Claimed by the Alpha under the Christmas moon

Chapter 9: Blood Moon Rising

We enter a clearing blanketed in silver moonlight. Wolves of all sizes—Kael’s pack—circle us. The air is thick with anticipation. Kael positions himself beside me. Despite the ring of sharp teeth around us, he shows only calm loyalty.

Sirena steps forward. The rival pack’s alpha, Blackthorn, stands across a strip of scorched earth. His pitch-black fur ripples with anger.

“Alpha Kael,” he growls, eyes fixed on me. My breath catches. “What have you done with our prize?”

I stand confidently beside Kael, though my legs tremble slightly from new power. Kael’s voice rumbles, “She is with me.”

Blackthorn’s snarl is like thunder. He lunges. In a split-second blur of instinct, Kael’s fur blends with mine. I feel a crash of bodies colliding.

Everything is chaos and adrenaline. Mira and Tomas flank me on either side, but the world narrows to Kael’s heat. My mind is clear, every sense amplified. I smell his fear—and mine. He roars, driving me back for a moment, but it’s barely an instant.

I huff, revealing newly grown teeth for an instant. Kael’s spirit – it flows through me. I feel his strength coursing in mine. “Get back!” he snarls at his brother, Tomas, who lunges. But Tomas has fangs, and Sirena’s swift kick sends a second rival toppling.

I feel something go by my ear—sharp, clawed—earlier it would have panicked me, now I press back into Kael’s flank. Under the hunting lodge’s firelight, we make a stand.

Time slows. Every muscle in me stands ready. Kael leaps, pulling me back, but Blackthorn charges again. Suddenly he’s at Kael’s throat. Rage blinds Kael; he claws out, a flying tackle. Their snarls mix with screaming wolves.

I realize the threat must be coming towards me—I can sense it. In a flash I catch an arm reaching for me. I spin, fangs bared; with a slap of my cloak-wrapped hand, I swing, catching one of Blackthorn’s brothers. My new reflexes feel magic.

Kael’s side is shining with feral blow after feral blow. A wolf leaps at my throat, and instinctively I swipe up. My fingertips catch the fur and I send it flying. For the first time, despite everything, I feel strong.

Kael howls and I join, breath burning cold on the snow. I am not human any more. I lunge with him, at Blackthorn’s side. Blackthorn’s eyes widen when two of us charge. It disrupts his focus—Kael, snarling, grappling with no muzzle controls, knocks the alpha down.

Roaring, Blackthorn lashes out. One claw rakes Kael’s chest, a sizzling red line across dark fur. I snarl and pounce on Blackthorn’s flank, ripping at his shoulder. My heart races; this is violent, terrifying. But adrenaline—no longer fear—fuels me.

Kael recovers, turning to face me. I realize my claws have made Blackthorn vulnerable. He wails, reeling back.

A silence smothers us: Blackthorn’s pack members freeze. The moon seems to hold its breath.

Then Blackthorn snarls and swings his leg behind Kael, attempting to trip him.

With a burst of fury, Kael backhands Blackthorn aside, sending him sprawling. My heart leaps as Kael stands over him. I trot to his side, trembling with what we’ve done.

In the glow of fight and shock, Kael's eyes find mine. Relief, pride, everything floods him. But then he glances down at the gash on his chest where blood seeps out.

“Kael—” I gasp, fear shining in my eyes.

He roars in triumph, ripping free one huge section of flesh from Blackthorn’s shoulder. In a final cry, Blackthorn falls limp to the snow. His pack cries and scatters into the forest, howls fading into the distance.

Everything goes eerily quiet. Breathing heavily, I feel blood on my hands—my first kill. Cold sweats mix with heat. It’s over.

Sirena approaches Kael, who is crouching, holding his wound shut with wolfish immunity. “Is—?” she begins, worryful.

Kael stands straight and lets out a sigh. Mira and the others gather around, relieved. There is no more enemy pack.

I stand close to Kael’s back; instinct keeps us aligned. Sirena comes to me, too. “Are you hurt?” she asks softly. “You fought...gracefully.”

Heedless, I rub my arm where the wolf claw had hit me. It stings, but it’s a deep scratch, not serious. I flinch as Kael tries to place a gentle hand on it. “I’m fine,” I insist. Inside, everything is spinning from the intensity, but externally I am the calm mate.

Kael winces as he touches his own wound. He looks grim. Mira places a gentle kiss on it, healing.

Kael clutches the wound tight, face pale. “I’m going to need a stitch…” he groans.

I meet his gaze and smile through stinging tears in my eyes. “Looks like you saved me.”

His eyes darken with emotion. “And you saved me,” he replies.

That night, under a sky heavy with stars and a waning moon, I hold my Alpha close on that same porch from which we set out. His chest feels warm and we watch smoke drift from the pack’s campfire.

We survived. I survived.

From now on, I know, I will always carry this night within me: the howling, the adrenaline, the taste of blood on my lips, and the warmth of his presence by my side.

On the deck’s railing we set down the sweethearts’ water he brought for me. Kael’s voice is low. “Welcome home,” he says, and kisses me before I can reply, so passionately and tenderly it’s as if every moment since we met built to this one.

I sleep at last wrapped in his fur, proud and safe—moonlight fading out. The pack’s laughter echoes as they celebrate their victory. And I know: I am one of them, and with Kael, this is where I am meant to be.