Blood Of The Sun

Chapter 3

Anna’s P.O.V.

By the time we reached our chambers, the house was buzzing like a hive preparing for winter. My father and Alpha Marcus had already vanished into his study, laughing like old war brothers and if the servants’ whispers were true already pouring into Marcus’s best whiskey.

Mother only shook her head at their absence, ushering me toward the suite prepared for us. The fire blazed warm, throwing light over rich carpets and velvet drapes, but the tension that followed us inside clung thicker than the snow outside.

My aunts were waiting.Aaliyah stood at the window, her arms folded, eyes on the falling snow. “I don’t like it,” she muttered. “The air feels… off. Like a storm coming, but colder. Wrong.”

Serenity, always the diplomat, tried to soften her edge. “This is the North. It’s different here. Don’t let the cold get into your bones.”

But Aaliyah’s frown didn’t ease. “It’s not just the cold.”

Mother crossed the room to adjust my hair, her fingers gentle but her tone firm. “Enough. We can’t walk into tonight looking haunted. Strength is not only in battle it’s in how we hold ourselves when everyone is watching.”

I swallowed, her words anchoring me. I wanted to ask her what she felt if she, too, sensed the strange weight in the air but she gave nothing away. Alphas did not show doubt.

The doors burst open and servants poured in, their arms laden with gowns, masks, and jewelry that glittered under the firelight. Suddenly the room was alive with movement.

Silks of every color spilled across the bed, satin gloves, jeweled combs. I was lifted, turned, measured and pinned, while my aunts circled like hawks.

“That one,” Serenity said sharply, pointing to a gown of deep gold that shimmered like sunlight through amber. “She’s Dios del Sol. She should shine brighter than all of them.”

“Hair up,” Aaliyah commanded, her quick fingers pulling pins with a surprising tenderness. “Let them see her eyes. She has her mother’s fire.”

Mother stood back, watching me transform under their hands. Her expression softened, pride and worry warring in her gaze. When the mask was finally tied gold filigree, delicate as lace, edged in flame-like patterns she stepped forward and placed her hands on my shoulders.

“Tonight,” she said quietly, “they see not just my daughter. They see their future. Stand tall, mi sol. Shine so they remember.”

My throat tightened. For the first time all day, I almost believed I could.

The last adjustments were made. A hush fell over the room as the servants stepped back. In the mirror, I barely recognized myself. Not Anna, the girl who still felt like she was waiting for something but the heir of Dios del Sol, golden and untouchable.

Outside, music was already drifting through the halls. The masquerade was beginning.

And I was ready to walk into it.

The ballroom was a cathedral of ice and fire. Crystal chandeliers scattered light across vaulted ceilings, while silver drapes shimmered against the glow of hundreds of candles. Musicians played at the far end, their notes sharp and elegant, weaving through the hum of voices.

The Blue Moon Pack had spared nothing. This was their statement to the world: wealth, power, unity. And tonight, I would stand at the center of it.

We arrived together, my family a tide no one could ignore.

Alpha Marcus and Luna Tiffany were already waiting near the grand staircase, their son Jacob at their side, his mask of black and steel catching the light. Their eldest, Marcus Jr., stood near the musicians with watchful eyes, while Diamond twirled with a group of girls her age, laughter sparkling around her like the jewels in her hair.

But when the herald struck his staff against the floor, the room stilled.

“Presenting the Alphas of Dios del Sol Carlos and Christa Rivera accompanied by their children, Anna and Antonio Rivera, and honored family.”

The crowd parted. Whispers rose like wind through tall grass, rising higher as we stepped forward into the open space.

My father and mother led with regal strength, golden sunlight in human form. Antonio walked beside me, his steps sure, his chin high already every bit the son of two Alphas, though he was only sixteen. Behind us, Aunt Aaliyah and Uncle Ramiro flanked with quiet intensity, their twin sons darting sharp-eyed glances at every corner of the room. Ricardo and Maria held the rear guard, Maria’s easy smile hiding the press instincts that never rested. Serenity was beside my mother, her presence calm and commanding.

We were a wall of light moving through shadows.

Eyes burned against me, hundreds of them. I felt the weight of their expectations, their judgments, their envy. My heartbeat thundered under the gold filigree mask, but I held myself tall, just as my mother had told me.

“Look at her,” I heard someone whisper. “The future Alpha.”

“She’s the sun reborn,” another murmured.

The orchestra swelled, music rising like the tide. Alpha Marcus and Luna Tiffany stepped forward to welcome us, their smiles warm, though Marcus’s eyes flickered with the careful calculation of a man who measured everything.

“Dios del Sol honors us tonight,” Marcus said, his voice carrying across the hall. “And in honor of your daughter, the future Alpha Anna Rivera, we dedicate this ball.”

Applause broke like thunder, the sound echoing off the high ceilings.

And for the first time in my life, I understood what it meant to be seen not just as Anna but as the heir of the sun.

The air shifted before the dance even began. My family’s instincts were faster than mine.

Mother’s golden eyes sharpened, burning from behind her mask. Father stiffened at her side, the wolf in him pushing forward, nostrils flaring as he caught the faintest trace beneath the rose. Aunt Serenity was already moving closer, calm but coiled like a blade in its sheath. Aunt Aaliyah’s fire flared so hot I felt the heat against my arm.

And Antonio my brother was suddenly in front of me, shoving his shoulder into the stranger’s chest with a growl.

“Step back.” His voice was low, lethal. “Now.”

The stranger didn’t flinch. His smirk curved wider, his grip still firm on my hand. His eyes burned into mine as though my brother, my mother, my entire family didn’t exist.

“Anna,” he whispered, his breath brushing my ear. His voice was a command and a promise all at once. “Run.”

Before I could react, before anyone could draw a weapon, he was gone.

One blink, and the space before me was empty. Only the faint echo of his speed rippled the air, the crimson rose tumbling to the marble floor where he’d stood.

The ballroom erupted.

Growls and shouts clashed with music as every Alpha and Luna surged forward. Warriors blocked exits. Dancers scattered. Questions snapped through the hall like whip cracks.

“Vampire!”

“Hybrid!”

“How did he get past security?”

Father’s roar cut through it all. “Enough!”

Silence slammed down. He stood tall, Alpha Carlos Rivera, his power rolling off him in waves. His wolf’s rage filled the room, and not a soul dared defy it.

Mother moved to me, pulling me tight against her. Her warmth steadied me, but I could feel the fury in her trembling fingers. “He touched you. In front of all of us. In front of me.”

“He’s gone,” Serenity said, scanning the shadows. “But not far. Hybrids don’t risk this kind of exposure unless they’re sending a message.”

Ramiro was already barking orders to security. Ricardo’s hand was on his mate Maria’s arm, pulling her back from the chaos, though her sharp journalist’s eyes were already recording every detail.

Antonio’s voice cut sharp with accusation. “The Blue Moon guards let a hybrid walk into their pack house. Into a masquerade with a dozen Alphas present.” His glare fell on Marcus and Tiffany, whose faces blanched beneath the glittering light.

“It shouldn’t be possible,” Marcus stammered. “Our borders are sealed, our patrols doubled. He he must have been cloaked.”

“That flower,” Aaliyah snapped, her eyes still burning. “A masking charm. Old magic. Clever. Too clever for a boy.”

The weight of her words pressed on me. He wasn’t just a boy. He was mine.

Mother’s voice dropped to steel. “We leave at first light. Pack the guards, pack the cars. If Blue Moon security can’t protect us here, then we’ll protect ourselves.”

A ripple of agreement swept through the Dios del Sol ranks. The other Alphas muttered among themselves, but no one spoke against her. Not with Father’s wolf prowling just beneath the surface, not with every cousin and aunt of mine looking ready to draw blood.

And me?

I stood there, heart pounding, the ghost of his voice still in my ear.

Run.

I didn’t know if it was a warning, a command, or a promise. But I knew one thing with terrifying certainty

This wasn’t over.