Chapter 24
Watching Evelynne’s growing fury, Carmen’s heart gradually calmed, and he answered firmly.
“I love Liora now. I was wrong before. I’ve wronged you, Evelynne. From now on, let’s not drag this out anymore.”
“All I want is to see Liora again. I told you, those five days were all for her. I don’t love you.”
Hearing his words, Evelynne knew she had lost her chance forever. She had deceived Carmen. Actually, Liora had long since reincarnated, and there was no chance to see her again. But Evelynne still had hope; like Liora once did, all she needed was for Carmen to say “I love you” to survive.
After all her scheming, she had failed in the end.
Seeing the guilt mixed with longing in his eyes, Evelynne laughed madly.
Her time was running out but Carmen wouldn’t have it easy either. She would make him live with a hatred worse than death.
“Carmen, stop dreaming! Liora will never come back. It was all lies!”
“Do you think you still have a chance to make up for it? Impossible! You hurt her, you failed to save her, and you’ll never see her again!”
“Now you’ve broken the mate bond with her, given up everything for her, but Liora will never come back to be with you!”
The truth hit him like a lightning bolt. All his efforts were for nothing. Liora really wouldn’t return anymore.
Suddenly, a fire of rage exploded in Carmen’s eyes. He couldn’t believe that five days of acting had been nothing but Evelynne’s deception.
“You’re asking for death!” he roared, lunging to strangle her to death. But Evelynne was ready. She pulled out a knife and plunged it into Carmen’s body.
Days of torment, the despair of these five days, and now this final collapse and release. Evelynne stabbed again and again desperately.
“Carmen!! Let’s die together!!”
The scene was terrifying. She didn’t know how many times she stabbed him But she just laughed wildly. And Carmen, already wounded, was powerless to stop her madness and collapsed into a pool of blood.
Until his last breath, he never got to say “I love you” to Liora.
Blood loss and despair made his breathing grow faint.
Then he saw Liora again and the small insect that had landed on him,
In a daze, he heard Liora’s voice whispering to him, “All I ever wanted was one thing–that you’d say ‘I love you‘. And that’s enough for me.”
The familiar voice made him reach out, wanting to respond, to tell her he truly loved her. But blood filled his throat, choking him silent. And in that moment, it hit him. He realized how they had missed each other all along.
Carmen closed his eyes, tears of pain streaming down.
Evelynne, having finally stopped her attack, broke into a sorrowful mix of laughter and sobs. She was dying too.
The fifth day brought neither hope nor salvation, only despair and hatred.
She hated Carmen, and she hated Liora. In these five days, she had gained many things, but the one thing she never got was her sixth day.
Gradually, her form began to fade.
She had killed Liora, thinking she could naturally become the pack’s Luna. But in the end, she couldn’t escape the curse of the fifth day. She was trapped in that day.
Everything was over.
Love and hate, regret and remorse, hope and despair, all faded into the darkness of the fifth night.
Two delicate bouquets were gently placed before the gravestones.
“Hi, Mom… Dad.” Liora whispered, her fingers softly brushing the edge of her mother’s name etched in stone. “Thank you… for saying ‘I love you.‘ I needed that more than you’ll ever know.”
She remembered that moment by the river–the day she thought everything was over, that she had failed, and her chance at life had slipped through her fingers. As the darkness crept in, a voice had pierced through it.
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Chapter 24
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“I love you.”
She turned back in disbelief.
It wasn’t Carmen.
It wasn’t anyone still living.
It was her mother–Aubrey, standing there, radiant, just as she remembered.
“Mom?” Liora choked. “Why… why are you here?”
“It’s Halloween, honey,” Aubrey said gently. “The one night a year I’m allowed to come back. I didn’t expect to find you here.”
Liora’s vision blurred as tears spilled down her cheeks. “I’ve missed you so much…”
“I’ve missed you too, bug,” Aubrey’s voice trembled, “but this isn’t where you belong. You still have so much left to do. Leave the pain behind. Forget him. Start over. I love you. We love you.”
“I love you too, Mom…” Liora whispered, wrapping her arms around her mother. But the warmth was fading. Aubrey’s body turned to mist between her fingers.
“I’ll see you on the other side.”
“See you later,” Liora whispered to the empty air.
“You finally heard the words you needed,” the Moon goddess murmured. “Now live. Live the life your mother gave back to you.”
Liora woke.
She returned her parent’s house, not the packhouse. She witnessed what happened to Evelynne and Carmen–watched it all.
But she didn’t move. She didn’t lift a hand.
Just watched.
The same way Carmen had once watched her suffer in silence.
Now, she stood before her parents‘ graves, one final time.
“Mom, I’m heading north. There’s a pack there, my friend’s there, too. You can rest easy now–I’ll be okay.”
Then, she glanced down at her watch. “Three… two… one.”
The sky erupted in color. Fireworks blazed above her like a celebration of rebirth. She tilted her head back, letting the warmth of the light dance across
her face.
“Enjoy the show,” she said softly to the graves. “There’s someone up there you knew. Their ashes helped make the fireworks this beautiful.”
She lingered for one final breath, one last look.
Then, without glancing back, Liora walked forward–toward the explosions of light and toward a new life.
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