Last Moon: Rebirth, Love, and the Werewolf Rockstar

"When, when did this happen?" Mizuki whispered, her voice trembling, the question echoing in the vast emptiness around them.

Of course, throughout the years, even in her naive little world, she had heard whispers of creatures such as werewolves, lycans, vampires, fairies, and others. However, they were just stories, myths, figments of someone's imagination, created to enrich culture, nothing more. She had never truly believed they were real. Until now, she thought, a shiver running down her spine. Or is this just a dream? A hallucination?

Mizuki had no idea what to call what was happening. Nonetheless, this was her reality at the moment, a bizarre, impossible reality. She had no idea why, but a deep thirst for information, for understanding, consumed her.

Selene's gaze softened as she looked at Mizuki, her silvery eyes shimmering with both warmth and a hint of ancient sorrow.

"It happened 140 years ago," she said, her voice laced with a quiet reverence for the past, for the lost history of her children. "And now, there is only one left—the last of my children who carries the true blood of the Moon, the last Alpha, the last hope."

Mizuki, still grappling with the magnitude of the tale, tilted her head, the weight of the goddess's words sinking in, a heavy stone settling in the pit of her stomach. "Only one? After all this time? After so much loss?"

Selene nodded, her expression distant for a moment, her gaze lost in the vast expanse of space, as if she could see the lone wolf wandering the earth. "Technically, there are others still living, descendants of the Children of the Moon, but their blood is diluted, their power diminished. The one who bears the true essence of the Moon—the last Moon, the last Alpha—he is the only one who truly matters, the only one who can break the curse."

Mizuki's heart raced as she absorbed the significance of Selene's words. The last Alpha… She thought of the wolf who had saved her, the raw power it exuded, the desperate howl she had heard before losing consciousness. A strange sense of connection, of empathy, washed over her. "But he's near?" she asked, the uncertainty in her voice betraying her confusion, her hope, her fear.

Selene's eyes softened as she nodded again. "Yes, he is near. But beyond that, I cannot tell you more. His path is his own to walk."

A flicker of frustration, sharp and hot, crossed Mizuki's face. "Why can't you say more? What does it all mean? Why is he so important? And why… why am I involved?"

Selene's expression remained unreadable, her face serene, yet her eyes held a depth of knowledge that made Mizuki's head spin. "I've watched over him for the past 150 years, guided him, protected him, though I could not interfere directly. He is a good child, someone who has always sought to honor his fate, to embrace his destiny, even when it was a lonely and difficult path. He believes only in true love, in the bond of fated mates, and his loyalty and persistence, his unwavering faith in what is meant to be, have kept him steadfast, have kept the flame of hope alive. That is why I want to help him, just a little… And that is where you come in."

Hearing this brought a pang of sadness to Mizuki's heart. She thought of the wolf who had saved her—the power it exuded and the desperate howl she had heard before losing consciousness. A certain kind of loneliness, a deep sense of isolation, enveloped her. Somewhere out there, on Earth, was the last remaining Alpha wolf, waiting for his mate, carrying the weight of his people's history on his shoulders.

She wondered if there was a connection between the wolf she had seen and the Alpha. But then she dismissed the thought. The wolf who had saved her was probably someone's runaway husky, lost and scared. There was no way there were wolves roaming the heart of Paris, especially on a noisy New Year's Eve. It was just a coincidence, she told herself, trying to ignore the nagging feeling in the back of her mind.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the goddess. Selene's eyes fixed on Mizuki, a quiet plea, a desperate hope, in her gaze. "But only you can help him, Mizuki."

Huh? Mizuki was taken aback, her confusion deepening. Help the Alpha? Her? Why? How? She was just a human, a broken human, adrift between worlds.

Her confusion must have been obvious, as Selene's smile returned, a gentle, reassuring smile, as though she could see the turmoil within Mizuki's heart. The goddess patted her head like a child, a light, comforting touch that sent a shiver down Mizuki's spine.

"Whether you believe it or not, whether you understand it or not, you—only you—can help him break the curse, Mizuki. You are the key."

"But I'm human," Mizuki protested, the words tumbling out before she could stop them, her voice laced with disbelief and a hint of fear. She wasn't even sure if she was still alive, if this was real. There was also a huge possibility that this dream, this impossible encounter, was just her delirium as she bled on the cold pavement, with heaven taking pity on her, not letting her die feeling alone, in pain, and terrified. Maybe this is my heaven, she thought, a wave of sadness washing over her.

"Whatever you are, Mizuki," Selene said, her voice firm but kind, leaving no room for argument, "it must be you. Fate has chosen you."

Mizuki sighed, accepting the task on the surface, deciding to indulge in the dream, in the fantasy, in the hope that maybe, just maybe, there was a reason for all of this. "If that's the case, then what should I do? Tell me. Give me some direction."

Selene's smile brightened upon hearing her words, a flicker of hope igniting in her eyes. "What you must do, Mizuki, is believe in fate. Believe in what is meant to be."

Mizuki frowned, her confusion growing, the weight of responsibility settling on her shoulders. "Believe in fate? That's all you can tell me? That's all the guidance you can offer?"

Selene's gaze grew solemn, her face etched with a deep sadness, her voice dropping to a whisper, as if she were sharing a sacred secret. "Yes, Mizuki. It is a difficult road ahead, a path filled with trials and tribulations, with heartbreak and loss. But your belief in fate, in what is meant to be, in the power of connection… that is all I can ask of you. You must trust in the journey, even when you don't understand it. You must have faith, even when all hope seems lost."

Mizuki nodded slowly, feeling more confused than ever, a knot of anxiety tightening in her stomach. Why did her heart feel so heavy with the weight of her new responsibility, even though a part of her still clung to the belief that this was just a hallucination, a dying dream?

"I will let you go back to your world, Mizuki," Selene said softly, her voice filled with both compassion and a hint of something else, something Mizuki couldn't quite decipher. "As thanks for your willingness to help, for your open heart, I will let you erase the sources of your regrets, give you a second chance."

"Go back?" Mizuki whispered, her voice trembling, her eyes widening, disbelief and a fragile thread of hope flickering within them, like a tiny flame struggling against a strong wind.

Go back…

The words echoed in her mind, teasing possibilities, whispering promises of redemption. If she really could return, then maybe… maybe… she could fix things. She could apologize to Lizbeth, to try and save her. She could… But the fragile hope shattered as reality clawed its way in, the harsh truth of her life crushing her dreams. No, she thought, a wave of despair washing over her. There's nothing to go back to.

No, there were no maybes. Pablo was gone, taken from her forever, and she now knew the truth of their relationship, the truth that he had never loved her as a wife, only as a sister. She knew he had loved another, a woman he had been denied. And in his final moments, he had called out that woman's name, a final, heartbreaking betrayal. The illusion of their loving marriage, the foundation of her life, had crumbled, leaving her with nothing but shattered pieces. Her parents… the truth about their loveless marriage, their carefully constructed facade, had also been revealed, shattering her image of their perfect union. 

Her friends… she now knew the envy, the lies, the betrayals that had festered beneath the surface of their friendship, the secrets they had kept, the whispers behind her back. And her only true friend, the one person who had truly cared for her, she had pushed them away long ago, blinded by her own pride, her own insecurities, her own fear of vulnerability. The weight of her mistakes, the burden of her regrets, pressed down on her, a crushing weight she could barely bear. What was the point of going back? she thought, her heart aching with a loneliness so profound it stole her breath.

The thought of facing that world again, a world stripped bare of its illusions, a world where she knew the truth of her broken relationships, sent a chill snaking down her spine, raising goosebumps on her arms. She imagined the empty apartment, the silence echoing with Pablo's absence, a silence more deafening than any noise. She pictured her parents' faces, their disappointment, their judgment, a heavy weight on her heart. The whispers, the pitying glances, the knowing eyes… No, she thought, her stomach clenching, a wave of nausea rising in her throat. I can't go back. There's nothing to go back to.

At that moment, suspended in the void, surrounded by the ethereal glow of the goddess, perishing, ceasing to exist, seemed almost comforting. An escape. A release from the cruel hands of fate, from the pain of her past, from the emptiness of her future. She curled in on herself, her arms wrapped tightly around her body, as if she could protect herself from the memories, from the truth, from the crushing weight of her regrets. She trembled like a fragile leaf in the wind, her breaths ragged and uneven, each one a struggle.

A warm hand, gentle yet firm, rested lightly on her head, a comforting pressure against her forehead. Startled, Mizuki blinked up through blurry eyes, her vision swimming with tears. Selene's touch was tender, her palm cool and soothing against her feverish skin, like the first snowfall of winter, a gentle reminder of peace. The goddess's silvery light enveloped the space, growing brighter, softer, more otherworldly, bathing Mizuki in its warmth. Clouds of shimmering mist, like spun moonlight, curled and swirled around them, blurring the edges of reality, creating a cocoon of comfort and serenity.

"Do not fear, my child," Selene murmured, her voice a melodic hum that resonated deep within Mizuki's soul, a soothing balm to her wounded spirit. "You are precious to me, Mizuki. You are chosen. I will not let you down again. I will not fail you as others have."

The words seeped into Mizuki's heart, wrapping around her fear, her despair, like a protective cocoon, a promise of hope in the face of overwhelming darkness. She didn't understand why Selene was being so kind to her, why she had been chosen for this impossible task, but for the first time in what felt like forever, she allowed herself to believe—just a little, a tiny flicker of hope in the vast darkness—that maybe, just maybe, things could be different. Maybe she could find a way to heal, to forgive, to find peace.

The light grew brighter, intensifying until it became almost impossible to keep her eyes open. The warmth spread through her body, chasing away the icy grip of despair, replacing it with a sense of… anticipation. As her consciousness began to fade, as she drifted towards sleep, Selene's voice, soft yet powerful, followed her into the depths of slumber, a promise whispered on the wind:

"I will not fail you again, my child… I will not abandon you as you have been abandoned. Trust in me, Mizuki. Trust in the journey. Trust in fate."