Just as Helen was stomping off angrily,she walked in on Gabriel and Ethan having a light conversation. The men noticed the foul mood, Helen seemed to be in and they got curious.
"Is everything okay?", Ethan asked looking around for Accalia.
"That depends! Ask your wife!",she said and walked off.
Immediately,she said that Ethan was taken aback at her response and he flinched. Helen had never been that rude to him. Dashing into the room,he left Alpha Gabriel,who was trying to pacify Helen in search of Accalia. He hoped there was nothing wrong with her.
Ethan breathed out in relief when he swiftly opened the door and met Accalia and Rachel having a low conversation. Although Rachel looked gloomy,he was relieved there was nothing wrong with her.
He breathed the air and caught the whiff scent of a growing fetus and paused. Ethan tried to ascertain where the scent came from when his wolf eyes scanned through the ladies,and spotted a growing and kicking fetus in Rachel.
Ethan walked to Rachel,bowed slightly and said, "Congratulations my Luna! They're beautiful".
Rachel and Accalia smiled knowingly at each other and Rachel asked Ethan how he could tell she was pregnant, seeing that only her friends and Gabriel knew about the pregnancy.
"I'm a Beta whose scent can catch anything even as far as fifty meters beneath the ground. Your children exude a noticeable scent to a werewolf whose senses are strong",He replied.
"Thank you Ethan", Rachel said with a smile
"You're welcome. Uhm..I'm sorry,I met Helen walking off angrily. Is she okay?",He asked cautiously.
Accalia lowered her head and decided to explain her plans to Ethan. "She was just looking out for me," Accalia began.
"Looking out? Is something wrong?",he asked with concern.
"Not really. I am happy about our union, Ethan but I also want to feel my late parents' warmth and possibly tell them about us before we get married", Accalia said meekly.
"I understand you darling, but there's nothing anyone can do at this point. They've been gone for years and you have friends who love and cherish you too,here. You have me", Ethan said lovingly as Rachel nodded in agreement.
"I know. But I'm an Omicron and tonight's the night of Ellipsis, where the underworld has an opening at midnight", Accalia replied.``Please, Accalia don't tell me you're telling me what you are thinking! Cause that'll be the dumbest thing I've ever heard"Ethan said between clenched teeth.
"That's exactly what I'm saying, honey. Omicrons can see the future when provoked and we can invade into the underworld, without being trapped in. I know I can survive it", Accalia said but Ethan interrupted her.
"Are you listening to yourself? You could barely survive the first change,talk more of visiting the underworld. Do you realize that you're not fully recovered? And being in the underworld for a minute without control can make one insane?", Ethan said in a burst of frustration.
"Baby..I", Accalia tried to speak.
"There's nothing you can say. You have to kill that thought. How could you even think of trying something that risky few hours to our wedding? Do you even love me the way I do?", Ethan asked.
Gabriel and Helen heard Ethan's voice from the door and rushed in. "Do we even mean anything to you?", Ethan asked, holding Accalia's hand.
"Yes..yes..but I need to do this for me! I feel empty without it. I'm an Omicron. I'm stronger than you all think", Accalia answered.
"Nobody's disputing that with you, Accalia. It's just too risky and nobody, especially your husband-to-be, can't stand losing you,a few hours to your joining rites. You have to understand", Alpha Gabriel pacified.
"I want to feel my roots again. Please,I want you all to understand. It'll only take a few hours. I'm certain I'll be back healthy for my wedding. It's a mind trip and with your support,I can survive,"she said with conviction.
Ethan looked at her intently, shaking his head. He made to walk out of the room but Accalia rushed to him and held him close.
"I love you too much, darling, to leave you hanging on our wedding day. Please, you have to understand. I can not do this without your support",she said soothingly.
"You can wait after the ceremony and when you're well trained to handle a mental journey like that. Then I'll support you",he replied.
"It's now or never! Trust me,I'm ready",she announced.
Ethan couldn't believe his ears. Accalia looked determined to carry out her decision and no cajoling would talk her out of it. He rubbed his head in frustration and nodded in agreement.
"On one condition! We all would be there with you and once I sense you're about to give up,I'm pulling you out of it immediately with the Acar`e potion", Ethan said.
Accalia agreed and Alpha Gabriel gave word that the innermost chambers be prepared for midnight. Helen reluctantly agreed to be in the same room while Accalia was about to mind-travel to the underworld.
Later in the evening,Alpha Max arrived, with Adam to join the wedding the next day,when Helen explained the event that was scheduled to take place when the clock struck twelve. Alpha Max was concerned if Accalia could take a journey like that but Helen informed him that she paid no attention to the warnings.
Accalia was led to take the bath of the spirits. She was dipped completely into the tub filled with enchanted herbs and potions. She proceeded to the inner corner when she was done,wearing a light cloth on.
Her hair was flowing to the back as she sat in the middle waiting for midnight. Soon,the door was locked with Max, Gabriel, Helen, Rachel and Ethan standing some meters from her watching quietly.
Ethan gulped hard and became nervous. Gabriel squeezed his shoulders, to encourage him."She'll be fine",Max said.
Few minutes later,the clock struck Twelve and the room became dark. Apart from the low burning, candles kept around Accalia. The wind blew slowly at first and then it escalated. Accalia's eyes began to flutter rapidly till it became white.
She roared and became tormentous as she was finding a way to connect to the underworld. Ethan was about to run to her but Gabriel held him back. "Let her find a connection",he commanded.
Accalia suddenly went quiet when she found a link and she became connected. No one could see what or who she was talking with but they saw her lips quivering. Nobody noticed that an hour had passed since she connected, because she seemed calm and the wind stopped.
Her eyes opened and closed severally and then shockingly, Accalia gave a loud scream and she began to jerk violently. Like her scream was the signal to the wind,the wind blew wildly again, blowing off all the candles.
"What's happening?"Everyone asked in astonishment.
"Something's different, there's something else in the underworld. She's being tormented", Alpha Gabriel answered.
Just as he said that, Accalia screamed again and fell to the ground weekly. The wind stopped abruptly too and the candles were reignited again. They rushed to Accalia, tapping her to wake for minutes,but her eyes had shut tight and she was breathing slowly.
They paused in fear when suddenly, Accalia blinked her eyes open.