Luna of Two Lifetimes

Chapter 3

No discomfort was felt.

No more.

Not the burn of treachery in my chest, not the sting of silver in my flesh.

Nothing was present.

It seemed like I had been unstitched from my body and abandoned in a world without time, a weightless glide through unending darkness.

Then light.

Far ahead, it began as a white-gold pinprick that pulsed slowly, resembling the beat of a faraway heart. Despite the fact that I had no legs, no body, and no free will, it enlarged with every pulse and pulled me in its direction.

It didn't burn when it ingested me. It got warmer. Something that soaked deeply into whatever I was now was a constant, live heat.

"The Shadowfang's Selene."

The voice was everywhere, loud and soothing, with a dreadful yet maternal thread. There was no question.

My wolf awoke within me, or rather, all around me, bending down in acknowledgment.

"Moon Mother."

I opened my mouth to speak, but my lips did not move. You are authentic.

Although she didn't laugh, there was a hint of enjoyment in her demeanor. "And even in death, you remain obstinate."

Am I dead?

Her response was neither kind nor harsh. Indeed. And no.

A figure formed out of the shifting white-gold light. She was tall and wore silver robes that glistened in the starlight like water. Her eyes were two full moons, old and wise, and her hair was long and black, tangled with strands of moonlight.

If I was still breathing at all, my breath caught. "Why am I here?"

"Because before you fell where they wanted you to go, I caught you."

They?

Her eyes grew gloomy. "The object in the crack." The one your partner tried to avoid. Selene, he was not mistaken about its hunger. However, he was mistaken to believe that death would prevent you from doing so.

Just thinking about Kaelen made my chest hurt. "I was killed by him.”

As though deciding how much truth to tell me, the Moon Goddess c****d her head. Indeed. And he did it out of fear-twisted love. With a wolf bound by prophecy, that is a dangerous thing.

I felt a chilly knot in my stomach. Which prophecy?

Her gaze remained fixed on mine. "A cycle's rebirth will coincide with the Blood Moon that signifies its conclusion. The Luna that is selected will either bring the packs together or bring them to disaster. You are that Luna, according to the shadow you saw ascending from the mountain.

The air appeared to become thinner. Kaelen believed that killing me would... Preserve the world?

Her quiet response was sufficient.

I shut my eyes. I was reminded of his blade once more, not only of the steel but also of the expression in his eyes. That tear. That is a falsehood. that affection.

"What are you looking for from me?" If I had a pulse, it wasn't there, but my voice was flat.

The Moon Goddess took a stride forward. Her cool, unbelievably soft palm cupped my cheek. "I would like to offer you an option."

Around us, the brightness faded, and shadows began to creep in. "I can now allow you to enter the rooms of your forefathers. You will no longer be in pain. Your bond will expire. Or...

"Or?"

"I can give you back."

My heart thumped. Give me back?

"As you were," she remarked. "That life is over. Selene of the Shadowfang is thought to be dead by the world. You would have a new body, a new name, and a new course in life. However, your memories, your wolf, and your spirit will endure.

The temptation was so piercing. The idea of breathing, walking, and fighting once more but also the idea of waking up by myself, hidden from those who used to know me.

"What's the catch?"

Her eyes did not meet her smile. "The silver-haired witch who replaced you at Kaelen's side is not who she seems to be. She is submitting to the dictates of the darkness. The packs will plunge into unending conflict if she is successful. To stop her, I'll send you back.

It was a hollow laugh. "Kaelen, too?"

Her eyes grew a little softer. "He won't recognize you. He is unable to. You no longer have the same bond. It will either be born again or not at all if he has any feelings for the person you become.

The true cruelty was that. To be in front of him and have him treat me as though I were a complete stranger.

I said in a harsh voice, "I'll do it."

"You agree without being aware of the rest."

The others?

The darkness closed in. Her voice cooled to steel from its warmth. "You will have one lunar cycle to finish your assignment when I send you back. If you don't succeed, the shadow will take you completely. Wolf, body, and soul. Additionally, I won't be able to give you another call.

She said something that weighed me down like a shroud. "One cycle," I said again.

She gave one nod. Pick your moment wisely. Additionally, Selene

She removed her hand from my cheek. "Not every person who opposes you will be your adversary. Furthermore, not every person by your side will be your friend.

Before I could respond, the light was sucked up by the advancing shadows.

Time shattered, colors twisted, and the fabric of everything tore apart beneath me as the world whirled. I went down. Quick. Too quickly.

Then impact.

My lungs heaved as if I had been submerged for years as I gasped. The soft, damp grass brushed against my back. The moon was red and full above me, the Blood Moon once more.

With my heart racing, I sat up. They weren't my hands. smaller. lighter. I don't recall acquiring the small scar that went across my left palm. My hair was darker and shorter than it had ever been as it fell forward.

I was frozen by the aroma of the shifting breeze.

smoke from pines. Steel. And underneath, something sharper.

Kaelen.

However, a voice from the trees' shadows interrupted me before I could turn to face it.

With a smooth and amused tone, it said, "Well." "Apparently, the Moon b***h wasn't prepared to part with you after all."

A shadow-covered, hooded figure entered the area.

He held on to the scent of the mountain's c***k. And my blade was in his grasp, gleaming in the red moonlight.