Lunar Eclipse

17 - Heavy Hearts

Dante's heart is bleeding. Every breath takes an effort, the cry of his soul almost unbearable to handle. A crushed spirit beyond repair. He wishes for death so he can be with her. His true love. Now that she's gone, the torment will torture him every night until he ascends to the realm of the Moon Goddess.

My wolf watches him with wide eyes, hurting, unable to reach her mate. The fibers of his existence lie bare out in the open, his pain so palpable that it tears at her heartstrings. Though we are only feet apart, the distance grows with every blink of his eyes. He's building an impenetrable shield around her memory, a safe haven to escape to as the loneliness eats away at him. The pounding rain onto the barn roof promises new life to the charred land—for him, it's a mocking reminder of what he has lost.

When the barn door slides open, I raise my head. Luna Harla's frame tosses a long shadow against the moon. Smudges of dried tears mark her face. She has stained her hair the color of a midnight sky in sign of mourning, and her body is veiled in the long floating silver cloth of a death watcher.

She kneels beside me and I press my snout into her hand. She strokes my ears.

"You need to shift, Raelyn. I need to examine your arm."

I drop my chin onto the blanket with a whimper. The rain beats on the roof. When the pressing silence threatens to choke me, I finally stretch into my skins. The emotional bond with Dante remains just as strong and my mate mark burns hot against my neck. A few tears fall without prompting. When I hold up my arm, Harla peels away the makeshift bandage Millie had wrapped around it. The lint keeps sticking to the watery blisters and rips off my skin. Clenching my jaw is the only thing I can do to stifle a cry.

"This doesn't look good. It will scar, even if you heal mostly in your wolf form." Gentle fingers apply an ointment to the burned skin. "Let this soak in for a few minutes and then shift again. You can come into the house to sleep, if you'd like."

"I want to be on death watch."

"Impossible. You are neither their family nor an elder with the necessary training. The emotional bond will fail during the circle ritual."

"What about Dante? He deserves to say his proper goodbyes."

Her gaze drills into me for a long time before she sighs. "You are turning into a very strong female, Raelyn, but are you sure you are ready for your mate to commit himself to twelve moons of mourning? That's a big sacrifice to make. The spirits of the dead will be burned into his soul until they are finally released."

I can't hold her intense stare. "Lara was his true mate. It's only right."

"Okay, then I'll talk to my mate."

"And please tell him it would really mean a lot to me. I never got a chance to apologize for attacking her, so I would like to request this as my punishment."

A smile lights up her face. "They say that every dark moment gives rise to something good. Your actions today showed that you have fully embraced this pack. I'm very proud of you, Raelyn, and so is my mate. You will be a strong leader one day."

"Thank you, Luna."

"Now let me check on my son."

I hold her back before she can stand. "What happened to the little girl?"

"You mean Lara's little sister Phebe? She survived, but since I couldn't get her to shift, she fell into a coma. Only time will tell if she's able to recover."

More sadness overcomes me. What a horrible day for the pack. The Luna squeezes my good arm before checking on Dante. He lays still on the ground—if I couldn't feel our mate bond pounding in my veins, his body would be as dead as his soul. Agony seeps out of him with every breath, just to give way to new pain that keeps his heart weeping in silence.