Blood moon , silver heart

The Mooncrest forest looked different at night. During the day, sunlight slipped between the enormous oak trees, turning the leaves a bright shade of green and making the narrow trails through the forest look almost welcoming. At night, those same trees became something else. Their branches twisted toward the sky like crooked fingers. Shadows stretched across the ground, moving whenever the wind passed through them. Mist gathered between the roots, thin enough to see through but thick enough to make everything beyond it appear distant and unfamiliar. And tonight, there was no moonlight. Clouds covered the sky. Aria Vale pulled her black hoodie tighter around her body as she walked through the forest. Her dark brown hair had escaped from the loose ponytail she had tied earlier, and several strands kept brushing against her cheeks. She pushed them away impatiently. She shouldn't have been here. Everyone knew that. Especially her. The eastern side of the forest was forbidden. It wasn't simply another part of Mooncrest territory. It was the boundary. Beyond those trees was land belonging to the vampires. For generations, werewolves had been taught one thing about vampires. Never trust them. Vampires weren't like wolves. Werewolves had pack bonds, families and territory. Vampires had kingdoms. Werewolves lived beneath the moon. Vampires lived beneath the shadows. And somewhere between those differences was a hatred so old that nobody remembered exactly how it had started. Aria stopped walking. Her boots pressed into the damp earth. She listened. Nothing. No birds. No insects. Not even the usual distant howls from the pack. She slowly looked behind her. Empty. "Great," she whispered. She had always hated how brave she became when she was doing something stupid. Aria glanced toward the dark trees ahead. Her original plan had been simple. Find out what had been making strange noises near the eastern boundary and return before anyone noticed she was gone. But simple plans had never worked particularly well for her. Especially lately. Aria was eighteen years old, yet she had never shifted into her wolf form. Among werewolves, that was almost unheard of. Most wolves awakened sometime during adolescence. Some shifted early. Some later. But eventually, the wolf came. For Aria, there had been nothing. No transformation. No connection. No voice inside her head. Nothing. Her pack had noticed. And they had judged her for it. She was the Alpha's daughter, but that title didn't protect her from whispers. She's defective. Maybe she isn't a real wolf. Imagine being the Alpha's daughter and not even having a wolf. Aria pretended not to care. She cared. More than anyone knew. A sudden sound came from ahead. Crunch. Aria froze. Her fingers tightened around the small silver pendant hanging around her neck. Crunch. Another step. Someone was walking. She backed away slowly. "Who's there?" No answer. Her instincts screamed at her to run. Instead, she stayed. A figure emerged from between the trees. A boy. No. A man. Aria's eyes narrowed. He looked young—around her age—but there was something about the way he carried himself that made him seem older. He was tall, dressed entirely in black. Black trousers. Black boots. A dark coat hanging loosely from his shoulders. His hair was almost black too, slightly messy as though the wind had been playing with it. But it was his face that made Aria forget how to breathe for a second. Sharp features. Straight nose. Defined jaw. Pale skin that looked almost unnatural beneath the darkness. And his eyes... Red. Not brown. Not hazel. Red. Aria immediately stepped backward. "Vampire." His expression barely changed. "Werewolf." His voice was quiet. Almost bored. Aria's eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here?" He looked at her for several seconds before answering. "I could ask you the same question." "This is my territory." He glanced around. "No." Aria frowned. "What?" "You crossed the boundary." She looked behind herself. The stone marker separating the two territories was barely visible beneath the mist. Her stomach dropped. She had crossed it without noticing. The vampire noticed her realization. A faint smirk appeared on his face. "You were saying?" Aria glared at him. "I don't need attitude from a bloodsucker." His eyebrows lifted. "And I don't need attitude from a girl who can't even tell when she's crossed into enemy territory." Her jaw tightened. "Who said I can't?" "You did." "I did not." "You looked at the boundary like you'd never seen it before." Aria opened her mouth. Then closed it. He was irritating. Extremely irritating. And somehow, that made her want to argue with him even more. "What's your name?" He studied her. "Why?" "Because if I'm going to report you to my Alpha, I need to know who to report." His expression became colder. "Lucian." "Lucian what?" "Veyre." Aria's stomach twisted. Veyre. She knew that surname. Everyone did. The Veyre family ruled the largest vampire territory in the region. And Lucian... She had heard stories about him. The heir. The youngest son of the vampire king. Aria stared at him. "You." Lucian's eyes narrowed. "Me?" "You're the Veyre heir." "Unfortunately." She didn't know what surprised her more. That he was the vampire prince... Or that he sounded like he hated the title. A howl suddenly echoed somewhere behind Aria. She turned sharply. Her heart began pounding. That wasn't a normal howl. It was a warning. The pack had realized she was missing. She turned back toward Lucian. "I have to go." "Finally, something intelligent." Aria rolled her eyes. She took one step. Then stopped. Something was wrong. She could feel it. The air had changed. The forest suddenly felt colder. Lucian's expression changed too. He was no longer amused. He looked toward the trees behind Aria. "What?" He didn't answer. "Lucian?" "Don't move." Aria frowned. "Why?" His red eyes remained fixed on the darkness. "Because we're not alone." A low growl came from somewhere between the trees. Aria's heart jumped. Lucian stepped forward. Not toward her. In front of her. Protecting her? No. That couldn't be right. They were enemies. And yet, for the first time that night, Aria noticed something in his expression. He wasn't afraid. He was preparing. "For once," he murmured, "do exactly what I tell you." Aria clenched her fists. "I don't take orders from vampires." Lucian glanced back at her. "And I don't particularly enjoy protecting stubborn werewolves." Before she could answer— Something moved in the darkness. Both of them turned. And the forest erupted with a howl that neither of them recognized. Aria's pendant suddenly began to glow. Lucian stared at it. His face changed completely. "Where did you get that?" Aria instinctively grabbed the pendant. "Why?" "Because..." He stared at the symbol engraved into the silver. "...that symbol hasn't been seen for a hundred years." Aria's heartbeat quickened. "What does it mean?" Lucian looked at her. For several seconds, he said nothing. Then another howl echoed through the forest. Much closer this time. Lucian's expression hardened. "We need to leave." "Why?" "Because whatever is coming..." He looked toward the trees. "...isn't here for me." His eyes returned to Aria. "It's here for you." And somewhere deep inside Aria's chest, something stirred. Not fear. Not yet. Something else. Something she had never felt before. For the first time in eighteen years... Her wolf whispered. Run.