Malia Pierce at the age of nineteen was alone, constantly moving in fear she would be hunted down and found by her tormentors. She is the Alpha's daughter of the Phobos pack, where father, and his whole pack despised her just for her existence. He b...
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It was difficult; keeping my composure as log as I did, but as soon as I saw the first Iunae Lumen flower one the ground, my composure cracked. The beautifully enchanted flowers glowed as they absorbed the light from the moon, marking the path I had to take to reach his body. They matched the shade of the moon perfectly, appealing to the Moon Goddess to accept his soul into her night sky. To take his soul from his now unless body and bless it, turn it into a star so that we may see him whenever needed. So that he may look upon us from the heavens.
The light seemed dim, not bright enough to reflect the pure soul that he had. Not even coming close to reflect the importance of him, of his life, how much he meant to others. Not even scraping the top layer of how much he meant to me. They should be blinding, not emitting this dull sliver of light.
As I moved closer to him, I could feel myself, my soul, calling out to its other half. Tears filled my eyes and I felt more alone then ever when his didn't call back to me, abandoning me completely. Leaving me to walk this Earth alone without him by my side, knowing that I was one at fault for this.
As the water droplets pooled around my eyes, my vision went blurry, causing me to trip over a tree root. A strong hand reached out and grasped my arm, stabilizing me. The warm appendage offered a sense of comfort but it not come from the man I wanted it from.
"Are you alright, Luna?" Caspian asked me, eyebrows furrowed in question, just like his would do. His eyes were puffy as well, showing his own signs of stress and distress from the loss of his Alpha and friend. We were all in a state of major turmoil.
"I-I can't." I sobbed into his chest, not caring that there were several sets of eyes watching my breakdown behind me.
"Shhh, I know. I know and I shouldn't have asked you. Of course you aren't okay." His words offered little to no comfort but I appreciated his efforts.
"I just can't." I croaked, clutching his shirt for a source of stability, even if it were for just a moment.
"You can and you will. I know that if don't go and see him for the last time and say your goodbyes, then you will regret it forever." He grasped my fave in his hands and pulled me back from his chest. Wiping my tears away, he gave me a small but sad smile.
"You need to do this."
"I-I know." That was true. I comprehended the fact that if I didn't say goodbye to him, that I would tear myself apart from the inside out, even though I was doing it already. It- It's just so difficult.
The idea of seeing his face pale and emotionless was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. I was used to his golden, sun kissed skin and a happy smile adorning his face, the one dimple appearing on his face. His heart no longer able to speed up as I entered the room, I not being able to hear the rhythms changing pace. I didn't even want to imagine was his eyes looked like, dull and unforgiving. I couldn't decided if I was to be thankful that his eyes were hidden behind his eyelids or angry that I would never be able to see them one last time.
Clenching my fists by my sides, I took a deep breath, and took a hesitant stepped forward, followed by another u till I gained a slow but steady speed. I could hear the cries of his people, my people, behind me as I led them, alone, for the first of many to come. I had to constantly remind myself that I was not the only one who suffered from this loss. They lost friends, family, mates as well as their beloved Alpha. Now, they were forever bound to the Luna who caused his death, someone they are supposed to loathe.
The white flowers began to thicken and I knew what was coming up; his resting place. A bed of the glowing plants made a bed on the ground, trying to bring some sort of life to this dreadful day. I adverted my eyes to put off looking at him for as long as possible.
No one said anything for the longest time. I knew that the had expected me to say some words, sending his soul to the embrace of the Moon Goddess and sending his body back to Mother Nature. I knew that they expected me to say my goodbyes and encourage them I would lead them. Yet, I could not find my voice at all, utterly unable to speak.
"He's-he's gone." Caspian muttered, as if he were astounded by the fact that he truly was gone, that he was now knocking on the doors of the afterlife.
"I-I know. He's dead." I muttered back, all emotions disappeared, leaving my voice with a flat tone.
"No, look." He took a step forward and I could see his head snap around the surround area, as if he were looking for something. "His body is gone."
Snapping my head up, I stared at the bed of flowers that laid before me. Some flowered remained plush and full while others were flattened by the heavy weight of his body. Further down by where his feet would have been, were a cluster of pedals, trailing off into the wildness as if he just up and walked off.
"He's- he's gone?"
Iunae Lumen- in Latin, it means moonlight. In my book, the flowers are used in death ceremonies. They glow depending on the value and purity of the soul who died. They glow until the soul is taken in by the Moon Goddess or cast aside to live in an afterlife that is condemned to a place of hell.
The are used to appeal to the Goddess since in their world, they represent her because they only bloom and or glow under the moonlight. They have no scent and are hard to find, hence why they have such an importance. (:
