CHAPTER 2
"Moon Goddess, guide their souls to the next life. Let them run free under your light, unburdened by the pain of this world. Let them find peace where they were denied it here."
Her voice wavered, her throat thick with emotion, but she kept going, whispering the ancient words of farewell. The words that no one had been left to speak for them.
Tears burned her eyes, but there were no more left to fall.
Her body shook, both from the strain of the work and the unbearable weight of grief. Her vision blurred, the world tilting around her, and before she could steady herself, darkness swallowed her whole.
She collapsed, falling onto her parents' grave.
And for the first time since waking up in this nightmare, sleep claimed her.
Luna's sleep was restless, filled with echoes of a life that had been stolen from her.
She saw her parents, their warm smiles lighting up the world around her. She was small again, curled up between them as they laughed at something she had said. Her mother stroked her hair, whispering soft words of love. Her father lifted her onto his shoulders, his deep chuckle vibrating through her as he called her his little warrior. There was warmth, safety, and a love so deep it felt unbreakable.
But then the memories shifted.
The warmth turned to fire.
She stood frozen, watching hooded figures cloaked in black move like shadows through the village. Flames consumed everything she had ever known, the glow of destruction reflecting in her tear-filled eyes. She saw her parents' hut ablaze and heard the agonized screams of her people as they were cut down without mercy.
Luna tried to run to them. Her feet felt like they were sinking into the ground, her limbs heavy as if the very air fought to hold her back. She screamed, calling out to them, warning them, but her voice was swallowed by the crackling inferno. No matter how fast she moved, she never reached them.
Then she saw them , her parents. They were standing at the edge of the flames, looking at her with sorrow in their eyes. Her mother reached out a hand, her lips forming words Luna couldn't hear. Her father stood tall, his gaze filled with pride and regret.
The fire swallowed them whole.
Luna's eyes snapped open.
Her heart pounded against her ribs, her breath coming in ragged gasps. For a moment, she wasn't sure where she was. Then the scent of decay and smoke brought reality crashing back down.
It was still late. The moon hung high in the sky, casting its pale light over the ruins of her home. There were no walls left standing. No shelter. No comfort. Only ashes and the graves she had dug.
She sat up slowly, her body sore and stiff, her mind still reeling from the nightmare. But it wasn't just a nightmare; it was the truth. Her family, her pack, her entire world had been erased in one brutal night.
And someone had to pay.
Luna clenched her fists, her nails biting into her palms. This wasn't just about grief anymore. It was about justice. It was about vengeance. She would find whoever had done this, whoever had slaughtered her people like animals. And she would make them suffer.
But first, she had to leave.
She couldn't stay here. Not anymore. The weight of so much death would drive her mad if she remained.
With shaking hands, she filled a canteen with water from the stream. She had no food, no supplies, and nowhere to go. But she had a purpose now, and that was enough to keep her moving.
She cast one last look at the graves, the silent promise forming in her heart.
"I will avenge you. I will rebuild our pack. I swear it."
Then, without another word, she turned and began walking, leaving behind the only home she had ever known.
The silence in her mind was deafening.
Luna had never known such emptiness before. Her wolf spirit had always been there chattering, arguing, offering guidance, sometimes even nagging but now, there was nothing. Just a void where the other half of her soul used to be.
Panic clawed at her chest.
She reached inward, searching, calling, Shift.
Nothing.
She tried again, but her body didn't respond. There was no warmth of transformation, no tingling in her skin, no familiar pull of muscle and bone reshaping. It was as if her wolf had been ripped from her.
The realization shattered her.
Her knees buckled, and she hit the dirt hard, her breath coming in short gasps. The loss of her pack had nearly destroyed her, but this, this was unbearable. It felt as if she had lost herself completely. She had heard stories of wolves breaking under grief or extreme circumstances, of their spirits fading when the pain became too much.
Her wolf had died alongside her family thanks to her stupidity. She wondered why she didn't just die with it. Maybe she was a harbinger of death and tragedy; that is why everything around her dies.
A sob tore from her throat, raw and unrestrained. Was she even a werewolf anymore? Or just a vengeful ghost, lingering because she had no other purpose?
Maybe it would have been better if she had died with them.
She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing herself to breathe, to push past the crushing despair. Maybe her wolf was with the others now, running free beneath the Moon Goddess's light. Maybe that was the only comfort she had left.
But where did that leave her?
She had been hoping to find another pack, to seek refuge, to be taken in by wolves who would understand her pain. But now? She was almost nothing but a mere human. A broken wolf without her other half.
No pack would take her in like this.
And even if one did, she wouldn't accept it. She would never become a rogue. Rogues were monsters.
As she placed the last body into the grave, her limbs trembled with exhaustion. Her muscles burned, her hands raw and blistered, but she forced herself to stay on her feet. She had one last duty to fulfill.
Dropping to her knees, she pressed her palm to the freshly turned earth above her parents and bowed her head.