Blood Moon Rising
984 Words
Chapter 12: Blood Moon Rising
Crescent Ash Pack – Nightfall
Dinner was unusually quiet in the Myles household. The events of earlier that day still lingered in the air like smoke after a wildfire. Plates clinked against cutlery as they ate in silence. Sandy sat between her parents and Darren, her appetite nearly nonexistent. Her fingers hovered above her untouched rice, eyes flickering to the window every few seconds.
Adeline had made roast lamb and butternut mash. It was Darren’s favorite. But even he barely touched his plate.
Just as Marcus lifted a glass of wine to his lips, Sandy jolted upright.
Her chair scraped violently against the floorboards.
Her eyes glowed—a fierce, untamed blue.
Her voice echoed, deep and layered, otherworldly:
"They are here."
Forks dropped. Glass shattered.
Marcus stood instantly. "What did you say?"
Sandy’s body trembled, her hands clawed the edge of the table. Her voice was not her own—Nox had surfaced.
"Obsidian Hounds. They’ve crossed the border. They're almost here."
Adeline was on her feet before the sentence ended. Marcus rushed to the hallway, grabbing his jacket and throwing open the backdoor.
Darren stood up last, eyes wide, voice cracking. "We need to get the pack—"
"There is no time!" Sandy barked. "They’re here."
In an instant, she bolted.
Out the back door.
Into the forest.
Her family followed, their dinner left steaming and forgotten on the table.
Forest Edge – Crescent Ash Territory
The forest was deathly silent. Not a single owl called. Not a single leaf rustled. It was as though the world itself was holding its breath.
Sandy ran faster than any of them could keep up. Her feet were bare, pounding against earth and root. She didn’t feel it. She didn’t feel anything except the primal warning thrumming through her chest.
They were here.
She didn’t slow.
A growl.
Then another.
The pack of hounds emerged from the mist, their red eyes cutting through the dark like flame-tipped daggers.
Sandy didn’t hesitate. She shifted in mid-run.
Her divine form burst through her skin in a flash of blinding silver. Her paws hit the forest floor with force, claws digging into the dirt.
Behind her, Marcus, Adeline, and Darren shifted too, following suit.
And then it began.
The first hound lunged. Sandy met it mid-air, snapping its neck with a ferocious bite and flinging its lifeless body into a tree.
Another pounced.
She ducked and twisted, catching its throat with her fangs and slamming it into the ground.
Her family fought alongside her—but Sandy was a whirlwind of fury. Nox surged through her veins, granting her strength that outmatched every creature before her.
They came in droves, salivating beasts bred for destruction. But she killed them all.
Necks snapped. Bones shattered. Trees cracked from the sheer force of their collisions.
Darren was slashed across the side by one hound, his sandy-brown wolf stumbling.
Sandy saw red.
She leapt over three bodies to reach him, biting down on the hound and ripping it in two with a roar that echoed for miles.
When the last beast fell, the forest was still once more.
Sandy stood in the center of the battlefield, drenched in blood. Her white fur stained red, her chest heaving.
But she bore not a single scratch.
3 A.M. – Crescent Ash Forest
She placed Darren gently across her back, his breathing shallow but steady. Adeline and Marcus flanked her, eyes filled with awe.
They returned home under moonlight, silent except for Darren’s soft groans.
Inside the house, Sandy lowered her brother onto the couch.
She placed one paw on his side—just above his broken rib.
A soft glow.
Warmth.
Healing.
Darren gasped, the pain easing from his face as his rib knitted itself whole.
He blinked up at her. "Th-thank you..."
Sandy said nothing.
He stood slowly and walked to her room. A moment later, he returned with a towel, tossing it behind the tree she stood near.
She slipped behind it, shifted back into human form, and wrapped herself.
When she emerged, bloodied, barefoot, and wrapped in cotton, her family stared at her.
But not with fear.
With reverence.
With wonder.
Darren whispered, "You're not just my sister, are you?"
Sandy didn’t reply.
She didn’t need to.
Monday Morning – Harding High
Life returned to normal.
Or so it seemed.
The Myles household moved with quiet efficiency. Toast, scrambled eggs, Darren’s grumbling about homework. The routine helped mask the memory of last night.
But Sandy felt different.
Power hummed beneath her skin. Her senses sharper. Her awareness... profound.
She arrived at school in her hoodie and jeans, earbuds in, ignoring the usual whispers.
Until she felt it.
A piercing stare.
She looked up.
Zayne.
Leaning against his car, surrounded by his crew. His posture cocky. His smirk deep.
But his eyes were glowing. Gold.
His wolf was frantic within.
He stepped forward, something wild in his movements. He opened his mouth to speak— to say what his wolf had just screamed at him.
But instead, he smiled coldly.
And lifted his voice so the entire courtyard could hear.
"I, Zayne Carter, son the Alpha of Crescent Ash Pack, reject you, Sandy Myles, as my mate and future Luna of this pack."
Silence.
A breeze drifted between them.
Sandy stood still, stunned.
The courtyard gawked.
Gasps. Murmurs.
Then Sandy raised her head. Her eyes locked with his.
She inhaled deeply.
"Then I, Sandy Myles, daughter of Marcus and Adeline Myles, accept your rejection."
The words rang like a bell across the school grounds.
Zayne flinched. His wolf howled in confusion and rage.
She turned and walked past him.
Darren stormed over, grabbing her wrist. "Let’s go."
She nodded, jaw tight.
Behind them, Marisa smirked.
And with theatrical flair, she pulled Zayne into a tongue-twisting kiss.
He didn’t resist.
But his eyes never left Sandy.
- Writer
