His Luna, Her Choice

PROLOGUE

SOPHIAS POV

I sat on the edge of the cliff, the wind and rain blowing around me violently. A branch cracked, landing with a thud beside me. My eyes never strayed, my body didn't flinch. The water pouring from the sky had drenched me a while ago, but I did not shiver. It was almost comforting, in a way. Like thousands upon thousands of tiny hands caressing my skin.

That would be the first time in months that I'd had any sort of physical contact. I hadn't left my room, I'd barely eaten. In truth, I was an empty shell, doomed to spend every waking minute feeling hollow.

And when I wasn't hollow, I was overcome with pain so intense, I could do nothing but sob and scream. My heart would be pulled from my chest by invisible hands, torn into splinters and then set aflame, over and over and over again, only to be put back and repeated the next day.

At first, I'd begged my wolf to make it stop, and she willingly bore some of the agonies for me. That is until she no longer could. The more my mate betrayed me, the weaker she got, until one day she simply wasn't there anymore. That in itself was a pain like no other, coupled with the pain my mate bestowed on me.

When he rejected me, I accepted him unwillingly. Never had I dreamed that my wolf would hold onto the bond. Part of me hated her for it; If she had followed suit, she would still be here, and we would not have had to go through what we did. The rest me of simply didn't care. I didn't care about anything anymore.

I was as good as a human now, wolfless, with the nasty side effects of a mostly-broken mate bond. The Luna had come to see me, once, maybe to see if she could help. The sight of her though sent me into such a state that she never came again, resorting to going through my parents to know anything about my condition.

Condition.

Could it even be called that? Was heartbreak a condition? Because this certainly didn't feel like heartbreak- This felt like my soul was torn apart. Would they still call that a condition? Something I could be cured of? Something that had killed my wolf? I doubted it. No, I knew there was no cure for this. Nit in this world, anyway.

My eyes drifted down the cliff, running over the sharp lines of the rocks. I couldn't even tell what lay at the bottom. So poor my vision was now. But I knew it was a long way down.

I blinked once, a lone tear falling onto my cheek and getting washed away by the continous rain. Or maybe I hadn't cried at all. It didn't matter.

Images of my parents flashed in my mind. Baking on rainy days woth Mom, reading with Dad. Dinners filled with laughter and smiles. I saw each one come and go, like a slideshow. When it was over, I stood.

The fact that I didn't feel guilty said a lot about how far gone I really was. I wanted this-I needed the pain to stop. And if he wasn't going to stop sleeping with other women, what else could I do?

I couldn't take the pain anymore. With my wolf, I might be able to. How many times had I tried to tell her to just let him go? For whatever reason, she couldn't. Wouldn't. And that cost her her own life. More than anything, I wanted to reunite with her. I felt so lost without her.

I closed my eyes, not because I was afraid, but to shut out the sudden onslaught to my heart. He was with someone else, now.

The smallest of whimpers escaped me as the pain grew. My feet shuffled forward, toes dipping off the edge of the rock. I almost doubled over as a new wave hit me, but by sheer willpower I stood straight; I couldn't afford to do this wrong.

Surprisingly, my mind was blank, either made so by the pain or because I knew I had nothing left to live for and just wanted to get this over with.

Teeth grinding together, my knees bent, my fists clenching.

"Goodbye."

It wasn't a mind-link. Just a simple thought, aimed to everyone who cared about me. My Mom, Dad, maybe even him. But I knew if any part of me believed he still cared for me, I wouldn't be here now.

Squeezing my eyes tighter, I held my breath.

And then I jumped.

Air whosshed past me with an alarming speed. The rain followed my descent as I dropped, both of us propelled by gravity to an inevitable stop. I had no regrets, no second thoughts. By now, the familiar pain had consumed me, making it impossible to think about anything else. Was it ironic that while I fell to my death, he was lost in whatever bliss in another's arms? A fakeness, a shadow of the bond we once had?

I didn't have time to dwell on it as a new pain wracked my body, barely comparing it to the pain inside me. And then there was no pain at all.

For a few moments, that's all I could comprehend, the absence of pain. Then I opened my eyes.

There was grass, tall, green and lush, blowing in the gentle breeze. The sun shone brightly, dazzling me and warming me at the same time. It was such a contrast to the raging storm from before, but I wasn't complaining. Actually, I felt no need to complain about anything. I felt... peaceful. That alone was enough to bring a smile to my face, the first smile I'd worn in too long.

"Child."

I sat up, my head swiveling to the voice. I knew beyond a doubt it was the Moon Goddess herself who stood before me, a soft, loving look on her stunning face. She opened her arms to me, beckoning, and I couldn't have been faster if I had tried. I threw myself at her, an otherworldly feeling passing over and through me in her embrace.

"I'm sorry." I whispered against her chest.

"Shh." She smoothed my hair back gently. "You don't have to explain to me, daughter."

"Are you very angry with me?" I peeked up at her face.

"I wish you could have lived the life you were meant to. But with Garrett so far into my brother's madness, I see that life is impossible. I am not angry with you."

His name didn't send me reeling in pain, as it had for so long now. I truly believed pain did not exist here.

"My wolf?"

"She is here. She has been waiting for you. Come, daughter. Your suffering will be no more."

Hand in hand, we left the meadow behind, my life on Earth along with it.