MOON SEAL: THE ALPHA OF LOST TIME

Chapter 1

MOON SEAL

THE ALPHA OF LOST TIME

CHAPTER 1 — WHISPERS OF MIDNIGHT

“Some destinies do not begin on the day you are born. Some are written hundreds of years before you even exist.”

⸻

It was exactly 3:17 a.m.

Liora Velen shot upright in bed, a scream tearing from her throat.

She was gasping for breath.

Her heart was pounding so violently that she thought it might burst out of her chest. She pushed her black hair away from her forehead and covered her face with trembling hands.

The same dream again.

The same forest.

And those same eyes.

Two terrifying golden eyes watching her from the darkness.

But tonight, something had been different.

For the first time, she had come dangerously close to seeing the man behind that voice.

In her dream, she had been running between enormous trees. The earth beneath her bare feet was wet. She was wearing a white dress she had no memory of ever owning.

A man’s voice had thundered behind her.

“Liora!”

His voice was so powerful that the entire forest had fallen silent.

But she hadn’t stopped.

Because there was more than anger in his voice.

There was longing.

As though the person calling her had finally found something he had lost many years ago.

“Turn around, my little moonlight.”

When Liora looked back, she saw an enormous black wolf.

The creature stood perfectly still.

Its golden eyes were fixed directly on her.

Then, slowly, it lowered its head.

And just as Liora reached out her hand…

A woman’s scream shattered the silence.

“DO NOT TOUCH HER!”

The sky turned crimson, and the black wolf lunged forward with a terrifying roar.

That was when Liora woke up.

Now, sitting in the darkness of her bedroom, she couldn’t shake the dream from her mind.

“It’s just a dream,” she whispered.

But even she didn’t believe it.

Because she had seen the same wolf for the past twenty-one nights.

And every night, it came a little closer.

⸻

Liora was twenty-three years old.

With long black hair, eyes that shifted between gray and blue, and a crescent-shaped birthmark on her left wrist, she was a striking young woman.

Her life was ordinary.

At least, that was what she believed.

She had graduated from university but hadn’t yet decided what she wanted to do with her future. She lived with her mother in a small, two-story house in one of the city’s older neighborhoods.

She knew very little about her father.

Her mother had told her that he died when she was still a baby.

Whenever Liora asked questions, her mother changed the subject.

Her grandmother, however, had been different.

When Liora was little, the old woman used to tell her strange fairy tales.

Kingdoms where humans transformed into wolves…

Elves who lived among silver trees…

Witches who practiced magic beneath the moonlight…

And unbreakable seals that bound two souls together…

Liora had always believed they were nothing more than stories.

Until she remembered the last words her grandmother had spoken before her death.

“When the full moon calls to you, do not be afraid, my child.”

The old woman’s hands had been ice-cold.

“And when the golden-eyed wolf finds you…”

She had struggled to breathe.

Liora had held her hand, crying.

“Grandma, please don’t speak.”

But with the last of her strength, the old woman had whispered:

“Do not break his heart. He has been waiting for you for a very long time.”

Liora hadn’t understood those words back then.

Now, every time she remembered them, an inexplicable chill ran through her body.

⸻

When the morning sunlight filled her bedroom, Liora still hadn’t slept.

Her phone vibrated.

Her best friend’s name appeared on the screen.

Mira.

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty!”

Liora rolled her eyes.

“Take out the ‘Sleeping Beauty’ part, and you’ll be closer to the truth.”

Mira laughed.

“Another nightmare?”

“Yes.”

“That handsome wolf again?”

“Mira!”

“What? Maybe he’s your destined soulmate.”

Liora couldn’t help smiling.

“If my soulmate is a gigantic, four-legged wolf, then my love life is officially a disaster.”

Mira burst into laughter.

“We’re going out today. No arguments.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“One hour. Our usual café.”

The call ended.

Liora climbed out of bed.

She went into the bathroom and washed her face.

When she raised her head, she stared at her reflection in the mirror.

There were faint dark circles beneath her eyes.

But that wasn’t what caught her attention.

The birthmark on her left wrist…

It was glowing.

Faintly.

Silver.

Liora brought her wrist closer to her eyes.

“What is this?”

Thin lines she had never seen before had appeared around the crescent.

She traced the mark with her fingertips.

Suddenly, a man’s voice echoed inside her ears.

“Finally…”

Liora flinched and stumbled backward.

She looked behind her.

No one was there.

The voice came again.

“You’re so close now.”

Liora stopped breathing for a moment.

“Who’s there?”

There was no answer.

But for a brief instant, two golden eyes appeared on the surface of the mirror.

Liora screamed and fled the bathroom.

⸻

Her mother was preparing breakfast in the kitchen.

“Good morning, sweetheart.”

Liora sat down.

“Mom, can I ask you something?”

Her mother smiled.

“Of course.”

“Why did Grandma always tell me stories about werewolves?”

The cup in her mother’s hand stopped moving.

It lasted only a second.

But Liora noticed.

“She loved fairy tales,” her mother replied.

“What about the seals?”

Her mother slowly turned toward her.

“What seals?”

Liora rolled up her pajama sleeve.

“This.”

All the color drained from her mother’s face.

The cup slipped from her fingers and shattered on the floor.

Broken pieces scattered across the kitchen.

“Mom!”

The woman grabbed Liora’s wrist.

She stared at the mark.

Her lips trembled.

“How long has it looked like this?”

“I noticed it this morning.”

“What did you dream about last night?”

Liora stared at her mother in shock.

“How do you know about that?”

“Answer me!”

It was the first time her mother had spoken so harshly.

Liora flinched.

“The forest… The black wolf…”

Her mother closed her eyes.

“May the gods protect us.”

“Mom, what’s happening?”

Her mother walked toward the window.

She pulled the curtain aside.

The sky was clear, and the sun was shining.

Yet fear filled her face.

“Listen to me carefully, Liora.”

“I’m listening.”

“Do not wear that necklace today.”

Liora frowned.

“What necklace?”

“The silver necklace your grandmother left you.”

“Why?”

Her mother didn’t answer.

“And when night falls, do not leave the house.”

Liora stood up.

“I want you to tell me the truth.”

Her mother looked at her.

Tears filled her eyes.

“I wish I could.”

“What does that mean?”

The woman whispered:

“Because some truths awaken the moment they are known.”

⸻

That afternoon, Liora left the house to meet Mira.

The air was cool.

The streets were crowded.

People hurried to work, cars honked, and long lines formed outside cafés.

Everything seemed normal.

But Liora didn’t feel normal.

It was as though someone was watching her.

She glanced over her shoulder several times as she walked.

No one was there.

Just as she was about to turn a corner, an elderly woman standing across the street caught her attention.

The woman wore a black cloak completely unsuitable for the season.

Long white hair fell over her shoulders.

And her eyes…

They were entirely black.

Liora froze.

The woman smiled.

Her lips moved.

“We found you.”

Liora’s heart began racing.

A car passed between them.

When she looked again, the woman had vanished.

“Wonderful,” Liora muttered. “Now I’m having nightmares in broad daylight.”

She quickened her pace.

But there was something she failed to notice.

In the shadows across the street, a black raven was watching her.

And the raven had human eyes.

⸻

When Liora entered the café, Mira waved at her.

“Over here!”

Liora sat across from her.

Mira studied her face.

“You really don’t look well.”

“I know.”

“What happened?”

Liora hesitated for a few seconds.

Then she showed her wrist.

“Is that a tattoo?” Mira asked, leaning forward.

“No.”

“It’s beautiful.”

“It used to be my birthmark.”

Mira’s smile faded.

“What do you mean?”

“I woke up this morning, and it looked like this.”

Mira reached out to touch the mark.

But the moment her fingers brushed Liora’s wrist, a tiny spark flashed between them.

Both girls jumped.

“Ow!”

Mira pulled her hand away.

“It shocked me!”

Liora stared at her wrist in horror.

One of the seven tiny stars surrounding the crescent was glowing.

“This is impossible…”

Mira’s expression turned serious.

“Liora, I think you should see a doctor.”

Just then, a waiter approached their table.

“Can I get you anything?”

Mira began placing their order.

But Liora wasn’t listening.

Because she had caught sight of her reflection in the café window.

And behind that reflection stood a man.

Tall.

Black-haired.

Broad-shouldered.

Golden-eyed.

Liora spun around.

No one was there.

She looked back at the window.

The man was still there.

This time, his lips moved.

“Can you hear me?”

Liora’s breath caught in her throat.

The man stepped closer.

His face became clearer in the reflection.

With a sharply defined jaw, a stern expression, and a thin scar above his eyebrow, he was frighteningly handsome.

But there was a terrifying darkness in his eyes.

The man reached toward the glass.

Without realizing what she was doing, Liora raised her own hand.

The instant her fingertips touched the window…

The seal on her wrist burned like fire.

The man’s eyes widened.

And a single word escaped his lips.

“Liora…”

The glass suddenly cracked.

Liora screamed and stumbled backward.

Mira jumped to her feet.

“What happened?”

Trembling, Liora stared at the window.

The man was gone.

But in the center of the crack, the shape of a small wolf’s head had appeared.

⸻

At that very moment, in another world…

In a dark kingdom where three moons rose across the sky, every torch inside an enormous black palace burst into flame on its own.

A man stood in the palace’s highest tower.

Long black hair fell over his shoulders.

He wore black armor marked by countless battles.

With his broad shoulders and imposing presence, he appeared far more powerful than any ordinary human.

His golden eyes were fixed on the crimson moon hanging over the horizon.

Khaeron Drakar.

Ruler of the Seven Wolf Packs.

The Alpha of the Blood Moon.

For seven hundred years, no enemy had defeated him, and no king had dared remain standing in his presence.

But that night…

For the first time, his hands were trembling.

Because the seal upon his chest was burning.

The seal of destiny that had remained silent for seven hundred years.

Khaeron slowly pulled open the collar of his armor.

A silver crescent had appeared over his heart.

Seven stars surrounded it.

And one of those stars was glowing.

He turned at the sound of footsteps behind him.

His younger brother, Raven, stood in the doorway.

“Brother?”

Khaeron didn’t answer.

When Raven noticed the mark on his chest, he froze.

“That’s…”

Khaeron’s voice was deep and dangerous.

“It has awakened.”

Raven’s eyes widened.

“Are you certain?”

Khaeron slowly raised his head.

For the first time in centuries, an unfamiliar emotion shone in his golden eyes.

Hope.

But that hope was surrounded by dark fury.

“I felt her.”

Raven stepped closer.

“So she really exists.”

Khaeron’s jaw tightened.

“She always existed.”

“Then where is she?”

Khaeron closed his eyes.

An image appeared in his mind.

A young woman with black hair.

Gray-blue eyes.

Lips trembling with fear.

And a silver crescent on her wrist.

The wolf within Khaeron roared.

OUR MATE.

The man opened his eyes.

“In another time.”

Raven’s face turned pale.

“That’s impossible.”

Khaeron slowly turned toward him.

“For seven hundred years, they told me it was impossible.”

He took a step forward.

“For seven hundred years, they told me she was dead.”

His voice hardened.

“For seven hundred years, they begged me to stop searching.”

Raven fell silent.

Khaeron’s eyes turned completely golden.

“Now I have found her.”

The palace walls trembled.

“And I will hunt down every last person who kept her hidden from me.”

Raven bowed his head.

“What are your orders, Alpha?”

Khaeron stared toward the dark horizon.

“Gather all the packs.”

“Are we starting a war?”

A cold smile appeared on Khaeron’s lips.

“No.”

He paused.

“We are going to bring our queen home.”

⸻

That night, when Liora returned home, her mother still hadn’t come back.

She couldn’t reach her by phone.

As the hours passed, the uneasiness inside her continued to grow.

Near midnight, the electricity suddenly went out.

The entire house was swallowed by darkness.

Liora switched on her phone’s flashlight.

Just then, she heard a sound from upstairs.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

As though someone were knocking on a window.

She slowly climbed the stairs.

Her bedroom door was slightly open.

A silver light spilled through the gap.

Her heart began to race.

She pushed the door open.

The necklace on her bedside table was floating in midair.

Thin rings of light revolved around it.

Liora held her breath.

“How is this…”

The necklace suddenly flew toward her.

Instinctively, she raised her hand.

The metal fell into her palm.

And a burst of light erupted as it connected with the seal on her wrist.

The bedroom walls disappeared.

The city beyond her window vanished.

In its place appeared a dark forest filled with enormous trees.

Three moons hung in the sky.

Liora screamed.

“No!”

She tried to step backward.

But the floor beneath her feet was breaking apart.

A woman’s voice echoed around her.

“The gate of time has opened…”

Liora turned.

The elderly woman in the black cloak stood in the middle of her bedroom.

Her eyes were completely dark.

“Who are you?”

The woman smiled.

“Your mother hid you very well, little seal bearer.”

Liora’s breath caught.

“What have you done to my mother?”

The woman didn’t answer.

She merely raised her hand.

“It is time for you to return to where you belong.”

A black void opened beneath Liora’s feet.

She lost her balance.

As she fell, she screamed one final time.

“MOM!”

But no one heard her.

Because time had stopped.

And in another world, an Alpha who had waited seven hundred years suddenly raised his head.

The seal upon his chest burned like fire.

The wolf within him roared wildly.

SHE IS COMING.

Khaeron’s golden eyes darkened.

Every window in the palace shattered.

The man slowly smiled.

But there was no mercy in that smile.

Only seven hundred years of longing and a terrifying determination.

“Finally…”

He raised his head toward the crimson moon.

“My little moonlight, you’re finally coming to me.”

And that night, the first seal between two worlds was broken.

⸻

END OF CHAPTER 1

“She was falling into a world she knew nothing about. But the most dangerous man in that world was already prepared to stand against every kingdom for her.”