Crimson Pack

Blood and Moon

The clearing went silent for a moment. The wolves stood on one side, their bodies low, their teeth sharp and ready. The vampires stood on the other, their red eyes glowing like fire in the dark.

Ravenna was trapped in the middle. Her breath came fast, her hands shaking. She knew what was coming.

The first move came from Lucian.

“Kill them,” he ordered, his voice cold.

The vampires rushed forward like shadows. The wolves answered with roars that shook the trees. The two sides collided with a crash of claws and fangs.

Ravenna stumbled back, her eyes wide. The battle was wild, a blur of fur, blood, and speed. Wolves tore at vampires with raw strength. Vampires struck back with sharp claws and cruel precision. The air filled with the sounds of growls and screams.

Kael fought like no one Ravenna had ever seen. His massive wolf form tore through one vampire after another. Blood stained his black fur, but he never slowed. His golden eyes glowed with fury, and every move he made was to reach her.

Lucian met him head on. The two clashed in the center of the clearing, wolf against vampire, brother against Alpha. Lucian moved fast, his strikes sharp and deadly, but Kael’s strength was like stone. Every blow shook the ground.

Ravenna’s heart raced as she watched. She wanted to scream, to stop them, but her voice caught in her throat.

Then a hand grabbed her from behind. Another vampire.

Ravenna twisted, slamming her elbow into his chest. He hissed in pain, but his grip did not break. He pulled her close, his fangs inches from her neck.

Fear burned through her, but so did anger. Her wolf howled inside her. Her vampire blood screamed for release.

Something snapped inside her.

Her eyes burned red. Her nails lengthened into sharp claws. With a cry, she slashed across the vampire’s throat. Blood sprayed, and he fell to the ground, lifeless.

Ravenna froze, staring at her hands. Her claws dripped with blood, her chest heaving. She had never felt power like this before. It was terrifying.

But there was no time to think. Another vampire lunged at her. She moved without thought, her body faster than ever, her strength sharper. She dodged, grabbed a fallen branch, and drove it through his heart. He turned to ash before her eyes.

The battle raged around her, but Ravenna could only hear the pounding of her own heart. She was changing. Her power was rising, and she could not control it.

Across the clearing, Kael slammed Lucian into the ground. His jaws closed around Lucian’s shoulder, ripping flesh. Lucian cried out but struck back, his hand glowing with dark energy. Kael was thrown back, his body crashing into a tree.

“Kael!” Ravenna screamed without meaning to.

His golden eyes snapped to hers. For a moment, the chaos faded, and all she saw was the bond burning between them.

Lucian’s gaze followed hers, his face twisting in rage.

“You feel it too,” he spat. “You are bound to him. That is why you fight us.”

Ravenna shook her head, her chest tight. “No. I do not belong to him. I do not belong to you. I belong to no one.”

Lucian’s eyes darkened. “Then you will die.”

He lunged at her.

Kael roared, charging forward, his massive form slamming into Lucian before he could reach her. The two crashed together again, their fury shaking the clearing.

Ravenna’s body trembled. She could not stay here. She would be torn apart between them. She had to move.

She turned and ran, pushing past the fighting bodies, her feet pounding against the earth. Branches scratched her arms as she fled into the dark.

Behind her, Kael’s growl thundered. “Ravenna!”

But she did not stop.

She could not.

Because deep inside, she

feared the bond pulling at her heart more than she feared death.