The underground chamber where Lenora kept Emilia was lined with old stone, etched with runes that glowed faintly in the candlelight. The air felt heavy, as if it had soaked up centuries of rage and betrayal.Emilia stood by the small window slit high on the wall, barely wide enough to let the morning light seep in. Her arms were crossed, and though her body still ached from the interrupted transformation, her eyes burned with clarity.She hadn’t spoken to Lenora since their last argument two nights ago.Her mother had been patient at first, calmly explaining her version of the past—how she had been betrayed by Emilia’s father and hunted by the very people she once called her kin. She painted Dante’s bloodline as a curse, twisted by loyalty to the wolves who had turned their backs on magic. She’d said all the right words.But Emilia wasn’t a child. And she wasn’t stupid.Now, she stood in silence when Lenora entered the room, flanked by two hooded witches. The three of them radiated po
Alissa couldn’t sleep.The soft hum of the Bloodmoon Clan’s power vibrated in the air around her, but it brought no comfort. The moon festival had left her shaken. She hadn’t expected such chaos—witches crashing a sacred werewolf rite, Emilia’s sudden disappearance, and the way Marcello had pulled her aside right before everything fell apart. None of it sat right.She sat curled on the velvet bench beside the large window in her chamber, her gaze drawn to the forest that surrounded the clan estate like a protective embrace. Except tonight, it didn’t feel protective. It felt like a trap.A quiet knock broke the silence.Alissa turned her head sharply. “Come in.”Marcello stepped inside, his shirt wrinkled and his dark hair tousled. He didn’t smile. Instead, he leaned against the doorframe and studied her with quiet intensity. “You haven’t left your room all day.”“Maybe because I’m still trying to process the fact that witches nearly tore this place apart,” she snapped, arms crossed.M
The moon was no longer full, but its waning light still cast a pale shimmer over the Clan’s fortress-like territory. Alissa stood by the tall glass window in her assigned room, arms wrapped tightly around herself, staring out at the thick forest that bordered the estate. Her reflection looked ghostly in the windowpane—pale, shaken, and uncertain. The screams from the festival still echoed in her ears, the images of glowing eyes and witchfire burned into her memory.Behind her, the door creaked open.“Alissa,” Marcello’s voice was low, cautious. He closed the door behind him and approached slowly, as if worried she might shatter like glass. “You shouldn’t be alone right now.”She turned sharply, her green eyes narrowed, emotions boiling beneath the surface. “Where were you when it all happened?” she snapped. “Why weren’t you by my side?”Marcello paused. He looked tired. Dark circles ringed his eyes, and a faint bruise marred his cheek. “I was helping secure the perimeter. Things went
The silence in the room was deafening, broken only by the soft flicker of firelight against stone. Emilia lay still on the hard bed, her body aching, her head pounding. The last memory she could grasp was pain—sharp and searing—her body tearing itself apart during the ritual. The air had smelled of blood and incense. Screams. Fire. The Moon Festival.And then—her mother’s voice.Her breath caught as her eyes opened. She was alone in a dimly lit stone chamber. The walls were old, ancient even, etched with strange runes that pulsed faintly. She sat up quickly, regretting it instantly as a sharp pain stabbed through her ribs.None of this was familiar.She wasn’t in the Bloodmoon Clan.She wasn’t with Dante.Panic rose in her throat like bile.The door creaked open.Emilia’s spine stiffened.Lenora stepped in without a word, her robes sweeping behind her like a living shadow. She looked the same as before—ageless, severe, composed. Like someone who had long since discarded softness in ex
The flames licked higher, blue-white tendrils dancing toward the full moon, casting eerie shadows across the ceremonial clearing. Emilia knelt at the center of the circle, trembling, her hands clenched into the dirt. Her chest burned as if her very bones were being reshaped. She could feel something shifting under her skin—something primal, something old.The chants had long stopped. All eyes were on her.Dante crouched beside her, hand hovering just above her back. “Emilia, breathe. You’re okay.”But she wasn’t.Pain surged again—hot and wild. Her vision blurred. Her heartbeat roared like a drum in her ears. Around her, the world rippled like a mirage.Then the wind changed.A scent. Wrong. Rotten and sharp like sulfur.Dante’s head snapped up, nose flaring.Luka was already on his feet, eyes scanning the treeline. “Something’s coming—”Before the words had even finished, the wind split with a high-pitched shriek.From the darkness beyond the circle, they came—figures draped in shado
The sky was still a pale, sleepy gray when Emilia stood at her window, watching the Bloodmoon clan's territory slowly awaken. From afar, smoke curled from kitchens, laughter echoed faintly in the crisp morning air, and the scent of sweet herbs drifted up toward her room. It was the day of the Moon Festival.Emilia hadn't slept well.For the past several days, she had spent every spare moment trying to talk sense into Alissa. Her younger sister had taken up residence in the guest quarters near the southern wing, away from Emilia and Dante. At first, Emilia had hoped she was simply confused—dazzled by Marcello’s promises or maybe overwhelmed by the strangeness of their new world.But she had been wrong.Alissa was resolute. Cold even.“Marcello believes in me,” she had said just yesterday, sitting beneath the hanging lanterns strung across the inner courtyard. “He’s not perfect, but he sees what I can become. You don’t.”“What you can become?” Emilia had whispered, hurt blooming in her