The Attack
698 Words
CHAPTER THREE
The Attack
Chaos erupted.
Screams filled the ballroom.
Guests rushed toward the exits as darkness swallowed the grand hall.
Aria's heart pounded.
Someone had just shouted:
"Kill the Moon-Blessed Bride!"
Before she could process the words, a powerful arm wrapped around her waist.
Lucien.
He pulled her against him.
"Stay close."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
As if situations like this happened every day.
Another gunshot rang out.
Glass shattered somewhere behind them.
Women screamed.
Men shouted orders.
Security guards pushed through the crowd.
The emergency lights flickered on.
Red light flooded the ballroom.
Aria finally saw the attackers.
Five masked figures dressed in black.
Each carried weapons.
And each was moving directly toward her.
Fear gripped her chest.
"Why are they after me?"
Lucien's expression darkened.
"Because they found you."
"What does that mean?"
"No time."
One attacker raised a rifle.
Lucien reacted instantly.
He spun Aria behind him.
A deafening c***k echoed through the room.
The bullet struck a marble pillar instead.
Guests scattered.
The masked men continued advancing.
Their movements were too precise.
Too coordinated.
They weren't ordinary criminals.
They had come prepared.
One of them pulled a silver dagger from his coat.
The moment Lucien saw it, his eyes narrowed.
Silver.
A weapon designed to kill werewolves.
Aria didn't understand the significance.
But Lucien did.
And it confirmed his worst fear.
The Shadow Council.
"Protect the Alpha!"
Damien's voice thundered across the ballroom.
Several men in black suits rushed forward.
To everyone else, they looked like security guards.
They weren't.
They were warriors.
Members of Lucien's pack.
The attackers collided with them.
A brutal fight erupted instantly.
Tables overturned.
Champagne glasses shattered.
Guests fled in terror.
Aria stared in shock.
One of Lucien's men moved impossibly fast.
Faster than any human should.
Another attacker was thrown across the room with enough force to c***k a wall.
"What is happening?"
Her voice shook.
Lucien didn't answer.
His attention remained locked on the attackers.
Then he froze.
A sixth figure had appeared.
Unlike the others, this person wore a white mask.
And was aiming directly at Aria.
Not a gun.
A crossbow.
The bolt gleamed silver.
Time seemed to slow.
The figure fired.
Aria never even saw it coming.
Lucien did.
Without hesitation, he stepped in front of her.
The silver bolt slammed into his shoulder.
A growl ripped from his throat.
Not a human sound.
Something deeper.
More primal.
More dangerous.
Aria's eyes widened.
"Lucien!"
The billionaire staggered.
For a moment, his gray eyes flashed gold.
Bright.
Unnatural.
Impossible.
Aria froze.
She had definitely seen that.
Gold.
Not gray.
Gold.
The white-masked attacker seemed equally surprised.
Then they vanished into the chaos.
Gone before anyone could stop them.
Minutes later, the attackers retreated.
The ballroom resembled a battlefield.
Broken furniture.
Blood.
Shattered glass.
Terrified guests.
Police sirens wailed outside.
Aria stood beside Lucien.
His hand pressed against his injured shoulder.
Something wasn't right.
The wound should have been bleeding heavily.
Instead, it seemed to be...
Healing.
Her stomach twisted.
No.
That wasn't possible.
Lucien noticed her staring.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then he removed his hand.
The wound was almost closed.
Aria stepped back.
"What are you?"
Silence.
Dangerous silence.
Damien immediately tensed.
Several security guards exchanged nervous glances.
Lucien studied her carefully.
As though making a decision.
Finally, he spoke.
"Not here."
Aria laughed nervously.
Not here?
That wasn't a denial.
That wasn't even close to a denial.
Fear crawled up her spine.
Before she could question him further, a sharp pain exploded in her wrist.
The silver mark.
It was glowing again.
Brighter than ever.
Aria cried out.
Everyone in the room turned.
Silver light erupted from beneath her skin.
The crescent moon blazed like a star.
A powerful wave of energy burst outward.
Every light in the ballroom exploded.
Glass shattered across the room.
The floor trembled.
And for one terrifying moment...
A woman's voice echoed from nowhere and everywhere.
"The Luna has awakened."
The entire room fell silent.
Lucien's face lost all color.
Because he knew exactly what those words meant.
And if the prophecy was true...
The war they had feared for centuries had finally begun.
- Writer
