'CRACK'
Sharp and explosive sound of flogging on the body filled the silence of the confession room. Hands gripped firmly on the whip, Romeo continues to hit his naked upper body.
His every hit was harsh, causing the blood to appear on his skin with every hit. His eyes were filled with sorrow, embarrassment and pity. As he was punishing himself for the sin of harbouring forbidden feelings. While self-flagellating he kept chanting the prayer for repentance and forgiveness.
"Goddess, I have sinned," he pleads. "Be merciful to me, a sinner. And am no longer worthy to be called your apostle."
CRACK
Another hard whiplash on his back made his voice shiver. He was using his prime strength to flog himself.
"T-To whom you promised paradise. I seek Your forgiveness and healing," he begged, his voice filled with guilt and shame.
"May Your boundless love and grace wash over me, a sinner."
With the last word of the prayer he stopped the flagellants and got up from the floor. Wearing his robe over his blood covered body, he walks out of the room like nothing happened.
However his robe soon sticks to his back, absorbing the blood and becoming soaked into it. Romeo's steps fastened as he walked towards the priest's quarters. And when he was about to open his room's door someone called him from behind.
"Romeo, where have you been at this hour of night?"
Romeo looked at his wrist watch first and it was midnight. Closing his eyes in annoyance he turns back to answer. "It's none of your business, Father Osburn."
Romeo glanced at Osburn, a sly looking man who shares a trivial past with him. His hideous looking face was a curse for his wrong doings. Osburn touched his burnt left side of face and said,"Romeo Salvatore, your business is my business. Don't you know why I have this scar on my face?"
Romeo's jaws clenched together, he wanted to talk back but he was aware of the truth. Other than feeling sorry and guilty for Osburn he couldn't do anything.
Suppressing his overwhelming conflicting emotions, Romeo calmly apologised. Osburn smirked at the helplessness of Romeo and intentionally grabbed the right shoulder of his.
Digging his claws into his shoulder, he grinned. "Brother, you are not allowed to forget the past we share. Because if you do that... My dead mother's soul will haunt your mother. You don't want her to die, right?"
Tightening his fists, Romeo swallowed his pride and forced a regretting smile on his lips. "Yes, I don't want that."
Saying that Romeo removed Osburn's hand from his shoulder and entered inside his room. Locking himself inside, he sat on the bed and covered his face with his hands. Tears would not come out of his eyes no matter how sad and guilty he felt... It was his curse, a curse of being born with bad omen.
Sighing deeply, he gets up and walks into the bathroom to take a cold shower. Putting on a clean robe, he opens the drawer and takes out the medicine bottles. Taking pills from each bottle, he swallows them with water.
"How long will I have to keep taking these medicines?" Romeo glanced at the medicinal bottles of depression and anxiety.
He started taking those medicines as soon as he entered the life of a priest. Because becoming a priest was his only given choice and for that he had to sacrifice everything. Once the strongest and most feared Alpha, Romeo Salvatore hit rock bottom after he accidentally killed his father and his father's mistress in anger.
That memory still sits fresh in Romeo's mind. It was a cold night in the Nightfall pack's territory. Newly crowned Alpha Romeo headed to his father's villa and saw him naked in the arms of an Omega slave. Furious, Romeo recognised that omega, she was no other than the woman who caused his mother's death.
He went berserk and ended up killing his father and that woman. Not knowing that woman had a son of Romeo's age.
"How did Osburn find out that I was staying here?" Romeo thought, because his whereabouts were only known to few which included Alpha Dante, his younger brother and his uncle.
"But that doesn't matter. What's matter is, why is he here? Is planning on exposing my past to everyone?" Romeo's expressions darkened as he thought of the worst case scenario possible.
What made him worried was that he had given up on the life of wild Alpha. He has been baptised and entered the phrase of serving Moon goddess. If Osburn was here for revenge then Romeo would have to unseal his wolf.
"If I make connections with my wolf side again... I'll not be able to practise celibacy... My ordination will go in vain because my wolf will search for its mate," he murmured, suppressing his growing rage.
Suddenly his phone starts ringing,he rummages through his drawers and holding his phone he stares at the number, hesitating to take the call.
"Hello," he said and before he could say anything further, a serious male's voice replied.
"It's me , Dante. How's my daughter? Is she giving you a hard time?"
"Dante, it's been a while since we last talked," Romeo said, changing his tone. "Karenina... She is doing well here. You don't need to worry about her as long as I'm here."
"Seriously? I was worried sick about her attitude towards you since she threw a lot of tantrums before leaving for England."
"You worry a lot," Romeo added.
Dante agreed. "Yes, because she's my only daughter. And I know you'll take care of her like your niece."
Romeo became quiet when he heard Dante saying 'to treat Karenina like his niece.' He felt a strange struggle in his heart, something was not sitting right with him. But he nodded and assured his friend to be at ease. After talking about Karenina, they both started talking about other stuff and soon the time passed by.
Romeo sent someone else to take the class since he was not feeling well. The self flagellants he did last night has healed, however the pain still remains.
***
After a week's rest, Romeo dressed up for the morning prayer. Putting on a layer of black cloak over his white robe, he walks through the garden which leads to the temple. Behind him two more priests were following, they were talking about the upcoming Red Moon festival.
Romeo turns his face and says,"Are we holding a ceremonial prayer session in the temple?"
"Yes, your holiness. But we are worried about the students. Redmoon night is also called the night of mating."
Romeo nodded in thought before replying,"We will not be celebrating Redmoon night. They'll be allowed to take leave for a few days since it's a very important night to werewolves. We can't refrain them from finding their mates."
"Well thought, your holiness. We will inform the students two days before the Red Moon night."
"Yes,"Romeo agreed and was about to turn back when his eyes caught the glimpse of three girls sitting on the garden bench.
He recognised one of the girls, and called her name,"Karenina... Aren't you–"
His voice hitched in his throat when he caught the quick glance of Karenina's skirt riding up with the wind, exposing her underwear. He quickly turned his flustered face and headed towards the temple.
Karenina and her two friends were so busy with their conversation that they didn't even see Romeo and mistook him for other priests. Taking their leisurely time, Karenina and her friends arrived in the class only to realise that they were twenty minutes late.
"What are you guys doing? You three were also absent from the morning prayer," Romeo's voice thundered in their ears.
Karenina raised her face up and was surprised to see him after a week. Rolling her eyes at him she leans close to Helene's ear and whispers,"Look who's talking! Should we ask him why he was absent for the whole week?"
"Be quiet Katty. We are screwed up."
"He will not punish us, just believe me," Karenina murmured as she looked at Romeo with her innocent eyes. She was trying to be as innocent as possible, causing him to panic in a turmoil of emotions.
"Ahem, what are you three doing there? Get back to your seats."
Helene and Mariyam gasped in surprise, they couldn't believe that they were allowed to enter inside the class without any punishment. Taking their seats, Helene couldn't help but ask,"How? Just how were you able to predict that Father would not punish us?"