Death… is never evitable.
Life has started the sprout. And then when it blossoms and reaches the end, they’re sent to death. That’s why they called them best of friends.
“What would you want to be your reward, Gaia?”
His voice reverberates inside my head.
It still sounds euphonious even if it’s only a memory.
“Balaraw. Hand me a dagger that is winged with a symbol of nobility and a warrior. I want it to be finely-worked with precious metals and ivory.”
A tear fell down and blotted the cream color of the ivory handle. My fingers simply glided it away as I pulled the blade off from its sheath.
“From all the officials entering this den, you’re the only one who asked very demanding for a reward. How audacious!”
“I don’t dare to, Alpha. This mere commander is answering a question coming out of a superior’s tongue.”
“Don’t you think you are thinking highly of yourself being rewarded with such precious things?”
A smile crept up my face as the crystal dagger sparkled as the moonlight’s rays directed on it.
“I don’t, the Alpha has asked for what this commander would want for a reward. And I think I am worthy for such things because I, myself faced the frontier and risked my life under the honor of the Abberant pack.”
“Cedric, grant this creature with the dagger she asked for.”
The balaraw dagger.
It has been a year since I have discovered this thing hidden in one of his lockers. And I didn’t know if he intended to hide this rather than giving it to me at that time. But perhaps the reason lies at this moment.
“Gaia, the inauguration will be at the next minute. I hope to see you there,” knocks someone at the now opened door.
I didn’t bother to turn around, it was Edith by the voice alone. As a simple reply, my head nodded. “Hadleigh will be there.”
I compelled the dagger back to its sheath and directed my legs towards the other door. The ash painted one. I was about to click the knob when Edith again spoke.
“How about you?” she asked in the most forced calm way of hers.
My head remained straight looking at the wooden door and replied at her plainly. “I am not needed in that place—”
“Why are you still distancing yourself away from us?”
This time, my head instantly rotated, and stares at her with a simple smile. “I have committed an unforgivable sin throughout the people of this territory. Even returning here and accepting emotional torment wasn’t enough to pay how much damage I did.”
I slide my hand away from the knob and turned around to face her. “I don’t even know which and when would I attract another war again. Tell me how would I face the crowd whom I owe a lot more than my own life.”
Edith retained her serious look on her face and stepped a distance closer to me. “Vander is already dead. Who else do you want to challenge?”
I raised a brow and lifted a smirk. “Vander is only one of three highest chairs on the Senate. Even though Empress Louisan turned her back and divided the Senate, still Pinansey-angan clasped power. Adding the ex-Regent Deianira’s betrayal on Daghum, and she spilled another league higher than neither of the Senate or the council.”
Her brows knitted. “You are saying that…”
“The war still isn’t over,” I continued and took my eyes off her. “Diego had already settled the score. And in my part, I have to ensure there will never be left of the current existing Senate. For I could never take losing another person in my life just because of an irrational ridiculous view of wolves and vampires being enemies for a millennium.”
“Still, Abberant would accept you. My brother had left the position for the only luna of this pack.”
I sighed.
Right, Miranda had returned to Nightwinder only a week after Abberant Alpha’s death. I’ve also discovered the makeup substitution on her name. That Soleil and the Nightwinder pack had arranged that deceiving tactic to fool the Senate.
“Diego arranged everything,” she added.
“Because he knew he was leaving.”
Because he knew this repeated fate will only end as the time ticks the last second of his own life. And it hurts me more than everything knowing the years I live at this moment was his. That the life I have is in exchange for his own. I couldn’t avoid but blame myself every time I see myself still existing.
Another tear fell down from my eyes as I stare at the ball of light hung up on the dark skies. “You knew this from the start. Am I right?”
“That is why I hate you from the beginning, Gaia,” Edith replied, causing me to chuckle and wipe the tears off my cheek.
“Right, it is.” I turned and walked towards the grey door. “We better stop the drama for the meantime. I suppose we’re late for the inauguration.”
With that, Edith shrugged and snickered as she ran past me and through the now opened door. “You’re right. We really should.”
I shook my head at her childish act every time the topic was on Hadleigh. Then a thought crosses my mind. If Diego was here, I wonder how would he behave in front of our son.
The bitter smile on my face remained a line to such thought.
“What are you waiting for? Let’s go,” Edith uttered and dragged my arms towards the exit with my son on her gentle carry.
Surely, like his sister and the others on the mansion, he’ll love him as much as I do and perhaps would not waste a time being with Hadleigh.
As we pass through the lighted corridors, a cold blow of the wind swifts along with thy every step, and a tiny creature with a glowing butt appeared flying around. My eyes followed where it goes but to my surprise, it seems to intentionally settle on my hand when I lifted it up.
“Bu-lan,” murmured the little man carried by the woman afore me.
I smiled as his eyes flashed the crimson red shade. I stretched out my arm and my hand where the firefly rested closer to Hadleigh.
He’s dead. But in my heart, he was never out of warmth. He may not be seen, but I know he did not had left us completely.
“Are you ready?” Amalia blurted with a wide smile on her face.
The inauguration has started the second each and every member of the pack took their presence inside of the mansion. I held a deep breath before taking the step up the podium in front of the crowd.
“Bearing a crucial responsibility and obligation of being a Luna of this pack. I, Adira Vallejo-Alfarro, take the duty and commitment of being Abberant’s Luna.”
My hand stretched out and reaches the crystal ivory dagger settled on the wooden table afore me. On its side was the inauguration vessel. With no hesitation, I raised my hand with the dagger and slashed its blade across my left palm.
“Leading the pack to integrity, prosperity, and rights bound to the fair and equitable territory will be my liability.”
Letting my blood drip down the vessel, the balaraw dagger tainted with red fluid suddenly projected blinding crystal light causing my eyes to close. It lasted for over a minute and the second the light disappeared, an unanticipated burning sensation on my shoulder emanated.
I gradually rotated my head and took a glance at it. But what I’ve seen left me shocked.
A red lunar crest was painted on the skin behind my neck. And the crystal dagger on my hand possessed the same crest.
“The Balaraw is now officially the Luna’s Blade!” Edith announced and step up the podium with Hadleigh in her arms.
And this time, the bitter smile on my lips and the question in my head about the dagger now has a clearer reason. With my free hand, I stretched my hand and carried my blue-eyed little man in my arms.
A tear escaped from my eyes as I bent my head to touch Hadleigh’s forehead with mine. “Hence, this is what your father wanted for this thing. And to you, our child, who’ll grow filled with love and courage like a blade.”
Author’s Note:
Author’s Note:
Surprise!!!
Sad…
Yah I know, it ended up leaving so many questions on your minds.
And also the ending’s shocking with no warning. So I apologize for this.
Anyway, this book is only the start of my planned Claveria Haltera series.
If you still want to find out what really is the ending, well you gotta watch out for the next ones!
If you have seen the other wolfy thing in my profile, Melancholy; The Moon's Inception, that was Denise's story.
See you there!