The Heartbreaking Farewell

"Hale, Hale, please stay with me. Please, don't leave me too, please!" Reana rarely showed vulnerability but right now, she was going crazy. Her mate was dying in her arms.

Chaos broke out in the square as people rushed to gather around them, but the warriors leaped into action, forming a tight circle around Reana and Hale. They didn't know what suddenly happened to their Alpha, so they couldn't risk anyone going close to cause more trouble. Until the healer arrived, no one would be let in.

Meanwhile, the pack members, Alphas, and everyone present were stunned and confused. They were just enjoying the ceremony a moment ago until the ritual ended and the couple were told to wait for the coronation to begin.

While the short break was ongoing, those present took that as a cue to start the entertainment - dancing, eating and drinking, and those who were lucky to find their mates before Reana arrived couldn't keep their hands to themselves, so many stopped paying attention to Reana and Hale. And suddenly, what brought their senses back was the Alpha's collapse.

Reana was the daughter of the late Alpha Roughman. She was destined to become a Luna as she not only had a Luna wolf, but also a secret that her father hid from everyone.

Reana was a seer.

From the moment Alpha Roughman knew this fact, he decided that Reana couldn't be allowed to leave the Black Moon Pack. She was a great asset and would be coveted by every Alpha.

Alpha Roughman didn't want his lovely daughter to be thrown into the midst of a brutal power struggle, where her unique gift would be exploited and manipulated by those seeking to dominate. He had kept her seer abilities a secret, hidden from prying eyes and wagging tongues, to protect her from the dangers that lurked in the shadows of the werewolf world.

Even Katherine and her children didn't know about this secret.

But because of her Luna wolf, Reana couldn't live an ordinary life. She must become the Luna of a pack. For that reason, Alpha Roughman took that opportunity away from his sons and made Reana his heiress, deeming whoever married her the Alpha of the Black Moon Pack.

With Reana in the pack, the father and sons could watch and protect her, but unfortunately, they died before Reana even found her mate. And now, Hale was also slipping away from her.

"Hale, please...! Where is the healer!" she screamed.

She saw his death yesterday. He was supposed to have been stabbed by a knife, a silver knife with a green handle, wielded by a rogue who disguised himself as an omega. Reana haunted that person down and found him in the servant quarters. She found the knife hidden among his things. He tried to escape but she overpowered him. When he refused to tell her who sent him, she slit his throat with the same knife.

She thought Hale would be fine after that. She thought she'd taken care of the matter, but, but why was this happening?

Reana didn't even realize that her face was stained with tears until Hale lifted his shaky hand to wipe her tears. He forced a smile despite his weakness, despite the agony he was in, to comfort Reana. "I – I regret making you cry, Reana."

"Don't–" Reana choked. Her tears flowing even harder as she blamed herself for not being extra careful, for not being able to save her mate, the one person she had left that genuinely cared for her.

"Reana dear, what's going on? How is Alpha Hale?" Katherine's voice carried through the human barricade. She had tried to gain access to Reana but the warriors wouldn't let her through.

However, Reana didn't seem to hear her stepmother. Or maybe she heard but didn't reply.

Seeing that Reana wouldn't speak, and the warriors wouldn't let her through, the woman begrudgingly went back to stand with her children. She was excited, but her joy wasn't complete until she knew what was going on inside that circle. Until she knew Hale was dead.

Meanwhile, Kael frowned as he stood in the chaotic crowd, watching the scene. It was his plan to kill Hale but he failed, and regrettably, he wasn't the one responsible for this chaos.

Could it be his mother? He turned his head in his mother's direction. The woman was also looking his way.

'Did you do this?' He mindlinked her, hoping she did, but she shook her head.

Right, she'd never done anything praiseworthy, except marry Alpha Roughman, yet she couldn't secure the Alpha position for him. And now, he had to play dirty to snatch that position that should have been his from the start. Kael thought.

With an irritated click of his tongue, he looked away from his mother, his mind twirling with a whirlwind of thoughts. If he didn't do it, his mother didn't, then who?

His gaze followed his siblings. Vivian and Karl were too happy. They couldn't even mask it thoroughly. With that useless brain of theirs, they wouldn't be able to think of such an elaborate plan. Moreover, they were too young to plan such chaos.

Kael's brows furrowed even harder. He should be happy that Hale was in that condition. It has enabled his plans to be in full motion, but Kael didn't feel good about it. Anything that wasn't in his control could only mean bad news for him.

But all the same, he wasn't going to let this opportunity pass him by.

Meanwhile, Hale tried to speak, trying to tell Reana he was fine even though he was walking the path of death, but just as he opened his mouth, a violent cough seized him as he choked out a clot of blood. And that was where it hit Reana in the gut.

She froze. This was the vision… This was the vision she saw! This was how he died!

As if to confirm her belief, blood trickled down Hale's lips, bloody tears running down his widened eyes, his nose bleeding crimson red, and his ears too. The warm blood pooled on Reana's body, yet she couldn't feel the liquid.

Hale's heart had stopped beating. She could feel it. His eyes widened in a permanent stare as the last thing he saw was her face.

It hurt. The mate bond, it felt like hell. This could be more painful than a rejection. Her wolf howled with pain and heartbreak, mourning their mate. Reana's whole body trembled violently. One couldn't tell if it was from enduring the soaring pain in silence or from withholding her wail.

Hale had no relatives. He was an orphan, so she was the only family he had. They were two orphans and now he'd left her too.

"Clear the path! The healer is here!"

Reana heard the distant shout but she knew it was too late. The healer came too late. There was nothing the healer could do.

"I'm sorry, Luna Reana, he's no more," the healer reported with regret and guilt. If she hadn't come too late, perhaps she could have saved him…but she spoke too soon, because the moment she tried to investigate the cause of Hale's death, she found out she couldn't.

"The cause of his death is unknown. I've never seen a thing like this before," the healer replied to the Alphas who asked about the cause of Hale's death.

For this reason, the Alphas suggested that Hale be buried as soon as possible, fearing that he could have contacted a deadly disease. The pack members didn't reject this suggestion as they immediately took care of Hale's funeral.

Reana didn't stop them either. The soulless Luna sat on her designated Luna seat, beside her empty Alpha's seat, her eyes blank and distant. She'd stopped crying and her mind was frozen. The warriors still stood around her, not letting anyone near her - Kira made sure of that.

But never in Reana's wildest dreams did she expect what was coming.