CHAPTER FIVE — The Blood That Remembers
1592 Words
Luna woke to the sound of voices.
At first, she couldn't understand what they were saying.
Everything around her felt distant.
Cold.
Heavy.
She tried to open her eyes, but the light was too bright.
"She's waking up."
A man's voice.
Kael.
Luna recognized him immediately.
Another voice answered.
"Give her space."
Draven.
She opened her eyes.
A white ceiling came into focus above her.
For several seconds, Luna didn't move.
Then she remembered.
Her house.
Her parents.
The forest.
The strangers.
The pendant.
The vision.
She suddenly sat upright.
"My parents!"
A sharp pain shot through her head.
Kael immediately placed a hand near her shoulder.
"Don't move too quickly."
"Where are they?"
"We're still searching."
Luna looked around.
She was in a room she didn't recognize.
It wasn't her bedroom at the palace.
The walls were white, and a faint scent of herbs filled the air.
"Where am I?"
"The royal infirmary," Kael answered.
Luna looked down at herself.
She was still wearing the clothes from the forest.
Her mother's pendant was missing.
She touched her neck.
"Where's the pendant?"
Draven stood near the window.
"We have it."
Luna looked at him.
"Give it to me."
"No."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Excuse me?"
Draven turned.
"The pendant caused a reaction."
"It's my mother's."
"I know."
"Then give it back."
Draven's expression remained cold.
"Not until we know what it is."
Luna pushed the blanket away.
"You're not taking anything else from my family."
Draven's gaze hardened.
"Luna."
"Don't."
Her voice shook.
"You already took me from my home. My parents are missing. Now you have my mother's pendant."
Kael stepped between them.
"She's right about one thing."
Draven looked at him.
Kael continued.
"The pendant belongs to her family."
"Which is exactly why we need to understand it."
Luna stared at both men.
"You keep saying 'we.'"
Neither spoke.
"Everything is 'we need to know,' 'we need to investigate,' 'we need to understand.'"
She stood.
"But nobody is telling me anything."
Kael's expression softened slightly.
"You're right."
Luna wasn't expecting that.
Kael pulled a chair closer.
"Sit."
She hesitated.
Then sat.
Kael remained standing.
"When you touched the pendant in the forest, something happened."
"I saw something."
"What?"
Luna looked down.
"I don't know."
"Try."
She closed her eyes.
The memory returned immediately.
Flames.
A woman.
A baby.
A wolf.
The red moon.
She shuddered.
"I saw a woman running."
"Did you recognize her?"
"No."
"What did she look like?"
Luna shook her head.
"I don't know. Everything was blurry."
Kael nodded.
"And the baby?"
"I couldn't see the face."
"Anything else?"
Luna hesitated.
"A voice."
"What did it say?"
She looked at him.
"Find the blood."
Draven's expression changed.
Kael noticed.
"Did you hear anything else?"
"No."
Luna looked between them.
"Why?"
Kael didn't answer.
Draven did.
"Because that phrase appears in an old Moonveil record."
Luna stared.
"What?"
Draven walked toward the bed.
"Several centuries ago, our family documented an incident involving a bloodline that was believed to have vanished."
Luna's heart began beating faster.
"The Asterias?"
"Possibly."
"You're not sure?"
"No."
Luna shook her head.
"This is ridiculous."
Draven's eyes narrowed.
"You think we don't know that?"
"I think everyone is guessing!"
She stood again.
"My parents are missing because someone thinks my family has some secret bloodline. You found an old book. You found a symbol. Now I have visions."
Her voice cracked.
"And somehow I'm supposed to stand here calmly while everyone talks about me like I'm a puzzle?"
The room went quiet.
Kael looked away.
Draven's expression softened for the briefest moment.
Then a knock came at the door.
Elder Ashina entered.
"Luna."
Luna turned.
"Where are my parents?"
The elder's expression was solemn.
"We haven't found them."
Luna's heart sank.
"But we found something else."
Draven looked toward her.
"What?"
Elder Ashina held up a small piece of parchment.
"It was discovered near the western forest."
She handed it to Kael.
He read it.
His expression immediately darkened.
"What does it say?" Luna asked.
Kael looked at Draven.
Then at the elder.
Finally, he handed the parchment to Luna.
Three words were written across it.
THE OMEGA RETURNS.
Luna stared.
"What does that mean?"
Elder Ashina didn't answer.
Luna looked at Draven.
He remained silent.
"Tell me."
Draven finally spoke.
"We don't know."
Luna laughed bitterly.
"Of course."
She handed the parchment back.
"What exactly are you afraid of?"
Elder Ashina's eyes moved toward the door.
"Not fear."
"Then what?"
"Possibility."
Luna frowned.
"What possibility?"
The elder looked at her carefully.
"That the people who took your parents aren't interested in your family."
She paused.
"They're interested in you."
---
Later that afternoon, Luna stood alone beside one of the palace windows.
The city below looked normal.
People walked through the streets.
Cars moved along the roads.
Shops opened their doors.
Children played in the parks.
Nobody knew what was happening.
Nobody knew that Luna's parents had disappeared.
Nobody knew that someone had attacked an Asteria home.
Nobody knew that an ancient bloodline might be awakening.
Luna pressed her forehead against the glass.
She wanted to go home.
But home no longer felt safe.
A quiet growl came from inside her.
Luna froze.
Lyra?
For several seconds, there was no response.
Then—
They know.
Luna swallowed.
Who?
Silence.
Lyra?
Her wolf growled again.
They know what we are.
Luna's heart pounded.
"What am I?"
No answer came.
Instead, pain suddenly flashed through her chest.
Luna grabbed the window ledge.
Her vision blurred.
The palace disappeared.
She was standing somewhere else.
A forest.
An enormous black forest beneath a blood-red moon.
She heard wolves.
Dozens of them.
Then a figure appeared.
A woman.
Her face remained hidden beneath a hood.
She was holding a baby.
Luna tried to move toward her.
"Who are you?"
The woman looked up.
Her eyes were filled with tears.
Then she whispered—
"Protect her."
Luna's heart stopped.
"Who?"
The woman looked down at the baby.
"She cannot know."
The vision suddenly changed.
Luna saw another scene.
A man running through the forest.
He carried something in his arms.
Behind him came several wolves.
Then flames.
Then darkness.
Luna screamed.
The vision shattered.
She fell backward.
Someone caught her.
"Luna!"
Draven.
She opened her eyes.
His face was inches away.
She immediately pulled back.
"What happened?"
"You collapsed."
Luna looked around.
She was back in the palace.
Kael stood nearby.
His expression was serious.
"Did you see something again?"
Luna nodded.
"Another vision."
"What did you see?"
"A woman."
"Who?"
"I don't know."
Draven studied her.
"What did she say?"
Luna hesitated.
"She was holding a baby."
Kael stepped closer.
"Did you see the baby's face?"
"No."
"Anything identifying?"
Luna shook her head.
"She said something."
"What?"
"Protect her."
Kael went silent.
Draven's jaw tightened.
Luna looked at them.
"Why does that matter?"
Kael didn't answer.
Draven did.
"Because someone once used those exact words."
Luna's eyes widened.
"When?"
"Years ago."
"Where?"
Draven looked toward the window.
"Before the Asteria records disappeared."
Luna stared at him.
"You're saying my family knew about this?"
"We're saying someone did."
Before Luna could respond, the palace doors opened.
A royal guard rushed inside.
"Your Majesty!"
King Lycaon entered behind him.
His expression was darker than Luna had ever seen.
"What happened?" Draven asked.
The King looked at Luna.
"Your parents have been found."
Luna's heart leapt.
"Where?"
"In the northern woods."
"Are they alive?"
The King paused.
"Yes."
Luna nearly collapsed with relief.
"Then take me to them."
"We can't."
Her smile disappeared.
"Why?"
"They're unconscious."
"How badly are they hurt?"
"Not physically."
Luna frowned.
"What does that mean?"
King Lycaon looked toward Elder Ashina.
She stepped forward.
"Your parents were found beside an ancient stone altar."
Luna felt a chill.
"What kind of altar?"
"One that predates Blood Moon Hollow."
Kael's expression changed.
"Impossible."
The King looked at him.
"It was discovered beneath the forest floor."
Draven stepped forward.
"And the Asterias?"
"Both were alive."
"Then what happened?"
King Lycaon's eyes moved toward Luna.
"They woke briefly."
Luna's heart tightened.
"What did they say?"
The King was silent.
Then he spoke.
"Your father said one thing."
Luna waited.
"'Don't let them find Luna.'"
The room became silent.
Luna's breathing stopped.
Her father knew.
Whatever was happening, he knew.
And he had been hiding it from her.
"For how long?" she whispered.
Nobody answered.
Luna looked toward the palace doors.
"I want to see them."
"You will."
"When?"
"As soon as they are stable."
Luna shook her head.
"No."
Everyone looked at her.
"I need to see them now."
King Lycaon studied her.
Then he nodded.
"Prepare the royal infirmary."
Luna turned toward the door.
For the first time since entering Blood Moon Hollow's royal world, she wasn't afraid of what she might discover.
She was afraid of what her parents might finally tell her.
Because somewhere deep inside, Luna already knew the truth would change everything.
---
That evening, beneath the northern forest, four figures stood around the ancient altar.
One of them held a silver pendant.
The same symbol engraved into Luna's mother's necklace.
A woman stepped forward.
"We failed."
A man's voice answered.
"No."
He looked toward the distant lights of Blood Moon Hollow.
"We learned something."
"What?"
He smiled.
"The Omega has awakened."
Another figure shifted.
"And the Alphas?"
"They're already protecting her."
The woman frowned.
"Then we have a problem."
The man looked toward the blood-red moon.
"No."
His smile widened.
"We have exactly what we need."
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