Aldrich, leading the way, stopped and asked, “How are you feeling?”
The woman’s face turned pale, and she said, “The further we move away from this lightless forest towards the east, the harder it becomes to breathe. My internal organs are starting to ache.”
“I saw you on the edge of the Moonlit Forest before,” Charlie expressed doubt. “You were agile and had a smile.”
“I was just a walking corpse back then, and now I have my own consciousness.”
Jolie worriedly added, “But we need to get out before the sun sets, at least out of this dark territory.”
The massive red sun was descending slowly, painting the sky orange. After years of being in darkness, the woman gazed at the horizon longingly. “The setting sun… I haven’t seen it in years.”
“You’ve been hiding something from us,” Aldrich’s tone turned serious. “If you want to leave the Moonlit Forest, trust us.”
“Why should I?” The woman leaned against Marvin and glared at Aldrich.
“My reputation.”
“The last person who promised me this way took my son, turned me into a mindless puppet, and imprisoned me in the Moonlit Forest to drain my energy.”
Maggie stepped forward, “At least we won’t. Please don’t give up the chance to trust others based on one wrong decision.”
“I’m just gambling. I’m wagering how ruthless that person’s heart is.”
“Who?”
“My child’s father.”
“That’s truly shocking…”
Seeing everyone speechless, the woman patted Marvin’s arm. “Young, strong wolf, carry on with me. I want to see the dying sun.”
Marvin hoisted the woman on his back. Aldrich, disapproving, said, “Your condition is not suitable for moving forward.”
“If his boundaries weren’t the Moonlit Forest, if he has a shred of kindness and only warned me to return to the chamber, wouldn’t I regret it if I didn’t try?”
Maggie couldn’t imagine the woman’s immense pain and bore a strong resentment against her mate for taking her child and imprisoning her in the Moonlit Forest. That wasn’t love; it was enmity.
Jolie urged, “Hurry up; there’s only half an hour before this forest is enveloped in darkness. Aldrich, Thomas from Barrett Manor has contacted us several times. At least by tomorrow noon, you and Maggie must return to Barrett Manor for an interview with the Elder Council!”
Time waits for no one. The group set off toward the east, closer to escaping the lifeless and lightless forest.
Meanwhile, Marvin felt the woman on his back; her heartbeat was growing increasingly rapid, as if it might burst from her chest. He couldn’t imagine the extent of her pain.
“Don’t worry. In the early stages of adjusting to being a hybrid, it’s much more painful than this,” the woman’s voice was faint.
“I should go back to her and protect her.”
“Back then, he said the same to me, but you’re a full-fledged werewolf.”
“What does that matter!”
“In time, you’ll grow tired of the Lunarisvampires blood in her, dislike her scent, you won’t be able to endure her pain year in and year out. You might even want to exploit her powers.”
“I’ve said I won’t!”
“Until you die and close your eyes, none of your promises can be counted as eternally fulfilled. You’ve made so many promises; how many have you kept?”
Marvin fell silent; indeed, there was no answer.
“It’s not that I’m unwilling to believe,” he began, “but thoughts and consciousness are constantly changing, that’s the main theme of life…”
“Your voice is too weak; you need to rest,” Jolie abruptly covered her mouth. “Oh my God, this woman… No, she looks like an ugly witch…”
The woman’s once beautiful hair turned into dry, yellow strands, most of it falling out. Her skin wrinkled in layers, like dehydrated apple peels, losing its smooth and youthful appearance, aging rapidly and even darkening.
She was aging rapidly, heading towards her death.
Everyone was stunned. Marvin abruptly stopped walking, and the woman hoarsely urged him, “Don’t stop, keep going, take me out of this prison.”
“You… you’ll die.”
“That’s precisely why I need to hasten my steps. I don’t want to die in this cage.”
Her breathing grew weaker. Marvin had to stop and placed her on the grass. Aldrich contemplated, “Maybe we should take her back to the chamber.”
The woman insisted, “No, both ways are dead ends; it’s better to go out.”
“If you go back now, you can still live. Try to find a way out.”
“But when you cured me and woke me up, my life entered its countdown. He never wanted me to live!”
Maggie was moved by her words, without hesitation, she took out the Energy bead. But the woman stopped her, “It won’t save me.”
She removed the necklace from her neck, and her withered and darkened hand reached out to Maggie. “I fulfill my promise. Thank you for letting me wake up. Living unconsciously for these decades was the real pain. You’ve redeemed me.”
The necklace touched Maggie’s hand and emitted a bright gleam. Tears welled up in Maggie’s sympathetic eyes. “Is there anything we can do for you?”
“Take me out; I want to see the sunset.”
Marvin instantly transformed into a wolf and quickly rushed to the east, carrying the woman on his back.
The wind roared, ruffling his fur. The woman recalled how, at the beginning, her mate had run with her joyfully on his back, chasing the setting sun. Back then, her eyes were filled with ambition.
Finally, they broke through the last barrier. At the forest’s edge, the dying sun, obscured by tall trees, wasn’t visible in its entirety, but they could sense its faint, cool orange light. The woman lay on the gray wolf’s belly, reaching out her hand to feel it, filled with awe.
“Good child, I can do one thing for you and your beloved, Grace,” her voice was soft, the final conversation before her death.
“What is it?”
“If you both become of the same kind, it will alleviate many troubles.”
“Do you mean…”
“I can turn you into a hybrid as well. You’ll be closer to Grace’s nature. But it also means you must give up all the power and authority of The BlueMoon Pack.”
The gray wolf’s body stiffened. It couldn’t make the decision, and Marvin regained control of his body in human form.
Should he change himself and become a hybrid?
When faced with the real choice, Marvin realized that such an identity was an embarrassment. His inherent aversion and hatred for Lunarisvampires made it impossible for him to agree. He believed that by becoming a powerful leader like Aldrich, he could satisfy Grace, have the ability to protect her, and they would live happily in Barrett Manor.
Marvin took a deep breath, ready to tell the woman his answer, only to find the frail woman had already closed her eyes, a faint smirk on her lips, a mix of mockery and relief.
The others had also transformed into wolves and joined them. Maggie was perched on the neck of a silver wolf, her sadness worrying the silver wolf. “Maggie, all of this will be over soon, and I’ll take you back to Barrett Manor for some rest.”
Marvin announced with sorrow, “She’s gone.”
Charlie and Jolie stopped in their tracks, looking at this enigmatic woman, their eyes filled with sympathy and sadness.
What had transpired between the woman and her mate? Why had she been imprisoned in the Moon Forest? Was there a connection between her and the Energy bead? And, was her son, also a hybrid, still alive?
Maggie buried her head in Aldrich’s neck. “If we hadn’t come for the Energy bead, would she still be alive?”
“She was completely unconscious before, didn’t even know who she was, and was insane searching for her son. Was that really living?”
“At least, she was breathing.”
“This was her own choice.”
They hurried out of the Moon Forest, bearing the gradually chilling body of the woman. The howling wind seemed like a requiem.
The moment they broke free from the Moon Forest, the orange-red remnants of the day occupied most of the horizon. The warm sunlight touched their cold hearts. They all looked at the woman, who had closed her eyes. In the end, she couldn’t see the outside world with her own eyes.