Inked by the Moon

Blood and Secrets

The needle slipped through flesh with practiced ease, though this was different from any tattoo I'd ever done. Zane's blood was strange—it seemed to shimmer in the dim basement light, and where it touched my skin, it left a tingling warmth that my frozen soul shouldn't have been able to feel.

"Stop moving," I ordered, pressing a hand to his chest to keep him still. His skin burned with fever, and beneath my palm, I could feel his heart racing. "These wounds aren't healing like they should. What did they use on you?"

"Wolf's bane bullets," he gritted out, his amber eyes never leaving my face. "Dipped in silver nitrate. The Blood Moon Pack's special recipe."

I cursed under my breath. That would explain why his healing was suppressed. "I need to dig them out. This is going to hurt."

"I've had worse." But his jaw clenched as I probed the first wound with forceps.

"Doubt it," I muttered, finding the first bullet. It came out with a wet sound that made even my strong stomach turn. "The Blood Moon Pack doesn't usually leave survivors to tell about their weapons."

"They didn't mean to." His voice was rough with pain. "I wasn't supposed to escape."

Three bullets later, his wounds finally began to close properly. I sat back, wiping blood from my hands, trying to ignore how his scent—pine, smoke, and something wild—filled the small space.

"You need to leave," I said. "As soon as you can walk, you're gone. I don't harbor fugitives."

He laughed, a dark sound that sent shivers down my spine. "Liar. You wouldn't have brought me down here if you were planning to throw me out." His eyes focused on something over my shoulder. "Interesting collection."

I turned to see what he was looking at—my wall of weapons. Specifically, the silver-lined blades I'd crafted myself, each one perfectly balanced for throwing. Above them hung newspaper clippings about rogue attacks that had suddenly stopped three years ago.

"You're the Shadow Wolf," he said, piecing it together faster than I'd like. "The one who hunts rogues without pack authority. The Beta's sister who went dark after killing her mate."

"He wasn't my mate." The words came out sharper than intended. "And you don't know anything about me."

"I know you're not as cold as you pretend to be." He tried to sit up, wincing. "I know you have Alpha blood in your veins—I can sense it. And I know you're going to help me whether you want to or not."

"Really? And why would I do that?"

Before he could answer, my phone buzzed. Atlas.

"Where are you? Pack meeting started. Dad's pissed."

I typed back quickly. "Period cramps. Be there soon."

"Brother?" Zane asked.

"Twin, actually. And the future Beta who would literally kill you if he knew you were here." I stood, grabbing a clean shirt from my emergency stash and tossing it to him. "I have to go. There's water and food in that cooler. Don't go upstairs, don't make noise, and definitely don't die in my basement. I have a business to run."

"Raven." The way he said my name made me pause at the stairs. "They're not just hunting me. They're coming for your pack. The Blood Moon Alpha thinks I hid something here."

"Did you?"

His amber eyes flickered with something unreadable. "Not yet."

I didn't have time to decode that cryptic statement. I sealed the basement and made it to the pack house in record time, slipping into the meeting just as my father was addressing the crowd.

"increased patrols along the eastern border. The Blood Moon Pack has no authority here, but we must be vigilant."

I found Atlas near the front, his grey eyes—mirror images of mine, narrowing as I approached. "Period cramps?" he whispered. "You haven't used that excuse since we were fourteen."

"Would you prefer I describe them in detail?" I shot back, taking my place beside him.

Kai materialized on my other side, because of course he did. "You smell like blood."

"Occupational hazard," I said coolly. "Tattoos bleed."

But his ice-blue eyes were suspicious, and his wolf was pushing against his control. I could feel it, the Alpha power he was still learning to harness. In a few months, when his father stepped down, he'd be our Alpha. The thought should have meant something to me, but all I could think about was the dangerous wolf bleeding in my basement.

"The Blood Moon Pack claims they're tracking a dangerous criminal," my father continued. "They've requested permission to search our territory."

"Absolutely not," Atlas said, stepping forward. "We don't bow to other packs' demands."

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd, but I noticed Luna, my best friend, sitting in the corner. Her green eyes were unfocused, that look she got when the visions hit. When her gaze snapped to mine, the fear in them made my blood run cold.

After the meeting, she cornered me outside. "Raven, something bad is coming. I've been seeing... blood. So much blood. And you're at the center of it."

"Your visions are getting worse," I said, deflecting. "Maybe you should tell someone—"

"Like you told someone about the wolf in your basement?"

I went still. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Luna grabbed my arm, her small fingers surprisingly strong. "I can see him, Rae. Amber eyes and ancient power. He's going to change everything." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "He's going to change you."

"Nothing changes me," I said, pulling free. "I'm exactly where I want to be. Alone."

But as I walked back to my parlor, Luna's words echoed in my mind. The smart thing would be to turn Zane in, collect whatever bounty was on his head, and go back to my carefully constructed existence.

Instead, I found myself stopping at the medical supply store, buying more bandages and antibiotics. Just being practical, I told myself. Can't have him dying and stinking up my basement.

When I descended the stairs an hour later, I found Zane standing, examining the weapons on my wall. He'd put on the shirt I'd given him, but it did nothing to hide his dangerous grace.

"You should be resting," I said.

"I heal fast when the poison's out." He turned to face me, and something in his expression made my heart race. "You came back."

"It's my basement."

"You brought medical supplies."

"I told you not to die here."

He moved closer, and I should have stepped back, but I didn't. "You're not very good at being cold, Raven Nightshade."

"And you're not very good at being a fugitive," I countered. "What did you steal from the Blood Moon Pack?"

"Nothing. Yet." He was close enough now that I could see the gold flecks in his amber eyes. "But they think I know where my father hid the Alpha bloodstone before he died."

The Alpha bloodstone, a myth, supposedly. A relic that could grant any wolf the power of a True Alpha, regardless of bloodline. Wars had been fought over rumors of its existence.

"Do you?" I asked. "Know where it is?"

His hand rose to touch the mark on his shoulder, the one that still glowed faintly. "Sometimes, in dreams, I see pieces. Fragments. But nothing clear." His gaze intensified. "Your pack is in danger because of me. I should leave."

"You should," I agreed. "But you won't make it ten miles with the Blood Moon Pack watching our borders."

"Then what do you suggest?"

Before I could answer, howls erupted outside,foreign wolves, calling to each other. They were searching the town systematically.

"They're here," Zane said, his body tensing for a fight.

I grabbed his arm, pulling him toward a hidden panel in the wall. "Get in. This leads to the old tunnels under the town. If they search, they won't find you there."

"What about you?"

"I'm the Beta's sister. They wouldn't dare touch me on our territory." I pushed him toward the tunnel. "Go. Now."

But as the howls grew closer, one voice stood out,young, female, terrified.

Meg. The girl I'd just tattooed.

Without thinking, I grabbed two silver blades from my wall and headed for the stairs. Behind me, I heard Zane curse.

"Don't you dare follow me," I ordered, but I knew he would anyway.

Because that's what complicated, dangerous wolves with hero complexes did. And as I raced toward Meg's scream, some frozen part of me whispered that maybe, just maybe, I didn't want to face this alone.