Chapter 1 : Luna

Luna’s POV

“Luna… will you marry me?”

The words slam into me like a physical blow. The entire café goes silent, as if the world itself is holding its breath. A chair screeches. Someone gasps. A girl near the counter squeals, “Say yes!”

And right in front of me, on one knee, is Ethan Rell.

The quiet, polite boy from my class. The one who once borrowed my notes and barely said two sentences to me. Now he’s kneeling in the middle of a crowded café, holding out a ring that sparkles under the lights like it’s mocking me.

My chest tightens.

This is my worst nightmare.

Not wolves.

Not ghosts.

Not death.

Attention.

Dozens of eyes are glued to me. Curious. Excited. Judgmental. Some girls whisper, some giggle, others stare like I’m some kind of celebrity.

But I’m not.

I’m the girl who sits at the back of the classroom.

The girl who eats alone.

The girl who avoids eye contact.

The girl with secrets.

“Luna,” Ethan says again, his voice shaking. “Please. I love you. Marry me.”

My soul quietly exits my body.

I blink once. Twice. My mouth moves before my brain can stop it.

“No.”

The word drops like a bomb.

Ethan freezes. The crowd freezes. Even the barista stops mid-pour.

Heat floods my face. My heart pounds wildly against my ribs. I stand up too fast, knocking my chair backward with a loud crash.

“I—I have to go.”

My voice cracks. I don’t wait for a response.

I turn.

And I run.

Minutes Later — The Forest

The cold air burns my lungs as I sprint across the street and into the forest that borders our town.

Branches slap my arms. Roots grab at my shoes. The deeper I run, the darker it gets.

Stupid. Why did I come here?

This forest is a walking horror story. Some say wolves live here. Others say spirits. Old people swear no one who enters after sunset ever comes back the same.

But right now, it feels safer than a room full of staring faces.

I slow down, leaning against a tree, trying to catch my breath. My heart still races.

Why would Ethan propose to me? I barely talk. I barely exist.

People like me aren’t meant to be noticed.

Not when there are… secrets.

Think of the silver blood.

No. Don’t.

I squeeze my eyes shut and shake my head.

No more panic. No more—

Crunch.

A twig snaps behind me.

I stiffen. The forest has gone completely silent. No wind. No insects. No birds.

Only the heavy feeling that something big is watching me.

“Hello?” I whisper.

The shadows move.

A blur of black suddenly grabs my waist and yanks me backward just as a massive wolf with glowing red eyes lunges from the bushes.

I scream.

But the stranger holding me moves faster than anything I’ve ever seen. He leaps—no, soars—out of the wolf’s path, landing several feet away with impossible grace.

My breath catches.

He is… beautiful.

Terrifyingly beautiful.

Tall, broad-shouldered, with ink-black hair falling over glowing golden eyes. His presence feels dangerous, like standing too close to a storm.

The wolf snarls.

And the stranger growls back.

A deep, lethal sound that vibrates through the air.

He steps in front of me, shielding me with his body.

“Stay behind me,” he murmurs.

The wolf suddenly freezes. Its ears flatten. It whimpers like a punished dog.

Then it runs.

Just like I did earlier.

The stranger exhales and slowly turns toward me.

Our eyes meet.

And everything inside me stops.

His golden gaze softens, like he’s seeing something impossible. Something lost.

Something returned.

His lips part.

“Luna.”

My heart stutters.

That’s not the name people at school use.

That’s my real name.

The one from before.

Before the river.

Before the blood.

Before the missing memories.

I step back. “How do you know me?”

He takes a careful step forward, like he’s afraid I might break.

“You…” His voice cracks. “You’re alive.”

Alive?

“I’ve been looking for you for thirteen years,” he whispers.

Ice runs down my spine.

Thirteen years.

The same night I was found bleeding in the river.

The same night my memories vanished.

The same night the silver blood appeared.

“I don’t know you,” I say.

He gives a sad, broken smile. “You don’t remember. But your soul does.”

“What—”

He steps closer. Too close. I feel his breath on my skin.

Then he whispers the one thing I never expected to hear again today.

“Luna… please marry me.”

My jaw drops.

“What is wrong with everyone today?!”

“It’s not today,” he says softly. “It’s destiny.”

“I just met you!”

“You were always meant to be mine.”

“Nope.” I step back. “Goodbye.”

I turn to leave, but he catches my wrist—gentle, yet firm.

“Don’t go there,” he warns.

A low growl echoes behind me.

More shadows move between the trees.

A cold realization settles in my chest.

Something is hunting me.

“Who are they?” I whisper.

His eyes darken. “The ones who want you dead.”

Dead.

The word hits harder than the proposal.

“Why me?”

“Because of what you are… and what flows in your blood.”

My throat tightens. “What flows in my blood?”

He slowly touches my wrist.

Silver light glows beneath my skin.

My secret.

My curse.

The thing no human should have.

I jerk my hand away. “Don’t touch me!”

But he looks at me like I’m a miracle.

“Moonborn,” he whispers. “My mate.”

“I’m not your anything!”

“You don’t have to trust me yet,” he says. “But you need to come with me.”

“Why would I go with a stranger?”

“Because staying here means dying.”

He points behind me.

“And because they’ve found you.”

A bone-chilling howl echoes.

Then another.

Then many.

Wolves step from the shadows, red eyes glowing.

A circle tightening.

His golden eyes lock onto mine.

“Choose, Luna. Come with me and live… or stay here and die.”

My breath shakes.

I look at his outstretched hand.

Then at the wolves creeping closer.

I make my choice—

But before I can move, something massive leaps from the darkness.

Blackness explodes.

A roar shakes the forest.

And a giant wolf with glowing gold eyes crashes into us.

To be continued…