When the Moon Forgot Us

The cursed blade slid through my chest. For a heartbeat... I felt nothing. Then warmth spread beneath my fingertips. Not warmth. Blood. My blood. I looked down in silence as crimson soaked the silver fabric of my dress. How strange. I had always imagined dying would be loud. Instead... The world became quiet. "Lyra!" Kael's voice shattered the battlefield. I smiled before I even saw him. He crashed to his knees beside me, his hands trembling as they tried to stop the blood pouring between his fingers. "No..." His voice broke. "No, no, no... please." His golden eyes the eyes I had fallen in love with five years ago were filled with terror. I reached up with shaking fingers and brushed a strand of black hair away from his forehead. He caught my hand as though letting go would destroy him. "You promised," he whispered. "You promised you wouldn't leave me." "I lied," I breathed, smiling through the pain. Around us, the battle had fallen silent. Warriors watched. Some cried. Others knelt beneath the fading moon. No one spoke. Even the wind seemed to mourn. "I was supposed to die," Kael choked. "It was supposed to be me." "It couldn't be." My voice was barely louder than the breeze. "You still have a pack to protect." "You still have a life to live." "I don't want a life without you!" His cry echoed across the mountain. For the first time since I had met him... The Alpha looked completely broken. A tear slipped down my cheek. "I've loved you..." I whispered. "Since before I knew what love was." The curse that had haunted his bloodline for centuries began to unravel. Dark shadows rose from his body like smoke before dissolving into the dawn. He was free. Finally... He was free. The first rays of sunlight touched my face. I closed my eyes. My last thought wasn't of pain. It wasn't of regret. It was of the boy who had rejected me to save my life... ...and the man I was dying to save. Darkness welcomed me. This is how my story ends. Now... Let me tell you how it began. ____________________________________________ Five years earlier... --- People always said your eighteenth birthday was the happiest night of your life. The night your wolf awakened. The night the Moon Goddess revealed the one soul created just for yours. The night your forever began. For eighteen years, I had dreamed about it. I imagined meeting my mate beneath the full moon. I imagined the warmth of the bond wrapping around my heart. I imagined falling hopelessly in love with the man fate had chosen for me. Never not even in my worst nightmares did I imagine that the same moon that blessed me would also become the reason I hated looking at the sky. The evening air carried the scent of pine trees, wild lavender, and smoke from the bonfires already burning in the village square. Laughter echoed between the cottages. Children ran through the streets wearing tiny flower crowns while older wolves decorated the sacred clearing with white ribbons and moon lilies. The entire Ashwood Pack was celebrating. Not because it was my birthday. Because tonight, another young wolf would find their mate. Me. I stood in front of the small mirror hanging inside my bedroom, trying to ignore the butterflies attacking my stomach. The girl staring back at me looked almost unreal beneath the candlelight. Long silver-blonde hair flowed in soft waves to my waist, each strand shimmering whenever it caught the light. Mother had woven delicate moon lilies through the braid resting over my shoulder, their sweet fragrance following every movement. My eyes... People always complimented my eyes. They were an unusual shade of icy blue, almost silver around the edges, bright enough that Mother used to joke the Moon Goddess had stolen pieces of the winter sky and placed them inside me. Tonight they sparkled with excitement. Hope. Innocence. I didn't know those would be the last innocent moments of my life. My pale blue dress rested gently against my skin, the flowing fabric stitched by Mother over weeks of careful work. Tiny silver threads were sewn into the hem, making it shimmer like starlight whenever I moved. I looked... Happy. I smiled at my reflection. I wish I could tell that girl to run. To leave the village. To never step into the sacred clearing. To keep her heart whole. But memories don't change. No matter how desperately you beg them to. A knock sounded on my bedroom door. "You've been in there forever." Mira. I laughed. "Come in." The door opened, and my best friend stepped inside without waiting for permission. Mira had always been effortlessly beautiful. Thick auburn curls framed her freckled face, and her hazel eyes sparkled with mischief. She wore a deep green dress that matched the color of the forest after rain, and she carried herself with the confidence I had always admired. She looked me up and down dramatically before placing a hand over her heart. "Oh." "What?" "I suddenly feel terribly ugly." I rolled my eyes. "You're impossible." "No." She walked over and adjusted one of the flowers in my hair. "You are." Heat crept into my cheeks. "I look normal." "You look like every unmarried wolf's future heartbreak." I laughed louder. "Stop." "I'm serious." She stepped back, crossing her arms. "If your mate doesn't faint when he sees you, I'll personally question the Moon Goddess." "You shouldn't joke about that." "I'm not joking." She leaned closer, lowering her voice. "I'm jealous." I blinked. "You?" "Of course." Her smile softened. "Tonight you'll meet the person you'll spend the rest of your life with." The thought made my heart flutter. "I wonder what he'll be like." "Tall." I laughed. "You don't know that." "Strong." "Mira..." "Handsome." "You really don't know." She grinned. "I know one thing." "What?" "He'll spend the rest of his life thanking the Moon Goddess for giving him you." My smile faltered. "What if he doesn't?" She frowned. "What do you mean?" "What if..." The words caught in my throat. "...what if I'm not enough?" She didn't answer immediately. Instead, she took both my hands in hers. "Lyra." Her voice was unusually gentle. "You spend so much time worrying whether people will love you..." She squeezed my fingers. "...that you forget how easy you are to love." Something tightened painfully inside my chest. I threw my arms around her. She hugged me back without another word. If only we had known... That would be the last time I embraced my best friend before my world fell apart. Outside, the ceremonial drums began to echo through the village. Boom. Boom. Boom. Every beat felt like destiny calling my name. "It's time," Mira whispered. I nodded. Together, we stepped out of the cottage and into the silver glow of the full moon. I had no idea... ...that before the night was over, the boy the Moon Goddess chose for me would become the man who shattered my heart in front of the entire pack.