“Tell me what it is, Maggie. Please.”
There’s no need to be keeping this from him anymore. He’d already shown her how much he cared for her and her child yesterday. He’s proven how good of a person he is in multiple ways. If she also has a part to play in his story, then she shouldn’t be reluctant to help. These were all the things she’d told herself after Walden rescued her from possible rape. She would be telling him the truth now, just not the part about them being destined lovers.
“I’m sorry to have kept this from you. You deserved every right to know. A part of me just wanted a bit of time before I told you.”
“What is it, Maggie?”
“Please don’t take your life, alpha Walden. It will only be a waste if you do. You have a bright future ahead of you, you should forgive yourself for all your mistakes and try to unite with the ones who only showed you love; the ones you pushed away.”
There were only two such people from months ago, two people who now want nothing to do with him because of the way he’s treated them; his sister, Sandy and of course, Miranda.
“It’s hard. I wish I could… I’ve tried, but Sandy won’t come back, and Miranda… Well, Miranda has found the love of her life, and it’s clearly not me.”
“Miranda is right where she belongs, but your sister is not. Sandy belongs here, with you in this packhouse.”
“She does. There was a time she loved this place so much. We had many secret places we used to play around when we were kids. She would have never left this packhouse for anything, but me… I was the one who made this place a nightmare for her, the same nightmare that I’m currently facing. The only difference between us is that she has a place she can run to, unlike me who has to remain.”
“You have to forgive yourself, Walden. You have made a lot of mistakes, yes, but there’s still time. There’s still a chance to fix them.”
“How do I do it? I really want to. Please, tell me… How do I right my wrongs? How do I fix everything I’ve done?”
“First, you will need to be in your right state of mind. You will have to perform a ritual to silence the spirit that’s troubling you. There is no way to make peace with it. The only thing we can do is banish it from land of the living.”
“A ritual? What kind of ritual?”
“You will have to perform a Goni ritual. I think this is the best shot you’ll have at getting your peaceful nights back.”
“A Goni ritual?”
“Yes, but with it comes a problem. There’s only one such person who would’ve seen to it that the ritual is successful.”
“And who is that?”
“Andria the psychic.”
Upon her mentioning the name, Walden already knew what the problem was. Andria was a very powerful psychic whose gifts had been heard of around all territories before the rogues came. She perished with the first battle that attacked the silver pack.
“If the only person that could have helped me with the ritual is no more, then what chance do I have to fix things?”
This was another reason that Maggie was reluctant to help at first, if not for the promise she’d made herself earlier.
Sighs, “you still have a chance. I know how to conduct the ritual.”
He rose a brow at her, “you? When did you become a psychic?”
“I’m no psychic but I knew Andria very well when she was still alive. We were both silver wolves and I was very young then. My father took me to her when I first discovered my gifts, thinking that I was possessed by ghosts. I stayed with her for a while and we grew very close. She was like my mother. She taught me many things while I was with her.”
“Including the Goni ritual?”
Maggie nodded, “yes. She used to do it for customers often. And many of them testified that they had not seen the ghost that haunted them since after then.”
“Oh, Maggie! This is good news! So, there’s still hope for me after all! Andria might have gone but she left some of her knowledge with you!”
“Let’s not celebrate yet, alpha Walden. I might know everything about how the ritual goes but that doesn’t mean I have expertise in it. I’ve never done it myself before. Andria wanted me to try once but I refused, wanting to focus on my seer powers instead. Now that I think of it, I regret not having tried.”
Walden’s heart dropped, just after he’d thought it was all settled, now this. What will now be the outcome for this ritual whose handler was just performing it for the first time? What if something went wrong?
“I don’t know what will be the outcome of this ritual, especially since this will be your first time, but if anything, Maggie, I believe in you. I am willing to give it a try regardless of how I feel about it.”
“Are you sure about this, alpha Walden?”
“It doesn’t matter if I’m sure or not. What matters is that I have missed the luxury of having a good sleep every night for many months. I would do anything to have that back; regardless of if I am sure of it or not.”
“I understand. Everything you’re going through with that thing… It must be so terrible.”
“Terrible is even an understatement. Its ruined me so much, I just want my peace back. I am sorry for all I did to that poor soul; I really wish that there was a way for me to take back the things I did.”
“There isn’t. The only way is to move forward. This is a stubborn spirit you’re dealing with, and since it doesn’t wish for peace, you can either give it what it wants, or banish it from ever coming near you again. So, what will it be?”
Giving it what it wants would mean taking his own life. Was he willing to do that just to appease the spirit whom he’d offended? He might have been, before, but not anymore, not when life still had essence waiting for him when this was all over.
“How do we begin the ritual?”