Chapter 340: _I Don’t Want To Leave!
Caroline’s POV
*****
She was dead.
The pain pulling her into death’s dark embrace was real. The agonising loneliness she felt at that moment had been real.
Her fear of what Marcellus would do next to Odessa and everyone else, and if the damage she left on him had been enough, WAS REAL.
She even crossed over to the afterlife... A place of seemingly boundless bliss with lush gardens and evergreen hills that stretched as far as the eye could see.
For the first time in years... She actually felt at peace. She was free of the mission the moon goddess gave her.
Caroline had been sitting with Elder Davina in the afterlife, underneath an apple tree, while dead wolf children laughed and ran in the nearby fields, the moonlight painting the land with silver.
"Wait, wait, wait... so you dated men back in the day?" Caroline giggled, as the old woman finished telling her a story of her love life. "I thought you were the equivalent of a human nun?"
Elder Davina chuckled as well, the full moon above bathing strands of her lush white hair which blew into the wind as she shook her head.
"Even some nuns get a little action before they devote their lives to their faith." Elder Davina remarked with a satisfied sigh. "My friend back then, Elder Yune? She was the more innocent one. Until I got chosen by the moon goddess to be her spiritual representative in North America."
Ah...
The two of them became silent after that, Caroline clutching the grass she sat on while staring at the night sky.
"Are the stars and moon in the sky here the same as the ones on Earth?" She couldn’t help but ask, hoping Davina, who’s been here longer, would have an answer.
She glanced at the elderly wolf who got on her feet with a grace her mortal body didn’t have before her death.
"I have no clue, Caroline." Davina looked over her shoulder at her, a small smile etched on her face. "There are still so many unknowns in this realm and the goddess... Let’s just say she likes keeping things to imagination."
Caroline’s eyes widened. "Oh, the goddess lives here?"
Elder Davina shrugged, plucking a juicy-looking green apple from the tree. "She created this part of the afterlife specifically for us werewolves. She’s popped up a few times."
Caroline nodded, hugging her knees to her face. Then her mind wandered to something. "I wonder if bad eggs like former Luna Celine and Gamma Zane made it here as well."
Remembering those two and what they did, Caroline couldn’t believe they moved past them so fast back on earth.
If they ended up here in this paradise section of the afterlife, it’ll be foul play.
"Selene’s way and path are quite different from even her fellow Greco-Roman gods, Caroline." Elder Davina bit from her apple as she spoke, lowering herself right back on the ground. "Whether those two ended up here shouldn’t be an issue. Let’s just hope we never run into them."
The two women laughed at that, Carolina’s shoulders relaxing as she slowly rested her back on the ground, taking in a deep breath.
She didn’t let her mind wander any further, instead living in the moment, taking in the cool breeze on her skin and the chirping night birds.
Until—
"I always knew there was something special about you, Caroline." Elder Davina suddenly remarked, forcing Caroline to open her eyes and turn her head to her.
The old woman smiled wryly, swerving her head to her as well. "You know... You being a Silverborn. A descendant of the goddess herself. I saw the same light in you that I’ve seen in Alpha King Kaelos and his mother before him."
Caroline let herself crack a smile but thought of something.
Being a descendant of Selene wasn’t much help against an evil scum like Marcellus. And he was only Ryker’s right-hand man.
"Odessa and the others have a lot of obstacles to face down there," Caroline muttered, her heart heavy at the thought. "I... I almost feel bad for leaving them."
Davina blinked at her for a few seconds before stretching out her right hand, holding hers firmly.
"You had no control over your death, Caroline. And believe me... I’m sure Odessa is capable of handling what’s coming." Davina said with reassurance. "We... We wouldn’t just be there to see it happen."
Caroline nodded, letting out a heavy breath.
"Elder Davina!" A familiar voice called out from the distance just then, forcing Caroline to sit up.
Running through the field toward them was Layla, her brown braided hair flowing in the wind behind her. She had a bright smile, seeming glad to see them.
Caroline raised her hand, about to say hi to her but then—
"Caroline Runeheart!" Another voice cut through like the crack of a whip, sending a jolt through her being.
Layla seemed to have heard it as well, as she froze in her tracks, scanning her gaze around with confusion.
That voice... It was raw with grief. Pain. Several deep emotions all coiled into one. But one seemed to cut through the rest like a blade.
Hope.
And she would know it from anywhere.
"Odessa?" Caroline got on her feet, her heart pounding heavily as she gawked at the night sky.
She wasn’t imagining things.
That was Odessa!
"A summoning spell?" Davina marvelled with a gasp, also getting on her feet as the air stilled.
The moon’s luminance heightened, seemingly working in sync with that voice.
"I–I use... all the moments we’ve shared as a tether and I summon you to the world of the living!" The voice continued sharply, and in that moment, Caroline’s head spun.
Her mind flashed with hundreds of memories, most of them from her time with Odessa. All the laughs they’ve shared. All the little side missions and shenanigans she’s helped her with.
All of it.
"What... What’s happening..." Caroline raised her hands just then, staring at them with shock as they lit up with a bright silver light.
She turned her head to Davina who was still stunned... But soon flashed her a wry smile.
"Looks like the Luna Queen still wants you by her side." She whispered, nodding slowly. "I’m... I’m sorry, Caroline."
What?!
"But... but I don’t want to leave!" Caroline’s voice cracked.
Before she could react further, her world flashed silver, forcing her to close her eyes shut.
And when she opened them again—
The first face she saw was one she was trying so hard to forget in the afterlife. Not Odessa’s. Not Kaelos or Althea.
But HER.
Regina.
She stood there with her eyes wide open, but a small smirk curled her lips.
Caroline’s teeth gritted as she snarled before lunging forward. "You!"