Blood & Moonlight

Chapter 4 – Scars Beneath the Skin

Eva

She fled the ballroom before the music fully died. The corridors were cold, her heels echoing like betrayal on the marble floor. Her breath came in tight, sharp bursts—not from fear but fury. Not at him. At herself.

Eva slammed the door of her chamber and yanked off the silver mask, tossing it to the floor like it had burned her. She could still feel his touch at her waist. Still hears his voice in her ear.

What if I do?

Damn him. Damn herself. She had danced with a werewolf. In the heart of her family’s stronghold. Under the blood moon. As if centuries of hatred didn’t weigh on her bones. As if her name didn’t come with thorns. And the worst part? She’d wanted him to kiss her.

A soft knock shattered the silence. “Eva?” her brother’s voice. Cold. Imperious. Damian Valemont. She opened the door, already bracing herself. Lucien’s eyes scanned her face, his nostrils flaring. “You left the masquerade early.”

“I wasn’t feeling well.”

“You disappeared before the relic alarms went off.”

Her blood ran cold. “What?” He stepped inside, closing the door behind him. “Someone tried to breach the vault during the ball. The Cor Aureum is still intact, but the wards were disturbed. Only someone foolish or suicidal would attempt that tonight.”

She stayed still. “And then,” Damian said, his voice sharpening, “someone exciting appeared in the crowd.” Her heart stuttered.

“We have reports of an uninvited masked outsider. Tall. Broad. Not of our kind.”

Eva swallowed. “A guest, maybe. A mistake.”

“A mistake,” he repeated, narrowing his eyes. “Or a werewolf.”

She kept her face blank. But inside, her heart screamed.

Kael

He ran until the estate lights vanished behind the trees. Until his lungs burned and his muscles howled. Until he could no longer smell her scent on his hands. The night was still, the blood moon watching like a silent witness to everything he wasn’t supposed to feel. He stopped at the river's edge, dropping to his knees in the mud. And screamed.

It came out as a half-growl, half-sob. This was a mistake. Coming back, dancing with her, touching her. He hadn’t meant to. But when their hands met again, something inside him shifted. Like a truth buried beneath flesh and instinct had cracked open. She wasn’t just beautiful. She was dangerous because he wanted her. Not just the fantasy of her, but her. The real one. The vampire. The daughter of his enemies.

He splashed water on his face, heart hammering, mind unraveling. Then a branch snapped behind him. Kael rose instantly, teeth bared. It was Gideon, his last ally from his old pack—an informant with sharp eyes and a shorter leash. “They know,” Gideon said. “The Valemonts are already closing the roads. You need to vanish. Now.”

Kael didn’t answer. Gideon stepped closer. “Did you take it?”

“No.”

“What happened?” Kael’s jaw clenched. “I danced with her.” Silence.

“Her?” Gideon hissed. “You touched Eva Valemont?” Kael didn’t deny it.

“You’ve lost your mind,” Gideon spat. "That family killed your father. They set fire to our sacred grounds. They bathed in our blood, Kael. And you waltzed with their heir like it’s some f*****g fairytale?” Kael turned away. “I didn’t know. Not at first.”

“But you know now,” Gideon snapped. “And if the Elders find out—if your old pack hears—” “They’ll kill me,” Kael said. “I know.” Gideon was silent for a long moment. “Then make a choice. Either forget her… or drag both your bloodlines into war.”

Eva

She stood at her window as dawn scraped pale light across the treetops. She hadn’t slept. Damian’s warning echoed in her skull.

A werewolf breached the estate. We’ll find him. And we’ll make an example.

She couldn’t let that happen. Not because she was weak. But because something in her blood, something older than hatred, whispered that this wasn’t just danger. It was destiny. And if Kael was fired, then she was already burning.