Reborn under the moon

I remembered the moment I died. It had been at the hands of a man. Alpha Damian of the Wolfswill Pack—the most dangerous man in the state. The scene replayed in my head again and again. The dark, cold weather. The smell of blood mixed with earth. I looked behind me at the soldiers I had taken along with me, their bodies lying cold on the ground. In my other hand was my sister. It wasn’t long before he had killed her too. Blood hastened from her wound, each drop flowing faster than the last. I was the only one still standing, but I knew my time would run out soon. “Sierre,” I called out to my wolf, but all that answered was silence. She had been silent since Alpha Damien wounded me with his sword. Alpha Damien stood tall in front of me like a merciless statue. Not even a scratch was on him. His face was blank and cold, just as it had always been. His dangerous amber eyes pierced into my soul, not a hint of pity in them. I had fought with all my might, but nothing could reach the man standing before me. He held his sword in his right hand, blood staining its silver edge. He moved closer in a swift motion before I could even think. My eyes closed immediately, expecting death to come soon. My knees weakened from defeat. Sweat poured down my skin as if trying to comfort me from my fate. All my life, everything had been easy. Who would have thought that my death would come at the hands of a man? Tears rushed from my eyes as the blade pierced into my pale skin. The smell of iron filled the air. Blood gushed from the wound he had just created, his sharp blade cutting deep into my flesh. Slowly, my vision began to dim. I watched in horror as blood soaked through my green dress. “No… this cannot be the end,” I screamed within myself. To my right lay my sister in a blue dress. She had been killed, just as I was about to be. Death had been cruel enough to take two sisters in a single day. All she ever wanted was to marry Alpha Torr, and she had even risked her life in battle for that dream. “This cannot be the end,” I told myself. But the blood soaking the ground and my fading sight told me otherwise. My breath grew heavy. The color of my skin slowly turned blue—the sign that life was leaving my body to return to the Moon Goddess. When I was only a breath away from death, I pleaded to the Moon Goddess while holding the necklace left to me by my mother. “If you can hear me, Mother Goddess… please change my fate,” I whispered softly. Slowly, I drifted into darkness.“Welcome, child.” A voice entered my thoughts—smooth yet powerful. I wasn’t sure where the voice was coming from. I was supposed to be dead… right? I heard the voice again, but this time it sounded like a command. “Wake up, child… do you plan on sleeping for long?” The same voice—smooth, calm, peaceful, as if I could listen to it for a lifetime. My eyes slowly opened until I was met with a bright light that nearly blinded me. In front of me stood a woman who looked young and radiant. Her skin shone like gold, rich and enchanting. She was breathtakingly beautiful. A white gown hung lightly over her body, and her hair danced softly as if moved by an invisible breeze. I stood there, enchanted, as if an invisible spell had wrapped around my mind and held me captive. The woman chuckled softly at my reaction. “Who are you?” I asked. “And why am I here?” From what I remembered clearly, I had just died at the hands of Alpha Lucien, along with my twin sister and my soldiers. “You called for my attention, child,” she replied. Why would she call me a child if she looked my age? I wondered. “Actually, I am one thousand and five years old. Next week will be my one thousand and sixth birthday,” she said, laughing when she saw my jaw drop. “I can’t believe you didn’t read that in your bedtime stories, Rida. All goddesses can read minds,” she added with playful disappointment. “A goddess?” “Actually… the Moon Goddess.” “You sought my attention when you were only a breath away from death. How lucky you are to have been granted another chance.” “The Moon Goddess… another chance?” My eyes widened. I had never imagined standing before a goddess, let alone being given another chance at life. Such things only happened to the chosen ones—and I was certain I was not one of them. Everything I knew about goddesses came from stories about how powerful and breathtaking they were. I wasn’t at fault for knowing so little about wolves and goddesses. The only real family I had was my twin sister, Sida—who had just been killed by my enemy, Lucien. My sister and I were adopted by Alpha Torr’s father, Alpha Loid. He had been kind enough to take us in when we were children. “Trust me, child,” the goddess said, moving closer and touching my shoulder. For a moment, I forgot that I had died only moments ago. Her gentle voice seemed to enter my very soul. “The face of things cannot always be trusted, for shadows often wear the shape of light.” Her words echoed through the space around us. None of what she said made sense to me. None of what was happening made sense either. “I do not understand any of this… Your Goddess.” I stammered, my words stumbling out unevenly. Maybe it was her overwhelming presence… or perhaps the shock of having just died moments ago. “The answers will come,” she said softly, “but only when the time is right.” She moved to sit on a golden chair decorated with thousands of pearls. “What will be my fate, Mother? I cannot die like this,” I said, worry creeping into my voice. But the woman before me remained calm, as if none of my fear mattered. “Easy, child,” she said, her gaze resting on me. “You will be given a chance to go back,” she continued, “just as I promised Gilda.” I didn’t know who Gilda was, but I assumed she must be another wolf. “Who is Gilda?” I asked quickly. Silence answered me. “Goodbye. We will meet again soon,” she said, waving her perfectly manicured hand. “You can’t!” I screamed. She only laughed as the world around me began to fade. “Why would you give me another chance?” I asked desperately. “Do you want something from me?” It sounded ridiculous. What could a goddess possibly want from someone like me? Still, I had to ask. So many questions filled my mind—who Gilda was, and why she had said we would meet again soon. I watched as her body slowly faded before my eyes, leaving me with thousands of unanswered questions. Was I going to die again? The thought sent sweat crawling over my body. If I were going to die, would it really be at the hands of that monster? The idea felt ridiculous, and I quickly pushed it away. Why would the goddess give me another chance if she wanted me dead? My vision shifted again. This time, I was lying on the ground. The blue sky stretched above me, and a small smile curled onto my lips. At last… I was alive.