Sun's Chosen, Moon's Captive

Chapter 1 She’s lost, but she wants to find the light. She will do whatever it takes to see the sun again. Amber was sitting in a small, damp cell just big enough for a bed and a small sink. For two weeks, she had been stuck down here. Not only did she long for the sun, but also for silence. People cried and screamed, begging to be let out, but no one came to release them. Well, they did come—but not to see the light. Amber often wondered how the others had been caught, or what they had done to end up here, but no one spoke to each other. She believed it might feel less lonely if people talked, yet everyone refrained, too terrified of what the vampires might do. She still couldn’t believe she had been caught by a vampire. She had been so careful not to be. Amber, being a wolf, usually had sharp senses—but not that night. She had caught a scent, a strange one she had never smelled before, and went searching for its source. She wandered through her small hometown—a wolf town, home only to her kind. Three packs lived in Solhaven: Daybreak, Sun Shadow, and Emberlight. The wolves from these packs were different from other wolves; they worshipped the sun. Amber was from the Sun Shadow pack. Each pack was led by their Alpha and Luna, followed by the Beta, Delta, and Omega wolves. Amber was destined to become a Luna, but she was still waiting for her mate. At twenty-one, she was already older than most wolves when they found theirs—most discovered their mates at eighteen. It was safe to say Amber was more than a little disappointed that she hadn’t found hers yet. That was what she hoped the strange scent she was following might lead her to. The scent grew stronger, though still faint, so Amber left Solhaven and walked into the woods—the borderland to the vampire coven known as the Silvermoon Pact. She had heard countless stories about the vampires, though she could never be sure if they were true. Amber liked to see the good in everyone, even in those who were centuries-old enemies. After all, the wolves had done their share of wrongs to the vampires as well. She wasn’t afraid to be in the woods, but she was a little afraid of the vampires. As much as she believed everyone had good inside them, sometimes you just couldn’t trust vampires—who knew what they might do? As she wandered through the forest, the scent grew stronger and stronger. She was so focused on following it that she didn’t realize she was almost in vampire territory. The trees here grew closer together, their branches clawing at the sky like twisted fingers. The air grew colder with every step, her wolf shifting uneasily beneath her skin. A part of her screamed to turn back, but the pull of the scent was stronger—too strange, too irresistible. She slowed her breathing, each exhale a cloud in the chill night air, and strained her ears. The silence of the woods was wrong. Predators lurked in silences like these. A twig snapped. “Oh, s**t,” Amber whispered under her breath, hoping it was only a deer or another woodland animal. Maybe even a cute little fluffy bunny, she thought with a small giggle. Then she heard voices. She couldn’t make out the words at first, but as they drew closer, she recognized the language. Luckily, Amber had taken Latin at university, so she knew they were vampires. But from which coven, she couldn’t tell. She hoped it was Silvermoon, though she knew other vampire clans existed beyond the border. From the stories she had heard, Silvermoon were the friendliest of the vampire covens. The least friendly—by far—was Bloodmoon. Most covens seemed to be named after the moon in some way. They must really love the moon, she thought. She continued scanning the woods, hoping to catch sight of the vampires, but they were clearly skilled at hiding. Another twig snapped—this time behind her. Amber spun around, but to her surprise, no one was there. She didn’t even realize she had been caught until a white cloth pressed against her face. She smelled it instantly—the one thing that could harm wolves. Wolfsbane. It paralysed them, making it easier for any species to kill them. The sting of the poison burned her lungs as she inhaled. Her limbs went heavy, her muscles useless, her wolf thrashing helplessly inside her. Panic flared hot and sharp, but she couldn’t move, couldn’t scream. The world tilted sideways, her heartbeat slowing as though she were sinking into water. She fought it with everything she had, but the wolfsbane dragged her down into darkness. That’s it, Amber thought. I’m done for. It could have been hours or days—Amber had no clue how long the wolfsbane had kept her under—but she was thankful she was still alive. When she looked down, she noticed needle marks along her arms. They had continued to inject her with wolfsbane even while she was unconscious. On the wall of the cell hung a shattered mirror, its fractured pieces catching faint light. In the jagged cracks, she could almost make out her reflection. Her golden-blonde hair now looked more like dirty blonde, and her freckles were barely visible beneath the layer of grime on her skin. She splashed her face with cold water from the sink, trying to wake herself up, but even that stung painfully. Returning to the narrow bed, she noticed something beneath it—clean clothes. Grateful for the small mercy, she pulled out a simple red dress. Her current outfit was filthy and torn from her time in the woods. She slid the dress over her unwashed skin, feeling only slightly more human. When she looked around again, she spotted a faint glow high above her—what seemed to be a small light on the top floor of what she now realised was some kind of cave. She saw what could only be hundreds of cells, each one holding a woman dressed in the same red gown she had just put on. The sight made her throat close. So many faces—wolves, humans, maybe even something else—each one silent, each one broken. Some stared at nothing, others sat curled in corners like shadows themselves. The silence of the place was worse than screams. It felt like the caves had swallowed all hope, leaving only bodies behind. “What does this mean?” Amber mumbled to herself. She couldn’t tell if the women were human or wolves—the wolfsbane had dulled her senses—and she couldn’t see far enough to catch the colour of their eyes. All wolves who worshipped the sun had honey-gold eyes, but without that telltale sign, she could only guess. As she continued scanning her surroundings, a wave of weakness washed over her—no doubt from the wolfsbane, and perhaps from not eating or drinking. She made her way to the small bed tucked in the corner of her cell, when something caught her eye on the shelf above her head. A booklet. Amber reached up, took it down, and sat on the damp mattress—the constant drip of water from the cave ceiling echoing in her ears. The cover read: Welcome to the Caves of the Bloodmoon Pack! Amber hadn’t been scared before she read that. But now… she could admit she was more than just a little afraid. Just then a sound of footsteps echoed down the stone corridor—slow, deliberate, and getting closer. Amber’s grip on the booklet tightened. Shadows shifted beyond the bars of her cell until a tall figure stepped into the dim light. Her breath caught. He wasn’t dressed like the guards she’d glimpsed before; his clothes were dark, finely cut, and his eyes… deep crimson, glowing faintly in the gloom. The very air seemed to change with his presence. The torches guttered low, and Amber’s wolf whimpered weakly inside her chest. It wasn’t just fear. It was recognition—something ancient, something her instincts screamed to run from but couldn’t. Every instinct screamed danger, but her wolf stirred inside her in a way it never had before—confused, wary… drawn. The man smiled, sharp and knowing. “Welcome to my domain, Sun Shadow.” Amber’s heart pounded. This was no ordinary vampire. This was someone far more dangerous. And somehow, she knew—her life would never be the same.