The Rejected Luna Queen 👸

Chapter 25

CHAPTER 25: THE BLOOD BENEATH RAVEN HILL

Dawn arrived cold and merciless over the forests of Pennsylvania, casting pale silver light through the endless trees as if the world itself already sensed something terrible waiting ahead. Frost coated the ground beneath our feet while the pack gathered silently near the Heartwood clearing, weapons strapped tightly against their bodies, tension heavy in the air. No one spoke louder than necessary. No one looked relaxed. Ever since Darius returned with news of the ritual site near Raven Hill and the discovery of human bodies, fear had spread through the pack like poison beneath skin. Wolves understood war. We understood bloodshed. But humans were different. Humans complicated everything.

If they discovered what truly lived inside these forests, there would be chaos far beyond anything the Blood Hunters could create alone. I tightened the black leather straps around my wrists, trying to ignore the exhaustion weighing down my body. Sleep had never come. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Kael standing too close to me beneath moonlight, his voice low against my skin. The bond. My wolf stirred restlessly at the memory, and irritation flashed through me immediately. Traitor. Across the clearing, Kael leaned against one of the old stone markers surrounding the Heartwood, speaking quietly with Lucien while Darius prepared the warriors for departure. Even from a distance, I could feel him. Awareness slid beneath my skin the second my gaze touched him. It was maddening. Dangerous. And somehow getting worse. As if sensing me watching him, Kael lifted his head slowly.

His amber eyes locked onto mine instantly. Heat curled low in my stomach before I could stop it. I looked away immediately, annoyed with myself. This mating bond was going to ruin my sanity before it ruined anything else. “You look angry,” Elara said dryly as she stepped beside me. “I am angry.” “At the Blood Hunters?” I hesitated. “Partially.” Elara followed my gaze toward Kael and immediately smirked. “Oh. That kind of angry.” I glared at her. “Don’t start.” “I didn’t say anything.” “Your face said enough.” Her grin widened. “So it’s true.” I crossed my arms tightly. “Nothing is true.” “Aria.” “Elara.” She laughed softly. “You know everyone can feel the tension between you two now, right?” That nearly made me choke. “What?” “Relax,” she said, clearly entertained by my horror. “No one knows about the mating bond. Yet.” I froze instantly. “You know?” Elara raised one eyebrow. “Please. I’ve known for days.” My stomach dropped. “How?” “Because every time Kael enters a room, your heartbeat changes.” I stared at her in complete betrayal. “I hate you.” “No, you don’t.” Unfortunately, she was right about that too. Before I could respond, Lucien’s voice carried across the clearing.

“We leave now.” The atmosphere shifted immediately. Warriors straightened. Wolves moved into formation. Whatever small distraction I had found vanished beneath the heavy reality waiting for us beyond the territory. Raven Hill. Human bodies. Another ritual site. Kael moved toward me silently while the others prepared to leave. Even before he reached my side, my wolf reacted instantly, alert and restless beneath my skin. “You didn’t sleep,” he said quietly. I kept my eyes forward. “Neither did you.” “I wasn’t the one nearly collapsing after battle.” I frowned slightly. “I was not collapsing.” “You were bleeding through your shirt.” “Details.” A low sound almost like amusement escaped him. “You’re impossible.” “And yet you keep following me around.” His gaze darkened slightly. “You know why.” Heat rose into my chest immediately, and I hated myself for it. Thankfully, Darius interrupted before I could embarrass myself further. “We move in two groups,” he announced firmly. “Lucien leads the western ridge. I’ll take the lower trail with the scouts. Aria, ” “I’m going directly to the ritual site,” I interrupted immediately. Darius frowned. “Too dangerous.” “Exactly why I’m going.” Kael stepped beside me. “Then I’m going too.” I shot him a glare. “I didn’t ask.” “I know.” Irritating man. Lucien studied both of us carefully before finally nodding once. “Fine. But no reckless decisions.” Kael and I exchanged a brief look. Lucien sighed immediately. “That response does not reassure me.” The journey toward Raven Hill took hours. The deeper we moved into the northern forests, the colder the air became.

Trees thickened around us, their bare branches twisting overhead like claws while fog rolled across the ground in pale waves. The entire forest felt wrong. Silent. Watching. Even the birds had disappeared. My wolf paced uneasily beneath my skin the closer we got. Kael noticed instantly. “You feel it.” It wasn’t a question. “Yes,” I admitted quietly. “The magic here is different.” “Older,” he agreed. “Corrupted.” A chill slid down my spine. By midday, we reached the outer edge of Raven Hill. The land changed immediately. Dead grass covered the ground in uneven patches while dark stone jutted from the earth like broken bones. The scent hit me first. Blood. Rot. Smoke. My stomach tightened painfully. “Stay alert,” Lucien warned quietly from behind us. We moved carefully through the trees until the ritual site finally came into view. My breath caught instantly. Symbols had been carved deep into the ground in massive circles, burned black against the frost-covered earth. Strange wooden stakes surrounded the area, each marked with dried blood and hanging animal bones. But it was the bodies that stopped me cold. Humans. Three of them. Their bodies lay near the edge of the ritual circle, pale and motionless beneath the gray daylight. A man. A woman. A teenage boy.

My chest tightened painfully. “Oh God…” Elara whispered behind me. Darius crouched beside one of the bodies carefully, his expression grim. “They were killed recently.” Rage burned hot inside me immediately. “The Blood Hunters did this.” “Yes,” Kael said quietly. “But not for pleasure.” I turned sharply toward him. “What does that mean?” His jaw tightened. “Human blood strengthens certain rituals. Especially ones involving concealment and death magic.” Disgust rolled through me instantly. “Monsters.” Kael’s expression darkened. “Yes.” Lucien stepped carefully into the center of the ritual markings, studying the symbols beneath his feet. “This isn’t just another attack.” “What is it then?” I asked. Lucien looked up slowly, his face pale with realization. “It’s a summoning.” Silence crashed around us. “Summoning what?” Darius asked quietly. Kael answered before Lucien could. “An ancient wolf spirit.” Every instinct inside me went cold. “What?” Kael’s eyes remained fixed on the symbols. “Long before modern packs existed, wolves believed certain spirits guarded the balance between life and death. Most were myths.” Lucien shook his head slowly. “Not myths.” Kael’s expression darkened further. “If the Blood Hunters are attempting to summon one…” “Then they’ve completely lost their minds,” Elara muttered. My wolf paced violently now, panic and anger mixing together beneath my skin. “Why would they do this?” Kael looked at me carefully. “Because they’re losing.”

The answer settled heavily into my chest. “They’re desperate.” “Yes.” Lucien suddenly crouched lower beside one of the ritual markings, his face tightening. “Aria.” Something in his tone immediately sent fear through me. I stepped closer carefully. “What is it?” He pointed toward the center of the symbol carved into the earth. My blood froze instantly. My name had been written there. Not in ink. In blood. Aria Nightshade. My wolf snarled violently inside me. “They’re calling specifically for you,” Lucien said quietly. Kael stepped instantly closer to my side, his entire body tense. “We need to leave. Now.” A sudden scream shattered the silence. Every head snapped toward the forest. One of the scouts burst through the trees seconds later, blood covering his clothes. “Hunters!” he gasped. “They surrounded the ridge!” Chaos exploded instantly. Arrows flew from the trees before anyone could react. One slammed into the ground inches from my feet while wolves shifted around me with furious growls.

“Defensive formation!” Darius roared. Blood Hunters emerged from the fog like ghosts, cloaked in black with silver weapons gleaming beneath gray daylight. There were dozens of them. Maybe more. Too many. Kael grabbed my arm instantly. “Stay close to me.” I yanked free immediately. “I’m not hiding behind you.” His eyes flashed dangerously. “This isn’t the time to argue.” The first hunter lunged toward us before I could answer. Battle exploded across Raven Hill. Wolves collided with Hunters in violent chaos while silver energy flashed through the dark forest. I shifted partially without thinking, claws slicing through the air as my wolf surged forward with vicious force. Power burned beneath my skin, stronger than ever before. A hunter came at me with a silver blade, but I moved faster, twisting away before driving pure silver energy directly into his chest. He screamed as the power threw him backward into the ritual stones. Kael fought beside me like a storm given human form, fast, brutal, lethal. Every movement protected the space around me instinctively, even while he tore through attackers with terrifying precision.

“Left!” he shouted suddenly. I spun instantly just as another hunter lunged toward me. My claws ripped across his throat before he could strike. More emerged from the trees immediately. Too many. This wasn’t just an ambush. It was an execution. And then the ground started shaking. Everyone froze. The ritual circle beneath our feet began glowing deep red. My stomach dropped instantly. “No,” Kael breathed. The symbols burned brighter. Wind exploded violently through the clearing while the earth cracked beneath the center of the circle. The Blood Hunters weren’t trying to kill us. They were buying time. “They activated the ritual!” Lucien shouted. Fear slammed into me hard. The ground split open completely, releasing black smoke thick enough to choke the air itself. And from the darkness below… something moved. My wolf recoiled instantly beneath my skin. Ancient. Violent. Wrong. A low growl echoed from beneath the earth, deep enough to shake the bones in my body. Every wolf in the clearing froze. Even the Hunters looked terrified now. Kael stepped directly in front of me without hesitation, his body tense with protective instinct. “Aria,” he said quietly, never taking his eyes off the darkness rising from the earth. “Whatever happens next… stay behind me.” Then the creature emerged. And the real nightmare finally began.