The Moonheart Heir

Chapter 3: Who Are You

That was the first time I saw a crack in Lucian’s face. From the moment he walked into my apartment, he had looked calm. Too calm. Like nothing could scare him, but now his jaw was locked tight. His silver eyes flashed with anger. It was sharp, like steel, but there was no fear in them. Not even a little. The wolf’s smile got even wider. I could see all of his sharp, pointed teeth. He looked like a hunter getting ready to kill. “Good,” the wolf said. His voice sounded rough and ugly.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about. And who I’m talking about.”

Lucian took one slow step forward.

He moved right between me and the... thing. His broad body blocked me completely. Somehow, with him standing there, I felt even safer than I did before. “The message has been received,” Lucian said. His voice was soft. So soft that I felt it drop into my stomach. “Now get out.” The wolf let out a low laugh. It sounded mean and mocking. “You still think you can stop him?” the wolf asked. Lucian didn’t answer. His hands were clenched at his sides. His knuckles were white from how hard he was squeezing. The air in my apartment felt heavy. Like the room itself was being crushed by how big and dangerous this moment was.

“Tell your master something for me,” Lucian said through gritted teeth. He paused. His silver eyes shined like moonlight on a knife. “If he wants her... he’ll have to kill me first.” The wolf’s smile started to fade. For the first time, I saw something else on his face. Hesitation, fear. It only lasted one second. Then it was gone, and then the wolf moved. It shot forward like a black streak of lightning.

Its claws tore deep lines into my wooden floor as it launched itself straight at Lucian.

The impact was so strong that the broken glass on the floor scattered everywhere.

I screamed. Lucian didn’t make a sound.

He didn’t move until the very last second. Right when it was almost too late.

Then he moved. It wasn’t a step. It wasn’t a jump. One second he was standing in front of me. The next second he was gone.

My eyes couldn’t even follow him. The wolf crashed into the far wall with a loud BOOM. The wall cracked. Picture frames fell and shattered on the ground, before the wolf could even get up, Lucian grabbed a handful of its thick, black fur.

He yanked it down to the floor with so much force that the whole apartment shook. The wolf snarled and twisted under him, wild with rage. Its teeth were only inches from Lucian’s face, but Lucian didn’t flinch. He held the wolf down like it weighed nothing. If anything, he looked bored.

“You’re slower this time,” Lucian said quietly. The wolf’s red eyes went wide.

It growled and swung its other paw at Lucian’s chest. Lucian blocked it with his arm. The force of the hit pushed air into me and knocked me back against the wall.

I hit it hard. I bounced forward, gasping. My heart was beating like a trapped bird in my chest. “No man can move like that,” I thought. “No man can survive that.” What was he? The words got stuck in my throat. I couldn’t breathe right as I watched the fight happening in my living room.

None of this was normal.

The man I let into my apartment a few minutes ago was moving too fast.

He was here, then there, then back again. Like distance didn’t matter to him.

The wolf charged again.

Lucian twisted out of the way.

The wolf’s claws missed his chest by an inch and dug into the wall instead.

It cut through the wall like it was butter.

I stumbled back and hit the furniture behind me. My heart felt like it was going to break out of my ribs. This isn’t real, I told myself. It can’t be real, but even to me, it didn’t sound believable, and then... everything went quiet.

My ears started ringing.

And then all the sound disappeared.

I could still see the fight. I could see Lucian and the wolf moving, but I couldn’t hear anything. Then, one by one, the sounds came back. But they were different. Louder, clearer. I could hear a bird flapping its wings far away outside. I could hear water dripping from the kitchen tap. Drip, drip, drip. I could hear Lucian’s heart beating fast inside his chest.

I could hear the wolf breathing hard.

I could even hear the tiny scratching sound of the wolf’s claws on the floor.

My eyes went wide. How could I hear all of that? I covered both my ears with my hands. I prayed the noise would stop.

But it only got louder and clearer, and then Lucian turned his head. The fight was still going on, but he looked right at me.

For the first time since all of this started, his silver eyes met mine.

Surprise crossed his face.

Like he had just figured something out about me.

Lucian only looked at me for one second.

But it was enough. The wolf saw it too.

A cruel smile spread across its bloody mouth. It slowly stood up, ignoring the blood dripping from its mouth. “So” the wolf said with a low, happy chuckle. “It has begun.” My eyebrows pulled together.

“What has begun?” I asked. My voice was shaking. Neither of them answered me.

Lucian’s face went hard. “Leave,” he growled. He took one slow step toward the beast. “This is your last warning.” The wolf didn’t attack. Instead, it laughed. The sound echoed through my broken apartment. It was cold and it made my skin crawl. “You already know it’s too late, Alpha,” the wolf said.

Its red eyes moved to me.

“There is no hiding her anymore.”

A strong gust of wind blew through the room. Broken glass skittered across the floor. The curtains whipped around wildly.

Outside, dark clouds covered the moon.

The wolf backed up slowly toward the broken window. “He already felt her waking up,” the wolf said. My heart stopped. “He knows exactly where to find the Moonheart Heir.”

Before I could ask what that meant, the wolf jumped backward.

It shot through the broken window and disappeared into the dark.

Like it was never there at all.

Silence fell over the apartment.

The only sounds were my shaky breathing and blood dripping onto the wooden floor. The quiet was suffocating. We both just stood there. Frozen. Not moving.

Cold air from the broken window hit my skin. It carried the faint smell of the monster away with the wind. Moonlight reflected off the pieces of glass all over the floor. Furniture was tipped over. There were deep claw marks in my walls and floor. Deep enough that I could put my fingers in them. This used to be my room. Now it looked like a war zone.

My heart was pounding in my chest.

Slowly, I lowered my hands and looked at the stranger. No, the man. The man who, just minutes ago, fought a monster without blinking, and won. His chest was rising and falling a little fast. Blood was dripping from a cut above his eye. He wiped it away with the back of his hand like it was nothing. “Who” My voice came out as barely a whisper. I swallowed hard and tried again. “Who are you?”

For a second, he didn’t answer.

He walked to the broken window and looked outside. His silver eyes scanned the darkness, looking for any sign that the creature was coming back. Once he was sure it was gone, he turned back to me. His eyes moved down to my chest.

To the silver necklace around my neck.

Something flashed across his face.

First recognition. Then surprise. Then relief. “You’ve worn it all these years,” he whispered, mostly to himself. My hand flew to my necklace on instinct. “How do you know about this?” I asked. My voice was sharp. “The better question,” he said softly. His eyes met mine. “Is why your mother made you wear it.” The air felt thick. Full of questions I wasn’t ready to ask. I had a thousand of them in my head.

But I wasn’t sure I wanted the answers.

Lucian turned to me, very slowly.

His silver eyes looked at my necklace again, and for the first time. I saw fear in them. Not fear for himself. Fear, for me.