Chapter 6: Beneath the Blood Moon
706 Words
The battle left behind more than just bruises and bloodstains. It left questions—dark, heavy questions that clung to Luna like shadows.
The Crescent Fang Pack had retreated, but not without leaving a message etched into Luna’s mind: “You’re not safe, not with him.”
Luna sat by the small fire in Kael’s cabin, her hands trembling slightly as she stared into the flickering flames. Her body ached from the adrenaline crash, and though her skin was unmarked, she felt wounded—deep inside, where fear planted its roots.
Across the room, Kael paced like a restless predator. His bare chest was streaked with drying blood—none of it his. The faint glow from the fire cast shadows over his sharp features, making him look both ethereal and dangerous. His golden eyes burned with frustration, not just at the enemy they’d fought, but at something else—something closer.
Luna.
"Why didn’t you stay behind like I told you?" Kael’s voice cut through the silence, low and controlled, but there was a bite to it—anger mixed with something else. Fear, maybe.
Luna snapped her head up, her own temper flaring despite her exhaustion. "Because I’m not some fragile thing you can lock away!" She stood, her legs shaky but her voice steady. "You said I needed to learn to fight. Well, I did."
Kael stopped pacing, his gaze sharp as a blade. "You could’ve been killed."
"But I wasn’t."
Their eyes locked, tension crackling in the space between them like static before a storm. Luna’s heart pounded—not from fear, but from something more dangerous.
Kael took a step closer, his jaw clenched. "You don’t understand the forces you’re dealing with. Your powers are waking, but you’re reckless."
"And you’re afraid of me," Luna shot back before she could stop herself.
The words hung in the air, heavier than the silence that followed.
Kael’s expression didn’t change, but his golden eyes darkened, shadows flickering in their depths. "I’m afraid for you," he whispered, his voice softer now, rough around the edges.
The confession stole Luna’s breath.
Before she could respond, a sharp knock rattled the door. Liam entered without waiting for permission, his usual calm replaced with urgency.
"You need to see this," Liam said, glancing between them like he’d interrupted something.
Kael’s walls went back up in an instant. He nodded and followed Liam, motioning for Luna to come too.
They stepped outside into the cold night, the full moon high and unnervingly red—a blood moon. The pack stood gathered near the clearing where the battle had taken place.
At the center, carved into the ground with unnatural precision, was a symbol—a spiral of ancient runes surrounded by claw marks. The earth beneath it was scorched black.
Luna’s stomach twisted. "What is that?"
Aria, standing beside the symbol, didn’t look up as she answered. "A mark of claiming."
"Claiming?" Luna echoed, stepping closer despite the chill creeping down her spine.
Kael’s jaw was tight. "It’s a message from the Crescent Fang Pack." He pointed to the runes. "They’re saying you belong to them now."
Luna’s heart skipped. "I’m not property."
Kael didn’t respond, but the fire in his eyes said he agreed.
Liam circled the symbol, frowning. "This isn’t just a threat. It’s a curse."
A curse. The word felt heavy, like an invisible chain tightening around Luna’s neck.
Kael stepped closer to the mark, his face hardening. "They’re trying to weaken her."
Aria nodded. "It’s blood magic. Ancient. Dangerous. If they tied it to her… she’ll start feeling the effects soon."
Luna opened her mouth to protest, to say she felt fine—but then the world tilted. A sudden wave of dizziness crashed over her, and her knees buckled.
Kael was at her side in an instant, his arms strong and steady as he caught her. His scent—earth, pine, and something uniquely him—wrapped around her like a fragile comfort.
Her vision blurred, darkness creeping at the edges.
"Luna!" Kael’s voice was distant now, fading like an echo.
The last thing she saw before the darkness took her was his face—etched with something she’d never seen before.
Fear.
- Writer
