Last Moon: Rebirth, Love, and the Werewolf Rockstar

Selene's embrace tightened as the moonlight in her eyes flickered like distant stars. Mizuki's sobs had quieted to gentle gasps; her breath caught as if she were a trapped bird. Somehow, by pouring out her heart, she had found release—the weight of her past, once an immovable stone in her chest, had eased just enough to let her feel free. Selene whispered soothingly, brushing Mizuki's hair from her face with a touch as light as a feather, her voice resonating like a low, steady hum through the void.

"You carry the pain of many lifetimes, Mizuki," Selene said softly, her silvery gaze full of compassion. "You grieve for a love you believed was destined for you—but it was merely a reflection of your own longing."

Mizuki paused, the image of Pablo's final moments searing into her memory. In his dying breath, the whispered name "Stella" had revealed his secret—a secret he had harbored for years. Though she had taken his hand, his body, his devotion, she had never possessed his heart. A fresh wave of shame washed over her.

"What if your loss was not the end, but the opening for something far greater?" Selene continued, her voice laced with mystery as her words settled over Mizuki like stardust. "Tell me, do you believe in fate, or in the power of choice?" She tilted her head, her gaze piercing. "There is a tale—lost to time and whispered in ancient forests—of a race once mighty, whose arrogance led to their downfall."

Still reeling, Mizuki lifted her tear-streaked face to meet the goddess's eyes. The words stirred something deep within her—a fragile curiosity amid her grief. Could her pain, too, be the consequence of rejecting something meant for her? A tiny hope flickered in her heart.

Selene's eyes grew distant as she began to weave her tale. "Long ago, before the rise of great empires, there existed a race born of both man and wolf—the Children of the Moon, blessed by my hand with power and purpose beyond measure. They lived in harmony with the land, their hearts attuned to the cycles of the earth and the pull of the lunar tides. Their fur shimmered like moonlight, their eyes burned with inner fire, and their howls sang a song of wild freedom.

"But as centuries passed, their strength bred arrogance. They held lavish feasts under the full moon, boasting of their invincibility, and in their pride, they forgot the ancient traditions that had bound them to the earth, to the moon—and to me. They rejected their true destiny, spurning the sacred gift of their fated mates in favor of unions built on pride and convenience. In their hubris, they angered the Moon, who had given them the most sacred bond—a connection to their true selves. In my wrath, I cast a curse upon them, a curse that would strip away their gifts and reduce them to shadows of their former glory."

Mizuki frowned, still struggling to connect this tragic history with her own life. "Wait—the Moon? You mean you?" she asked, blinking in confusion as she tried to reconcile the gentle goddess with the image of a vengeful force. "I thought you were the bringer of light and peace, not one who curses."

Selene let out a melodic laugh, soft as wind chimes in a gentle breeze, her eyes twinkling with amused mischief. "It may sound that way, but I am not all soft light and serenity. There is a fire in my heart—a righteous anger against injustice and the breaking of sacred vows." With a playful wink, she then grew somber.

"Their strength faded," Selene murmured. "One by one, the wolves perished, their howls silenced and their fur losing its luster—until only one remained, forever wandering in search of a connection that would never be fulfilled."

A cold, creeping sensation gripped Mizuki as the gravity of Selene's words sank in. The image of a once-proud race now teetering on the brink of extinction haunted her—a stark reminder of the price of broken bonds and rejected love. "That sounds… so lonely," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Selene's tone turned sorrowful. "Their fate was sealed by their own choices. They chose pride over love, power over connection. And now, the last of them wanders, yearning for what was lost long ago."

Mizuki shivered. "What really happened to them?" she asked, her voice trembling with a mix of awe and dread.

Selene sighed, a sound like rustling leaves in a dying forest. "There was once an Alpha—the greatest and strongest of all wolves—whose presence commanded reverence. His strength was unmatched; his howl united his people. Yet even he was not immune to fate. In his arrogance, he was fated to a human."

Mizuki blinked in disbelief. "A human?" she repeated, her voice edged with astonishment. How could that be?

"In their world, the hierarchy was sacred," Selene explained. "The Alpha ruled supreme, the Beta was his second, the Gamma led in battle, and so on. Wolves married within their rank to strengthen their bloodline, and the Luna, the wife of the Alpha, was chosen for her strength and noble pedigree. For an Alpha to be bound to a human—someone without noble blood or inherent power—was scandalous and unthinkable."

Mizuki's heart ached for the human mate, an outsider in a world of wolves, and yet she felt a strange kinship. "Then what did the Alpha do?" she pressed.

Selene's voice grew colder. "Though he felt a fierce love for that human—a love that burned like wildfire—he could not claim her as his Luna. His pride and the weight of tradition forbade it. He took her as his lover, indulging his desire, but he married another—a she-wolf of strong lineage—while his heart remained with the human. Unable to bear the shame, he refused to have children with her, condemning her to a life of isolation."

A pained shudder passed over Mizuki. "That's cruel," she murmured.

Selene's tone softened with bitter resolve. "And it did not end there. When the Alpha rejected his fated mate, the other wolves followed his lead. Blinded by pride, they too spurned the sacred bonds of destiny. Generation after generation, their strength diminished. Their howls grew fainter, their fur lost its shimmer, and eventually, the weakest offspring were born without the power of the moon—until, at last, some were no more than humans, the very beings they had once scorned."

Mizuki gasped as the full horror of the curse struck her. "That's devastating," she whispered, picturing the once-mighty creatures reduced to fragile forms.

"The packs fractured," Selene continued. "Fear and regret tore them apart. The proud Children of the Moon became shadows, their desperate howls a lament for what was lost. And the Alpha—the man who had rejected his fated mate—became the target of their wrath."

"What happened to him?" Mizuki asked, her voice trembling as she absorbed the tragedy.

"He was slain," Selene replied solemnly. "Consumed by rage and fear, his own allied packs turned on him. In a brutal, bloody conflict that echoed through the valleys, he fought until his strength was spent. His lifeblood stained the earth—a final sacrifice to the curse he had unleashed."

For a long moment, silence reigned between them as Mizuki struggled to absorb the enormity of the tale. Finally, she whispered, "So that's how the curse began… it's all so tragic."

Selene's gaze softened with ancient sorrow. "Sometimes, Mizuki, even if it breaks the heart, a lesson must be given. Often, the only way to heal is to shatter what is broken."