The Blood's Moon's Warning
913 Words
The city was quiet at night. Too quiet.
Alina hadn’t slept a wink since the last encounter—if she could even call it that. The feeling of being watched hadn’t faded, even as daylight came and went. She had double-checked the locks on her doors, drawn the curtains, and left the hallway light on.
And yet, here she was again. Awake. Heart pounding.
The clock on her bedside table flashed 3:17 AM.
Like a cruel joke.
She lay still, straining her ears. Nothing. No whispers, no strange figures in the corner. Just the low hum of the streetlamp outside.
Maybe she was losing it.
Or maybe… she wasn’t supposed to sleep.
A sudden knock shattered the silence.
Alina bolted upright. Her breath caught in her throat.
Another knock.
Slow. Deliberate. Coming from the window.
She turned her head stiffly, every instinct screaming at her not to look.
But she did.
And immediately wished she hadn’t.
Standing just outside her second-floor window—on the narrow ledge, impossibly balanced—was him.
The man from her nightmares. The man with red eyes.
His face was obscured by shadows, but she could feel his gaze locking onto hers through the glass. A slow, unnatural smile stretched across his lips.
Alina’s blood turned to ice.
This wasn’t a hallucination.
This was real.
She scrambled backward, her hand flying to the lamp, but before she could switch it on—he moved.
No. Not moved. Vanished.
Like smoke dissolving into the night.
A deep chill crawled down her spine.
Then, just as suddenly—a voice whispered from the darkness.
"Run."
Alina didn’t think.
She grabbed her jacket, yanked open her door, and bolted down the stairs.
She didn’t stop to check the street, didn’t hesitate as she stumbled onto the sidewalk, her breath coming in short gasps. She needed to be anywhere but here.
But as soon as she turned the corner—
She ran straight into someone.
A pair of strong hands caught her shoulders, steadying her before she could fall.
“Whoa,” a deep voice murmured. “Easy.”
Alina looked up—and immediately regretted it.
The man holding her wasn’t human.
At least, not entirely.
His grip was firm but cool, his skin just a little too pale under the streetlights. His sharp features were framed by dark hair that fell just past his shoulders, and when he blinked, his irises flashed a dangerous shade of crimson.
The same shade as the man from her window.
A chill wrapped around Alina’s spine.
What the hell was he?
The stranger tilted his head slightly, as if assessing her. Then, he spoke again—his voice deep, smooth, but laced with something unreadable.
"You shouldn’t be out here."
Alina swallowed hard. "I—" She stopped herself, unsure what to say. I was running from a nightmare? I think a demon was watching me?
Yeah. That wouldn’t go over well.
She tried to pull away, but his grip tightened—not enough to hurt, just enough to keep her still.
"Listen to me," he said, low and urgent. "You’re in danger."
Alina stiffened.
Danger? As if she didn’t already know that?
"Who are you?" she demanded. "And what do you mean—"
Before she could finish, something howled in the distance.
Not a normal howl.
A deep, guttural, inhuman sound.
The stranger tensed. His grip on her loosened, but his crimson gaze darkened, scanning the empty street.
"s**t," he muttered under his breath.
Alina’s pulse pounded. "What was that?"
The stranger looked at her again. And this time, she saw something flicker in his expression—something she really didn’t like.
Regret.
"They’ve found you."
Alina barely had time to react before the night erupted into chaos.
---
The Attack
It happened in a blur.
One moment, the street was empty.
The next—shadows moved.
Figures leaped from the rooftops, landing on all fours like animals. Their eyes gleamed with a golden hue, their bodies unnaturally lean and muscular. Their lips curled back, revealing sharp, elongated teeth.
Alina’s breath hitched.
"Wolves?" she whispered.
Not normal wolves. Not even close.
The stranger let out a low curse, shoving her behind him. "Stay behind me."
Alina barely processed the command before the first creature lunged.
The stranger moved fast.
Too fast.
One moment he was in front of her—the next, he had disappeared.
And when he reappeared, his hand was buried in the chest of the nearest wolf, his claws tearing through flesh like paper.
The beast let out a strangled howl before disintegrating into black ash.
Alina’s stomach turned.
The other wolves hesitated, their eyes flicking between their fallen comrade and the man standing before them.
The stranger exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders as if bored. "You’re making this too easy."
Then—they attacked.
Three at once.
Alina barely had time to scream before the stranger moved again, cutting through them like a blade through silk.
He was strong. Faster than anything she’d ever seen.
But there were too many.
And in the chaos, one of them broke through.
Alina turned—too slow.
A wolf lunged straight for her.
Claws slashed toward her throat.
She braced for impact—
And suddenly, everything exploded in light.
A violent, blinding white light.
The wolves shrieked.
And the last thing Alina saw before everything faded to black…
Was the stranger’s wide, shocked eyes.
Like he had just seen a ghost.
- Writer
