The Alpha King's Rejected Luna

CHAPTER 12: Blood Moon Ritual

"Two bloods. One night early. I will take both of them tonight before the Blood Moon."

The Grand Witch's shadow stood at the broken door with the Razor Fang wolves behind her, the green mirror light glowing in her hand. The red ice from her boots cracked the Temple stone floor.

I froze against Kael's chest. Naira froze while holding her bleeding wrist.

Kael did NOT let me go. His left arm was locked around MY waist only, and his right hand raised the ice wall higher, his gold-black eyes full of murder as he stared at the witch. He did NOT touch Naira. He pushed me behind his chest, his half-warm, half-black body shielding me.

Fenris roared outside, fighting the wolves at the broken door, "My King! The Razor Fang pack is here! The Grand Witch broke the red ice!"

Kael growled, "Fenris, hold the gate! No wolf enters the altar!"

The Grand Witch smiled, her eyes green and black, looking at me and Naira with the same face.

"Eighteen years I waited for the twin blood born under the Blood Moon on the same night. Liora hid one in Blackthorne, I took one to Razor Fang. Now both of you are bleeding in the same Temple. Give me the blood and I will break the Ice King's curse for you, little Naira. Give it with hate, and both of you will burn."

Naira held her wrist tightly, her blood dripping on the Temple floor and hissing red. The hairpin lay on the floor near her feet.

She looked at me, her silver eyes wet and no longer filled with hate, her voice broken.

"She killed our mother. With a Razor Fang knife. I saw it in the Goddess light. Mother screamed my name and your name."

I nodded, my tears falling, my hand reaching for her but Kael still held MY waist, letting the twins talk.

"Then give the blood for mother. Not with hate. With love."

The Statue of the Goddess had silver pure eyes now, not red, watching both twins. The second ritual bone on the altar glowed red hot, ready. The moon outside the window turned full blood red one night early — the Goddess forced the Blood Moon early because the twin truth had been touched together in Chapter 11. Liora's note came true.

Kael turned me to him, his forehead touching mine, whispering only for me, his thumb on MY waist only.

"Little wolf, you burned yesterday pulling half of the curse. Now the twin blood together will burn more. I will hold you. Give it with love. I will guard you."

He laid me on the cold altar stone but placed his cloak under me, kneeling behind me, his chest half-warm and half-black against my back, his arms around MY waist only. Loyal.

Naira walked to the altar by herself. No one dragged her. No one touched her. She climbed on the altar herself, kneeling at the same height as me, her scarred wrist over Kael's heart where the black shadow slept.

I placed my scarred wrist over the same heart, in the same place, both of our wrists bleeding at the same time over his heart.

The Grand Witch screamed, her green light hitting the altar, "No! Give it with hate! Hate the Ice King! Hate the sister who lived!"

Kael roared, the black ice cracking on his chest, the shadow fighting inside.

Naira closed her eyes, her tears silver, her voice for the first time soft as she called me sister.

"Aira... we have the same blood... our mother died for both of us... I give my blood for our mother's love, not because I hate you."

Her blood dropped first on Kael's heart.

My blood dropped second at the same second.

The twin blood born under the Blood Moon on the same night melted together on his heart where the black shadow slept.

By the Goddess law — if the blood is given with love, the curse breaks and half-warm becomes fully warm.

The statue exploded with white light, the Temple shook, and the red moonlight through the window turned white-red washing the altar.

Kael screamed, his back arching, the black shadow in his heart fighting the white twin blood. The ice shield shattered. The half-black chest burned white hot where our blood touched.

I held his face, kissing his forehead, "Kael, stay warm! Stay!"

Naira held the other side of the altar herself, not touching him, her hand over her own wrist that was bleeding for the ritual, crying, "Mother, let him be warm for Aira!"

The Grand Witch's green mirror cracked, and the wolves outside howled in pain.

Kael's chest of black ice melted slowly, from black to grey to warm pink skin. Half-warm became fully warm for the first time in ten years. His eyes turned from gold-black to pure warm gold. The ice around us melted into warm water, not cold.

He gasped, his fully warm chest heaving, pulling me tightly to his now fully warm heart that was beating loudly against my cheek.

"Little wolf... warm... I am warm..."

His hands were both on MY waist now, giving a forehead kiss for me only, his nose in my hair breathing warm, not cold.

Naira watched, her silver eyes wet, with a first small smile that was not cold.

"It worked... mother love..."

The statue's silver eyes cried light over Naira's head, blessing the second Royal.

The Grand Witch screamed angrily, green mirror shards exploding, the red ice chain reforming around her hand to pull her back.

"No! Twin blood with love broke the curse! The ten-year curse is broken!"

She ran to the altar, grabbing Naira's hairpin from the floor, trying to stab Naira's wrist to take the blood before the ritual closed.

Kael moved fast, fully warm now and faster than the black ice, creating an ice wall around me only, his left hand still on MY waist, his right hand throwing fire-warm ice that hit the witch's hand, not Naira's body.

"Don't touch her! You don't touch either Royal!"

The hairpin flew from the witch's hand, landing near the altar bone.

Naira grabbed the glowing red bone, holding it to her chest, her blood stopping.

The Grand Witch pulled back to the broken door, the green light pulling her, the wolves outside already dead after Fenris killed them.

She smiled with a bloody mouth, holding a green mirror shard with a drop of Naira's blood from the floor.

"One drop! One drop is enough to heal my mirror! I will return tomorrow with the full Razor Fang army! The Blood Moon is not done! I will take both bloods at the full Blood Moon!"

She vanished in green smoke, and the door's red ice sealed again behind her but now it was silver-white, not red.

The Temple became silent, with only our breathing.

Kael laid me down on the altar, his fully warm chest over mine, kissing my lips warm for the first time fully warm, not half-cold.

"My Queen, my little wolf, you gave blood with love. You saved me."

I cried, holding his warm face, "You are warm... fully warm..."

Naira sat on the other side of the altar alone, holding the bone and her wrist, looking at us, her silver eyes wet but not jealous now, quiet as a twin.

"I... I felt mother when the blood touched... she said both of us should live..."

Kael looked at her, not touching her, his voice respectful but still cold for anyone who is not his Queen, his arm still only around me.

"Naira, you gave your blood with love. The Goddess accepts you as the second Royal of Blackthorne. Stay or leave, it is your choice. But no one touches you here without your choice."

She nodded, tears falling, for the first time calling me her full sister.

"Aira... sister... thank you for not hating me when I hated you..."

I reached my hand to her, our small fingers the same, and our scars touched with the same blood and the same light, with a silver hiss.

The statue's eyes turned white gold, and the Temple floor opened slightly under the altar, a third bone box appearing — Liora's last bone for the twin future.

From outside, Fenris's voice was breathless at the sealed door, "My King! The witch is gone! The Razor Fang are dead! Liam is safe! The moon is still blood red outside! The Blood Moon is still full tomorrow!"

Kael held me tight, his full warm heat around me, looking at the door and then at both twins on the altar.

"The Blood Moon is still full tomorrow. The ritual is done but the witch took a drop of blood. She will return with an army."

And on the Temple roof, the green mirror shard with Naira's blood glowed, cracking the sky from red to green, and the Grand Witch's voice came back far but closer than before, laughing through the blood drop she stole:

"Keep the twins in the Temple! Tomorrow on the full Blood Moon, I will come with a hundred wolves for both bloods!"