A Desperate Plea

Chapter 68

Lucia Lorenzo's POV

I instructed them to keep his body still. I suppose a hopeful part of me wishes the goddess found Blaine's body lying on her temple floor, felt sorry for me, and returned him to me. Seven days have passed, and she still hasn't responded.

Jessica came from Italy and with some oracle magic, she managed to sustain his body while I worked on gathering my thoughts.

Though it was clear Jessica was not involved, a part of me wanted to rip her neck out the same way I murdered her sister. She has been making every effort to find a solution. The fact that they looked so much alike was not her fault. That being said, I'm not sure I can claim they "resemble" one another because Blaine reduced Clara to the equivalent of shredded paper.

I know this isn't the proper behavior for a Luna. I can't help her; she should be out consoling her pack or formulating a strategy to get everyone through this. This pack is ours, not mine. I'd like to have him here with me. It was meant to be a group effort.

Mirabel said, "Sunrise, it's time to get up." She then opens the door to my bedroom. I squint as the light from the corridor comes through.

"Go away."

Mirabel opens the curtains covering the balcony's windows, ignoring me. As a stream of sunshine hits my eyes directly, I squint, covering my head with my blanket to protect myself.

"Lucia, this is not what he wanted for you."

As I was about to urge my sister to go, I peeked over the blanket and noticed something. The balcony table holds our coffee mugs. My chair and his are side by side. We were cuddling with one of my handmade blankets around our shoulders. When I told him that his shoulders were too wide and that he was hogging the blanket, he responded by saying that I ought to have made the blanket larger to fit the two of us.

I will never again have coffee outside with him. My body trembles with the thought of weeping. I feel my heart breaking again as Mirabel envelops me in her arms.

When will it feel complete again?

A period of three weeks elapses. Members of the pack stare at me sourly. They may find my delayed cremation of their alpha to be absurd, or they may be displeased with my untidy appearance. In any case, I'm not going to give up. He managed to get me back. I have to be able to accomplish it somehow too.

Heading to the pack house, I look for Jessica. The last time I visited Blaine's office, I discovered the design for a surprise he had planned for me, so I've been trying to avoid going there. I was running my clinic. It is not customary for Luna to pursue a career in medicine, but he had recalled my desire to do so and wanted me to do so. Although it evoked tears in me within a minute and was the cutest thing to do, I will most certainly not be returning for some time.

I located Jessica in the garden, with various crystals dangling from her fingers and hanging from her neck.

"My Luna."

"Jessica."

"How are you doing?"

"Let's stop chit-chatting. Have you discovered anything?"

I begged Jessica to go through some ancient werewolf history texts in search of something that could be useful to Blaine. It appears that she has given up. Everyone has written me off as "insane" or abandoned. Mirabel is the only one, I believe, who still thinks I can save Blaine's life.

You people never give up on your dreams. You can do it again.

I couldn't adequately convey the significance of her comment to me.

"No! Don't try to win me over. Tell the truth to me."

She let out a long breath and continued.

"I've done my best, Luna. I am no longer able to save his body. You cannot bring a wolf back to life. You're dead once you pass away. It's the manner of being. It is impervious to even the otherworldly."

"Jessica, please look at me!" Observe Dorothy and Romano. While wolves only have one life, humans have two. I had passed away. I experienced my death. But here I am, breathing in front of you, standing before you!

"Plus, it's not organic!" Lucia, your very being is a first. We have no prior experience to guide us through this. I'm not familiar with the guidelines for the resurrection you experienced. What is the expected duration of your life? What conditions accompanied your resurrection? I'm not sure! You're not aware of it! The goddess herself is the only one who knows, and she hasn't given me any visions to base my understanding on."

I hunch down in defeat.

"I am sorry, my child, but I do not know how to help you."

There have already been numerous attempts at intercession. A ritual dedicated to the goddess. Even though I begged in front of her just like Blaine did, my words had no impact. It is unknown whether the moon goddess is stable. She is somewhat erratic and demands a lot of werewolves in exchange for her blessing of a long life and extraordinary powers.

But Jessica, "I think Blaine is still alive."

"My child, it is possible that your wolf is holding onto this "feeling" because she cannot bear to accept the truth."

"I haven't heard anything from my wolf in four weeks!"

"Blaine isn't taking a breath." His heart isn't beating. He has passed away."

"Are we even humans?" No. These are the qualities that set a dead human apart. A werewolf's wolf doesn't die until it does."

"A werewolf is also half-human! You cannot have one half and not the other."

I know the elderly woman is the only one who can assist me, so even though I feel horrible for bothering her so much, I still do it. I observe as her crinkly fingers play with her hand's big rings.

The ring. "Jessica!"

"Yes, Luna?"

"The ring!"

Her brows furrow in perplexity.

"The ring! The Ring of De Lombardi."

I caught a glimpse of optimism in her widening eyes, but it vanished in an instant.

Nothing, not even L'unite, can revive a person. The goddess is in charge of such authority.

"He's still here, even though I know you don't believe me, and I don't blame you for that. I sense his presence. Every day, that little fragment of his soul is what keeps me from crumbling. Though it took some time for me to sense it, I am aware that he is here and is waiting for me to save him, just like he did for me. I just can't let go of him. I wail, "I can't."

"Okay, my child, I will help you."

With sympathy, she utters the words. Although I am aware that she doesn't think it will work, I also know that this cannot be it. Yes, I am aware.

Jessica and I sat on the temple floor, Blaine's body stretched out before the goddess idol. Under the moonlight, the proverb that adorns every Elena's temple gleams on the wall. In honor of the one who illuminated the night.

I follow the trail that I left Blaine on months ago. My life back then was very different. It was about honing my skills, meeting new people, and touring Italy. I had no idea that I could feel so alone and hollow. My fingers find the point where my neck and shoulder meet. I can feel the trace of his canines left—a sign that identifies us as mine and his.

The Blood Moon Pack's history is on Jessica's lap, and the ring is in my hand. Each alpha pairing receives a book that serves as a historical record for the pack. We are currently reading the book written by Monica and Gaius De Lombardi.

The monarchy gave Monica the ring. The exact cause remains unknown, but L'unite is believed to contain part of the goddess' power. It's unclear how much power the stone will have because no one has ever utilized its magical abilities. It's also uncertain whether the stone requires complete assembly to operate.

"Well, that is hardly helpful at all."

"Luna, this could imply that without the other pieces, this Lunite's maximum potential won't be possible."

"Nobody knows what the monarchy is up to."

The monarchy has gradually disappeared. They are completely absent from werewolf civilization. Even my grandparents, who have lived a lot longer than I have, have never seen a member of the royal family. Centuries ago, a governing monarchy wielded true power. Getting my hands on the monarchs' crowns would be impossible. The other two bits of lunite are stored in their crowns.

"There is still some power in this stone, even if it is not at the magnitude it could be," I responded. I felt my wolf stir when I put on the ring, even though it hadn't been there since Blaine's sacrifice. She needs to sense the force.

Jessica glances at the text in front of her, then back at me. I saw real belief in her eyes for the first time—a belief that I could pull this off.

"Luna, when you died, did you cross to the other side?"

"Yes, I did. Even though it was brief, I still recall the emotion. This is unlike anything I've ever felt."

"Maybe some of the goddess' essence is with you because you crossed over, but I'm not sure if this will work." Even though we only have one piece of L'unite, I believe it will work since you are the one who will bring him back to life."

With the largest smile on my face, I look at her.

"The goddess has touched you." Now that I can see it, to be honest, I was wondering whether you were pregnant, but I didn't think it was right to ask. You have an aura surrounding you. Though it's delicate, I believe it symbolizes the goddess giving you a second chance at life."

"I- It's unbelievable that I'm saying this, but this could work for Luna."

I look intently at my left-hand's ring. Given the size of the violet diamond, it is obvious that this particular stone is unique among others discovered on Earth. It exudes strength and divinity. I press the ring to my lips, and it lights up. I heard Jessica start an old prayer to the moon goddess, so I laid the Lunite on Blaine's heart.

Please goddess help us.

Vibrant light fills the space.

And then, in the voice I adore, I hear my name.

"Blaine is back to life"