5:The Blood Prophecy☠️

Luna Valerius

The castle gates shattered open. Hunters were shouting. Wolves were snarling. Silver bullets sparked against stone walls. And in the middle of all that chaos, Silas Vane was smiling.

“Finally,” he said, his voice a low rumble. “Some fun.”

A hunter fired at us. Silas grabbed me by the waist in one motion and pulled me against his chest. The bullet blew apart the pillar behind us. His heart pounded hard against my ear.

“Let me go,” I screamed, furious.

“Not now, little wolf.”

“I’m not your—”

A scream cut me off. Dante had a hunter by the neck. The man’s body flailed in the air as Dante sank his teeth into his throat.

Blood. Blood sprayed everywhere. I should have felt sick. But I didn’t. Instead, something warm moved through me. Like the violence didn’t scare me. Like it fed me. God. What was wrong with me?

“Luna!”

Dante’s voice snapped me around. A hunter had come up behind me. The silver knife in his hand was about to hit my heart when I caught his arm on reflex. The man froze. I froze too. Because I’d stopped his arm with one hand. He was huge. And I was a girl who’d been hungry for years. That wasn’t possible.

The man’s face tightened. “Let go.”

I didn’t. Sudden rage rose up inside me. I twisted his arm. Crack. He dropped to his knees. I stared at him, stunned. Had I done that? The man cursed and pulled a silver dagger with his other hand.

Silas was suddenly in front of me. His claws tore through the man’s chest. Hot blood splashed my face. Silas turned to me slowly. His eyes had gone completely red.

“Are you hurt?” he asked. Like that was the only thing that mattered in the middle of a battle. I shook my head no. His gaze stayed on my face for a few seconds. Then an explosion sounded.

The castle’s great doors shuddered. The hunters fell back. Because someone was coming. Everyone felt it. Heavy footsteps echoed through the hall as it went quiet.

I couldn’t breathe. A man in a black cloak stepped out of the shadows. The moment I saw the silver-inlaid cane in his hand, my knees went weak. No. No, it couldn’t be.

Silas moved in front of me. Guarding me. Claiming me. Ready to kill anyone who hurt me. The man’s ice-cold eyes turned to me.

“Daughter,” he said, his voice calm. My heart stopped. My father. King Valerius.

The moment I saw him, everything I’d buried for years came rushing back. Fear. Rage. Loneliness.

“So you’re still alive,” I said, my voice shaking. My father looked at me for a long time.

“When I look at you, I see your mother,” he said coldly. “It’s irritating.”

Silas growled.

“One more step and you’re dead.”

My father gave him a dismissive look.

“The beast of the north,” he said, his lips curling with mockery. “So you finally ended up bound to her.”

Silas’s jaw tightened.

“Watch your mouth when you say her name.”

My father laughed at that. But when his eyes came back to me, the laugh vanished.

“You will return to me, Luna.”

“To you?” I laughed bitterly. “To the man who wanted me dead?”

The hall went silent. My father’s gaze hardened.

“I had to do it.”

“I am your daughter.”

“No,” he cut me off instantly. “You are a threat.”

The words stabbed into my heart. Silas lunged forward, but I caught his arm. He stopped. My father struck his cane against the floor.

“The night you were born, the prophecy emerged,” he said. “Your blood brings disaster, Luna. Because of you, packs will turn on each other. People will die.”

“You’re lying.”

“Am I?” He took a step toward me. “Do you remember what happened when you were five?”

“I don’t remember anything. I chose to forget all of you.” I couldn’t breathe. I was lying. Did anyone really forget their family? No. I hadn’t forgotten either.

“What did you do to me? What happened that day?” I whispered. My father said nothing. That silence was the answer. They had hidden my memories.

Silas looked at me. This time his anger wasn’t for me.

“What did you do to her?” he snarled. My father didn’t lose his composure.

“I protected her.”

“You left her alone,” Silas said, his voice deadly. “You declared your own daughter a monster and threw her away.”

For the first time, my father’s expression hardened.

“Because she is losing control.”

“Enough!” I screamed. The hall went silent. I was gasping for air. My head throbbed. Something strange stirred inside me, but I couldn’t tell what it was. I only knew I was furious.

I looked at my father. All my life I’d wondered why I wasn’t loved. I’d thought maybe I was the problem. But now I saw the truth. They had been afraid of me.

Silas came to my side slowly. This time his voice was softer.

“Luna.”

I turned my head toward him.

“Tell me the truth,” I said, trembling. “What am I?”

Silas was quiet for a few seconds. Then he placed his hand gently under my chin.

“The only thing I know is that you’re not the monster they think you are.”

My father gave a harsh laugh.

“Are you sure about that, Alpha?”

Just then, a terrible howl rose up from outside. The castle walls trembled. Dante ran to the window at once. His face went tight.

“Silas,” he said quietly. “The eastern pack has arrived.”

Hestia went pale.

“Impossible. There was a truce.”

Dante looked at me. Then he spoke slowly.

“Not anymore.”