Severed Moon

Blood Moon

The blood moon disappeared when our Luna died. I knew it the moment darkness shrouded my vision. My steps faltered as I ran, rain pouring down on me. "NO!!" A scream unfamiliar in my voice ripped through my throat. "No, no, no." I forced my legs to move faster, to run harder and when I got to the estate and flung open the door, there she was.

"Aurora?" My quiet voice echoed throughout the foyer and her mate, Colvin, hunched over her unmoving body.

He looked up, his eyes red and angry. "Stel? I'm sorry, I'm sorry." His sobs filled the room, hollow and deep. My feet moved until I knelt beside him, gazing upon my sister's body. She was so still. If not for that, it was like she was just sleeping.

"We knew the sickness would take over her eventually. It was only a matter of when," I said, my voice low.

"We were supposed to find the cure. I was meant to find it. I was so close." I placed my hand on his shoulder and it shook as he cried. My ears twitched as footsteps climbed up the steps, many of them. "The pack knows. Do you want me to tell them?"

He nodded, struggling to catch his breath and Stella forced her way onto her feet from her knees. Tears fell past her cheeks and when she pulled back the doors, she found them standing before her. Eyes red with worry and lips bitten into frowns. At the front, my friend Mina, looked at me, "Is she...?" She asked.

All I could do was nod before tears took over me and pulled sobs from my throat. She wrapped her arms around me, pulling me deep into a hug. "I'm so sorry, Stel. I'm so, so sorry." I pulled away from her after a moment. I still had the entire pack standing before me, and with Colvin's cries still coming from inside, she was the only person in her family available to address the pack.

"Hello, everyone," my voice shook as I addressed them. Eyes stared at me and I cleared my throat, trying to keep my eyes on Mina. "You all know she's been sick for some time now. The same poison ran through her blood that ran through our mother's. It was—It was only a matter of time until she succumbed and she fought so hard, but now...now she gets to rest."

A few men pushed through the crowd and my eyes immediately fell on a head of blonde hair. "How is he?" he asked. Seeing Caleb's face nearly made me burst into tears. I had to look away. Staring at my feet, I bit my lip and shook my head. "He's not good."

The two other men beside him, Colvin's other right-hand men, Alphas, Alistair and Rowan, walked past me, shoulders nearly brushing mine as they went to him. Caleb turned around to face the crowd, his lips set in a deep frown,"Thank you, that is all. Our Alpha will address you all formally after the mourning period ends. Any questions may be addressed to either of us," he said, and with bowed heads, the pack dispersed, going back to their homes.

My shoulders slumped, and I still avoided eye contact with him, but did he walk inside to join the others? Of course not, for he wouldn't be my best friend if he did. He rested his hand on my shoulder, bringing me in for a hug. He smelled so much like him. Like my favorite scent of all time. Ever since we were children, his scent has followed me and I wouldn't give it up for anything. It always calms me. He always calms me.

"How are you, Stellie?" he asked, his voice low as his eyes watched hers.

I shrugged, "I... It hurts. I can't believe she's gone. What do I even do now? What do we all do? We can't survive without a Luna."

"No, no, don't you worry about that right now. We will deal with that properly when the time is right. You should take this time to grieve. After that, who knows when you'll get another chance." I allowed my tears to fall, and I don't know for how long we held each other like this, just letting me cry until they turned to sniffles.

"Don't you have to go in there with the others?"

"I need to make sure you're okay, first. Come, let me take you home." He led me past the estate's gates and into the village where my home stood. It was small and certainly not even half the size of the estate, but it was what I wanted. Being the Luna's sister definitely had its perks even though I was an Omega.

Keys in my hand, I opened the door, and he led me straight to my bedroom. "Do you want me to stay until you fall asleep?" He asked, still holding my hand.

I shook my head, "Thank you, Caleb, but you should head back to the estate. Alpha Alistair and Alpha Rowan will need your help."

He took a step toward me, "You don't need to call them that, not around me."

I looked to the side, "I know, but... I don't want to forget my place."

I watched as his lips thinned, and his eyes flashed with the urge to say something else. He swallowed instead. "Sleep well, Stellie."

The walls of my home creaked and leaned in as if to scare me, threatening my already small world to be even smaller. My chest tightened, and I stripped before sinking into my bathtub. I didn't allow myself to rest for too long as my eyes began closing on me.

Sitting on my bed, something crinkled beneath me like paper. "What?" The question slipped out as I reached to grab it. It was an envelope. Light yellow in color with only one thing scribed onto the paper: my name in Aurora's handwriting.

I opened it as fast as I could without risking damage to its contents. It read:

Stel,

If I'm writing this, it means I don't get to say goodbye to you, and I've left you just like Mom left us. I'm sorry, so sorry, and I wish things were different, but I know I don't have long. Each day I get worse and worse.

Anyway, ignoring all that sad stuff, I need you to know that it's not the same as Mom's. Hers was natural, mine is something other. The others say they don't believe me, but I don't think that's it. I think they know exactly what's happening to me and are complicit in this. Don't trust any of them and be careful. If they're doing it to me, they could do it to you.

P.S. I'm sorry that my death will cause them to force you to attend that wretched school. Your big sis loves you to the moon and back!

My tears fell onto the letter and I set it down as I wiped them away. Is she saying someone did that to her on purpose? That maybe Colvin and the others knew about it and didn't do anything to help her? That didn't make any sense as I thought about it, but why would she lie? Why would they want her dead?

I stuffed the letter beneath my pillow as I laid down, pulling the blanket up to my neck with the final thought that sent me off to sleep: Why would anyone hurt my sister?