Marked By The Moonblood Alpha

Chapter One The Blood Forest The wind howled like a warning through the Blood Forest, tearing through the gnarled branches like claws across skin. The moon, swollen and heavy with prophecy, hung low in the night sky, casting silver over the frost-laced ground. The scent of iron was thick in the air — old blood, old war. Lyra staggered through the underbrush, her vision darkening at the edges, her breath hitching in gasps. Her side burned from the wound — a deep gash where a rival alpha’s blade had found her ribs. She should’ve bled out hours ago, but something pulled her forward. Something ancient. Something… primal. The mark on her wrist — once dormant, once dismissed — now glowed faintly beneath her torn sleeve. A mark she never asked for. A bond she never chose. Fated mates. Cursed, more like. She collapsed near a riverbank, her body trembling. She could hear them behind her — the scouts of the Moonblood Pack. They were closing in, drawn by the scent of her blood, the thread of power she’d tried for weeks to conceal. She didn’t want to cross into their territory. She didn’t want to face him. But she was out of options. And she was carrying his child. ⸻ Moonblood Keep Alpha Kael Vaerin stood on the battlements of the Moonblood Keep, eyes fixed on the horizon. The moonlight touched the sharp planes of his face, casting half of it in shadow. His black hair stirred in the wind, and his wolf — massive, ancient, battle-scarred — paced just beneath his skin. He hadn’t shifted in weeks. Not since the last raid on the border. Not since his claws had torn through the neck of a traitor from the Dawnfangs. He didn’t care for politics, but he cared for bloodlines — and someone had dared to smuggle a marked omega across his borders. He could feel it now. The thread. The bond he’d severed long ago — or thought he had. “She’s here,” he muttered. His Beta, Roran, turned toward him. “The scouts caught her scent. She crossed into our land a few hours ago. She’s bleeding. Weak. But…” Roran hesitated. “But what?” “She bears your mark.” Kael’s jaw tightened. “That’s not possible.” “It’s glowing.” Kael said nothing. Inside, his wolf growled. ⸻ Feral, But Not Broken Lyra woke to warmth — something she hadn’t felt in weeks. A fire crackled nearby. She was inside. A cabin? No. The walls were stone, thick, damp with moss. She sat up with effort and found herself on a cot covered in wolf pelts. Her hand flew to her belly. Still there. Still alive. Then the door creaked open — and in walked Kael. He was larger than she remembered. Harsher. The memory of that night — wild, desperate, wordless — crashed into her all at once. He’d never known her name. She hadn’t even known who he was — only that the Moon Goddess had pushed her into his path in the middle of a blood moon and left her forever changed. Marked. And abandoned. Their eyes locked. His nostrils flared. He smelled it now. The truth. “You’re pregnant.” Lyra’s lips parted. “Don’t pretend you didn’t know what that night could mean.” “I didn’t even know it was you,” he growled. “I thought you were just—” He stopped himself. “A mistake.” Pain sliced through her deeper than any wound. She stood, swaying. “And yet here I am. Not a mistake. Not anymore.” Kael took a step forward. “You shouldn’t have come here.” “I didn’t come for you.” Her voice shook. “I came because they would’ve killed me if I hadn’t.” His eyes dropped to her belly. “You bear my heir.” “Don’t flatter yourself,” she snapped. “This child may have your blood, but it will not be your weapon.” Kael’s expression flickered, and for a brief second — just one — she saw something behind the cold fury in his eyes. Guilt. Regret. Longing. But then it was gone. “I should exile you,” he said. “Your presence here breaks every law of the packs.” “Then do it.” He didn’t. Instead, he turned and slammed the door behind him. ⸻ The Truth in the Dark Later that night, Kael stood outside her chamber, his fists clenched. He could still feel her scent on his skin — lilac and blood and fear. The wolf inside him had stirred the moment he saw her, and now it paced restlessly, demanding recognition. Mate. He’d rejected that voice once. He’d sworn it off after losing the last person he ever loved. But now fate had dragged her back. And she carried not just his mark — but his child. TBC