The Blood Moon's Choice

The ground beneath my feet trembled.

Cracks spread across the sacred clearing, glowing with silver light. Every wolf staggered as an ancient force surged upward from deep beneath the earth.

The assassin standing before me stumbled back, his eyes filled with terror.

"No..."

He stared at the glowing mark on my neck.

"It can't be."

Silver light poured from the crescent mark, wrapping around my body like ribbons of moonlight.

I looked down at my trembling hands.

"What... what's happening to me?"

Lucien stepped in front of me again.

His expression remained calm, but I caught the tension in his eyes.

"Don't fight it."

"I'm trying not to!"

"It isn't trying to hurt you."

Another violent tremor shook the clearing.

The Moon Stone split completely in half.

A deafening crack echoed through the mountains.

Every conversation stopped.

Every weapon lowered.

Even the assassins froze.

From inside the broken Moon Stone rose a beam of silver light, stretching toward the Blood Moon.

The High Elder dropped to his knees.

"The Sacred Gate..."

His voice shook uncontrollably.

"It has opened."

Another elder gasped.

"That hasn't happened in a thousand years."

Ryker slowly pushed himself off the ground, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth.

"What gate?"

The High Elder looked at him with disbelief.

"The gate that only appears when the Moon Throne recognizes its rightful heir."

The words hit me like a physical blow.

"No..."

I shook my head.

"That's impossible."

Lucien turned toward me.

"It has always been you."

"I don't want a throne."

His silver eyes softened.

"I know."

"I don't even know who I am anymore."

"You will."

He reached for my hand.

This time, I didn't pull away.

The moment our fingers touched, warmth spread through my body.

The burning pain disappeared completely.

For the first time since the ceremony began...

I could breathe.

I looked into his eyes.

"Why does this feel..."

I struggled to find the right word.

"...safe?"

His lips curved into the faintest smile.

"Because your wolf recognizes mine."

My cheeks warmed.

Before I could answer, Lyra stormed toward us.

Her face burned with jealousy.

"This is ridiculous!"

She pointed at me.

"She's nobody!"

Lucien slowly turned his head.

One look from him made Lyra hesitate.

"You keep repeating that."

"Because it's true!"

"Is it?"

His voice remained dangerously calm.

"Tell me, Lady Lyra..."

He took one slow step toward her.

"When was the last time the Moon Stone shattered for an ordinary wolf?"

Lyra opened her mouth.

Nothing came out.

Lucien continued.

"When was the last time the Blood Moon appeared during a mating ceremony?"

Silence.

"When was the last time every Alpha instinctively bowed to a single presence?"

No one answered.

The clearing had never been quieter.

Ryker clenched his fists.

"I don't care what signs appear."

Everyone looked at him.

"I rejected her."

His voice was filled with stubborn pride.

"And I don't regret it."

The words pierced my heart.

Even after everything...

He still didn't regret humiliating me.

Lucien glanced at me.

"Does it still hurt?"

I forced myself to answer honestly.

"Yes."

He nodded once.

"It will."

Then his expression hardened.

"But not forever."

Ryker laughed bitterly.

"You speak as if she belongs to you."

Lucien's silver eyes met his.

"I speak as the man who intends to protect her."

"I can protect my own people."

Lucien's gaze never wavered.

"You couldn't even protect your own mate."

The words struck like thunder.

Ryker's face darkened.

"She stopped being my mate the moment I rejected her."

"No."

Lucien's voice became cold enough to freeze the air.

"She stopped being yours the moment you chose pride over destiny."

A murmur spread through the crowd.

Several elders exchanged uneasy glances.

The High Elder slowly stood.

"There has never been a rejection like this."

"What do you mean?" Ryker demanded.

The old man swallowed.

"The Moon Goddess never intended for the Blood Moon to appear."

His gaze shifted toward me.

"Your rejection awakened something far older than the mate bond."

A chill crept down my spine.

"What exactly did I awaken?"

Before anyone could answer...

A loud horn echoed from beyond the forest.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Every elder's face drained of color.

Lucien looked toward the mountains.

"They're here."

My pulse quickened.

"Who?"

He didn't answer immediately.

Instead, he slowly drew a long silver sword from his back.

Moonlight danced across the blade.

His expression turned grim.

"The kings."

I frowned.

"What kings?"

The High Elder whispered the answer before Lucien could.

"The Six Alpha Kings."

My heart skipped.

"The rulers of the six great kingdoms?"

The elder nodded.

"They only gather for one reason."

The distant horns sounded again.

Closer this time.

Lucien tightened his grip on his sword.

"They've come to decide whether the Moon Queen should live..."

His silver eyes met mine.

"...or die."

The horns echoed again.

Closer.

Louder.

Each blast seemed to shake the mountains themselves.

The wolves in the clearing instinctively stepped aside, creating a wide path from the forest to the shattered Moon Stone.

No one spoke.

Even the assassins lowered their weapons.

The earth vibrated beneath my feet as six enormous dire wolves emerged from the trees.

Each wore armor forged from black steel etched with ancient runes.

Each carried the scent of absolute power.

One by one, they shifted into human form.

Six men.

Six kings.

The tallest stepped forward first.

His gray hair reached his shoulders, but age had done nothing to weaken the hard lines of his face. A heavy crown rested on his head.

"The Blood Moon..."

His deep voice rolled across the clearing.

"...has returned."

The High Elder bowed so low his forehead touched the ground.

"Your Majesty."

The other elders quickly followed.

Lucien remained standing.

"So," another king said, folding his arms. "The rumors were true."

His golden eyes settled on me.

"The heir lives."

My throat tightened.

I hated that word.

Heir.

Queen.

Princess.

None of them felt like they belonged to me.

I was Seraphina Ashwood.

An ordinary omega.

Or at least...

I thought I had been.

King Aldric—the gray-haired ruler—looked directly at Lucien.

"You disappeared for five hundred years."

Lucien's expression remained unreadable.

"I was waiting."

"For her?"

"Yes."

King Aldric slowly nodded.

"Then the prophecy has begun."

The words sent another wave of whispers through the crowd.

Ryker stepped forward.

"I demand an explanation."

One of the younger kings looked at him with open amusement.

"You demand?"

Ryker didn't back down.

"This is my territory."

The king chuckled.

"Son..."

He walked until he stood face-to-face with Ryker.

"...your territory ends where the Moon Throne begins."

Ryker's jaw clenched.

"I am the future Alpha."

"And she..."

The king pointed toward me.

"...is the future your kingdom has feared for centuries."

My pulse quickened.

Lucien finally spoke.

"Enough."

His calm voice silenced everyone.

"She has learned too much in one night."

"And not enough," King Aldric replied.

He turned to me.

"What is your name, child?"

I hesitated.

"Seraphina Ashwood."

He smiled sadly.

"No."

My stomach tightened.

"That is the name your protectors gave you."

His gaze softened.

"I asked for the name your mother whispered before she died."

A strange ache settled deep inside my chest.

"I... I don't know it."

King Aldric closed his eyes briefly.

"Then they truly erased everything."

The silence that followed felt heavier than before.

Lucien looked at me.

"Your birth name was Seraphina Elara Draven."

The world stopped.

Draven.

The same surname as Lucien.

I stared at him.

"What did you just say?"

"You are the daughter of Queen Elara."

His voice remained steady.

"And the last rightful heir of House Draven."

"No..."

I stepped backward.

"This isn't real."

"It is."

"I would've remembered."

"You were an infant."

"I would've known."

"They made certain you never could."

My breathing became uneven.

Father...

Mother...

Every bedtime story.

Every birthday.

Every memory.

Had my entire life been built on a lie?

Tears burned my eyes.

Lucien took a cautious step toward me.

"Seraphina..."

"Don't."

He stopped immediately.

"I need..."

My voice broke.

"I need a moment."

He inclined his head.

"As you wish."

For the first time since we'd met...

He gave me space instead of answers.

That simple act eased something inside me.

He wasn't trying to control me.

He was waiting for me to choose.

Before anyone could speak again—

A woman laughed.

The sound drifted through the clearing like silk.

Elegant.

Cold.

Dangerous.

The crowd turned toward the shattered Moon Stone.

A woman dressed in flowing white robes walked through the silver light.

Her long black hair reached her waist.

A silver crescent rested on her forehead.

Every priest immediately knelt.

"The High Priestess..."

One of the kings frowned.

"Selene."

She smiled sweetly.

"My kings."

Her gaze slowly settled on Lucien.

"It has been a very long time."

Lucien's expression hardened.

"Not long enough."

She laughed softly.

"You always did know how to greet an old friend."

"I would hardly call you that."

Her smile didn't fade.

Then...

She looked at me.

For the briefest moment...

Hatred flashed through her beautiful face.

It disappeared so quickly that I almost thought I'd imagined it.

Almost.

She folded her hands gracefully.

"So..."

Her voice carried effortlessly across the clearing.

"...this is the girl everyone is willing to die for."

A chill ran down my spine.

The way she looked at me...

It wasn't curiosity.

It was recognition.

As if she'd been waiting for this night.

As if she'd feared it.

And somehow...

I knew.

The woman standing before me wasn't here to welcome the Moon Queen.

She was here to make sure one never rose.