Chapter 4 - A Moonlit Mission

Leah’s POV

“I’ll go.” My voice was steady, unwavering. “This was all my fault. It is my duty to save her.”

The room fell silent. My father, my mother, Aiden and the healer all stared at me as if I were some kind of demon.

And maybe I was. 

Blood stained my skin, dried in ugly streaks along my arms. The ripped curtain clung to my body like the rags of a ghost. My one red eye glowed eerily in the dim light.

“No way.” Aiden’s voice was firm and final. His arms crossed over his broad chest, his amber eyes smoldering with anger. “We can’t put her life in your hands. You’re the one who nearly took it.”

I flinched, but I didn’t back down. “That’s exactly why it must be me,” I countered, stepping forward. “I have to make this right.”

“Go.”

My father’s voice was sharp as a blade, cutting through any remaining discussion. “I don’t want to have to look at your disgusting face until you have Amelia’s cure.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, willing myself not to react.

My mother sat at Amelia’s side, brushing her hair back with tenderness she had never shown me. Her face was lined with grief, but her voice was cold. “Get out of this house, Leah. Now.”

Aiden didn’t even look at me. His focus remained on Amelia, a storm of emotions clouding his expression.

I bowed my head and turned away.

I scrubbed the blood from my skin in silence, watching the crimson spiral down the drain. The water did nothing to erase what I had done—the monster I had become. 

Once clean, I slipped into a dark hoodie, thick leggings, and sturdy boots. I set off under the moonlight, my breath visible in the crisp night air. 

The forest had always been my sanctuary. The place where I could escape the whispers, the glares, the ever-present feeling that I didn’t belong.

But this time, it wasn’t a retreat. It was a mission. Amelia’s life depended on it.

The ancient trees towered around me, their twisted branches reaching out like skeletal fingers. The forest was alive with the sounds of rustling leaves and distant howls—a reminder that I was never truly alone out here.

Hours passed as I made my way up the mountains. The journey was grueling. The dense undergrowth clawed at my legs, the steep inclines burned my muscles, and the biting wind stole my warmth.

My fingers were scraped and bloodied by jagged rocks, my knees bruised from falls, but I pressed on.

“I wish I could turn into a wolf right now,” I muttered under my breath, frustration curling in my chest. If I had changed sooner, learned how to control it, this journey would be so much easier.

The steep cliffside loomed dark and threatening beneath me as I neared the peak of the highest mountain.

Just as I had almost made it up the treacherous terrain, my foot hooked on a sharp rock, causing me to lose my balance.

“No!” A gasp tore from my lips. 

My fingers tried to grasp for something to hold onto, but hit nothing but steep, slippery rock. There was nothing I could do. I tumbled backward into the ravine. 

“Aaaah!” My scream echoed through the valley.

The jagged rocks below rushed toward me. A death sentence carved in stone. My heart pounded, my instincts screamed—

Then, everything stopped.

A silver light enveloped me, warm and soft like a mother’s embrace. My descent slowed until I was floating, cradled by an unseen force.

“What? How?” I whispered, my voice barely audible over the rush of wind.

“This is not your time, dear child.”

The voice was like a melody, ethereal and soothing. And then, she appeared.

The Moon Goddess.

She descended before me, bathed in celestial light. Her flowing silver hair cascaded down her back, her luminous eyes holding the wisdom of the ages. She was breathtaking, a vision of divine power and grace.

With her light, she gently lowered me down to the ground.

I dropped to my knees, tears stinging my eyes. “Thank you, Great Goddess,” I choked out. “I don’t understand… Why would you save me?”

She tilted her head, studying me with an unreadable expression. “All will become clear in its own time, my child.”

My heart ached with unspoken questions. Why me? The daughter of a mere Beta? A heterochromatic abomanation? 

But one spilled from my lips before I could stop it. “Please,” I begged, my voice breaking. “Dissolve the mate bond between me and Aiden. I can’t bear it. He despises me.”

A sorrowful smile graced her lips. “The destined mate bond is unshakable,” she said gently. “It is written in the fabric of the wolf packs’ existence. Bound by forces greater than even I, or any other deities.”

A sob clawed its way up my throat. “Then why?” I whispered. “Why would the Moon curse me like this?”

She reached out, her fingers grazing my cheek. A wave of warmth flooded through me. “The moon does not curse, child. It only illuminates the path meant for you.”

And then, just as suddenly as she had appeared, she was gone.

I sat there for what felt like eternity, my mind reeling. The Moon Goddess had appeared before me. Me. The outcast. The unwanted.

No one would believe me if I told them. But I had no time to dwell on it. Amelia still needed me.

I continued to search all day, pushing through exhaustion. I scoured the valley, tearing through thorny bushes, examining every root, leaf, flower.

But by the time the sun began to set, I had nothing.

Defeated, I dragged my aching body back to the village.

The moment I stepped through the door, I was met with Aiden’s hopeful gaze. He studied me, then looked down at my raw, bleeding, empty hands. 

His face turned to stone, his golden eyes burning with barely contained rage.

“You failed,” he said coldly.

“I searched everywhere,” I gasped, my voice hoarse. “I—”

“You had one job,” he snapped, stepping closer. “One chance to make up for what you did, and you couldn’t even do that.”

My entire body trembled. “I tried,” I whispered. “I swear I did.”

Aiden let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “You’re useless, Leah.”