The Blood Moon Awakening

Dreams in a Broken Moon

I thought it would be simple to fall asleep after what had occurred, since my entire body hurt and every cell of my body felt drained after all that had transpired. Yet, once I had drifted into a sleep, I found myself surrounded by the same thing.

The darkness of the forest. The shining of two eyes that looked into my soul and terrified me. And the deep voice of whatever animal prowled about those darkened woods. My heart raced as I curled up in the corner of the room, trying to cover myself under the sheet in an attempt to feel safe. It didn’t matter because nothing did anymore.

The dream began differently from other dreams. It seemed too real. It was as if the dream were reality. I stood somewhere new, my naked feet touching a floor which seemed to glow with a silvery sparkle. There was an eerie glow all around me, and looming above me was the biggest moon I have ever seen. It was not only bright; it was very much alive. It seemed to be beating as slowly and steadily as my heart would beat in my chest. My breathing came in an erratic fashion as I observed my surroundings, my senses heightened in such a manner that everything was amplified in such a way. “Where am I…?”

And then I saw her.

She was standing under the moonlight, glowing dimly, radiating power that made me weak in my knees. Those eyes were staring into mine; soft, but with depths that seemed older than time itself. I could not move; could not speak. Yet I knew her somehow.

In that moment that those eyes connected with mine, there was movement in me, something pulling me toward her. It was like some kind of unseen force tugging at my heart. And that heart was beating fast, but not out of fear – it was from recognition. "You've finally awakened," she said calmly, although the sound of her voice was somehow far away; like a voice carried on the wind. “Who… who are you?” I asked her, although I suspected I already knew.

"The blood in you recognizes me," she replied, still holding my eyes.

Before I could say anything else, the air shifted.

The peaceful glow of the moon flickered.

And suddenly—everything changed.

The light dimmed, replaced by shadows that stretched unnaturally across the ground. The air turned cold, sharp, and filled with something dangerous. My body tensed instantly, fear rising in my chest as distant sounds echoed around us. Footsteps.

Many of them. Fast. Closing in. I turned quickly, my heart pounding as figures emerged from the darkness, their movements swift and unnatural. Their eyes glowed. Their bodies moved like predators. Like wolves. “Run,” the woman said softly.

But I couldn’t move.

My body felt frozen, trapped between fear and something deeper I couldn’t explain. The figures grew closer, their growls filling the air as they surrounded us. My breath came out in short, panicked gasps as I looked back at her. “What is this? What’s happening?!” I cried, my voice breaking.

“They are coming for you,” she said, her expression calm despite the chaos around us. “They always will.”

“No…” I whispered, shaking my head as fear overwhelmed me. “Why? I don’t understand!”

Her eyes softened slightly, but there was sadness in them now. “Because of what you are.”

The words hit me hard, echoing in my mind just as the first figure lunged. I screamed, stumbling back as everything blurred into chaos. The sound of growls, the flash of movement, the feeling of danger closing in from every side—it was too much. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. “Stop!” I cried, my voice desperate. “Someone help me!”

And then—

Everything went dark.

I shot up in bed with a gasp, my chest heaving as my hands gripped the sheets tightly. My heart was racing so fast it hurt, and my entire body trembled as if I had just run for miles. Sweat clung to my skin, my breathing uneven as I looked around my room, trying to separate what was real from what wasn’t. The darkness of my room felt too close, too heavy, like the dream hadn’t fully let me go. “It’s just a dream…” I whispered, though the words didn’t feel convincing.

Because it hadn’t felt like a dream. It felt like a memory.

A sharp pain hit my head suddenly, and I winced, pressing my hand against my temple as flashes of the dream rushed back. The moon. The woman. The wolves. My breath shook as I tried to steady myself, but then it came again—that feeling. That pull. Stronger than before. Like something was calling to me from somewhere far away. “No…” I whispered, shaking my head. “Stop…”

“Lyra?”

The door opened quickly, and my mother rushed in. Mira Hale. Her presence filled the room instantly, calm but urgent, her soft brown eyes filled with concern as she moved to my side. Her silver-blonde hair caught the faint light, and for a moment, everything felt still again. Safe. Familiar. “Lyra, what happened?” she asked, sitting beside me as her hand gently rested on my shoulder.

I turned to her, my eyes wide, my voice shaking. “I… I had a dream,” I said, though it sounded too small for what I had just experienced. “It didn’t feel like a dream.”

Her expression changed slightly. Just for a moment. But I noticed.

“What do you mean?” she asked softly.

“There was a woman,” I said, my voice trembling. “She was standing under the moon, and she… she knew me. She said something about my blood. And then there were wolves… so many of them… they were trying to kill me.” My breathing picked up again as the memory hit me harder this time. “It felt real. Too real.”

Mira’s hand tightened slightly on my shoulder, but her face remained calm. Too calm. “It was just a nightmare,” she said gently. “You’ve been through a lot today. Your mind is overwhelmed.”

I shook my head quickly. “No. It wasn’t just that,” I insisted, my voice rising slightly. “It felt like… like she was real. Like she was trying to tell me something.”

Silence filled the room for a moment.

And then Mira did something that made my chest tighten.

She looked away.

Just for a second.

But it was enough.

“You’re safe,” she said finally, her voice softer now, almost too soft. “Nothing is going to hurt you here.”

But her words didn’t comfort me.

Because they didn’t feel true.

“Do you know something?” I asked suddenly, my eyes locking onto hers. “About me? About what’s happening to me?”

Her expression stilled.

And for a moment—

She didn’t answer.

The silence stretched between us, thick and heavy with everything she wasn’t saying. My heart pounded painfully in my chest as I waited, fear and hope twisting together inside me.

“Mum… please,” I whispered.

Her eyes softened slightly, but there was something else there now. Something hidden. Something she didn’t want me to see. “Some things,” she said slowly, “are not meant to be understood all at once.”

My chest tightened. “That’s not an answer,” I said quietly.

“It’s the only one I can give you right now,” she replied.

Right now.

The words echoed in my mind.

That meant there was more.

A lot more.

Before I could ask anything else, a sudden sharp sound came from outside.

A low howl.

My entire body froze.

Mira’s expression changed instantly, all softness gone, replaced by something tense and alert. Her head turned slightly toward the window, her eyes narrowing.

“That’s not possible…” she whispered under her breath.

Fear gripped me instantly. “What is it?” I asked, my voice barely steady.

She didn’t answer.

Another howl followed.

Closer this time.

Too close.

Mira stood up quickly, moving toward the window as she pulled the curtain back just slightly, her body stiff. I watched her, my heart pounding as the silence stretched again.

“Mum…”

She turned back to me slowly.

And the look on her face—

It wasn’t calm anymore.

It was fear.

Real fear.

“They’ve found you,” she said quietly.

My breath caught.

“Who?” I whispered.

But before she could answer—

Something slammed hard against the window.

The glass cracked instantly, a sharp sound breaking through the room as a shadow moved outside, fast and unnatural.

I screamed, my heart jumping into my throat as I scrambled back on the bed.

Mira stepped in front of me without hesitation, her body tense, her eyes locked on the window as the c***k slowly spread across the glass.

Another hit.

Harder this time.

The window shattered.

And as the cold night air rushed in—

A pair of glowing eyes appeared in the darkness.