Desire Of The Blood Moon

ChapterEight

I stared at the silver wolf on the blankets, then at the pendant, which was still tight in my hand. My heart was beating so hard I could hear it.

“Elara,” I said, my voice shaking although I tried so hard for it not to be obvious. “That’s her. The woman from the vision. She’s not just some stray wolf, is she?”

Rowan turned slowly. The light from the fire made his face look tired and hard at the same time. He didn’t speak to me at first. He just stared at the floor like he was trying to find the right words.

“Talk to me, Rowan!” I pushed. “I saw you with her. I saw how you looked at her. Who is she to you?”

He let out a long breath and ran one of his hands through his hair. “She was my true mate. Years ago. Before everything went downhill.”

His words hit me like a slap. He’s true mate, not just a lover. They were something deeper. Something fate decided.

“What happened to her?” I asked quietly.

Rowan’s jaw tightened. “The Alpha and the pack betrayed us. They hunted her down, and they killed her while I was forced to watch.” His voice dropped. “I thought she was gone forever.”

“But she’s here,” I whispered.

He shook his head. “She died that night. I saw her body. But somehow… she came back like she was reborn. She doesn’t remember our life together. She doesn’t know she was my Elara, not yet.”

‘My Elara?” I stood there, trying to process everything he just said. The woman lying on the floor wasn’t just a random wolf who happened to help us. She was the love Rowan lost. And now she was here, alive again, even if she didn’t remember.

The guilt and jealousy hit me all at once. I felt sick.

Rowan stepped closer and touched my arm. “Kaira…”

I pulled away. “You marked me because you were scared of losing me the same way you lost her, right? Not because you actually wanted me.”

He didn’t answer right away. That silence hurt more than anything he could have said.

The night dragged on. I couldn’t sleep no matter how much I tried. I sat in the corner of the main room, watching the slow rise and fall of the Luna’s chest. Every time Rowan checked on her, my stomach twisted. The bond hummed inside me, restless and hot, but it felt different now. Tainted.

When the sun started to rise and finally crept through the windows, the wolf on the blankets started to shift. Her bones cracked and popped. He fur melting away into smooth skin. Her long blonde hair lay across the blanket. When she finished changing back to her human form, a woman lay there.

She was beautiful. Really beautiful. She had small hazel eyes, with delicate features, and a body that looked soft and strong even with all the bandages. She had this natural grace that made me feel plain and clumsy next to her.

Rowan was at her side instantly. “Elara? Can you hear me?”

Her eyes fluttered open. She looked confused but calm. “Where… am I?” Her voice was soft and a little hoarse.

“You’re safe,” Rowan said gently, helping her sit up. “We brought you inside. You were hurt pretty badly.”

She took a slow breath and looked around. Her gaze landed on me. “You helped me. Thank you.”

I forced a smile and brought her some water and bread. “Here. Drink slowly.”

She sipped the water, then took a small bite of bread. Her eyes kept drifting back to Rowan. “I don’t know why,” she said softly, “but I feel like I know you. I’ve had dreams about someone who looks like you. A man with dark hair and kind eyes. I felt this pull… like I had to find you.”

Rowan went very still. “You don’t remember anything else?”

She shook her head. “Just the dreams. And this feeling that I’m supposed to be here.” She looked at me again and smiled weakly. Thank you for saving me… sister.”

The word “sister” landed like a stone in my stomach. I nodded quickly. “You should rest. We’ll get you more food later.”

Rowan helped her lie back down, adjusting the blanket around her shoulders with careful hands. The tenderness in the way he touched her made my chest ache.

“I… I’ll get more water,” I mumbled.

I escaped to the kitchen and leaned against the counter, breathing hard. My hands were shaking. Elara was stunning. She had history with Rowan, even if she didn’t remember it. And now she was here, living with us, calling me “sister” like we were already some kind of family.

The heat from the bond flared again, hot and restless between my thighs. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to fight it, but jealousy and desire twisted together until I couldn’t tell which was worse.

Rowan appeared in the doorway a moment later. “Kaira?”

I didn’t turn around. “She’s really her, isn’t she?”

“Yes,” he said quietly. “But she doesn’t remember our life together. She only has the dreams.”

I laughed, but it sounded bitter. “Great. So she’s beautiful, she’s here, and she feels pulled to you. And I’m just… what? The replacement you marked out of fear?”

He stepped closer and touched my shoulder. “You’re not a replacement.”

“Then what am I?” I whispered, finally turning to face him.

Rowan looked at me for a long moment, his eyes conflicted. “You’re the woman the bond chose. You’re the one who makes me feel alive again.”

But even as he said it, I could see him glance back toward the great hall where Elara lay.

The heat inside me burned hotter. I hated how much I still wanted him. I hated that I was jealous of a woman who didn’t even remember her own past.

I stepped closer to him, my body reacting before my mind could catch up. “Then prove it,” I whispered.

Rowan’s eyes darkened. He pulled me against him and kissed me hard, like he was trying to convince both of us.

But in the back of my mind, I couldn’t stop wondering if he was kissing me… or trying to forget her.