Chapter Five: Blackveil City

Akira's POV

“Hey, don’t die ooo.” The voice was rough, amused, and entirely unconcerned with my comfort.

I groaned as I wondered who could be. “That’s… a terrible way of greeting someone”

Then a low chuckle, which kind of amused me. “Good. That means you’re still alive.”

Light found its way to my eyelids. Neon, very harsh and unforgiving. I turned my head and hissed as pain flared behind my eyes.

“Easy,” the voice said. “You passed out so hard.”

“Where am I?” I croaked, my voice unrecognizably. 

“Blackveil City.” The words landed on my ears heavily.

I forced my eyes open immediately. Concrete walls were around me, the ones I can't remember entering. 

“This isn’t Crimson Moon land,” I whispered quietly.

“No,” the man said. “And if you’ve got any sense left, you won’t dare say that name too loudly around here.”

I tried to sit up on hearing that, but pain had its way in exploding through my ribs. 

“Ah,” he said. “There it is.”

I clenched my teeth in agony. “Who are you exactly?”

“Kade,” he replied. “Occasional smuggler. Full-time mind..my..business kind of guy. Well, you collapsed in my alley.”

“Your alley, huh,” I muttered in awe.

He shrugged like it was nothing. “I claimed it five years ago. Haven’t died yet as planned for me.”

I laughed weakly, then winced as the pain returned. “That makes one of us.”

Kade crouched beside me, studying my face. “You look like hell.”

“I feel even worse without seeing my face” “Pack wounds,” he noted. “Alpha inflicted some kind of wounds. That’s certainly a nasty business.”

My fingers curled as the fresh memory of what happened rushed in. “They don’t get to be my pack anymore.”

“Lucky them,” he replied calmly. “So what are you?”

I frowned, not knowing what to answer him. “What kind of question is that?”

“The kind you ask in Blackveil before deciding whether to help or sell someone for more business”

I met his gaze, very cool and calm. “I was Luna-in-waiting of the Crimson Moon Clan.”

His expression froze immediately I said that. “…Was,” he repeated carefully. “Yes.”

He leaned back slowly, feeling pity for me which I didn't appreciate. “That explains the scent.”

“Scent?”

“Power,” he corrected immediately. “But this time broken, like something had chained it somewhere.”

I swallowed the moment I heard that. “I was rejected.”

Kade whistled low. “Publicly, right?”

“Yes.”

“Damn,” he said. “That’ll shatter most wolves, the worst experience ever.”

“I noticed that too.”

Then, suddenly, footsteps was heard echoing just at the mouth of the alley.

Kade stiffened carefully. “Speak of predators, and they don't waste time to show up.”

Three figures then emerged, standing before us. They were rogues, all of them, and of course, scarred and hungry. Their gazes locked onto me immediately they set their eyes on me.

“Well, well,” the tallest one among them drawled. “What crawled in from the woods without our notice?”

Kade stood up, maybe to defend me. “Move along.” One of them laughed heartily. “That's your girl right there?”

“No,” Kade replied flatly. “That’s certainly your warning.”

The tallest rogue sniffed the air, eyes narrowing. “She smells… wrong.”

My pulse quickened just listening to them talk. “Bleeding profusely,” another one said eagerly. “All alone with no wolf.”

That's weak. The word did it, hitting my head roughly, very hot and sharp.

I pushed myself upright, ignoring Kade’s sharp inhale. “You should leave right now.”

The rogues laughed louder, maybe amused at my outburst. “And if we don’t?” the tall one asked.

I felt something strange within me, but it wasn't my wolf. 

“Bow right now,” I said. The word slipped out from my mouth like it had always been waiting. Of course, the air changed, the tall rogue’s smirk vanished. His knees slammed into the concrete with a sickening crack. The others followed immediately, gasping, their bodies folding without understanding why.

Kade swore under his breath. “What the hell...”

I stared at them in shock, my heart pounding. “I didn’t...” The pressure immediately vanished as quickly as it came. The rogues wasted no time in scrambling backward, terror wide in their eyes.

“Get away from her,” one of them whispered. “She’s cursed.”

They ran as their legs could carry them, then everywhere became quiet again. Kade stared at me like I had suddenly grown a second head. “You didn’t just dominate them.”

“I didn’t try,” I said shakily. “That wasn’t Alpha dominance,” he said slowly. “That was...”

A new presence immediately showed up in the alley. Very sharp, too controlled and dangerous.

“Step away from her.” The voice was calm...but even at that, it carried weight.

Kade’s hand drifted toward a hidden blade unconsciously. “You don’t own this alley.”

“I don’t want it either.”

Heavy bootsteps were heard fast approaching. A tall man was seen emerging from the shadows, his coat very dark, eyes colder than the steel at his sides. His gaze locked onto me immediately, and he stopped on his track.

“What?” Kade snapped all of a sudden. “Are you planning to stare her to death?”

The man didn’t even as much as blink. “What is your name?”

I swallowed hard. “Akira.” His eyes flared silver the moment I mentioned my name.

“That’s not what I asked,” he said quietly. “What are you?”

“I was Luna-in-waiting,” I said. “Now I’m nothing.”

He took a few steps closer, then yet another. Slowly, like le was approaching something that might bite if care wasn't taken.

“No,” he murmured. “You’re not a Rogue either.” He inhaled deeply, like he was trying to confirm something. Even his entire body went still as he examined me.

“That scent…” His jaw tightened like recognition. “That’s not Luna either.”

Kade shot him a look, that if looks could kill, he would have done that. “You know her from anywhere?”

“I know what she isn’t,” he replied calmly, his eyes still glued to mine.

“And what am I?” I demanded, suddenly interested to know His gaze remained on me, sharp, assessing, yet unreadable.

“Something very ancient,” he said. “And very dangerous at the same time.”

Then, the moon seemed to flicker above us, somehow illuminating the alley briefly in silver light.

He noticed that too, making his expression to change , more like respect, caution, something like awe.

“I’m Ronan Blackthorn,” he said. “And you just bent Blackveil’s rules without touching them.”

I exhaled shakily as I listened to him. “Is that bad?”

His lips curved into something amusing. “For everyone else? Yes.”

“For me?” I asked. He studied me for a long moment. “That only depends.”

“On what exactly?”

“On whether you will be able to survive what’s waking up inside you.”