Chapter 1
863 Words
Prologue
Twenty Years Ago
The sky burned crimson.
A Blood Moon unlike any in history hung over the Kingdom of Lycanis as thunder split the heavens. Wolves howled in fear while vampires gathered at the borders, their crimson eyes fixed on the burning palace.
Inside the Moon Palace, Queen Selene clutched her newborn daughter against her chest.
The baby slept peacefully, unaware that an army had come for her.
The palace doors burst open.
"Your Majesty!" an elderly guard shouted, blood staining his silver armor. "The western gate has fallen. The vampires have breached the city, and someone within the palace has betrayed us."
Queen Selene closed her eyes.
She had feared this day ever since the Oracle revealed the prophecy.
"The child born beneath the Crimson Moon will possess the blood of both light and darkness. She will either unite the immortal races... or become the spark that destroys them all."
That prophecy had become a death sentence.
Every kingdom wanted the child.
Some wished to control her.
Others wanted her dead before she could grow.
The Queen looked at the infant one last time. Tiny fingers wrapped around hers, and for a brief moment, the roar of war faded.
"My little Seraphina," she whispered. "If fate is cruel enough to take me from you, promise me only one thing."
She kissed the child's forehead.
"Live."
A maid stepped forward, trembling.
"My Queen... I cannot."
"You must."
The Queen placed the child into the maid's arms together with a silver pendant engraved with a crescent moon.
"When she turns twenty, the pendant will awaken. It will reveal who she truly is."
The Queen's voice broke.
"Raise her as your own. Never tell anyone where she came from."
The maid nodded through tears.
"I swear it on my life."
A deafening explosion shook the palace.
The great doors splintered.
A figure cloaked in black stepped into the throne room.
His face remained hidden beneath a hood.
Only his cold smile could be seen.
"So this is where you've been hiding the child."
The Queen slowly drew her sword.
Her silver eyes blazed with determination.
"You will never touch her."
Outside, the maid escaped through a hidden tunnel, the baby's soft cries echoing through the darkness as flames consumed the palace behind her.
Moments later...
A scream pierced the night.
Then...
Silence.
The Kingdom of Lycanis fell before dawn.
The Moon Queen was dead.
And the last princess vanished without a trace.
For twenty years...
The world believed she had died with her mother.
It was the greatest lie ever told.
Chapter One
The Girl Without a Wolf
The first rays of sunlight crept over the towering pines surrounding Blackwood Pack, but Seraphina Ashbourne had been awake for hours.
She balanced a wooden basket on her hip as she made her way through the forest, carefully picking moon herbs still covered in morning dew. The herbs were rare and only retained their healing properties before sunrise.
"You're too slow!"
The sharp voice came from behind.
Mira, another healer's assistant, walked past her with a smirk.
"I don't know why Elder Rowan keeps someone as useless as you."
Seraphina forced a smile and continued gathering herbs.
She had learned years ago that answering insults only made things worse.
After all, everyone in Blackwood Pack believed she was cursed.
At twenty years old, she had never shifted into a wolf.
Children whispered about her.
Adults pitied her.
Some called her "the wolfless girl."
Others called her "bad luck."
She ignored them all.
As she reached for a glowing moon blossom, a sudden pain shot through her wrist.
She gasped.
Beneath her skin, a faint silver crescent appeared for only a heartbeat before fading away.
She stared at it.
"What was that?"
Before she could think further, the sound of horns echoed across the valley.
The Blood Moon Ceremony.
Every wolf in the pack was expected to attend.
Even those without a rank.
By sunset, Blackwood Pack was alive with celebration.
Bonfires illuminated the clearing while warriors stood proudly in ceremonial armor.
Children laughed.
Music filled the air.
But Seraphina felt strangely uneasy.
An invisible force seemed to pull her toward the gathering.
As she entered the great square, conversations abruptly stopped.
Dozens of eyes turned toward her.
Some scoffed.
Others whispered.
"Why did she come?"
"She doesn't even have a wolf."
"She'll probably embarrass herself again."
Ignoring the comments, Seraphina quietly took her place at the edge of the crowd.
A loud drumbeat silenced everyone.
The pack warriors knelt.
From the grand hall emerged Alpha Lucien Draven.
Tall.
Commanding.
Feared.
His black ceremonial cloak flowed behind him as he walked to the altar beneath the Blood Moon.
No one dared speak.
The elder raised his hands.
"Tonight, under the blessing of the Moon Goddess, we celebrate another year of peace and strength."
As the ceremony began, Lucien suddenly froze.
A strange scent drifted through the air.
Wild jasmine...
Moonlight...
And something ancient.
His wolf surged inside him.
Mate.
His gaze swept across the crowd until it landed on a young woman standing alone near the back.
Seraphina.
Their eyes met.
The world seemed to stand still.
- Writer
