BLOOD MOON REIGN

Chapter 3: A Stranger at My Own Table

BLOOD MOON REIGN

Chapter 3: A Stranger at My Own Table

Every family has secrets. The Blackthornes have built an empire to protect theirs.

11. The Warning Behind the Door

"Don't trust him."

Seraphina couldn't stop hearing her mother's words.

Elara stood beside the broken porcelain, her face pale and her hands trembling. Outside the bed- room, Kael knocked again.

"Elara, I know you're in there. Open the door."

His voice was controlled, but Seraphina detected something beneath it.

Impatience.

And concern.

"Mom," Seraphina whispered, "why shouldn't I trust him?"

"Not now."

"Then when? You've spent my entire life telling me nothing about my father. Now someone gives me his name, and suddenly we're running away?"

Elara caught her daughter's shoulders.

"Your father wasn't an ordinary man."

"Neither is Darius. Neither is Kael. Apparently, neither is anyone in this house. I'm tired of being the only person who doesn't know what's happening!"

A heavy silence followed.

Then the door handle turned again.

"Seraphina." Kael's voice had changed. "Are you hurt?"

She looked toward the door.

"No."

"Then open it."

"Why?"

"Because your mother has just asked the guards to prepare a car, and my father has ordered every exit sealed."

Elara closed her eyes.

Seraphina stared at her.

"You were going to leave without telling me?"

"I was trying to protect you."

"From what?"

Before Elara could answer, Kael spoke again.

"The Moon Council has arrived."

The color vanished from Elara's face.

Even the air seemed to grow colder.

She took Seraphina's hand and squeezed it painfully.

"If they ask you anything about your father, you know nothing. If they ask about the necklace, you've never seen it. And whatever happens tonight, do not let them take you to the east wing."

Seraphina's heart hammered.

"What's in the east wing?"

Her mother looked at her with an expression that seemed older than grief.

"The reason I should never have brought you here."

A key turned in the lock.

The door opened.

Kael stood in the corridor, his amber eyes moving from Elara's frightened face to the photograph in Seraphina's hand.

He read the name on the back.

EVANDER VALE.

For one long moment, the future Alpha didn't move.

Then he looked at Seraphina.

"Get dressed. My father expects everyone at dinner."

"After all that happened, you want me to have dinner?"

"No," Kael replied. "I want you where I can see you."

His eyes met hers.

"Because someone in this house is lying to all of us."

21. The Family Dinner

At eight o'clock, Seraphina entered the dining room wearing a black dress she had found in the wardrobe.

She had chosen it because it made her feel less like an intruder.

It didn't work.

The dining room was illuminated by dozens of candles. A long mahogany table stood beneath a chandelier, its surface arranged with silver cutlery, crystal glasses, and enough food to feed an en- tire village.

Darius sat at the head of the table.

Beside him sat Elara, who looked as though she had spent the last hour preparing for a funeral.

Kael occupied the seat opposite Seraphina.

Two other people had joined them.

The first was an elderly woman with silver hair, sharp eyes, and a dark velvet gown. A silver cres- cent brooch rested at her throat.

The second was a broad-shouldered man wearing a formal black coat. A scar crossed his left cheek, and his gaze lingered on Seraphina with unsettling interest.

Darius rose.

"Seraphina, this is Elder Maevra, a representative of the Moon Council. And this is Commander Thorne, head of Nightfall's security."

Elder Maevra offered a thin smile.

"So this is the girl."

Seraphina pulled out her chair.

"I have a name."

Maevra's smile disappeared.

Kael lowered his eyes, concealing what might have been amusement.

Darius gestured for everyone to sit.

"Dinner is not an interrogation. I expect courtesy from all of us."

"Of course, Alpha," Maevra replied.

Her gaze never left Seraphina.

For several minutes, the conversation concerned ordinary matters: the academy's upcoming exam- inations, the security of the northern borders, and the preparations for the Blood Moon formal.

Seraphina tried to eat.

She really did.

But every time she raised her fork, she noticed Maevra watching her.

Finally, the elder set down her glass.

"Tell me, child. Have you ever experienced unusual dreams?"

Seraphina paused.

"What sort of dreams?"

"Dreams of a red moon. Voices in the forest. Perhaps a woman calling your name."

Elara's hand tightened around her napkin.

Seraphina looked at Kael.

He had gone completely still.

"I dream about ordinary things," Seraphina answered carefully.

"How fortunate."

Maevra reached into her handbag and produced a small silver object.

It was a pendant shaped like a crescent moon surrounded by seven stars.

Exactly like Seraphina's necklace.

"Do you recognize this symbol?"

"No."

The lie tasted bitter.

Maevra studied her face.

"Interesting. Because this emblem belonged to a bloodline that was declared extinct eighteen years ago."

Commander Thorne leaned forward.

"And every surviving record of that bloodline was destroyed."

"Then how do you know about it?" Seraphina asked.

The commander smiled.

"Because some secrets are more difficult to kill than the people who carry them."

The candles flickered.

For an instant, Seraphina saw something strange reflected in the commander's glass.

A wolf's face.

Its eyes were silver.

She blinked, and the reflection vanished.

Kael abruptly stood.

"That's enough."

Maevra turned toward him.

"Sit down, Kael."

"This is my father's table. If you want to question someone in his home, you will ask permission

first."

Darius's expression hardened.

"Kael."

But Kael didn't sit.

His gaze remained fixed on the elder.

"Seraphina is a guest of this household. She will not be threatened under this roof."

Maevra rose slowly.

"Be careful, young Alpha. Your father has not yet given you a kingdom to defend."

She turned toward Seraphina one final time.

"Enjoy your dinner, child. The truth has a way of finding those who hide from it."

Then she left.

Commander Thorne followed.

The moment the doors closed, Seraphina turned to Darius.

"What was that?"

Darius rubbed his forehead.

"An unfortunate misunderstanding."

"No. An unfortunate misunderstanding is when someone takes your coat by mistake. That woman knew about my dreams, my birthmark, and a bloodline supposedly destroyed eighteen years ago."

She placed her napkin on the table.

"I want answers."

Darius looked at Elara.

Elara looked away.

And Kael, for once, didn't have anything clever to say.

3. The Empty Chair

The dinner should have ended there.

Instead, Darius asked Seraphina to remain.

He sent the servants away, closed the dining room doors, and walked to a portrait hanging behind his chair.

It depicted a young woman with long black hair and silver-grey eyes.

Seraphina stood so quickly that her chair scraped across the floor.

"Who is she?"

Darius stared at the portrait.

"Her name was Lyra."

"Was?"

"She died eighteen years ago."

Seraphina approached the painting.

The woman wore a silver necklace. Her expression was solemn, and one hand rested against her chest.

On her wrist was a crescent-shaped birthmark.

Seraphina felt the room tilt.

"She looks like me."

"Yes," Darius said quietly.

"Who was she?"

He hesitated.

Then he delivered the answer that made Seraphina's blood run cold.

"Your father's younger sister."

Seraphina turned toward him.

"My father had a sister?"

"Her name was Lyra Vale. She was the last known guardian of the First Moon bloodline."

"Why does nobody talk about her?"

"Because the Council declared her a traitor."

Elara stood.

"Darius, please."

He looked at his wife.

"You wanted the truth revealed eventually. We cannot keep pretending the past doesn't exist."

"Not like this," Elara whispered.

Seraphina's eyes moved between them.

"You're both talking as if you know my father."

Darius said nothing.

"Did you know him?"

"Yes."

"Is he dead?"

The Alpha looked at her for a long time.

"I don't know."

That answer frightened her more than a simple yes would have.

Because it meant someone powerful had hidden the truth even from the ruler of Nightfall.

Kael moved to stand beside her.

"Father, what happened eighteen years ago?"

Darius's expression turned cold.

"An incident that nearly destroyed the seven packs. An ancient sanctuary was attacked. Several members of the First Moon bloodline disappeared, including Evander Vale."

"And Lyra?" Seraphina asked.

"She was found dead."

Seraphina looked again at the portrait.

The woman in the painting had her eyes.

Her face.

Even the same small crease between her eyebrows when she frowned.

All her life, Seraphina had wondered why she possessed silver-grey eyes when her mother had emerald ones.

Now she was beginning to understand that her appearance might not be a coincidence.

"Why did you marry my mother?" she asked.

Darius's face became unreadable.

"Because I promised your father I would protect his family if he ever disappeared."

Elara covered her mouth.

Seraphina stared at her stepfather.

"You knew him."

"Yes."

"And you never told me."

"I was trying to honor a promise."

"By lying to me?"

Darius accepted the accusation without protest.

Sometimes, Seraphina realized, the worst lies weren't told because someone hated you.

They were told because someone believed they knew what was best for you.

That didn't make them any less painful.

She turned away from the table.

"I need some air."

Kael followed her.

Neither of them noticed the empty chair at the far end of the dining room.

Nor the small silver bell that began ringing on its own after they left.

4. The Room That Was Waiting

Seraphina escaped through the western doors and stepped into the mansion's garden.

The night air was cold, carrying the scent of wet earth and roses. Beyond the hedges, the forest stretched into darkness.

Kael followed her outside.

"You're going to catch a cold."

"Then I'll add it to the list of things your family has given me."

He stopped beside her.

For a while, neither spoke.

Finally, Kael removed his jacket and held it out.

Seraphina stared at it.

"Are you trying to be nice?"

"Don't make it difficult."

She accepted the jacket, mostly because she was cold.

"Thank you."

He looked genuinely surprised.

"You're welcome."

It was the first peaceful exchange they'd had since meeting.

Then Seraphina asked, "Did you know about Lyra?"

"No."

"Did you know about the promise between our fathers?"

"No."

"Did you know your father would marry my mother?"

Kael hesitated.

"I knew he intended to marry someone. I didn't know who until a month ago."

She studied him.

"And you didn't think to warn me that your house was full of people who speak in riddles?"

"Would you have believed me?"

"Probably not."

"Exactly."

Despite herself, Seraphina almost smiled.

Almost.

Then she remembered the portrait.

"Kael, what is the First Moon?"

His expression changed.

"An old legend. Before the seven packs existed, there was supposedly one bloodline capable of communicating with every wolf. Some believed its members could command the moon itself."

"And you believe that?"

"I believe the Council has killed people over less."

A branch snapped somewhere in the garden.

Kael immediately moved in front of her.

"Stay behind me."

A black wolf emerged between the hedges.

It was enormous, with silver markings running along its shoulders. Unlike the wolf Seraphina had seen beside the lake, this one had no golden eyes.

Its eyes were silver-grey.

Identical to hers.

The animal lowered its head.

Seraphina felt a strange warmth spread through her chest.

She took one step forward.

"Don't," Kael warned.

But the wolf wasn't looking at him.

It was looking at Seraphina.

And then, inside her mind, she heard a voice.

Little star.

She stopped breathing.

You've finally come home.

The wolf turned and disappeared into the forest.

Seraphina stood motionless.

Kael slowly lowered his arm.

"What happened?"

She looked at him, unable to hide her fear.

"I heard something."

"What?"

She swallowed.

"A voice."

His face paled.

"What did it say?"

Seraphina looked toward the forest.

"It called me little star."

For the first time, Kael seemed genuinely frightened of her.

5. The Seventh Door

Later that night, Seraphina returned to her bedroom.

She placed Kael's jacket over a chair, removed the silver necklace, and tried to make sense of everything she had learned.

Her father had a sister.

Her mother had hidden the truth.

Darius had made a promise to a missing man.

And something in the forest had recognized her.

She was reaching for the bedside lamp when she noticed a narrow line of light beneath the door.

Someone had left a note.

Seraphina opened the door.

The corridor was empty.

She picked up the folded paper.

Inside, written in elegant handwriting, were seven words.

THE ROOM WAS PREPARED FOR YOU.

Beneath the message was a small drawing of a door.

Seven stars had been carved above its frame.

Seraphina remembered the east wing.

Kael's warning.

Her mother's fear.

She should have returned to bed.

Instead, she slipped into the corridor and followed the faint sound of footsteps toward the forbid- den wing.

The farther she walked, the colder the air became.

At the end of the corridor stood an ancient wooden door, its surface covered with silver symbols. The handle was shaped like a crescent moon.

Seraphina reached toward it.

Her birthmark began to glow.

The lock clicked.

The door opened.

Inside was a small bedroom untouched by time.

White curtains framed the windows. A cradle stood beside the fireplace. Shelves held children's books, and a silver music box rested on a dressing table.

Above the bed hung a portrait of the woman from the dining room.

Lyra Vale.

But this time, she wasn't alone.

She stood beside a man with silver-grey eyes, one arm wrapped around a baby.

Seraphina stepped closer.

The baby wore a bracelet bearing her name.

SERAPHINA

Her knees weakened.

Someone had prepared this room before she was born.

Someone had expected her to live here.

A floorboard creaked behind her.

"Seraphina?"

Kael stood in the doorway.

His expression shifted from anger to disbelief as he saw the room.

"How did you open this?"

She turned toward him, tears gathering in her eyes.

"Kael, why is there a room in your house with my name in it?"

He looked at the cradle.

Then at the portrait.

For several seconds, he couldn't speak.

Finally, he whispered, "This room belonged to the daughter my family believed had died eighteen years ago."

Seraphina shook her head.

"No."

Kael's amber eyes met hers.

"Seraphina, there's something you need to understand."

"What?"

He looked toward the portrait of Lyra and the silver-eyed man.

"My father didn't bring you into this house by accident. Someone has been waiting for you since the day you were born."

Behind them, the door slammed shut.

The silver symbols ignited.

And a voice whispered from inside the walls:

Welcome back, First Moon heir.