Luna No More

Chapter 12

The Blood Hunt



The moment the crown settled upon Isabella's head, the world changed.

She felt it.

Not around her.

Inside her.

Power surged through every vein.

Ancient energy awakened beneath her skin.

For a brief second, she heard thousands of voices.

The voices of queens.

Kings.

Warriors.

Leaders.

All those who had worn the crown before her.

Then silence returned.

The silver light faded.

The vault became visible once more.

The first thing she saw was Lucian.

He stood directly in front of her.

As though prepared to catch her if she fell.

The realization made something warm stir in her chest.

Again.

Dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Because every day she found another reason to trust him.

And trust had become a terrifying thing.

Not after Damien.

Not after Sophia.

Not after everything.

Yet somehow Lucian kept breaking through her defenses.

One quiet gesture at a time.

One act of loyalty at a time.

One impossible promise at a time.

His golden eyes searched her face.

"Are you hurt?"

The question surprised her.

Again.

The kingdom had just witnessed an ancient miracle.

And his first concern was her wellbeing.

"No."

Her voice came out softer than intended.

"I'm okay."

Lucian visibly relaxed.

Only slightly.

Most people wouldn't have noticed.

Isabella did.

The realization unsettled her.

Because she was beginning to understand him.

And understanding often led to attachment.

Attachment led to pain.

At least that was what experience had taught her.

The guards remained kneeling.

Neither dared raise their heads.

The atmosphere inside the vault had changed.

Everything felt heavier.

More significant.

As though destiny itself had taken another step forward.

Then Lucian's expression hardened.

Immediately.

The change was so sudden that Isabella felt her stomach tighten.

"What is it?"

He turned toward the vault entrance.

Listening.

The mountain itself seemed to be speaking to him.

Several seconds passed.

Then he cursed.

The sound shocked everyone.

Especially the guards.

Apparently kings weren't supposed to curse.

"Lucian?"

His eyes met hers.

"The kingdom's outer defenses have been breached."

The words landed like a hammer.

Silence followed.

Dangerous silence.

Then one of the guards stood.

Pale.

Terrified.

"My King—"

Lucian raised a hand.

The guard immediately stopped speaking.

"What happened?"

The guard swallowed hard.

"A scouting party disappeared near the eastern border."

The atmosphere instantly darkened.

"How many?"

"Twelve."

Twelve warriors.

Gone.

Just like that.

Not injured.

Not missing.

Gone.

Isabella had never seen Lucian look angry before.

Not truly angry.

The sight was unsettling.

Power rolled from him in waves.

The temperature inside the chamber seemed to drop.

The guards lowered their heads again.

Fear filled the room.

Not fear of the enemy.

Fear of their king.

"The Blood Hunt has begun."

Nobody spoke.

Nobody moved.

The words clearly meant something terrible.

Something ancient.

Something everyone feared.

Everyone except Isabella.

Because she had no idea what a Blood Hunt was.

Unfortunately, she was about to learn.

An hour later, Isabella sat inside Lucian's war room.

Massive maps covered the walls.

Military reports filled the tables.

Dozens of commanders moved through the chamber.

The atmosphere felt tense.

Urgent.

Dangerously urgent.

Lucian stood before a large map.

His generals surrounded him.

Every face looked grim.

The meeting had been ongoing for nearly thirty minutes.

And Isabella hated every second.

Not because she wasn't interested.

Because nobody would answer her question.

Finally she lost patience.

"What is a Blood Hunt?"

Silence.

The room immediately became quiet.

Several commanders exchanged nervous looks.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Lucian remained focused on the map.

For a moment she thought he might ignore the question.

Then he spoke.

"The Blood Hunt is older than the kingdom."

His voice carried through the room.

"It was created during the royal massacres."

A chill ran down Isabella's spine.

The commanders listened carefully.

As though they had heard the story before.

Many times.

"When royal blood escaped execution, special hunters were deployed."

Lucian's expression hardened.

"They hunted survivors."

The realization hit immediately.

"Oh."

Nobody corrected her.

Which was worse.

Much worse.

Because it confirmed her suspicion.

The Blood Hunt existed for one purpose.

Her.

The room felt smaller.

Suddenly much smaller.

"They've found me."

Lucian looked directly at her.

"Yes."

No comforting lies.

No false reassurance.

Just truth.

Raw and brutal.

For some reason she appreciated that.

Even when it terrified her.

One of the generals stepped forward.

A tall woman with scarred features and silver eyes.

General Lyra.

Commander of the Royal Guard.

"We've already increased security."

Lucian nodded.

"Double the patrols."

Another commander frowned.

"They won't attack directly."

Everyone seemed to agree.

Which wasn't comforting.

At all.

"They never do."

General Lyra crossed her arms.

"The Blood Hunters prefer fear."

The room grew quiet.

"They isolate targets."

Her gaze shifted toward Isabella.

"They destroy trust."

A cold sensation settled in Isabella's stomach.

Because that sounded familiar.

Very familiar.

Trust.

Betrayal.

Isolation.

Those were weapons she knew well.

Lucian immediately noticed her reaction.

Again.

Always noticing.

His gaze softened briefly.

Only briefly.

Then strategy returned.

"We find them first."

The commanders nodded.

The meeting continued.

Plans.

Defenses.

Preparations.

Yet Isabella barely heard any of it.

Because her mind remained fixed on one terrifying thought.

Someone was hunting her.

Not for revenge.

Not for politics.

For extermination.

The same way they hunted her ancestors.

The same way they destroyed entire generations.

And now she carried the target alone.

The meeting finally ended near sunset.

The commanders departed.

One by one.

Leaving only Isabella and Lucian.

The war room felt strangely quiet now.

Almost peaceful.

Almost.

"You should rest."

She laughed.

The sound lacked humor.

"People are trying to kill me."

"That isn't new."

She stared.

Then reluctantly admitted he had a point.

People had been trying to kill her for several chapters now.

A disturbing trend.

Lucian approached the window.

Moonlight illuminated his profile.

Strong.

Controlled.

Dangerously handsome.

Not that she noticed.

Much.

Her wolf immediately called her a liar.

She ignored it.

"Can I ask something?"

Lucian nodded.

"Anything."

The answer came without hesitation.

The realization surprised her.

More than it should have.

"When you found me..."

She hesitated.

The question suddenly felt important.

Far more important than intended.

"Why did you stay?"

Silence.

Long silence.

The kind that made her wonder if she had crossed a line.

Then Lucian answered.

"Because leaving wasn't an option."

Her heart skipped.

Just once.

Annoyingly.

"What does that mean?"

His gaze met hers.

And for the first time since meeting him...

She saw complete honesty.

No walls.

No masks.

No king.

Just Lucian.

"It means I wasn't going to let them take you."

The room became very quiet.

Dangerously quiet.

Because neither of them looked away.

Neither of them moved.

Something shifted.

Again.

That strange connection growing between them.

Becoming harder to ignore.

Harder to dismiss.

The distance between them suddenly felt very small.

Much too small.

Then—

A scream echoed through the palace.

Everything changed instantly.

Lucian moved first.

Power exploded from him.

The windows rattled.

The room darkened.

Predator.

King.

Warrior.

Every part of him became alert.

A second scream followed.

Then another.

The palace alarms began ringing.

Guards shouted throughout the corridors.

Chaos erupted.

Lucian's expression became lethal.

"The hunters."

Isabella's heart dropped.

No.

Not here.

Not inside the palace.

A guard burst through the door.

Covered in blood.

"My King!"

The young warrior nearly collapsed.

"They're inside."

Silence.

Deadly silence.

The guard's next words froze the room.

"They've taken Lady Seraphina."

For the first time since meeting him...

Isabella witnessed genuine rage.

Not irritation.

Not anger.

Rage.

The kind capable of starting wars.

Lucian's golden eyes glowed.

Power surged through the chamber.

The wounded guard visibly trembled.

So did Isabella.

Not because she feared Lucian.

Because she feared whoever had managed to provoke him.

The Lycan King slowly turned toward the door.

The movement felt almost unnatural.

Predatory.

Ancient.

Terrifying.

"They touched my people."

The room darkened.

Literally darkened.

Shadow energy gathered around him.

Alive.

Hungry.

Dangerous.

Then he looked at Isabella.

And his expression changed.

Not softer.

Never soft.

But controlled.

Focused.

Protective.

"Stay here."

She immediately crossed her arms.

"No."

A pause.

Lucian blinked.

Apparently nobody told him no very often.

Good.

Someone should.

"They took Seraphina."

Isabella stepped forward.

"She's helped me since I arrived."

Another step.

"I'm coming."

The king and future queen stared at one another.

Neither willing to surrender.

Finally—

To Isabella's surprise—

Lucian sighed.

Actually sighed.

"You are impossible."

A small smile appeared despite the situation.

"Thank you."

"I wasn't complimenting you."

"You absolutely were."

For one brief moment, despite the danger surrounding them, amusement flickered in his eyes.

Then it vanished.

The warrior returned.

The king returned.

The battle returned.

Lucian extended his hand.

"Stay close."

Isabella looked at it.

Then at him.

Then back at the hand.

Without another word, she took it.

A strange surge of warmth passed between them.

Brief.

Powerful.

Unavoidable.

Neither mentioned it.

Neither acknowledged it.

Yet both felt it.

The connection.

Growing stronger.

Becoming dangerous.

Becoming real.

Together they stepped into the corridor.

Into the chaos.

Into the hunt.

Neither knew that before the night ended...

Blood would spill.

Secrets would be revealed.

And Isabella would come face-to-face with the first true enemy of her bloodline.