Chapter 17

Avery's POV.

I was startled by the voice I heard. I made a swift turn, to face whomever the intruder was and what my eyes behold was magnificent in all forms, radiating in all majesty.

Magical sounds trembled in the air and danced over the sea with rhythms that spread bliss. Tiny sparks of light skimmed over the surface, bobbing, and twirling to spin into the star-strewn sky in a glit cloud. I watched, and listened, awed by the sight before me.

Instinctively, I bowed my head to pay respect to the being before me. I didn't know why I paid homage to the stranger, but my wolf seemed at peace, and the raging inferno of pain I felt began to deflect.

I don't know who this is, but her presence brought insane peace to my emotions.

"Rise, Avery."She said, her voice itself is like a beautiful melody to my ears.

I rose on all four, but I still couldn't look her straight in the eyes.

I felt her squat in front of me, she brought forth her hand and nozzled my fur. I wouldn't lie, her touch was like light to my dark mind.

Slowly I transformed back into a human. On a normal basis, I should be naked but I was covered in the most beautiful piece of clothing I've ever seen.

She held my shoulder and stood me up. I still can't fathom what's going on. I'm in a dangerous part of the woods and trusting a stranger is the worst form of deed, but yet I feel no aurora of danger from this woman.

Her gentle hand moved around my face, stroking; she cradled my jaw for a moment, then lifted my chin. She gazed into my eyes, her thumb making soft circles on my cheek.

She used her thumb to wipe away the tears I didn't know were falling from my eyes.

I have this deep feeling that I've known this woman before but my mind can't place where, my memory seems to desert me when I need them the most, just like in math exams.

She pulled me into her embrace, and ohhhh... how good I felt, it was like hugging the fluffy white cloud, her scent was like a mixture of nature and earth.

I began to cry loudly, letting out all the pain I'd been holding. Crying out all the pain I've hidden behind the farce smile.

She didn't say anything, she just allowed me to cry, patting my back and humming a song to me.

"Why? Why? Why couldn't I stop it? How can I allow revenge to blind me? "I keep throwing questions at no one in particular as tears fall freely from my face.

I never knew I could cry a river till today.

I raised my head from her shoulder and noticed that we were no longer in the woods.

We're in a very strange beautiful place, the clouds seem to hover like umbrellas over us, the branches of the trees dance seductively with the winds, some fireflies blink brightly in the night, and the atmosphere is beautifully decorated by nature, the place smells divine.

"What place is this?" I murmured the question in between sobs.

"This place belongs to a friend of mine, I brought you here to placate you, Avery."She answered back.

She released me to sit on a tree-like chair, it was leafy and I hesitated to sit down, thinking I would fall, but I sat down anyway and it was little relief that my assumption was a farce.

As I sat down on the leafy chair, she sat down beside me and used her hands to lift the strands of hair that are covering my face.

I love the feel of her hands on my skin, her touch brings relief to the aches I feel in my heart.

She provided me with a beautifully decorated cup, and when I accepted it, it was filled with something. My sense of smell perceived something beautiful and my taste buds became eager to taste it.

"Drink, Avery."She said, softly. Her voice tingled my ears.

I raised the cup to my lips and opened my mouth. When my tongue came in contact with the liquid, without a second thought, I gulped down everything.

As soon as I finished the content and disengaged the cup from my mouth, it turned into beautiful flowers and evaporated into the air. I love the beautiful sight and it brought a smile to my lips.

"Thank you,"I muttered.

"You'll relieve a little of your pain with the water."She said.

'Water?' I asked myself, if that's water, it sure tastes wonderful. More than any water I've ever tasted and it did relieve my body of something which I have no idea about.

I'm dying inside, pangs of pain and questions are creating rills of tornado whirling around me and I have no idea how to bring myself to solitude.

"Avery...."She called my name, and it sounded so beautiful in her mouth.

I looked up and for the first time since I met her, I could see her face clearly now. Despite the night, her face seems illuminated. What a wonder! What a woman.

She had the most unique eyes I've ever seen, her eye color seems to be a mixture of green, blue, and dark purple with a hint of black surrounding them. Her hair is pure white, it glows just like the moon, her face is the most beautiful of all she'd seen, her lips perfectly carved and full. How can a woman be so beautiful? There was something strange about her, and it felt like I've seen her before.

As if reading her thoughts, she smiled and said"we've met before, though it was in physical form or reality like the way we are now."

"You're the moon goddess, aren't you?"She asked, as her hands flew to her mouth.

She smiled again and nodded in affirmative. Her hair seems to dance in gentle rhythms with the wind.

Suddenly, I felt a new burst of emotions whirling around her whole body again.

Suddenly the feeling of regret spread all over me again. Tears stung my eyes and I blinked furiously to dispel them. I cried when my mother died, suppressed my emotions and tears when my father joined her, cried a river just a few minutes ago in the moon goddess embrace and now I can't start crying again.

'Be strong, Avery. Be strong' I keep telling myself.

I desperately do not want to cry again in front of the moon goddess, and this made me stare down at my fingers while I tried to regain composure. But the pains, regret, and the knowledge that I could have saved my parents from their sudden demise, plus the fact that I acted selfishly due to my revenge plans, had shattered my tenuous hold on my self-control, and I buried my face in my hands in a frantic attempt to muffle the sounds of my weeping.

Once the storm of tears began, it ranged out of control, I didn't know how long I cried again, I was only vaguely aware of the goddess placing my head on her lap, I stiffened when I felt her hands on my shoulder, then relaxed.

I was unbearably embarrassed by my breakdown but I was unable to check the sobs that still tore through my body.

My chest hurts, and my head felt as if it were about to explode, but the hands on my shoulder slid up my neck to massage my nape in a soothing motion that gradually calmed me.

"I'm sorry," I choked at last, as I raised my head from her lap, scrubbing my eyes with the back of my hand and staring fixedly at my lap, I was so mortified by my outburst that I couldn't bring myself to meet her gaze. "I'm not usually so pathetic."

"It's great that you let all your cries out, it's best."She said calmly.

"I don't understand what's happening to me. I know I've been reborn with newfound powers I can't even comprehend. Why couldn't I save my parents from their premature death? I knew they died ok the same day. Why does this have to happen again?" I asked, staring her in the face.

"I know it's all so confusing to you, child but I'll explain everything to you. Though your parents died an immature death it can't be stopped, not even you could stop it. Don't be too hard on yourself, everything happens for a reason, you need to accept this and focus on your mission." She answered me calmly.

"I know I was reborn for revenge against that conceited double standard jerk, Erik. But I felt I could have done something to help my parents. They died in such a cruel way." I lamented, I just can't stop blaming myself, I feel responsible for their death.

"Remember, Avery, you were reborn for a purpose and you have to get ready for this battle ahead of you, it might seem easy but you're against something very huge and dangerous."The moon goddess explained.

"How dangerous?" I asked.

"Extremely dangerous. Wolf's blood is being used for ritual in your pack."A male voice chipped in and both heads turned.