Page 65 of The Alpha's Pretend Mate

The witch stepped forward, her ageless face impassive. "Are you ready to begin?" she asked, her voice carrying an otherworldly echo.

Cassius nodded, forcing down the lump in his throat. "I am."

"Then step into the circle."

With a deep breath, Cassius moved to the center of the clearing. Runes carved into the earth began to glow with an eerie blue light. The witch raised her arms, and the air crackled with power.

"By the ancient magics that bind us all," she intoned, her voice resonating through Cassius's very bones, "I call upon the spirits to witness this oath. Let the truth be revealed; let falsehoods fall away. Cassius of the Whiteborn Pack, speak your heart's desire."

Cassius closed his eyes, reaching deep within himself. When he spoke, his voice was steady, filled with conviction. "I, Cassius White, swear that I love Alysa Volkov with all my heart and soul. My feelings for her are true and pure, untainted by obligation or coercion."

“I swear that my actions, though misguided, were born of a desire to protect her and keep her close, not out of prejudice or deceit."

The first tendrils of magic were soft, almost unnoticeable, as they wove through the air, curling around Cassius’s feet like thin vines. He stood tall, refusing to flinch as the cold, tingling sensation crawled up his legs.

"So I swear," Cassius finished, "and may death take me if I speak false."

The witch, standing at the edge of the circle, began to chant softly, her words a melodic hum that vibrated in the marrow of his bones. Cassius gritted his teeth as the magic seeped into his skin, probing, searching.

Alysa's smile, soft and shy. The way her eyes lit up when she played with Aurora. The curve of her hips, the fullness of her breasts. The ache in his chest whenever she was near.

Cassius’s breath hitched as the tendrils tightened around his body, growing more tangible, more invasive. His muscles tensed as the sensation spread, icy tendrils wrapping around his chest, constricting.

He tried to focus on the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves or the faint hum of voices in the background, but the magic demanded his attention, pulling him into the ritual’s grasp.

The witch’s voice grew louder, her words sharper, as if cutting through the very fabric of the air around them. Memories flashed through his mind, each one suffused with warmth and longing. The magic latched onto them, pulling them to the surface.

And then the pain hit.

A scream tore from Cassius's throat as liquid fire coursed through his veins. Every nerve ending ignited, his very soul laid bare and raw. The world seemed to dim at the edges of his vision, the tendrils of magic blurring into streaks of silver light.

A sharp, burning sensation erupted in his chest, and he staggered forward slightly, his knees threatening to buckle under the weight of it. He fell to his knees, body convulsing as the oath's magic etched itself into his being.

No.

He couldn't give in. Not now. Not when he was so close. Cassius forced his eyes open, searching desperately for Alysa. There—her face pale with horror, Aleksander's arm around her shoulders. She looked like she wanted to run to him, to stop this madness.

I'm okay.

He tried to speak to her with his eyes.

Another wave of agony crashed over him, and Cassius's world narrowed to a pinpoint of pain. He lost all sense of time, of self. There was only the burning, the tearing, the remaking of his very essence.

The witch’s chant had become a roar in his ears, drowning out every other sound. White-hot agony seared through him, and his teeth ground together under the crushing weight of the ritual.

His vision blurred with the intensity of the pain, and flashes of memories burst through the fog. Aurora’s tiny fingers clutching his, her innocent green eyes staring up at him with trust.

But then Alysa’s face emerged from the haze, her tear-streaked cheeks and trembling lips making his heart twist painfully.

Through it all, one thought kept him anchored.

Alysa. Alysa.

Her name became his mantra, his lifeline. More memories flashed before his eyes, giving him strength.

Their first meeting, years ago. Alysa, barely more than a girl, blushing furiously as she was introduced to her brother's best friend.

The day she arrived at his estate to be Aurora's nanny, all curves and shy smiles. The way his heart had skipped a beat, even as he told himself it was nothing.

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