The Moon festival

Chapter Two

“ouch ” I hissed under my breath as I yanked at the ropes biting into my skin. They were coated with silver, and every tug burned like fire searing straight through my veins. My palms blistered as I fought them off, but I didn’t care. I had to get free. I had to get home.

By the time the last knot fell loose, my hands were raw and trembling. Each step I took felt heavier than the last. My legs shook, but I forced them forward. I kept thinking of my family, of my father, of Tom. If I could just make it to the door, everything would be fine.

When the lights of home finally appeared in the distance, relief rushed through me so strong it almost knocked me off my feet. “Finally…” I whispered, my lips trembling as I collapsed against the front door.

The door swung open, and the shocked face of my father, Isaac, stared down at me.

“Luna!” he gasped, his voice breaking. He crouched, shaking me gently. Then he shouted over his shoulder, “Tom! Get down here, now!”

My brother’s hurried footsteps thundered down the stairs. “What’s wrong—” His words cut off when he saw me sprawled on the doorstep. His face drained of color.

“Help me carry her inside!” my father barked.

Tom bent beside him, and together they lifted me onto the sofa. My body sagged, limp and heavy. The warmth of home wrapped around me, but it didn’t ease the cold crawling inside my chest.

“What the hell happened to your sister?” my father demanded, his eyes burning into Tom.

Tom shook his head. “Like I’d know! She just collapsed here!”

Dad leaned closer to examine me. His hands hovered over the wounds laced across my skin, his brows pinched tight. His frown deepened as he brushed the hair from my face. Then his eyes flickered, alarm shooting through them.

“She’s not healing…” he whispered. Panic tightened his voice.

My breath rasped, weak and shallow. I tried to focus on his face, but everything blurred.

Dad leaned down and sniffed near my mouth. His shoulders stiffened. “No…” He turned sharply to Tom. “Get me the knife. Now.”

“What?” Tom froze, staring in horror.

“Do it!” Dad roared. “She’s been poisoned with wolfsbane. We have to drain it out before it kills her.”

The words pierced through the haze in my head. Wolfsbane. My chest squeezed. No wonder my body felt like it was dying from the inside.

Tom stammered, “You—you can’t be serious—”

“Go!” Dad bellowed.

Tom ran, his footsteps pounding against the floorboards. He returned seconds later, pale-faced, holding the knife with trembling hands.

Dad snatched it and without hesitation slashed across my wrist. Pain tore through me, but the moment the poisoned blood spilled out, relief surged. Blackened liquid oozed from the wound, dripping onto the floor.

I gasped, shuddering as the weight inside my chest began to ease. My body twitched, fighting the toxin, until suddenly my wrist began to knit itself back together. The skin sealed, smooth and perfect once more.

The next moment I sat bolt upright, coughing violently. Thick, black blood splattered from my mouth onto the floor.

“Sorry, Luna,” Dad whispered hoarsely, his hand shaking as he reached for me.

I blinked through the blur. “Dad?” My voice cracked, barely more than a whisper.

“I’m here.” His eyes glistened with relief. “What the hell happened to you, Luna?”

“I was captured… by hunters,” I croaked.

“What?!” His voice thundered. “Hunters?!”

Tom’s jaw dropped, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Dad leaned closer, his fists clenched. “How the hell did you escape?”

“That’s the thing.” My lips twitched into a weak smile. “I didn’t escape.”

Tom frowned. “Then how—”

“I was rescued.” My heart thudded at the memory, the flash of dark fur, the glowing red eyes. “By an Alpha.”

Dad stiffened, his expression softening with gratitude. “What pack’s Alpha?”

I shook my head slowly. “I don’t know.”

Dad exhaled, his voice lowering in reverence. “Then maybe it was the messenger of the Moon Goddess herself that saved you.”

“Yeah… maybe,” I murmured, though my heart knew otherwise. The image of him—the one who called himself John—flashed in my mind.

Dad squeezed my hand. “Rest. You’ll be fine in a few hours. Just in time for the Moonlight Festival.”

My eyes fluttered closed, exhaustion pulling me under. But even as I drifted, one thought lingered: I wonder if he’ll be there.

---

By midnight, the forest glowed with life. The Moonlight Festival had begun. Torches and bonfires blazed, women twirled in bright dresses, drums thundered in rhythm to their dance. Children darted between the fires, laughing, their joy filling the air.

I arrived with my family, the heavy weight of last night’s terror still clinging to me. But tonight wasn’t about fear. Tonight was about survival.

This festival was no ordinary celebration. It was the night of the eclipse—the only time in decades when a wolf could awaken their bloodline. For my family, it was everything. We had failed for generations to awaken ours, and with every failure, our place among the supernaturals dwindled. If we failed again, we risked exile.

Though sworn to the same clan, every pack secretly wanted the others to fall.

“Be careful tonight,” Dad warned as we entered the clearing. “I heard the Lightning Pack will be here. Watch your backs.”

“No problem, Dad,” Tom and I replied in unison.

Dad joined the elders near the bonfire, leaving me and Tom standing at the edge of the crowd. My eyes wandered, scanning every face. Searching.

Tom nudged me. “What are you looking for?”

I snapped my gaze back to him. “Nothing.”

But it was a lie. My chest ached with the memory of him—the Alpha who had saved me.

A sudden roar of voices shattered the music. The drums stopped. Gasps echoed.

Tom and I spun toward the noise. Two packs clashed in the center of the clearing—ours and the Lightning Pack. Shouts filled the night, fists flying, teeth bared. It was chaos, forbidden and reckless.

Without thinking, I rushed forward, shoving my way between them. “Stop!” I screamed. “If you don’t, we’ll all be punished!”

The fighters froze for a heartbeat. Then a man from the Lightning Pack sneered, stepping toward me. His eyes crawled over me with arrogant hunger.

“Well, well. And who’s this beauty?” he drawled. “Why don’t you come spend the night with us—”

My fist connected with his jaw before he could finish. The crack echoed like thunder. He stumbled back, blood dripping from his mouth.

Gasps rippled through the crowd. My pack members grabbed me, pulling me behind them protectively. The Lightning wolf growled, ready to lunge again—

But then, a howl split the night. Deep, commanding, enough to make even the strongest wolf tremble.

The crowd parted. And out of the shadows, he emerged.

A wolf, massive, fur as dark as midnight, eyes glowing crimson. Power rolled off him in waves. My breath caught as he shifted before the crowd, his human form revealed—naked, unashamed, every inch of him radiating authority.

John.

He moved with calm, controlled strength, his eyes never leaving mine.

“Sorry for the disturbance,” he said coolly. His voice was smooth, confident, every word a command. “I promise I’ll keep my pack in check.”

And just like that, he turned and walked away, his people following.

I stood frozen, my heart slamming against my ribs.

I should have hated him. He was the Alpha of the pack that stood against mine. The Alpha of our enemies.

But hatred was the last thing I felt.

All I knew was this: I was dangerously, recklessly, madly in love with him.