The Dead Luna

Phoenix:

Right now, I tried to search for something that made sense— but nope. Luna Raya just kept talking about the weather, and how she used to play among those trees, and how her father used to carry her on his shoulders.

After that, she started telling me cute tales of her sons, Asher and Ashwin. The woman who never wanted me near her sons was now telling me all their shit.

I was nodding at her blabbering, without even listening, when suddenly she grabbed my hand gently, "Careful. There’s a log right there."

I blinked, "Oh, thanks."

I jumped over it and landed awkwardly. Sheesh. I needed to work on my balance. I made a mental note to ask Nicholson to train me for the darkness.

I was almost a human, and needed to tackle my enemy, or someday they could attack me in the dark.

We kept moving and were now slowing down due to me. The moon was hidden behind the clouds, and I was facing difficulty walking in pitch black forest.

Luna Raya was walking with grace while I was tripping over every second root.

I wanted her to stop talking and tell me how long we needed to walk. That was when I felt a shift in the air.

The moon decided to come out of the clouds, and I found the trees opening up into a wide open clearing.

And then I saw it.

The river.

Long and quiet. Shimmering under the moon.

Luna Raya stopped next to me, stared for a second, and then— without a word- started pulling off her clothes.

"Wait! W-what is going on, Luna Raya?" I asked her, thinking that she must have lost her mind.

"Let’s swim," she suggested with a smile and kicked off her shoes.

"Y-you can’t be serious!"

She didn’t mind it and just laughed. After a small twirl, she just jumped right in like a child who got too excited when he found water.

This was insane. I stared at the rippled water. I fixed my mask over my face.

"Phoenix!" she yelled, splashing the water with her hands, "Come on!"

I smiled and then started pulling off my clothes too. Leaving my bra and panties along with my mask, I jumped in right after her.

"Goddess!" I gasped as soon as I hit the water. We both had forgotten one thing. Being a werewolf, she didn’t feel the coldness of the water, while me?

The water smacked against my skin like a thousand ice cubes had come in contact with it.

"Are you alright?" she asked me in concern, and this must be the first time she was showing this type of care to me.

"Ye-yeah..." I tried to control my chattering teeth, "I’m... I’m goo...good..." She chuckled and swam towards me.

"Don’t worry. Give it a few more minutes. Your body will get used to it."

I highly doubted it. After a few minutes, my body might turn into a block of ice.

"Luna Raya," I tried to control the shiver, "Why are we here?"

"Nothing, sweetheart. I brought you here because I wanted to tell you a story," she said thoughtfully.

Was she crazy? Tell a story while staying in this freezing water?

"Do you want to know about a beautiful girl who had a handsome mate? They were so in love with each other..." Her blue eyes gleamed in the moonlight.

For a few moments, I forgot about the cold.

"But later this mate rejected this beautiful girl without giving any reason, Phoenix," she brushed her nose, "And now... now this girl is in pain," tears welled up in her eyes.

Oh, Goddess. I knew. I knew that the story was about her. And it reminded me so much about my own life. How I went through the same heartbreak.

I understood her pain.

Was this why she was so bitter towards me?

But look at her. She did get her happily ever after. Alpha Blake was crazy about her.

"I’m so sorry, Luna," I went to her and placed my hand on her shoulder, "Alpha Blake is so lucky to have you."

She started giggling, but it lacked humor, "So you know that the story is about me?" She started swimming away from me.

"Y-yeah... if it’s not about you, then who was this girl?" I decided to do a little buttering because I needed to stroke her ego, "You are the most beautiful woman of our pack, Luna."

I didn’t know if she heard me or not. After a few minutes, when she was back, she seemed better.

"Do you mean it, Phoenix?" she asked me, "Am I really beautiful?"

I nodded at her with a smile, "Of course. The most beautiful one."

She chuckled while shaking her head, "Then why did he leave me?"

I felt my heart sinking, "Who?"

She started crying again, "Jai. Why did he leave me? Why does he look at you the way he used to look at me?"

Goddess! I thought I had turned into a stone.

I kept staring at her face in shock, not sure if I could feel the coldness of the water anymore.

"J-Jai," I whispered in disbelief.

"Yeah," she nodded, "he was my mate. He rejected me. To teach him a lesson I married Blake. But see. He still doesn’t care," she said softly, "He stands up for you, Phoenix... but... but ... he doesn’t... he doesn’t love me anymore..." she started crying again.

This time, I couldn’t go to her to console her.

Shaking her head, she wiped her face and got out of the water. I couldn’t even move. She started wearing her clothes, and after that, in one swift motion, she picked up mine, "Sorry for doing this, Phoenix. Stay here. Stay here and try your best never to return to our pack."

I felt my throat constrict. What was she doing?

"L... Luna Raya... I ... I am wolfless... I know," I shivered slightly, maybe because the water was cold, or maybe because Luna Raya proved to be colder, "As a warrior, I’ll prove my worth... I ... I promise ... You won’t regret your decision..."

Goddess! I sounded like a despo, begging her for acceptance.

She started shaking her head, maintaining that stoic face, "We don’t need you, Phoenix. You are a good girl, but you’re not fit to be in our pack."