Echoes of a Hated Moon

"Scott! Help me!"

A scream shattered the dawn quiet.

Scott and I were standing at the entrance of Skyfall Ridge, about to climb together. The urgent cry for help made Scott tense up instantly.

"Joanna?" he said, looking back sharply.

A disheveled female werewolf stumbled towards us; it was Joanna's second-in-command, Melissa.

"Alpha! It's terrible! Miss Joanna is breaking down! Her wolf is about to lose complete control!" Melissa cried, tears in her eyes. "She found out you chose a human mate, and her mental strength completely shattered!"

Scott's face changed instantly. "Where is she?"

"The family territory..."

Scott didn't even glance at me before turning to leave. After three steps, he stopped and said without looking back, "Wait for me."

Then he disappeared into the forest.

I stood there, shaking my head with a bitter smile. Same as always, Scott. For ten years, you've always put Joanna first.

Back at my temporary quarters, I took out the items hidden under my pillow—a fake ID and a bus ticket to leave the pack lands. The bus was scheduled for eight o'clock tonight, heading to a coastal town five hundred miles away.

A small note fell out from under the ticket—"Ticket confirmed, window seat. Safe travels, Elena." It was signed by the Old Shaman.

He knew I was leaving. He always knew everything.

I took a deep breath. It was time to face the hardest part.

The atmosphere in the Elder Council Hall was solemn. I stood before Scott's parents, feeling their cold stares.

"You requested a private meeting with us. What is it?" the former Alpha asked coldly.

"I've come to say goodbye." I looked him straight in the eye. "I'm leaving the pack lands tonight, and I will never return."

Scott's mother scoffed. "So you've finally realized your place? But do you really think the Severing Ceremony can be completed so easily?"

"I'm not here to talk about the Severing Ceremony." I shook my head. "I'm here to warn you."

"Warn us?" Both of them frowned.

"The Moon Goddess gave me a prophetic dream," I said gravely. "If Scott and I are forcibly bound together, ten years from now, he will die a horrible death in a bloody battle."

The temperature in the room plummeted.

"What nonsense are you talking?" Scott's father roared.

"He will die saving me." My voice trembled with pain. "The Bloodfang Pack's silver bombs will explode right here." I pointed to my heart. "They'll shatter his insides, making him die in agony."

The details I described were so precise that even the anger on Scott's father's face was replaced by shock.

"I don't know if you believe in prophetic dreams, but I can't take that risk," I continued. "Let Scott and Joanna be together. I've already prepared for an 'Alliance Blessing Ceremony,' not a Severing Ceremony. This way, even if they aren't true mates, they can still form a solid political alliance."

The former Luna—Scott's mother—nervously clutched her husband's hand. "This kind of thing... we can't just ignore it."

"Where will you go?" the former Alpha asked.

"As far away as possible," I said with a bitter smile. "Let Scott forget about me, this human."

Leaving the Elder Council Hall, I felt a sense of relief. The second regret: "Regretting not defying the elders' arrangements," was also fulfilled.

Night fell, and I went to Skyfall Ridge alone. The moon had just risen, its silver light like water.

This was the time Scott and I had agreed to meet. But I knew he wouldn't come; he was surely still taking care of Joanna.

"It's so beautiful..." I whispered, gazing at the magnificent aurora before me. "At least in this life, I get to see it with my own eyes."

"You betrayed me."

An icy voice came from behind me, and I whirled around.

Scott stood there, his eyes burning with furious flames. He exuded a dangerous aura, his eyes glowing with a beastly golden light in the moonlight.

"What exactly did you tell the Elders?" he demanded, stepping closer. "They suddenly backed off all pressure on Joanna's family and even agreed to the Alliance Blessing!"

I took a step back. "I just told them the truth—"

"Bullshit!" he roared. "Do you know what state Joanna is in right now? She was so desperate she used 'Soul-Devouring Sorcery'! That's forbidden!"

I widened my eyes in surprise. Soul-Devouring Sorcery? The kind of dark magic that could destroy the caster's soul?

"Why would she do that?"

"It's all because of you!" Scott's eyes were filled with resentment. "Those damn stories you told the Elders made Joanna completely lose hope! She knows she can never have me!"

I froze. This wasn't right. If the Elders had agreed to the Alliance Blessing, Joanna should be happy. Why would she try to destroy herself?

Scott's fist slammed into a nearby rock with a loud crash. "If anything happens to Joanna, I swear, I'll make you pay!"

Under the moonlight, his gaze was as cold as a blade, piercing my heart.

"Tell me..." he advanced on me, his breath hot on my face, "how do we save her?"