The Last Moon

Chapter 21: To Hold On or To Let Go?

"I heard the news about the two of you. So it was true, seeing you both here," Victoria asked with a smile in her face. I was not able to read her emotions, I remember the first meeting on how she claims Rahul to be her future husband.

"Yes, Veronica. It's true," Rahul said and he leaned on me and placed his hands at the backrest of my chair.

Veronica's POV

Looking at them this close makes my heart twinge, I can feel the pain inside me. It's eating me, his words are like a fang engulfing me, tormenting me. Despite it, I want them to be at ease I should remain calm and focus. I will prove Rahul that I am the only girl for him, this will be just the beginning.

Veronica stands up and greeted them, "Congratulations! You beet me of having Rahul," she said smiling at Halea and reached out on her hands and they hugged. She then turns to Rahul, "Well, you better take care of Halea now, I hope things don't change between us, the three of us. I hope we can all be friends,"

"Of course Veronica," Rahul said and she also hugged her, "You were always like a sister to me, and I will be glad if you could be the same with Halea," he said.

I laughed at his remark, I looked at both of them and hold their hands. 'Why does he have to say that, why does he need to keep repeating that I am just a sister to him.' "I need to go now, I just came for an errand but we should go out some time so we can bond, hmmm, how about next week?" I said giggling

Halea looked at Rahul, "Okay next week then," Rahul said.

"Okay, I'll call you," I said and I turn to Aunty and Uncle David to say goodbye, "Aunty, Uncle I need to go now, my Mom asked me to pick a few more things for her,"

"Alright, Veronica! Drive safely," Uncle David said

"Thank your Mom for me, bye!" Aunty Jiana

I turn around and left. When I reached my car and drove out of their house, I didn't hold back the tears. I wiped it and went on and I need a place to relieve me of this pain I'm feeling.

I turned the radio on so it can kill the silence and drove to the only place I know where I can cry my heart out, to the beach. And while I drive the radio plays a dumb song which makes me sob even more. 

'Loving can hurt, loving can hurt sometimes - But it's the only thing that I know - When it gets hard, you know it can get hard sometimes - It is the only thing that makes us feel alive...'

Yeah, I am more alive now, I guess the pain is making me feel conscious. My world has evolved around Rahul from the time I meet him until now. I am not yet ready to let that go. 

Like the song, I wish I can just put everything in a photograph and keep everything frozen in time. Those happy memories we have shared when it was just him and me. I wish I can just wake up one day and the pain is gone. Right now, I am not ready to let go I will still fight for this. Fight for what I have, I will wait till he realizes that it's me and I'll be here. That's the best thing to do.

Veronica cried her eyes out there near the cliff overlooking the water on the horizon while she listens to the heartbreaking love songs. 

On the other part of Vale, another heart is grieving. 

Caleb's POV

Tonight, I will have my first shift and I will know if Halea is my mate. If not, it will then be a relief now that she has accepted Rahul's affection. But if she's my mate I will make sure she's mine. My parents and my pack is celebrating my coming of age. They have invited every pack leaders we have an alliance with. I will be lucky if ever my mate will show up here.

"What are your plans this evening?" Matthew asked

"After shifting I will go and check Halea, I just cannot wait to see her,"

"What if she's not your mate?" Jason asked

"Then I'll let her go, I'll let her be and look for my mate," I said, that would be the plan but I just have this gut feeling inside of me but I could also be wrong. Some of my ancestors were not lucky to find their mate and so they married at will to continue the bloodline. I was hoping I would be different, I was hoping that I would be able to find my mate.

"But how about your attraction to her? It's kind of unusual to be attracted to her if she's not even your mate?" Matthew asked

"But you both had that same attraction towards her right? You told me," Caleb asked Matthew and Jason

"Yeah, we were attracted but not like you. You're a bit overboard when it comes to her,"

"If she's not my mate, then she must be somewhat special maybe someone else's mate who knows. But I will be ready for whatever outcomes," I do pray that she's mine, that the agony of finding a mate would be a less burden for me.

"Boys, why don't you meet the other guests instead of staying here," my Mom says after seeing me with my friends chatting at the 2nd floor of the packhouse looking at the guests downstairs.

"We're coming, Mom," I said.

We went and roam around the Packhouse and met with some of the pack leaders, I was also introduced to some of the ladies who are not yet mated in case one of them would be my mate. The celebration would last 2 days, today and tomorrow as the shift will be when the moon is out. I am so confident that everything will be fine and that I am able to take the pain of the first shift, after all, I am the last of my kind and I do not want to end the bloodline with me.

In less than 2 hours, the ceremony will start and I will take my place along with the other werewolves of my pack. Unlike them, Thalons first shift would only be difficult but the succeeding, won't be and that we can shift at will. I am excited to know my wolf form and my wolf.

My friends and I grabbed some food to eat and now sitting along with the other guests when I saw my sister with Amelia.

"Are you ready for your shift Caleb?" she asked me. 

Laurie was just a year younger than me and soon it will be her turn, "Yes, I am ready," I said, 

"I hope everything will turn out fine," she said

"Of course it will, why are you sensing something bad to happen?

"No, I just wanted to check on you and make sure you're ready,"

I laughed at her remark, "go eat the ceremony will start soon," I told her

"Amy told me about your classmate, I wanted to meet her. Will you bring her here to meet us?"

"We will see, we need to have this ceremony first," I said

Soon the gathering started and I can see my Dad and my Mom along with some elders. They were telling our history in Vale and how we became the most powerful pack in this region. 

Lucas one of our elder tells the story of our existence, "The story of our existence has been known to most of our kind and how the Thalons (Lycans) my kind came to be the last generation." he started. He then faced the crowd which majority are Lobos, "We used to be the guardians of the lower underworld or also known as Kasanaan where the spirits of the sinful spirits go while the Lobos (werewolves) are the guardians of the higher underworld known as Maca where the spirits of the good mortals go. Our ancestor was given a task to come to the world of the living to provide balance in the existence of the creatures of the night. They were the first pack to roam in the old land of Laon," he continues and the people nod. We pride ourselves to be from the same bloodline. 

He continued, "We are still existing to continue the tasked given to us and in the rise of the last male Thalon, we pass this responsibility to him," he then looks at me and introduced me to the pack.

"Caleb," he called me and I walked towards him and stand beside him, "It is an honour for me to introduce you the prince of Thalon, Caleb!" 

For a moment there I thought I felt Halea's existence nearby, and I felt a sudden confusion in my mind since I know she's not here.

"Caleb!" Lucas called me once again and I nodded. We waited for the moon to peak and there it was, all the pack warriors and members started to shift into their wolf form and I waited. Then I felt the abrupt surge of pain and something from my feet snapped and I am now on my knees holding the ground. I am now standing into a digitigrade foot and now my hands have turned, and my back I felt the pain although I have trained for this I cannot help but howl the pain that wraps my being and then my face has slowly turned into a wolf. I can feel my snout coming out and it felt like it's killing me.

I shifted completely and stand before my pack and the other pack, and there it was again that burning sensation on my skin I felt like I was on fire I cannot stand the pain and I was on my knees again screaming, I raise my face and hold my hands trying to control the torture like feeling. And there it was again, Halea's presence like a wind embracing me my mind suddenly shut and the pain somehow died. The fire in me slowly faded as well as my form and I turned back to human and then everything turned black.

'Did I just past out?'

"Yes, you did!" I can hear the voice inside me answered and everything stopped.