Page 81 of The Alpha's Sold Pregnant Mate

Esme accepted the book from him and,with determination in her eyes, she said, “This ends tonight.”

The woods were illuminated by fires from the flaming torches held up by the members of the Pack. Above, the moon had turned a deep, eerie red hue like a glowing ember against the scenery of the celestial canvas.

Drums were banged and chants were hummed as the Pack gathered in the clearing of the forest, their elders seated in three concentric circles.

With gracious steps, Esme walked over to stand before the burning bonfire at the center of the circle. She gestured her fingers in the air, and out of the ground, vines emerged, forming a structure where she now placed the book.

Esme raised a hand in the air; the voices fell silent and the banging stopped.

“For so long, this land has suffered from a curse that has affected everyone and everything on it,” she said. “However… Tonight, that curse will be broken!”

The Pack cheered.

Esme called upon the four elements of nature—fire, water, earth, and air—to be her witnesses and the sources of her strength. As she spoke, a whirlwind blew across them so powerfully that it took out the fires of the people's torches.

With practiced precision, Esme twisted her body, waving her hands as she channeled the blown flames into one long streak, which she willed around.

The howling wind rustled across the pages of the book and settled on the exact spell she needed.

Esme threw her head up toward the red moon, chanting loudly against the whistling of the wind. Her hair was dancing backward,andher glowing green eyes squinted inthe breeze.

Soon, a tornado mixed with fire, water, and earth encircled her, drowning out her voice until all that could beheard was the roaring of the tornado.

Deafening thunder clashed in the red skies above, and a streak of lightning flashed down, striking the ground.

“By the power of the four elements of Nature…I, Esme Gray, hereby break the curse!” Her voice rumbled, echoing throughout the forest.

That instant, the loudest thunderclap Asher had ever heard clashed in the air, accompanied by a series of lightning flashes ofdifferent colors. The rumbling and flashes continued for minutes until Esme crossed her arms on her chest and forcibly broke the demonstration.

The turbulence ceased immediately, and silence fell. It wasn't until after the tornado surrounding Esme had cleared that everyone realized that her feet had not been touching the ground. She'd been levitating all that time.

Asher's eyes widened in astonishment, and he beamed with pride.

Slowly, she descended to the ground and snapped her fingers. Immediately, hundreds of fireflies buzzed toward them, their green glows illuminating the night.

One by one, the fireflies perched on every member of the Pack, male and female, children and adults alike.

Esme's eyes glowed greener as she whispered cleansing spells.

Asher felt the firefly on his head take off; those on the others also did the same. The moment it flew off his head, he felt a heavy burden leave his body.

There was a scattered gasp from the Pack as they all shot their heads up toward the sky. Threads of smoke escaped their faces, traveling upwards, and soon, the air over them was enveloped by a thick, black smoke.

Esme uttered more spells and waved her hand at the smoke.

It vanished into thin air, and their heads bent over.They dropped to their knees, panting.

“I feel as light as a feather!” someone yelled excitedly from the crowd.

“Yeah, me too!”another concurred.

They were right; Asher felt the same way.

“All hail Esme!”an Elder praised, and the others chorused,“All hail Esme!”

Triumphantly, she stood there, smiling as the Pack rushed at her joyously. They didn't need any more confirmation to know that it was done. They were free.

They lifted her up in the air, raining praises and blessings on her.

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