The Blood Moon

Nyx

Pierce

She broke the mind link with me so forcefully that I have a headache. I kick one of the walls of my cell and yell out in anger.

Fucking b***h.

I’ve known I loved Raine Alder since we were young. She is so beautiful. More beautiful than anyone else I have ever met. I was afraid that she wouldn’t be my mate. I ached over that prospect for years, praying to that b***h the moon goddess every night to give her to me. She never answered, but someone else did.

I feel a fierce cold gripping my cell. The shadows in the corner get longer as darkness takes over the room. And then she appears.

Her long, curly midnight hair is hanging around her face. Her dark eyes are glaring at me and she has a scowl on her face. She's wearing dark jeans and a black leather jacket that’s zipped all the way up to her neck. I drop to my knees in her presence.

“Nyx, my queen,” I whisper to her.

I look up and see her rolling her eyes.

“Get up you i***t. You're making my life incredibly hard.” She is clearly upset with me.

I scoff at her.

“Your life is hard? I’m the one confined to a god forsaken cell for trying to claim the mate you promised me!”

I feel ice in my veins as her glare deepens. The darkness around me intensifies, threatening to swallow me whole.

“You want a piece of this? I am the goddess of the night. The queen of darkness. My child is death personified. And you want to try to start s**t with me?” She laughs loudly. “I’d like to see you try and survive me, mortal.” Her tone is vicious. The coldness in my body is too much. I’m shivering violently as I look back at her.

“My-y-y q-q-qu-ee-e-en,” I’m trying to apologize. I feel the cold receding and her glare weakens.

“I told you that I need Raine Alder,” she says calmly. “I instructed you to get her to me. And what did you do? You practically handed her to her fated mate! MY sister’s chosen champion! There is basically no way to get her now!”

I can tell she is furious with me. I try to shrink away from her gaze to no avail.

“My queen, I am sorry. You told me her fated bond would be severed. That she would only feel a pull to me. I wanted her to want me before I gave her to you. I’ve loved her more than life itself for as long as I can remember. I just wanted some time with her.” I hang my head.

“Their bond is stronger than I anticipated. I wasn’t able to severe it, even before they had even met.”

“You could have warned me.”

She throws her head back and laughs loudly again.

“Like you are the focus of my mind? Stupid mortal. I have had other urgent matters to attend to. But, as it is, I’ve chosen you as my champion for Raine, so here we are.” She walks closer to me, crouches down and puts her hand under my chin and lifts my head so I am staring her in the eyes. She examines my soul. “Your inner darkness is coming along quite nicely. Each time we meet I am pleased with how your inner light fades. You’ve embraced me completely haven't you?”

“Yes, my queen.”

She drops her grip from my chin and I let my head fall back down. I’m afraid to look at her for too long.

My inner darkness has been growing recently. I’ve been feeling less and less ‘good’ and more chaotic as the days go on and I fully embrace my new goddess. I have abandoned Selene and accepted Nyx. I have felt more focused, less preoccupied by ruling my fellow wolves, and more in line with claiming Raine. Nyx told me that she needed Raine when we first met. She promised me Raine would be my mate when she was done with her. She helped me imprint on Raine, choosing her as my mate, and I assumed that meant Raine would choose me too.

Nyx is still looking at me, almost like she can read my thoughts. “She is struggling to accept Jasper, Pierce. She can feel your pull. She feels your imprint. It’ll all work out like it should in the end.”

She stands up and turns toward the shadows.

“I have to go. I will help you get out of this predicament after the elders’ council tomorrow.”

And with that she’s gone. The shadows recede and the frigid air grows warm. My goddess is truly terrifying.

I lie back down on my cot and close my eyes. I drift to sleep thinking of my chosen mate. My Raine.

She’ll be mine soon.