I didn't return to the healing sanctuary. After all, there was no place for me there anymore.
Instead, I dragged my battered body toward the gray fringe at the edge of the pack's territory. It was the pack's place of exile.
It was home to criminals, the deranged, and dangerous werewolves who practiced forbidden techniques—all cast out by the pack.

I had never dared to come near this place before. But now, I felt like I was one of them.
I walked for what felt like forever until my vision went dark. In the end, I couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed into a pile of dried leaves.
Through the haze of my consciousness, I thought I saw a pair of worn leather boots stop in front of me. A beat later, a raspy, weathered voice rang out.
"Well, well. Isn't this the Moonstone pack's future Luna? What happened? You're reduced to this because you were played for a fool by Alpha Ethan's lover?"
…
When I came to, I was lying in a rundown wooden cabin.

Meanwhile, an old werewolf with a full head of gray hair was crouched by the fire, brewing a pot of foul-smelling potion.
"You're awake."
He glanced back at me as he spoke, his gaze sharp through the haze.
I remembered him. He was Kyle Sterling. Decades ago, he had been the pack's First Elder before the council branded him a heretic and cast him out for secretly studying the Art of Essence.

"Drink this," he ordered as he handed me a bowl of thick, black liquid.
Without hesitation, I took it and downed it in one gulp.
The bitter potion slid down my throat, and a faint warmth began to mend my shattered soul.
Seeing that, Kyle was somewhat surprised. "You've got guts. Aren't you afraid I might poison you?"
I looked at him, my voice hoarse as I replied, "When you've already lost everything, is death really something to fear?"
Kyle paused, then burst out laughing.
"Well said! They claimed any werewolf without their essence is worthless. But they're just a pack of fools who know nothing but how to rely on the Moon Goddess' gifts!"
In the next instant, he rose to his feet and looked down at me. "This isn't the end. It's another beginning. Only when the Moon Goddess' blessing fades will you hear the very breath of the world."
I snapped my head up, and hope flared in my eyes.
"What do you mean?"
"It means you no longer need that golden energy to sense life," Kyle answered, his eyes gleaming with wisdom.
He continued, "You can learn to feel the wind as it moves, sense the growth of trees, and hear the whispers of souls. What the world calls 'forbidden techniques' aren't evil.
"They're simply another way of understanding the world. A path that doesn't rely on gods, but on yourself."
I stared at him, exhaustion heavy in my voice as I said, "I don't want to save anyone anymore. I just want to understand why I'm alive."
Kyle nodded with satisfaction.
"Good. Then start by feeling your own emptiness. When you can find new strength in that void, you won't need anyone's approval again."
I clenched my fists, and cold air slipped through my fingers, carrying a strange, vital energy.
I had lived for the titles of spiritual healer and Luna. But from this moment on, I would live for myself.