The Luna-Maker's Last Kiss

Chapter 1 Serena The bass was too loud. Too heavy. The kind of sound that pressed through bone and rattled the marrow. Every beat seemed to shove me deeper into the shadows, where I wanted to stay invisible. The nightclub was a mess of neon and sweat. The lights cut through the dark, painting bodies in blue, red, and purple. Strangers moved as if they were one creature, a tide of grinding hips and raised arms. Heat rolled off them, slick and animal. I held a glass of vodka I’d barely touched, mostly water now, my fingers tight around it like it was an anchor. Not here to drink. Not here to dance. I was here because a crowd was the best place to remain unseen. Wolves could smell weakness, and if you looked like prey, they’d follow. My curse was the kind of weakness that invited hunters from miles away. One kiss. That was all it took. The first time it happened, I was fifteen. A boy dared me at a party. A kiss by the fire pit, stupid, quick. The second our lips touched, his whole body convulsed. His eyes snapped gold, veins lighting like fire. He’d gone from Beta to Alpha in less than a breath. By the time the others pulled him off me, he was wild, savage, ripping at his friends. I’d sat there choking on blood, wondering what the hell I had done. I learned the answer too late. My mother had the same gift. And it killed her. So I had rules. The most important: No kisses. Ever. That’s why I stood in the darkest corner of the club, eyes and shoulders down, vodka untouched. I didn’t exist. Or at least, I thought I didn’t. “Pretty thing like you shouldn’t be standing alone.” The voice came slick with whiskey. I froze. He was tall, broad, his body humming with wolf energy. His pack mark curled along his neck, black ink glowing faintly in the strobe. A Beta. I forced a smile. “I’m fine.” He grinned, showing teeth. “Let me buy you a drink.” “No, thanks.” His hand braced against the wall above me, caging me in. “Don’t be like that.” I shifted sideways, but he blocked me with his body, pressing close. His scent, wolf musk, stale alcohol filled my head until I gagged. “I said no,” I hissed. “Come on, sweetheart.” His grin widened. “One kiss.” My stomach plunged. “Don’t," but he didn’t listen. His mouth crashed onto mine. Heat detonated under my skin. My lips burned like fire. Sparks exploded behind my eyes. My lungs locked, my body convulsing as though struck by lightning. He tore back suddenly, choking. His back arched, muscles spasming. His veins glowed molten gold. His eyes snapped open, blazing Alpha fire. The music faltered. The crowd screamed. Wolves felt it instantly, the raw shift of power in the air. “What the hell?” someone shouted. “An Alpha—how?” The Beta staggered, clutching at his chest. He stared at me with wild hunger, voice raw. “What are you?” Panic ripped through me. I stumbled back, lungs burning, blood hot in my mouth. Every nerve screamed for me to run. But before I could, a hand clamped around my arm. “Not so fast.” I whipped around. Storm-grey eyes pinned me in place. The man was tall, with broad shoulders under a black jacket. His jaw was sharp, hair dark and curling at the edge of his forehead. He wasn’t glowing; he wasn’t a wolf. Human. Except… the way he held me wasn’t just human. His grip was steady, unshakable, like steel wrapped in skin. “You’re coming with me,” he said. I yanked, heart racing. “Let me go!” “Not a chance.” His voice was low, calm, steady against the chaos around us. The newly made Alpha roared behind us, the sound splitting through the club like a bomb. Pack members shouted, scrambling, some backing away, some circling. Humans didn’t understand what they were seeing, but instinct told them to run. The man’s grip didn’t loosen. His eyes stayed on me. “You had something to do with that.” “I don’t” My throat burned too much to finish. He didn’t wait for answers. He pulled me through the panicking crowd, weaving like he’d done it a hundred times. His hold was strong but not cruel. My legs stumbled to keep up, but I didn’t fight, not with the wolves snapping behind us. We burst out into the cold night. Sirens wailed in the distance, growing closer. The street glowed with flashing lights and neon signs. A sleek black car idled by the curb. He pushed me toward it, opening the door with one hand, never letting go of me with the other. The window reflected my face back at me. My eyes glowed silver. No. No, no, no. “Get in,” he ordered. I hesitated. Behind us, wolves spilt from the club, teeth bared, eyes glowing. I slid into the back seat. He followed, shutting the door. The locks clicked. The engine hummed as the car pulled away. For a moment, all I could hear was my heartbeat, frantic in my ears. Then his voice cut through, quiet but sharp. “I saw your eyes. Silver. Tell me what you are.” I pressed back into the seat, every muscle trembling. My mouth opened. Nothing came out. The sirens screamed louder. The city lights smeared past the window. The night swallowed us whole. Damien The girl was trouble. Not the kind that stumbled drunk into bar fights. Not the kind that cried wolf for attention. Bigger trouble. I’d seen wolves my whole life. I knew the way power worked, the way Alphas rose and Betas bowed. But I’d never seen anything like what happened tonight. One kiss, and a man shifted into Alpha. One kiss, and this girl crumpled like she’d been struck by lightning. And those eyes were silver, glowing like the moon itself. She sat curled in the corner of the back seat, trembling, silent. But I felt it in the air, that static hum, like a storm waiting to break. Whatever she was, she wasn’t normal. And I wasn’t letting her out of my sight until I found out exactly what kind of storm she carried in her veins.