chapter 82

ARIELLA.

The sight horrified me. I couldn't even think straight because in normal cases, this big wound would have already caused death to the person who had it. But thankfully, Eli was still alive, albeit barely. He was still talking to me so I listened carefully. "Ariella... I don't think that I... I will make it out this time."

"No... Don't say that... I'll come back to get Blaire... Maybe she can make you a potion that will cure you..."

Eli gave me a sad smile. "I don't think that there's something that we can do about t-this... My body is now at its limit... I have drunk that potion that transformed me into my wolf form so many times already that my body weakened... Not even our mating bond could save me now..."

"No! Don't say that, Eli!" I pleaded, weeping beside him. I wanted to do something for him, but my mind went blank because of what he was telling me.

"I didn't want to go like this, Ariella. Not when David is still alive... I'm sorry that I failed you again..." Eli was crying now too. "David came here with that butler vampire... They were too strong for me, but I managed to kill the butler. But David is a different a-animal... You have to get away from here, Ariella. Run away again somewhere else..."

"No!" I was shouting again. And this time, I thought of ways that I might still be able to save Eli. First, I took my necklace off of me and wore it on his neck. The pendant shone brightly in the darkness, but that was it. Nothing was happening. Hopeless, I tried the second thing that came to my mind. I wounded my arm and poured my blood onto his open wound in his chest hoping that the vampire blood from me would save him.

But just like with the necklace, the vampire blood that I got from Darius didn't do a thing. Instead, it made Eli's body shake uncontrollably as if he was convulsing. I panicked and then screamed when Eli closed his eyes. I gently slapped his cheeks to see if he would respond, but nothing. And then I noticed that he was no longer breathing.

I was in a state of shock for a couple of seconds that I stopped moving. I was in total denial that Eli died just like that. But then my inner wolf howled so loud that my eardrums hurt so much I had to cover my ears. I had never heard my wolf howl this melancholic and haunting before. The sound it was making broke me down and I fell to the wooden floor of the cabin's deck. I cried and cried until my body felt weird too.

This isn't possible. Eli isn't dead. He had been through enough, so he deserved a happy ending. If there is someone that should have died, it should have been me. This is my fault for hesitating to fight the vampires again. If I only listened to Eli and just focused on trying to escape, then he wouldn't have died.

I suddenly felt my body become warm, and I had no idea what was happening. I just lay there beside my mate who was no more... I couldn't accept it. There is no way that Eli will leave me... He has always been there for me and risked his life for me... I closed my eyes and put my head on his shoulder as I tried to deal with the pain, but the pain had taken over me.

***

I was on this cliff again. I was standing at the edge of the cliff when I saw my mother jump off before. I looked down below but she was nowhere to be seen. It was just darkness everywhere. There was only the big, full moon in the night sky even though in reality it isn't the time yet for the full moon to return.

"You have been brave, Ariella..."

I had chills when I heard the voice because I knew that it was my mother's. "Mother?" I looked around calling her, but I couldn't see her anywhere. Then it dawned on me that she must be the moon. "Mother, is that you?"

"Yes. My child. I am so proud of you... Of how far you had come... Now we finally meet." Her voice was sweet but also whimsical sounding. It was magical, to say the least. And her voice seemed to be coming from the moon. "Thank you for everything that you have done, Ariella..."

"But I didn't do anything, Mother," I cried out to her. I was gazing at the full moon with tears in my eyes. "I can't even save my mate."

"I'm so sorry about that. My protection that was encased on your necklace couldn't reach him during his fight with those two vampires. I'm sorry I couldn't protect him from them..."

I shook my head. "No, don't apologize because it's my fault. I shouldn't have made him feel bad about being angry at the vampires. Then he wouldn't volunteer to patrol the area around that building and he wouldn't have to face David and Viel... And I couldn't do anything to stop his bleeding... He died in my arms without me being able to help him... I am so useless..."

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Ariella. You have been through a lot yourself. The war with the vampires will be over soon, so you don't need to blame yourself."

"But I don't care about that stupid war anymore!" I cried out loud. "If I can't bring Eli back to life, then I don't even want to fight anymore!"

"I understand your grief... Love is such a potent force, Ariella. Especially between mates... Love is formidable and unwavering... And that was what kept Eli alive until you found him in that cabin... He held on and waited for you."

"That's so unfair," I told my mother while staring angrily at the moon. "Eli didn't deserve to die like that!

"I know... That's why I want you to bring him back."

"Huh? Did I hear you right, Mother?" I asked her nervously. I didn't want to react to what she said because I didn't want to hope for the impossible. But I still did.

"Yes, you heard me right. You can bring him back to life, but it will be a very hard task."

"I don't care if it's hard!" I told her excitedly. "How can I bring him back to life?"

"Take the necklace that's in Darius' possession. It is the other half of my necklace that I gave you. If you combine the two necklaces, you will be able to create a time warp in the universe. You could go back in time and save Eli from the vampires that attacked him. The only rule that you have to follow is that your past self shouldn't see you while you are in the time warp. Otherwise, you will die instantly."

"W-What? Is that possible?"

"Of course. But you can only use it once. If you fail to save Eli, you'll no longer have a second try. So you have to do it perfectly the first time."

"I can't believe that those necklaces could do that," I told my mother happily. "But thank you, Mother."

"The necklaces are the pieces of my heart that contain the powers of me as the Moon Goddess. I wanted to give those powers to you, but you were too young. You already awakened the powers that were in the necklace Aurora gave you. And once you take the powers from the other necklace, you'll become a Goddess yourself, Ariella. An entity so powerful that you can even bend time. You will become the strongest. So good luck, my beloved. Now, go back to your body so you can do what you have to do."