Aria of the moon

Chapter2

Blood and Oaths

The ground shook with the arrival of the three wolves. Each one was easily twice the size of a normal wolf, with fur like obsidian and eyes that glowed a poisonous green.

Aria’s body trembled, though she no longer felt like the same girl from hours ago. Her breath came in soft pants, her limbs still foreign, half-shifted, caught between her old life and the new creature clawing its way through her.

The red-eyed man stood between her and the wolves, his muscles tensed and jaw clenched. He didn’t look scared. He looked furious.

“Step back, Kael,” one of the wolves growled. Its voice was gravelly, wrong—it spoke without a mouth meant for human speech. The fur rippled, and before Aria’s eyes, it began to shift, bones crunching, reshaping. In seconds, a man stood in its place.

He was older than Kael, with a deep scar running from his brow to his chin. Naked, like Kael, but wrapped in menace. “She’s unclaimed. You know the law.”

“She’s Moonblooded,” Kael snarled. “She’s not yours to claim.”

“She’s not yours either.”

“She’s mine to protect.”

The tension crackled like lightning. Aria tried to stand, but her legs buckled under her. Kael turned slightly, his hand shooting out to steady her without looking away from the others.

“Stay down,” he murmured. “I’ll handle them.”

“She’s turning early,” the scarred man said. “You can’t hide her now. The Rogue King will smell her from miles away.”

Kael’s eyes narrowed. “Then I’ll make sure he never gets that close.”

The other two wolves began to shift, forming a loose triangle around Kael and Aria. Trapped. Aria’s heartbeat spiked again.

“She doesn’t even know what she is,” another one said. A woman, this time. Her long black hair fell around her like a curtain, and her smirk made Aria’s skin crawl. “She doesn’t smell like Luna blood yet. But she will.”

Aria’s fingers dug into the dirt. “Luna…? What are you talking about?”

Kael spoke fast. “Later. When we’re safe.”

The third shifted last, a tall brute of a man with arms like tree trunks. “This doesn’t have to be a fight, Kael. Step aside. Let us take her in. Let the Elders decide.”

Kael shook his head slowly. “I don’t trust the Elders. And you’re not taking her anywhere.”

Aria felt power building in the air again. It was Kael. She could feel it now—his fury humming beneath her skin, calling to something deep inside her.

Scarface sneered. “Then we do this the old way.”

He lunged.

Kael met him mid-air, shifting fully into his wolf form in a blur of movement. Aria’s mouth parted as she watched his transformation—graceful, brutal, beautiful. His fur was dark silver, almost black, and his size dwarfed the others.

They collided with the sound of thunder.

Fangs tore. Claws sliced.

Aria crawled backward, heart hammering, as the fight exploded into chaos. Blood splattered the earth. Bones cracked. Kael was fast, but they were three.

One of the wolves broke off and came for her.

She screamed, and something inside her snapped.

A golden light flared around her body. The wolf howled, thrown back by an invisible force.

Aria blinked in shock. The glow faded. Her skin tingled.

“What was that?” she whispered.

The female wolf snarled and advanced again, but this time Aria stood.

“I don’t know what you want from me,” she said, her voice stronger, fiercer, “but I’m not going down without a fight.”

“You’re nothing but a newborn,” the woman hissed. “You can’t even shift.”

“Maybe not.” Aria’s eyes began to glow gold. “But something in me hates you.”

Before she could react, Kael tore the third wolf away and slammed him into a tree. Scarface was bleeding, panting, but not done.

Kael shifted back, chest heaving. “We’re leaving. Now.”

“But—”

“No time!”

He grabbed Aria, lifting her effortlessly, and took off into the trees. Behind them, howls erupted again, furious and wild.

They ran for what felt like hours, through rivers, over rocks, through deep forest. Finally, Kael stopped at a hidden cave. He set her down gently.

“Are you okay?”

“I think so,” she breathed. “What the hell just happened?”

Kael wiped blood from his jaw. “You awakened. And now… everyone knows.”

“What am I?”

“You’re Moonblooded. Born human, but with the blood of the First Luna. You’re one of the few who can shift without a bite. Your powers come from the moon itself.”

“That glow? That was me?”

He nodded. “You’re more powerful than you know. But that makes you a target.”

“Who’s the Rogue King?”

His face darkened. “A monster. He’s searching for the True Luna—the one who can complete his rise. He thinks it’s you.”

“But why?”

“Because your blood is old magic. Because you’re more than just Moonblooded. You might be the last of your kind.”

Aria stared at her hands. “This can’t be real.”

“It is. And I swore to protect you. Even if it costs me everything.”

She looked up at him. “Why? You don’t even know me.”

His red eyes softened for the first time. “Yes, I do. I’ve known you since the day I watched you survive the night your brother died. I’ve watched from the shadows, waiting. You were meant to lead. And I…” He hesitated. “I was meant to find you.”

Aria’s breath caught. “What are you saying?”

Kael leaned in. “I’m saying we’re fated, Aria. You’re my mate.”

Before she could r

espond, a sound echoed from outside the cave. A slow, heavy growl.

Kael stood, eyes glowing again. “He’s found us.”