Inked by the Moon

Fire and Bonds

The world exploded into violence.

Twenty Blood Moon wolves crashed into our hastily formed line like a wave against rocks. I lost Zane's hand in the chaos of shifting, but I could feel him near me, a warm presence in the cold fury of battle.

My wolf danced between attackers, silver-grey fur already matted with blood—not all of it mine. The broken shoulder slowed me, but rage made up for it. These wolves had threatened my pack, my territory, my,

A massive brown wolf slammed into my side, jaws snapping for my throat. I rolled with the impact, claws raking across his eyes. He howled, blinded, and Atlas finished him with a precise strike to the neck.

" Stay close," my brother's voice echoed in my mind.

But staying close became impossible as the battle spread across Main Street. Shop windows shattered. Cars overturned. The witch stood in the center of it all, her staff glowing red, chanting in a language that made my bones ache.

I saw Kai fighting three wolves at once, his Alpha power letting him hold his own despite the odds. Luna was evacuating the remaining civilians, her small wolf form darting between buildings. And Zane,

Zane was magnificent.

His wolf was pure black, larger than even Kai's, and he moved like death itself. Wolves fell before him, some without him even touching them—they simply collapsed, submitting to a power greater than anything they'd known.

True Alpha, my mind whispered. The birthright of ancient bloodlines.

But even he couldn't be everywhere. I watched in horror as Viktor broke through our line, heading straight for the young wolves we were protecting. Meg was among them.

I intercepted him, ignoring my shoulder's scream of protest. We collided in mid-air, a tangle of teeth and claws. He was bigger, stronger, but I was defending my pack. We hit the ground hard, rolling across concrete and broken glass.

His teeth found my injured shoulder, biting deep. I howled, vision going white with pain. But pain meant I was alive, meant I could still fight. I twisted, getting my hind legs under his belly, and kicked with everything I had.

He flew back, giving me enough space to regain my footing. But I was slowing down, blood loss making me dizzy. Viktor knew it too, his scarred muzzle pulling back in what looked like a smile.

Then Zane was there.

He hit Viktor from the side, and the enforcer didn't stand a chance. In three moves, Viktor was on his back, Zane's jaws around his throat. One bite would end it.

*Don't,* I pushed the thought at Zane, not knowing if he could hear me. *If you kill him, it's war.*

Amber eyes found mine across the blood-soaked street. He held Viktor there for a long moment, then released him with a warning growl that made every wolf in hearing distance submit.

That's when the witch made her move.

Red light exploded from her staff, catching Zane in the chest. He flew backward, shifting to human form mid-air, and hit the wall of my parlor with a c***k that made my heart stop.

"No!" The word tore from my throat as I shifted, running to him despite my injuries.

He was conscious but barely, blood trickling from his mouth. The mark on his shoulder was glowing, pulsing with silver light that seemed to be fighting the red magic coursing through him.

"Well, well," the witch approached, her boots clicking on bloodied concrete. "The prince bleeds like any other wolf. Your grandfather thought he was special too, before I killed him."

"You," Zane gasped, trying to rise. "You're the one who destroyed my pack."

"On Viktor's father's orders, yes. The Blackthorne Pack knew too much, held too much power. But you..." She knelt beside us, and I snarled at her, positioning myself between them. "You're the key to the bloodstone. It's in your blood, isn't it? The location."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Zane gritted out.

"No? Then let's see if pain improves your memory." She raised her staff toward him again.

I moved without thinking, throwing myself over Zane just as red lightning erupted from the staff. It hit me instead, and agony unlike anything I'd ever known coursed through every nerve. I screamed, my back arching, feeling like I was being torn apart from the inside.

But then something impossible happened.

The silver blades I'd been carrying, the ones still embedded in Viktor's flesh, began to glow. Every piece of silver in the area—weapons, jewelry, even the cross on the church down the street—lit up like stars.

The witch stepped back, genuine fear crossing her face. "You're paired. A True Alpha and a Silver Wolf. That's not possible."

Silver Wolf? I didn't understand, but I could feel power flowing through me, different from normal wolf strength. It was cold, pure, like moonlight given form. And where it touched Zane's ancient power, it created something new.

I stood, my injuries healing with impossible speed. "Get. Out. Of. My. Territory."

The words came out layered with power I didn't know I possessed. Every Blood Moon wolf still standing dropped to their bellies, submitting instantly. Even Viktor, bleeding and broken, crawled backward.

The witch raised her staff, but the red light flickered and died. "This isn't over. The Council will hear of this. A Silver Wolf hasn't been seen in a hundred years. They'll come for you both."

"Let them come," Zane said, standing beside me. His hand found mine again, and the connection flared to life—not just attraction, but something deeper. A bond that transcended normal mate marks. "We'll be ready."

The witch retreated, Viktor and his remaining wolves limping after her. In minutes, they were gone, leaving destruction in their wake.

I started to fall, the adrenaline finally fading, but Zane caught me. "I've got you," he murmured against my hair.

"Raven!" Atlas was there, shifting from wolf to human, his eyes wide with shock. "What just happened? What are you?"

I looked at my hands, seeing silver light still dancing under my skin. "I don't know."

"She's a Silver Wolf," Luna said, appearing with an ancient-looking book. "I've been researching since my vision. They're wolves born to balance True Alphas, to keep their power in check. They're also the only ones who can help a True Alpha access the full extent of their abilities."

"Which means," Kai said, his voice hard, "you've just made our pack a target for every power-hungry Alpha on the continent."

He was right. The Blood Moon Pack was just the beginning. Word would spread about a True Alpha and a Silver Wolf appearing together. Every pack that wanted power, every enemy we'd ever made, would come for us.

"Then we fight," Atlas said, surprising me. "Raven is family. And like it or not," he looked at Zane, "you're pack now too. We protect our own."

"This is insane," Kai protested. "We can't "

A howl cut through the night, not threatening this time, but mournful. One of our own had died in the battle. Then another howl joined it, and another, until the whole pack was singing grief and defiance to the moon.

"We need to burn our dead," Atlas said quietly. "And figure out what comes next."

As we gathered our fallen, I caught Zane staring at me. "You took that hit for me. Why?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "Three years ago, I swore I'd never care about anyone like that again. But when I saw you about to die..." I shrugged, then winced as my shoulder reminded me it was still healing. "My wolf wouldn't let you go."

"Mine either," he said softly. "From the moment you found me, something in me recognized something in you. I think we're, "

"Don't say it," I cut him off. "Not yet. We survive first, then we figure out what this thing between us means."

But as he helped me walk toward the pack house, his warmth seeping into my frozen heart, I knew it was already too late. The bond was there, humming between us like a live wire.

And somewhere in the distance, I could feel it,more wolves coming. The battle was won, but the war was just beginning.