The Siege of Blood
713 Words
The morning fog burned away to reveal a valley choked with steel and white banners. The three-day deadline had expired, and the Sanctuary’s Holy Legion had arrived. Thousands of silver-armored knights held the pass, their shields forming a glittering wall. And flanking them, flying the silver wolf-head banner, was the army of the Silver Fang Pack, led by Alpha Kaelen himself.
Inside the Blood Moon fortress, the air was thick with the scent of wet stone, oil, and whetstones.
In the courtyard, Brandon and his heavy infantry stood in formation. Their dark iron armor was polished to a dull sheen. As Natalia walked down the stone stairs, the clank of their swords against shields echoed through the valley—a rhythmic, deafening salute.
"We fight for the Alpha!" Brandon shouted, his voice booming over the wind. "We fight for the Luna!"
"For the Luna!" the warriors roared back, their eyes burning with a fierce, protective loyalty. Natalia’s healing of the poisoned scout had made her a goddess in their eyes. They would tear the world apart before they let the Sanctuary take her.
Inside the inner hall, Caleb adjusted the straps of his heavy black shoulder guards. He looked at Natalia as she walked in, his expression softening for a fraction of a second before hardening into a mask of pure, arrogant determination.
He walked over, his massive hands cupping her face, forcing her to look into his dark eyes.
"Stay on the wall, little rabbit," Caleb murmured, his voice deep, gravelly, and hot against her forehead. "Watch me break them. I’m going to paint this valley in their blood."
Natalia grabbed the leather straps of his vest, her fingers digging in. "Don't die, Caleb. You promised me a partnership."
Caleb let out a low, dark laugh, pressing a hard, possessive kiss to her lips before turning and walking out toward the gate. "I never break my promises."
The war horns bellowed, a chilling, vibrating sound that signaled the start of the siege.
Natalia ascended the stone steps of the highest watchtower, standing beside Brandon. From her vantage point, the sheer scale of the enemy army was breathtaking. Below, Kaelen rode his silver-grey horse to the front of the line, his golden armor catching the sun.
He looked up at the high wall. The moment Kaelen’s eyes locked onto Natalia, dressed in the dark blue fur of the Blood Moon and standing beside the Blood Moon warriors, a raw, toxic rage flared in his features.
"Natalia!" Kaelen’s voice echoed off the cliffs, amplified by his Alpha power. "Come back to the Silver Fang! If you cross the bridge now, I will demand the Sanctuary spare your life! I will make you my Luna again!"
Natalia stood at the edge of the parapet. Her lavender eyes looked down at him with an icy, silent contempt. She didn't say a word. She didn't need to. Her silence was a louder slap in the face than any shout.
Kaelen’s grip on his sword turned white, his golden hair whipping in the wind as his eyes burned with a mixture of regret and black, obsessive jealousy.
"So be it!" Kaelen roared, drawing his sword. "Fire!"
The Sanctuary’s heavy catapults groaned. Giant bolts wrapped in glowing holy light launched into the sky, tracing silver arcs before slamming against the Blood Moon’s protective barrier. The barrier crackled, stone dust raining down on the defenders as the battle cry of the Holy Legion broke the valley.
In the midst of the chaos, Natalia suddenly gasped, clutching her chest.
Under the gaze of the rising Blood Moon, the blood in her veins began to boil. A intense, white-hot heat surged through her limbs, accompanied by the distinct, loud cracking of the ancient seals inside her bones. It wasn't the agonizing pain of the previous night, but a raw, explosive release of power.
"Luna Natalia?" Brandon asked, looking at her in alarm.
Natalia gripped the stone wall, her fingernails sliding out into their silver-gold claws. The dark iron wristguards on her arms hummed with the silver energy radiating from her skin. Her lavender eyes slowly bled into a brilliant, blinding gold.
"Caleb..." Natalia whispered, her voice carrying a strange, echoey vibration that resonated with the moon above. "My wolf... it's breaking free."
- Writer
