MOONLIGHT: NEW VERSION

THIRTY-THREE

Another twenty years had passed, both at thirty-eight years old, Alpha Rocco and Luna Aria and their two children Salvatore and Gabriella and the pack were growing, getting bigger every year. Luca and Rosa retired and lived in her parent's old place, where she first stayed sixty years ago. It belonged to them according to her father's will. They had inherited the house and the land surrounding it. Her father had left it for her and mate when she found him in his last will in one letter he had left when she had read it after becoming the Luna. Another sunrise broke, and Rosa was still in bed, sleeping. Luca was getting their breakfast ready. Exhausted, Rosa has needed more rest lately. She is one hundred and five years old, and Luca is one hundred and seven. Rosa was resting and thought about everything that had happened in the last sixty years—finding out that Rosa was a werewolf and mates with Luca, a Luna, a mother, and a mother figure to the pack. With everything that had happened, Rosa was content with her life. She could hear her mate in the kitchen smile. Rosa then listened to a familiar voice in her head. "Rosa, my child, l am pleased you had a long life. It's time for you both to come home, said Selene. Rosa said to the Moon Goddess, ''When?'' The voice answered ″When you and Luca are ready″ Rosa asks her, ''How will we know?'' The Moon Goddess answers, "Don't worry; you will know when it's time. ″ Rosa responded, "I think my body is already saying it's time for me. l am so tired these days," she told the Moon Goddess. ″Yes, it's nearly your time; l am so sorry, Rosa. Does Luca feel the same way? ″ Rosa replies. Yes, l think he does. He is in so much pain, and his breathing is not good. I am afraid this could be it for us. I don't know why l am so calm thinking about dying," she said sadly, knowing their deaths were coming closer. The Moon Goddess told her, "I will be there with you, helping you in your time of need. I do not know how it will happen, but it will. The pack is safe with the recent additions; the Ferrera Wolf Pack will keep going without you, plus there will be two people watching over them like guardian angels, and I will wait for you both, ″ she whispered before disappearing. Rosa then heard Luca heading up the hallway to their room with their food. She smiles at him, thinking I am lucky to have a kind mate in Luca. Luca smiles back at her. As they were eating, Rosa told him what happened with the Moon Goddess and what she had said to her. It did not surprise Luca at all. He agreed with Rosa and the Moon Goddess. Still, he was sad to leave behind family, friends old and new, living and passed, and the pack as they spent the rest of the day together going over their favourite memories and continued to do so after they had gotten into bed and turned off the lamps next to them. When Rosa asked Luca to take her to the outdoor lounge room and sit in the unique chair twelve months later, Luca knew then it was time to go home and be with the Moon Goddess because they had talked about it and where they wanted to be when it was time to go back into the Moon Goddesses fold. He picked her up, took his excellent mate and Luna, and carried her outside to do what she asked. They sat down together and cuddled with a blanket over them as they fell asleep in their arms. Rosa took her last breath. Luca's head rested on Rosa's, following her not even five minutes later. No one could hear anything. There was complete and utter silence in the air. The next day, Rocco visited his parents with his family. Rocco knocks. No one came to the door. After a certain amount of time had passed, they were getting worried by this time. Rocco tried to open the door. It opened. He tells them to wait in the lounge room while he goes and checks on his parents. The space is empty when the Alpha gets to their place, takes a breath, and opens the door. Rocco then heads back to the lounge room and says, "They are not in their room," he informed them. Aria ponders, and then she asks, "Where could they be?" Rocco looked at his mate, sighing, ''l do not know.'' He sees something past his mate's head and through the window and sees his parents sitting outside. Rocco tells the others to stay while he goes out, where he finds his parents cuddling each other's arms under a blanket, sitting on the outdoor lounge sofa. Rocco knows their parents have passed and are now with the Moon Goddess. Rocco heads back inside after putting the blanket over them for privacy and sadly informs the family of their parent's giving, with tears falling after he tells them. The entire family is in shock to hear this and bursts into tears. They then respect the former Alpha and Luna as they slowly get together. There were still sniffles here and there around the room. The pack will miss their parents and the four people that loved them most: Elder Gabriel Lombardi, at one hundred and forty years old, Luca's brother Constantino and their best friends and ex-Beta's Stefano and Gianna De Luca. Rocco then links with the pack doctors Cristian and Arianna's kids, Dante and Luna, since they retired when the kids were old enough to take over from them. Dante and Luna answer him, "Yes, Alpha Rocco?" He then explained the situation to them, and they replied, "We will be right there," and then broke the link. Fifteen minutes later, they all heard a car and a van pull up in the driveway. There was a knock, and Rocco told them to come in. It was Dante and Luna, along with two other pack members. Dante was the first to speak, "Alpha Luna and family, on behalf of our family, we are so sorry for your loss," he said to them sadly as Luna nodded her head in agreement along with the other two pack members who came with them. Antonio was the one to speak up next. "On behalf of my family, we thank you for your condolences." He wiped another tear away from his eyes. Luna spoke, "No worries. May l ask where they are?" Sophia pointed outside, informing them, "They are sitting on the lounge sofa in the outdoor seating area." Dante thanks her as they both head towards the former Alpha pair. Fifteen minutes later, they came back inside with tears as they said goodbye to them. Dante then informs Rocco that moving them to the pack hospital is time. Rocco agrees with them, and with Antonio's and Alessio's help and the other two-pack members' help, they could help move the former Alpha and Luna's bodies into the van. Rocco informs Dante and Luna that they will be there soon, and the others nod their agreement as they try to compose themselves. Then Dante Lun and the others left for the pack hospital. Before Rocco and his family left their parent's house, they ensured everything was tidy, safe, and secured; they then left the house, headed towards their cars, got in, and drove away with sad and heavy hearts. Rocco then realised that he must notify the pack and Elder Gabriel. He was not looking forward to it at all. As soon as they got back to the packhouse, Rocca headed towards the office to call the Elder; they nodded their heads after telling Dante and the others what he would do. Rocco sighed when he got to the office, sat behind the desk, and picked up the phone to call the Elder. The phone rang two times before Gabriel answered it. "Hello, this is Gabriel. How may l help you?" Rocco replied to the Elder, "Hello, Gabriel. It's Rocco calling," he said. Elder Gabriel replies cheerfully, "Rocco, my boy, how are the pack and your family going these days?''  Rocco answered, ''We could be better,'' sounding unlike himself. Elder Gabriel then starts to tremble at what his friend's son wants to tell him and asks, ''Why? What has happened,'' Then Rocco asks him, "I hope you are sitting down as l have some news to tell you." He tells the Elder, who replies, "Why? What has happened? Is everyone in the pack alright," he asks again, worried about the answer. Rocco replies, trying not to cry, "I am sorry to inform you that my parents passed away last night," he informed the Elder with a trembling, sad voice. Gabriel gasped at the news before asking, "How?" Rocco replies, "I am not sure, but the Moon Goddess must have called them home. I found them this morning when we came over to visit. They were on the outside lounge snuggling together under a blanket with father's head resting on mother," he informed the Elder, who was sniffling he had been crying. He then tells him he and his driver will be there as soon as possible and asks when the funeral is. Rocco replies, "I will cancel training as of this afternoon and for the rest of the week. The funeral will be in the backyard tomorrow morning at eleven," he informed the Elder, who replied, "Well, in that case, there are a lot of calls to make on your behalf, if you don't mind?" Rocco answers the Elder. "No, l won't mind at all, Gabriel," he said to the Elder. "Well, alright, then l will get straight on it and start making those calls for you; then l will be there as soon as my driver and assistant can be there, alright?" Rocco answers, "Okay, thanks for the help, Gabriel," he said to the Elder, who tried to stop the sniffing from crying. Still, he could not control it as he replied, "No worries, Rocco, l will see you all soon," he informed the Alpha, who answered, "Yes, see you soon," as they said their goodbyes before hanging up the phone. The most challenging thing that Rocco has had to do in his entire life is to let the pack know that their former Alpha pair has passed away and is now with the Moon Goddess. He reaches for the pack link and says, ''Attention, this is Alpha Rocco speaking; before continuing with his announcement that there will be no further training until further notice. Instead, there will be a mandatory pack meeting for everyone not on patrol duty to attend. There will be no exceptions as there will be a further announcement after Elder Gabriel has arrived, so until then, please continue as you were, and l would like not to be disturbed for a few hours,'' and broke the pack link after he had finished linking the entire pack. Every pack member returned, ''Yes, Alpha!'' His family arrived shortly after Rocco made the announcement and went to comfort him. But not after seeing Dante and Luna until it was time for the meeting, and requested that either Dante or Luna come to the meeting to assist with questions regarding their parent's passing. Dante said he would come, and Luna nodded in agreement with her brother. Rocco, his family, and Dante then left for the pack meeting at the meeting hall. When they entered the hall, someone was in every available seat, so the others had to stand up at the back of the aisle where the young male pack members were standing, making seats available to the women, children, and older people. Rocco and his family sat up in front, waiting and composing themselves, while Dante stood nearby in their seats. Rocco then stood up with Luna Aria by his side as they made their way to the platform where his late parents once stood. He then looks at his mate and the rest of the family, nodding their heads in agreement to make the second announcement of the day. Rocco takes a few deep breaths, then looks up at the full meeting hall and makes the hardest announcement that an Alpha has ever had to make in his life. "It is with a sad and heavy heart that the Ferrera family,'' Rocco pauses his announcement as Elder Gabriel's' assistant helps the now-retired Elder down to the front when their eyes meet in greeting, waiting for them to sit down. After Gabriel and his assistant had taken their seats, Rocco continued with his announcement, ''that sometime during the night, our former Alpha Luca and Luna Rosa Ferrera have passed and joined to be with Moon Goddess," he informed the pack. They gasped at the news that their beloved former Alpha pair had passed away at night. They then waited patiently for more information to come as the Alpha. I am cancelling all training. The funeral will be in the backyard. Those who would like to farewell and pay their respects to the former Alpha and Luna are most welcome to come. Elder Gabriel has offered to call the other packs on our families' behalf, notifying them of our parents' passing. We like to thank him for his help in this time of need," he nodded towards the Elder, who returned the gesture. Rocco continued, "Dante has kindly come to answer any or all of your questions if he can." Rocco waved him forward. Dante came forward and answered the questions most of the pack members wanted to answer. "How they passed away was in each other's arms, and the main thing was that they went peacefully in their sleep. Rosa passed away first, followed by Luca minutes later. They both passed away from natural causes, old age," he explained to everyone, sniffling from crying before he continued, "their bodies will remain lying in state. Pack members can pay their respects to the previous Alpha and Luna, then later send them back to the Moon goddess in our ways, according to their last will found among their things in the private safe in their room. They would like their ashes placed near her family. That is all for now. May the Moon Goddess bless the old Alpha and Luna," he said. Everyone then repeated the phrase while trying to control their emotions, which was more complicated than saying the actual words and trying not to break down.