THE BLOOD MOON'S MATE

The night the moon turned red, I was supposed to die. I just didn't know it yet. The forest was silent. Too silent. No crickets. No birds. Not even the familiar rustling of leaves beneath the wind. I stood barefoot in the middle of the Blackwood Forest, my thin white dress soaked from the rain, my breath coming out in trembling clouds. Above me, the moon was changing. Silver became crimson. Crimson became blood. And somewhere beyond the trees, something howled. Once. Deep. Powerful. Then another howl answered. Then another. My heart stopped. Wolves. Dozens of them. I turned around. Nothing. Only trees. Tall, black trees stretching toward the sky like crooked fingers. "Who's there?" My voice sounded pathetic even to me. No answer. I swallowed. I should never have come here. Everyone in the kingdom knew the stories about Blackwood Forest. Children were warned never to enter it after sunset. Hunters refused to cross its borders. Soldiers who had ventured too deep were sometimes found days later—if they were found at all. But tonight, I hadn't come here willingly. I'd been running. Running from the palace. Running from the guards. Running from the man who had promised to protect me before selling me to the highest bidder. Prince Adrian. My fiancé. The future king. The man I'd loved since I was sixteen. The man who had smiled at me tonight and said four words that shattered my entire world. "You were never enough." I squeezed my eyes shut. The memory burned. The ballroom. The golden chandeliers. Hundreds of nobles dressed in silk and jewels. Adrian standing beside his father. And beside him— Princess Celestia of the Moon Kingdom. Beautiful. Powerful. Royal. His hand had been around her waist. Their engagement had been announced before the entire kingdom. And when I'd confronted him afterward, he'd laughed. Not even apologised. He'd simply told me that my family was worthless, my blood was ordinary, and marrying me would have been a political embarrassment. Then he'd ordered the guards to escort me away. I'd run before they could reach me. I'd run until the palace lights disappeared behind the trees. Until my feet bled. Until I no longer knew where I was. And now… I was standing in Blackwood Forest during the Blood Moon. The worst possible place. At the worst possible time. Another howl shattered the darkness. This one was closer. I backed away. "No." My heel caught on a root. I fell hard. Pain shot through my ankle. I bit back a cry. Then I heard them. Footsteps. Not one pair. Many. Slow. Deliberate. Coming from every direction. I pushed myself backward. "Please." The word escaped before I could stop it. The trees moved. Two golden eyes appeared between them. Then four. Six. Ten. My blood froze. Wolves. Huge wolves. Their bodies were larger than any natural wolf I'd ever seen. Their eyes glowed beneath the red moon. One stepped forward. Then another. And another. They surrounded me. I couldn't breathe. One wolf growled. I pressed myself against a tree. "Don't come closer." The wolf's ears flattened. Its lips pulled back. Fangs appeared. I squeezed my eyes shut. This was it. I'd escaped one monster only to be eaten by another. A low growl rolled through the forest. But this one wasn't coming from the wolves. It came from behind them. Every wolf immediately lowered its head. My eyes opened. The creatures parted. Something walked through them. A man. Tall. No. Not tall. Massive. He seemed to rise above the forest itself. Black trousers. Black boots. A long dark coat hanging from his broad shoulders. His hair was black, falling messily across his forehead. But it was his eyes that terrified me. They were crimson. Not glowing red like the wolves. They were the color of fresh blood. He stopped several feet away. The wolves bowed their heads. I stared. He stared back. For several seconds, neither of us spoke. Then he inhaled. His entire body went rigid. His expression changed. Confusion. Shock. Then something much darker. He took one step toward me. I flinched. He stopped. His nostrils flared. "What are you doing here?" His voice was deep. Cold. Commanding. I tried to answer. Nothing came out. He looked at my torn dress. Then my bleeding feet. Then my face. His jaw tightened. "Who brought you here?" "No one." "You're lying." "I'm not." His eyes narrowed. "You expect me to believe a human woman wandered into Blackwood Forest during the Blood Moon by accident?" Human. The word made my stomach twist. Everyone called me human. Even though I'd always felt different. Stronger. Faster. I'd healed from injuries that should have taken weeks. I'd heard things no one else could hear. Sometimes, when I was angry, my eyes changed color. My mother had always told me never to ask questions. She died before I could learn why. "I'm leaving," I whispered. I tried to stand. Pain exploded through my ankle. I fell again. Before I hit the ground, he moved. One second he was several feet away. The next, his arms were around me. I gasped. He caught me effortlessly. His body was unnaturally warm. My hands pressed against his chest. A strange sensation shot through me. Heat. Electricity. Something inside my blood awakened. The forest disappeared. The wolves disappeared. Everything disappeared. There was only him. His heartbeat thundered beneath my palms. Boom. Boom. Boom. My own heart answered. Boom. Boom. Boom. His eyes widened. Mine did too. Then the pain came. A sharp burning sensation tore through my neck. I screamed. He released me so suddenly that I nearly fell. His hand went to his own neck. His face had gone pale. "What…" He looked at me. I touched my neck. Something was burning beneath my skin. A symbol. A mark. I couldn't see it, but I could feel it. The man stared at the exact same place on his own neck. His breathing became uneven. "No." He whispered the word like a prayer. Or a curse. "No." He stepped backward. The wolves began whining. "What is happening?" I asked. He didn't answer. "What did you do to me?" His eyes snapped toward mine. "I didn't do anything." "Then why does my neck hurt?" He stared at me for several seconds. Then he whispered something I couldn't understand. A word. A name. "Mate." My heart stopped. "What?" He looked almost horrified. "You're my mate." The forest went silent. I laughed. Not because it was funny. Because it was impossible. "I don't know what that means." "You don't?" "No." He stared at me as though I had just spoken another language. Then he stepped closer. I backed away. He stopped again. "Who are you?" I swallowed. "Elara." His expression changed. Like my name had struck him. "Elara…" He said it slowly. Almost reverently. "Elara what?" "Elara Vale." Every wolf suddenly growled. The man's face hardened. "Vale?" I nodded. He stared at me. Then at the wolves. Something terrible flashed across his face. "You can't be." "What?" He ignored me. "How old are you?" "Twenty." "Who are your parents?" "My mother was Mara Vale." He froze. I frowned. "Why?" "Your father?" "I don't know." "You're lying." "I'm not!" My voice cracked. "I never knew him. My mother refused to speak about him." The man looked toward the sky. The Blood Moon was directly above us now. Its red light washed over his face. He closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were no longer merely red. They were glowing. "What is your blood type?" I stared at him. "What?" "Your blood." "I don't know." His jaw tightened. He looked toward one of the wolves. The animal immediately lowered itself. The man drew a dagger from inside his coat. I stepped back. "What are you doing?" He sliced his palm. Dark blood spilled. He extended his hand toward me. "Drink." I stared at him. "Absolutely not." His eyebrow lifted. "That wasn't a request." "I don't care." Something almost amused appeared in his eyes. "You're either extremely brave or extremely stupid." "I prefer brave." "Most people prefer being alive." He moved his bleeding hand closer. The scent hit me. My entire body reacted. Hunger. A terrible, overwhelming hunger. My teeth ached. My vision blurred. I grabbed his wrist before I even realised what I was doing. His eyes widened. I stared at his blood. Then at him. "Why do I want that?" He didn't answer. I brought his hand closer. The moment his blood touched my tongue— The world exploded. I saw a castle. Not one I recognised. A black castle surrounded by mountains. Fire. Hundreds of bodies. A woman screaming. A baby crying. A man standing in the middle of a burning throne room. The same man in front of me. Only older. Covered in blood. And beside him— A woman. My mother. She was holding a baby. Me. My breath caught. The vision changed. My mother was running. She was crying. Someone was chasing her. A voice screamed behind her. "Kill the child!" Then my mother turned. She looked directly at me. And said— "Forgive me." The vision shattered. I screamed and dropped his hand. He caught me around the waist. "What did you see?" I couldn't answer. My entire body shook. "My mother." His face changed. "What about her?" "She was here." "Where?" "In a castle." His expression became unreadable. "What castle?" "I don't know." "Describe it." "Black stone. Mountains. Fire." He went completely still. Then one of the wolves growled. He turned sharply. A second wolf emerged from the trees. It bowed. The man listened. His expression darkened. "What?" The wolf growled again. The man looked at me. "What did you say your mother's name was?" "Mara." He closed his eyes. For the first time, fear crossed his face. Not fear for himself. Fear for me. "Take her." The wolves moved. I screamed. "No!" He raised his hand. "They won't hurt you." "Then where are they taking me?" "To my kingdom." "What kingdom?" He stared at me. "The Blood Moon Kingdom." My stomach dropped. I'd heard the name before. Everyone had. The kingdom ruled by the most feared creature alive. The kingdom where vampires and werewolves lived under one crown. The kingdom whose king hadn't been seen publicly in years. The kingdom where people disappeared. The kingdom every human ruler feared. I looked at him. "You're the king." He didn't deny it. "Who are you?" He stepped closer. The wolves lowered their heads. His voice became quieter. "King Lucien Draven." My blood ran cold. The Blood King. The man mothers used to frighten their children. The vampire who had supposedly killed three kings. The monster who had never taken a queen. The ruler who had rejected every alliance. And somehow… He was my mate. "No." I shook my head. "This isn't possible." "It is." "You can't be my mate." His expression hardened. "I know." I stared at him. "What does that mean?" His eyes moved to the mark burning beneath my skin. "It means the moon has made a mistake." A cold chill passed through me. "A mistake?" He looked at me. "For five hundred years, the Blood Moon has never chosen a mate for me." He stepped closer. "And now it has chosen you." I swallowed. "Why is that bad?" His eyes became darker. "Because you're supposed to be dead." The world stopped. "What?" He reached toward my neck. I instinctively moved back. He didn't touch me. His fingers hovered inches away. "There is a prophecy." "What prophecy?" His gaze locked onto mine. "The last daughter of the fallen bloodline will return beneath the Blood Moon." My heart pounded. "And?" His voice dropped. "She will either save the seven kingdoms…" He paused. "Or destroy them." I stared at him. "That's ridiculous." "I wish it were." He turned away. "Take her." The wolves approached. I backed away. "Wait." Lucien stopped. "If you're my mate…" He looked over his shoulder. "What?" "Why don't you want me?" Something flashed in his eyes. Pain. So brief I almost missed it. Then his face became cold again. "Because everyone I love dies." He walked away. I watched him disappear into the darkness. The wolves surrounded me. And for the first time that night, I realised something much worse than being hunted. I wasn't being taken prisoner. I was being taken home. Hours later, the gates of the Blood Moon Kingdom opened. I had never seen anything like it. Black towers pierced the crimson sky. Massive stone walls surrounded the kingdom. Thousands of torches burned along the streets. Vampires walked beside wolves. Some appeared human. Others didn't. People stopped and stared as I passed. Whispers followed me. "That's her." "The human?" "Impossible." "She has the mark." "She can't be his mate." "She looks like Mara." I stopped walking. My mother's name. Again. Why did everyone here know her? A guard stepped toward me. "Keep moving." "Why does everyone know my mother?" Nobody answered. Then the crowd suddenly parted. Lucien stood at the end of the street. He had changed clothes. A black shirt. A long coat. A silver crown resting on his dark hair. He looked less like a man now. More like a king. Everyone bowed. I didn't. His eyes found mine immediately. For a moment, something passed between us. Something dangerous. Something intimate. Then a woman's voice cut through the silence. "Lucien." I turned. A woman approached. She was breathtaking. Long silver hair. Pale skin. Violet eyes. A black gown covered in diamonds. She stopped beside Lucien and placed a hand on his arm. His body stiffened. She looked at me. Then smiled. But there was nothing kind about that smile. "So this is her." Lucien said nothing. The woman walked closer. "You should have killed her." My heart stopped. Lucien's eyes became dangerous. "Careful, Seraphina." She laughed softly. "You know what the prophecy says." "I know." "Then you know what happens if she survives." He stared at her. "Enough." Seraphina looked at me again. "You don't belong here, little human." I lifted my chin. "I didn't ask to come." Her smile widened. "Oh, you will." She leaned closer. "Because once the king marks you as his mate, every creature in this kingdom will want you dead." I looked at Lucien. He didn't deny it. Seraphina walked away. I turned to him. "Is she right?" He looked at me. "Yes." My chest tightened. "Why?" He stepped closer. His voice dropped so only I could hear. "Because the woman who becomes my queen will inherit more than my crown." "What else?" His eyes burned into mine. "My enemies." A sudden pain ripped through my neck. I gasped. Lucien caught me. His arms wrapped around my waist. Our bodies touched. The mark beneath my skin burned brighter. His pupils widened. Then— A voice echoed through the kingdom. A scream. Then another. Then the sound of bells. Every vampire and wolf froze. Lucien's face changed. "What is it?" A guard came running. "My king!" Lucien released me. "What happened?" The guard dropped to one knee. "The northern wall has been breached." Lucien's eyes turned completely red. "By whom?" The guard looked terrified. "The Crimson Army." Lucien's expression became murderous. "They're here for the girl." He looked at me. And in that moment, I understood. The war hadn't started because I was Lucien's mate. The war had started because someone already knew who I really was. The gates of the kingdom shook. Once. Twice. Then— BOOM. The entire kingdom trembled. Lucien grabbed my hand. "Stay beside me." "Why?" His fingers tightened around mine. "Because if they take you…" Another explosion rocked the kingdom. His eyes locked onto mine. "They won't just kill you." He pulled me behind him. "They'll use your blood to destroy every kingdom on this earth." I stared at him. And somewhere deep inside my chest, something awakened. A growl. Not his. Not the wolves'. Mine. Lucien heard it. His head snapped toward me. For the first time since I'd met him— The Blood King looked afraid. "What are you?" I didn't know. But the moon above us did. It turned brighter. Redder. And every wolf in the kingdom dropped to the ground. Then a voice whispered inside my head. Run, little queen. I froze. Before your king remembers who killed your mother.