Chapter 1

Rhaenyra’s POV

Welcome to Lunaria. A twisted realm where the supernatural is deemed ordinary, and humans are branded as demons, cast down into the dirt as abused slaves. Unluckily for me, I straddled the line between both worlds cursed by the blood of the weak, yet still fundamentally superior to them all.

I stared up at the glowing full moon, a violent shudder rattling through my bones. I could feel it in my marrow: the next moon would be baptized in my blood. Seeking escape from the endless, biting whispers of the court, I fled into the deep sanctuary of the forest.

Here, nature was my only true confidant. The wind caressed my hair, sending a delicious shiver down my spine as it murmured softly into my ear, whispering that my eyes were beautiful. Birds fluttered down, chirping melodic symphonies on my shoulders while my body swayed to their rhythm. Safe in the greenery, animals gathered around me in a silent, wondrous circle, completely forgetting that by all laws of nature, I was the predator, and they were the prey.

But the peace didn't last. A cold dread dropped heavy into my stomach, gripping my chest tight. *Failure.* The looming threat of what next month would bring paralyzed me.

Trying to shake off the panic, I brushed the dirt off my clothes and forced myself to walk aimlessly through the thicket. That was when my boot struck something hidden beneath the leaves. A scroll.

Unrolling the parchment, my eyes narrowed at the elegant script:

> *Rayna Cruz, my love.*

>

Before the confusion could even set in, the sky cracked open. Thunder boomed with a deafening roar, and the wind whipped into a violent frenzy. The world tore apart at the seams, plunging me into pitch blackness. I was no longer in Lunaria. A phantom voice clawed at the edges of my mind, desperate to break through, but I shut it out, fighting the intrusion.

Through the blur of the vision, a scene materialized: a lush garden filled with blooming plum trees, their suffocatingly sweet scent oozing a heavy, sophisticated aura of true love. Two figures danced and chased one another through the trees. Then, the woman’s voice echoed softly: *“Honey butt.”*

“Ahhhhhhh!”

I shattered the silence of the room with a raw, agonized scream. My skull felt like it was melting under pure fire, tears streaming hotly down my face. As my vision cleared, I realized I was back in my chambers. Standing by the bed was my handmaid, looking down at me with blatant scorn. I didn't care about her judgment; I was too disoriented.

Then, she spoke. “You have been out for one week.”

My mouth fell open, completely agape.

Before I could process the missing time, a pair of warm, strong arms wrapped around me. I immediately collapsed into the soft embrace, burying myself in his chest and wrapping my short arms around him. I wept openly, the rhythmic thud of our hearts syncing up as his fingers gently stroked my hair, shushing my cries. Finally letting my guard down, I allowed his soothing voice to flood my mind, whispering exactly what I needed to hear.

“Rhaenyra,” Luca murmured, his voice a gentle caress.

I looked up into his eyes, searching the depths of the hidden passion and devotion swirling within them. I reached up, my fingers softly tracing his jawline. “Yes, Luca.”

“I’m here for you,” he pleaded softly. “Can you please stop going into those woods? It isn't safe. At least for now... you haven’t transformed yet.”

The tender moment shattered. Pure, unadulterated rage flared within me. I ripped myself away from his touch, my face contorting as I screamed, “What do you mean by that?!”

“My lady,” the handmaid interjected, her voice tight with a quiet warning.

But the fire inside me was already unleashed. The torches in the room flickered and dimmed violently. The oxygen vanished from the air, turning the room into a suffocating vacuum. Luca suddenly gasped, his hands flying to his throat as his face flushed a dangerous, bruised red. Blood began to gush from his eyes, his nose, and his mouth. Terrified, he tried to wave his hand, a silent command for the maid to run but she couldn't move.

The maid was frozen in place. Her eyes rolled back into a pitch, bottomless black, her lips sealed tightly until the pressure cracked them open, spilling dark crimson. With a sickening thud, she collapsed to the floor.

Right before our eyes, her skin withered into a translucent, grayish-white pallor. Her eyes sank deep into her skull, lifeless and dull. A foul, nauseating stench of decay filled the air before her corpse suddenly ignited, burning away into a pile of blackened ash in a matter of seconds.

Luca was trembling violently, drawing in sharp, ragged breaths of air. Horror and astonishment warped his features as he roared at the top of his lungs, “Rhaenyra, what has gotten into you?!”.

A violent jolt snapped me out of the trance. Panic flooded my veins, replacing the rage. “No, no… what happened?” I shuddered, my voice cracking. “Who did this?”.

My eyes darted frantically around the room, taking in the splatters of blood, the suffocating atmosphere, and the chaotic voices echoing in my skull. A piercing screech tore from my throat. In a blind panic, I ripped the heavy drapes from the windows, tearing the fabric to shreds. I collapsed to my knees, completely broken, terror locking me in a suffocating, vice-like grip.

I looked at Luca, a thousand desperate questions burning in my throat. To wield this kind of devastating power before a first transformation was unheard of, unless you were born a pure Lycan.

But I wasn't a Lycan. I was impure.

Luca looked away from me, a flash of pure sickness and disgust crossing his face. He caught himself quickly, forcing a tight, rushed smile over his features as he backed toward the door.

“I shall be on my way, Rhaenyra,” he said, his words tripping over each other.

“But…” I reached out, trying to anchor him with whatever innocence I had left.

He completely ignored my plea, his tone hardening with sharp emphasis. “I will ask my men to clean this up. And keep quiet about it.”

Then, he vanished through the door.

A profound, hollow sadness washed over me. I didn't know what to do, what to say, or how to process the storm inside my chest. But one truth remained undeniably clear: I was a monster.

And Luca knew it, too.

My heart bled, but irony is a cruel thing. Moving on pure, primal instinct, I leaned over the remains of the handmaid. I fed on her heart the only intact piece of her corpse left behind. Pure, unadulterated bliss erupted through me, a flamboyant display of ecstasy as my fangs dripped with her fresh blood. A low, satisfied grunt of pleasure escaped my throat.

I snarled, my eyes flashing a brilliant, predatory silver.

I wanted more. *Where could I get more?*

Yet, even amidst the hunger, a sharp ache tore my heart into a million pieces as the horrifying reality of what I was becoming settled in.

Suddenly, buried memories dropped into my mind like a detonated bomb. I saw the radiant face of my mother, her gleaming smile lighting up the dark as she sang a beautiful lullaby to the moon. Instinctively, I began to hum the melody, a tragic, satisfied smile gracing my lips. But the memory fractured. She had been ripped away from my arms without an ounce of remorse, her legacy wiped from my mind, replaced only by the constant, cruel reminder that she was nothing but scum.

The smile vanished from my face, hardening into a cold, dangerous expression.

Then, the phantom voice returned, whispering directly into my soul.

*“Rayna. Come, Rayna.”*