Beneath the Full Moon

Chapter 3: Blood Ties

Lara’s eyes locked onto the brittle diary page, the ink faint but alive, as though the words themselves were breathing. In the dim, flickering light of the lantern, the letters seemed to shift—secrets dancing just beyond her understanding.

Her fingers trembled slightly as she traced a line of text.

Aetheri blood… the key… under the full moon…

A chill crept up her spine.

“Riley?” she called softly, her voice barely rising above the wind that whispered through the broken walls.

No answer.

Her head snapped to the side.

He was gone.

The silence pressed in, thick and suffocating. Lara’s mind raced, trying to piece together everything that had happened—the diary, the hunt, Kadir’s threats. Nothing fit neatly anymore. Everything felt like fragments of a truth she wasn’t ready to face.

“Lara.”

She spun around.

Elian stood beside her as if he had stepped out of the shadows themselves. His face was drawn tight with urgency, his breathing uneven.

“Kadir’s calling a hunt,” he said quickly. “He’s coming for you.”

For a moment, Lara could only stare at him.

Then relief broke through her fear.

“You’re alive.”

The words came out softer than she intended.

Her gaze dropped to his face, catching the bruising along his jaw, the dark smear beneath his cheekbone.

“Kadir let you go?” she asked, her voice sharpening.

Elian gave a short, humorless laugh. “Not exactly. Riley patched me up.” He stepped closer, lowering his voice. “Lara… you’re tied to this. To the Aetheri.”

“They think my blood can break the curse,” she cut in, her thoughts racing ahead of him.

Elian’s eyes flashed with something fierce. “You can’t trust them. Kadir doesn’t want freedom—he wants control. He’ll use you, and when he’s done…” He didn’t finish the sentence.

He didn’t need to.

Lara crossed her arms, though it did nothing to stop the cold spreading through her. “I don’t have a choice,” she said quietly. “I need to know the truth.”

The windmill loomed ahead, its skeletal frame groaning against the night wind.

Inside, the air was stale, heavy with dust and secrets.

“Mara,” Lara called as she stepped in.

A figure shifted in the corner, emerging from the shadows. Mara’s eyes were wide, alert.

“Lara, Kadir’s pack is looking for you,” she whispered. “You have to be careful.”

“I am careful,” Lara replied, though even to her own ears it sounded unconvincing. “I need you to check something. The Vance diary—anything about Aetheri bloodlines.”

Mara hesitated, then nodded, flipping through a stack of loose pages she had gathered.

“There’s something,” she said after a moment, her voice tightening. “Elara’s notes mention a ritual. If an Aetheri sheds blood under the full moon… the curse might break.”

Lara’s grip tightened around the edge of the table.

“Whose blood?” she asked.

Mara looked up slowly, her expression uneasy.

“Elara wrote…” she swallowed. “Yours.”