Chapter 17 – The Blood Moon’s Warning
The forest was restless.
Elena could feel it even before the alarm sounded—the air charged, thick with a metallic tang that burned her throat. She stood on the balcony of her room, clutching the railing as the moon hovered fat and crimson over the ridges, bleeding light across the valley.
Then the howls came.
Not Damien’s wolves. Not the steady, disciplined chorus of his pack. These howls were broken, jagged, full of rage and hunger. Rogues.
The estate erupted into chaos—wolves rushing through the courtyards, warriors shifting mid-stride, the metallic scent of weapons being unsheathed. The ground itself seemed to vibrate beneath the oncoming storm.
“Elena!” Damien’s voice thundered from below. He stood in the courtyard, his silver eyes blazing, a
