Blood That Remembers
529 Words
Aria couldn’t stop thinking about him.
The man in the woods.
His voice—deep, almost growling—echoed in her mind:
“You shouldn’t have answered the howl.”
Who was he? How did he know about the howl? And why did his presence stir something fierce and hot in her chest, something that felt like longing and fear at once?
She didn’t even know his name.
That night, she found an old wooden chest in her aunt’s attic.
It was hidden beneath a moth-eaten blanket, sealed with a rusty iron clasp. Curiosity flared. Something about it called to her.
She forced it open.
Inside lay old letters, a pendant shaped like a crescent moon, and a torn leather journal with her mother’s initials.
She opened the first page. The ink was faded, but the words chilled her:
“To my daughter, should you ever find this… You are not fully human. The blood of the Moonborn runs through you. Protect yourself. And if you meet the Alpha—do not run.”
Aria stared at the page, her hand trembling.
Not fully human? Moonborn? Alpha?
Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden knock on the door.
She jumped, her breath catching in her throat.
No one should be here. Not this late.
She opened the door cautiously—only to find Kael standing on her porch, his dark eyes unreadable.
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Kael
He didn’t plan on coming.
He knew it was risky.
But her scent was everywhere, tangled in his thoughts. He had tried to stay away—tried to convince himself she was safer without him—but fate had other plans.
And now, standing in front of her, he could see the truth in her eyes:
She felt it too.
> “I need to talk to you,” he said.
She folded her arms. “About the howl?”
He hesitated, then nodded. “And about who you are.”
> “You know me?” she asked.
“I know… what you are,” he said softly. “But it’s not safe to talk here. Not with Selene watching you.”
Aria blinked. “Who’s Selene?”
“Trouble. Come with me. Just for a little while. I’ll explain everything.”
Aria stared at him. Every instinct told her not to trust a stranger. But that voice in her blood—the one that whispered to her in dreams—was louder.
She grabbed a jacket and followed him into the woods.
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Deep in the Forest
The trees seemed to lean in closer, the shadows thicker.
Kael finally stopped at a clearing lit by soft moonlight.This is where it begins,” he said.
He took a step back, and his body began to shift.
Bones cracked. Muscles grew. Fur sprouted.
Within seconds, standing before her was a massive, black wolf—eyes burning gold.
Aria gasped, stumbling back.
The wolf didn’t growl. He only bowed his head, as if saying,This is me. This is the truth.”
And then—something inside her answered.
A jolt of pain. Her knees buckled.
Her veins burned like fire.
And then her eyes turned golden.
- Writer
