Chapter 23: The Blood Moon Decree

The skies above the crescent-shaped kingdom darkened unnaturally, casting a silvery red hue across the land. It was the Blood Moon—a phenomenon that happened once every fifty years, said to awaken dormant powers and unravel fates bound by the spirits of the old. To the wolves, it was sacred. To the Alpha King, it was an omen. And to Aurora... it was a nightmare blooming into reality.

Inside the palace’s stone-clad war chamber, King Lucien stood before his advisors, jaw tight, hands clasped behind him. Every window bore the haunting glare of the blood moon, its crimson light painting the ancient maps and scrolls spread across the table.

“We must act before the Council enforces the Blood Moon Decree,” growled Commander Roan, his voice low but filled with urgency. “You know what that means for her.”

Lucien’s eyes flickered dangerously. “I know.”

The Decree had been buried in legend—a cruel law that demanded the immediate execution of any forbidden mate bond forged outside the Council's approval. And now, thanks to Cyrus’s betrayal, the Council had been informed that Lucien’s fated mate was not the High Council’s chosen but a common she-wolf from a fallen bloodline.

Aurora.

She sat in her chamber, back pressed against the cold wall, heart thundering in her chest. The moon’s crimson light streamed through the window, illuminating her face like a curse. She had seen visions before—flashes of wolves running in the woods, of fire, blood, and Lucien standing over a battlefield, his hands stained with both rage and love.

Tonight, the visions were clearer.

Lucien would fight for her. But he would bleed for it.

The door burst open, and Lucien appeared, his royal armor half-done, his eyes burning with a mixture of love and fury. “You’re coming with me,” he said.

“To where?” she whispered, standing shakily.

“To end this,” he replied. “The Council will not decide our fate.”

Atop the eastern cliffs where the ancient stones of the Elders stood, the Council had gathered. Thirteen cloaked figures stood in a perfect circle beneath the blood moon, murmuring incantations in the old tongue. The wind howled. The wolves below waited, restless.

Lucien and Aurora arrived hand in hand, walking straight into the ring of power. Gasps echoed as the Council parted, revealing High Seer Allira—a woman as ageless as time, her eyes like silver daggers.

“You bring her here during the Decree?” she hissed. “You defy the sacred law?”

“I challenge it,” Lucien said boldly. “There is no law more sacred than the bond between fated mates.”

“She is of cursed blood,” another councilman spat. “Her father betrayed the last Alpha Council. She was never meant to be Queen.”

“I don’t care about her bloodline,” Lucien barked. “She is mine. The Moon Goddess chose her.”

“Then let the moon decide.”

Suddenly, the circle erupted in power. Energy sparked in the air, crackling as Allira raised her staff to the sky. “By the decree of the Blood Moon, we summon the Trial of Flame. If your mate bond is true, you will pass untouched. If it is false or cursed… you will burn.”

Aurora looked at Lucien, panic flooding her features. “Lucien, what if—”

He cupped her face. “Do you trust me?”

Tears welled in her eyes. “With everything.”

The ground split open in a perfect circle around them. Fire erupted, encasing them in a dome of burning judgment. Gasps rang out as the heat rose—scorching, suffocating. Aurora collapsed to her knees, struggling to breathe, her skin already singed.

Lucien held her tight, whispering her name again and again.

Then, a blinding silver light burst from their clasped hands—so powerful it swallowed the flames whole.

Silence.

The dome vanished. Aurora gasped in fresh air. Around them, only ash remained. Lucien knelt beside her, unharmed.

A hush fell over the Council. High Seer Allira stared, trembling. “Impossible…”

“The Moon has spoken,” Lucien growled. “She is my fated mate.”

One by one, the cloaked figures bowed their heads. The law had no choice but to yield.

But far in the shadows, Cyrus watched with clenched fists. “Let him enjoy his moment,” he muttered. “It won’t last.”

Later that night, back in the palace, Aurora stood on the balcony, the red moon now faded to a calm silver. Lucien joined her silently, wrapping a cloak around her shoulders.

“They bowed to you,” she whispered.

“They bowed to us,” he corrected. “But this is only the beginning.”

“What do you mean?”

“Cyrus isn’t done. And neither is the war he started. He wants the throne. And he knows the fastest way to get to me…”

“…is through me,” she finished softly.

Lucien’s arms tightened around her. “Let him come. I’ll burn the world before I let anyone take you from me.”

In the distance, wolves howled—not in mourning, but in victory.

But peace, as they both knew, would be short-lived.

Because destiny was only just getting started.