting the wick on contact. Phoebe blessed the circle with her magic next—violet beams combusting at the third candle and lighting it.

Kiya’s candle was the only one left.

"Good luck, Coconut Tree," Nuria said to Onyx, clapping her hand on his shoulder before heading inside of the house. The woman was seen again through a window overlooking the scene.

Kiya huffed out an anxious breath, digging into the back of her pocket to pull out her handmade talisman. "Onyx? This is for you, for extra protection from Selene."

It was a gold wire bracelet with tumbled selenite spheres secured around it, replicating the Evil Eye charm. Two chains on either hand were meant to secure the bracelet. Onyx held out his wrist and allowed Kiya to hook the piece of art around his thick wrist.

He smiled and cupped the back of Kiya’s head. "Thank you, my love, but I feel protected enough knowing you’re beside me."

Kiya felt her cheeks flush with heat. Suddenly, she was pulled into a deep and powerful kiss. The tension in her muscles melted away, replaced with frissons of bliss. She threw her hands on his shoulders, tilting her body backward. Her heart hammered madly underneath her left breast. The burst of warmth in her chest erupted again, prompting her to kiss her wolf mate back just as hard as he was.

She could’ve sworn she tasted Neron in the kiss as well.

The kiss ended too soon for either of them. Kiya couldn’t help but smile at Onyx, giggling when he playfully licked his lips. "You better walk out of that circle unharmed or else."

"Oh, are you going to punish me if I don’t?" He asked, winking.

"I might." Onyx leaned down and kissed her lips again. "Believe in us. We’ll be alright, angel."

The worry Kiya forced herself not to feel came rushing back. Her hair of confidence and certainty crumbled, breaking way for Artemis’ same worry to slip in. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she was scared, but none of her fear showed through her stoic mask. Yet, she couldn’t fool Onyx. He could see right through her façade.

While he didn't share Kiya and Artemis's fear, he was just as concerned about their well-being as Neron was. Hell, Onyx was worried about Neron, too!

His eyes found the ritual space. He could only believe in the process, the avatars, and fate for dealing him the right hand this night.

Onyx exhaled sharply. Nothing was going to fuck with him. Neron will be set free. Kiya and Artemis will be happy. The people he loved the most will have the curse nonsense put behind them today.

All he had to do was step into that circle.

Kiya walked toward the circle and blessed it, watching as the circle went alight with silver energy before bursting at the last candle, lighting the lone wick. She took her place behind it as Onyx entered the circle and took his place in the center.

Everything and everyone was set.

The air shifted, suddenly filled with the crackles and sparks of four different types of magic at once.

Everyone waited with bated breath for something to happen.

And it did when a burst of malevolent, malignant energy entered their ritualistic space.

The flames from the candles flickered as if something was fanning them, stretching toward the sky as high as they could. Air was funneled to a focal point above the circle, bending and morphing until the distorted air blackened into a thick, opaque cloud, fluttering in its own energy. A puppet master was pulling the strings in the distance, making the cloud twirl and dance like a sickened marionette. The avatars felt chills tumble down their spines and crash at the base, Kiya even more so. Nuria watched the spectacle from behind her window, clutching the windowsill with anxiety. Onyx, the lone wolf at the center of the circle, held his breath and clutched his hands into fists at his side, staring down the billow like he could see who resided within.

He was irritated that he could feel the monstrous bastard gawking down at him with ridicule and disgust.
Phoebe dropped down on one knee and placed her thumb, index, and middle fingers on the outline of the circle. Whisps of violet left her fingers and palms and sank into her section, bleeding into her candle as the flame flashed from orange to red. "Evil spirit standing tall, it’s time you made your greatest fall."

Kiya flinched when she watched the alpha fall to his knees, clutching his chest as he groaned in pain. The cloud toiled and shuffled as if it was angry, shooting forward to surround him. She couldn’t hop in to help him if she tried because of the risks of interrupting the ritual and the invisible barrier formed around the perimeter of the circle. She touched the air and black energy rippled at her fingertip.

She had to let the ritual continue. Her only hope was that she could see the light from the talisman glow like a star shining through the darkness.

Through his pain, Onyx turned his head and managed to muster up a smile for Kiya.

Violetta mimicked Phoebe’s movement, but her hands crackled with holy lightning. She touched her section of the circle, and her candle flame flickered blue. Return to hell with your plight, because we gods have banished you with our holy light."

Onyx hunched over, still clutching his chest, still shouting in pain. While they have the same voice, the tones are indistinguishable. Neron was also heard through the agony. He was fighting with the intense magic of the ritual while the essence of evil was fighting against it. A repugnant odor tickled his nose as well as the other noses of the avatars. Multiple pairs of eyes dropped down to the grid, seeing the protection herbs catching on fire.

Asim fell to his knees next, touching his section. Sunlight discharged out of his fingertips, forcing the color change of his candle flame to liquid gold. "Never again to be a victim of your hold. May our might sever and strike you back tenfold."

Kiya was the last one. Her words will conclude the chant. The dark cloud shot a section out toward her with the intent to kill, but the barrier protected her. She knew if it wasn’t there, she would’ve gotten hurt or worse. Jonathan’s presence and the evil of the serpent god held hatred for her beyond mortal understanding. She could see it when she glared into the black hole of the cloud.

It was as if Jonathan himself was glaring back at her. He hated her for interfering with his plans. He hated her for trying to take his son away from him again. Fate had intervened and demolished what could've been an oppressive regime under his tutelage as a result of his plans to gain power for Neron and through Neron.
But she knew there was more.

A disembodied growl ripped through the space, aimed at her. It was heard clearly over Onyx and Neron’s pained laced noises. It dared her to surrender, silently saying that if she completed the ritual, there would be hell to pay. It wanted Kiya to surrender.

Instead, it got Kiya kneeling down and touching her section with silver-studded fingertips. Her flame flickered to a pure white.

"So, begone from our sight, deep until the endless night!"

"***I WILL KILL YOU***!"

The circle combusted into a wildfire, burning through the herbs but not onto the black salt. The flames reached high into the air as purple, gold, blue, and silver popped around the wall of orange and crimson. Phoebe, Violetta, Asim, and Kiya removed their hands as quickly as they could to avoid getting burnt. The cloud roared and spun like a tornado with the alpha inside, but the silver light peeking through swirled around his form and disappeared into his skin.

Suddenly, the fire disappeared by racing toward the man in the middle.

Then, there was an explosion that knocked the avatars several feet from the circle.

Their candles shook and imploded into dozens of hot chunks of wax, littering the grass with their debris. Grey smoke coated the area, and the smell of burnt asafoetida tainted the earth’s air. The only thing louder than the explosion was the silence that followed afterward.

The avatars coughed and fanned their faces, hoping to dispel some of the horrid scented smoke from them. However, when the smoke cleared, the alpha was shown lying on his back, unmoving and seemingly not breathing.

"Oh, no. No, no, no!" Kiya shouted, scrambling on her feet and running to her fallen boyfriend in pure panic. The woman dropped to her knees beside the alpha, rubbing soot and wild hair strands from his face. Her heart dropped when he didn’t respond to her touches. "Onyx? Can you hear me?"

This couldn’t be the end! Neither she nor Artemis would allow it! Kiya’s eyes darted toward Onyx’s upturned hand, and she slid her shimmering hand into his large one. Artemis watched carefully from within. A mirage of spirals and double helixes spun from her hands and dipped into the skin of his palm. Violetta, Phoebe, and Asim watched with bated breath. Nuria remained rooted in her spot, watching and praying that her brother was okay.

Kiya’s panic suffocated her. Tears burned the back of her eyes. She kept repeating her inner mantra in hopes that the deities in heaven would hear her.

*Please be okay*. *Please be okay*!

Then, the alpha’s body heaved forward with his violent coughing. His fingers wrapped around his girlfriend’s hand and squeezed tight. Kiya let out a huge sigh of relief while the other avatars grinned with victory.

The ritual was a success.

"Onyx?" Kiya asked, blinking back her tears.

"Not exactly, but the puppy is alright." Instead of gold, a pair of blues gazed back at the woman with love uncontained. Neron smiled up at Kiya, squeezing her hand again. "Did I scare you?"

"Yes, you did!" Kiya leaned down and hugged him as tight as he could, kissing both his cheeks and his lips before resting her head on his shoulder. Every exhale through her nose tickled Neron’s neck. "Are you…do you still feel the curse?"

"No. I feel…freer." Neron groaned as he pushed himself up on his elbows. Kiya lifted her head and gazed back at him. "Thank you, Kiya. I don’t know how I could repay you." He looked at the three other avatars. "All of you. I owe you all my life."

"Oh, there’s no need to be dramatic, Neron." Violetta kidded, waving it off. "We’re just glad you’re okay, but, don’t get cursed again."

"Don’t worry, I won’t."

"Neron!" Nuria bolted out of the house and fell on her knees beside her brother, throwing her arms around his shoulders. "Holy hell, that was intense! Are you hurt anywhere?

"I’m alright, Nuri. I promise." Neron kissed her forehead. "It’ll take more than a little explosion to hurt me."

"A little?!" Nuria scowled. "That wasn’t little, you overgrown moose! It could’ve killed you!"

"You know, I wouldn’t have let that happen, Nuria." Kiya responded. "The four of us vetted out the supplies and made sure we didn’t infuse too much of our power into it."

"I’d appreciate a little warning next time." She grumbled.

"Aww, my baby sister cares about me." Neron laughed when Nuria batted his hands away when he squeezed her cheek.

Kiya sighed in relief once again, giggling at their antics. The alpha turned his attention back to her and smoothed the hair on the back of her neck. He planted a sweet kiss on her nose, gifted with a mewl from her. Nuria arched an eyebrow but didn’t say anything.

Asim walked over and helped Neron to his feet, patting him once on the back while the women gathered together. It was a peaceful resolution to a longtime struggle.

The group can focus on bigger and more important things.

Until a whistle zipped through the air.

And the sound of exploding glass began a *new* struggle.