The Bloodmoon Claim

Maya’s POV:I sit on the cold concrete floor, the rough fabric of the blindfold biting into my skin while the rope around my wrists digs painfully into my flesh. Every small sound feels louder in the darkness. The soft rustle of movement startles me. I hear whispers and another girl crying.Fear has a sound. And right now, it sounds exactly like this room.The smell is worse. Damp stone mixed with sweat and urine. And underneath it all, there is something metallic.Blood.My body shivers as the scene from earlier flashes through my head. I am back in my bedroom again. The door had slammed open so hard it hit the wall and nearly flew off its hinges. I remember how my heart jumped into my throat when the men ran into my room and pulled me from my bed.My foster parents came running in behind them. My mother’s robe hung loose around her, her hair messy, as though she had just woken up. My father looked the same with his loose pajama pants and wrinkled shirt. They both had shock writte

Ulric’s POV:The Bloodmoon Packhouse looms silent beneath the moon. From the outside, it looks like nothing more than a massive stone lodge hidden deep in the forest. Inside, though, power breathes through these walls. Generations of Alphas have ruled from here. Wars have been planned. Alliances forged and broken.I stand alone in my father’s study, staring out the tall window at the dark forest. The moon hangs in the sky, glistening between tree branches.Fenrir stirs in my head. He is restless.My wolf sensed it before I let myself acknowledge it.Tonight feels wrong.Tonight is the auction.A low rumble vibrates through my chest. Fenrir growls in my mind, claws scraping at my patience.“I know,” I mutter under my breath.The door creaks behind me.“You should be ready by now.”I don’t turn. I know the voice.“Rudick.”Beta Rudick steps inside, closing the door behind him. Tall. Broad. With faint scars crossing his brow and jaw. The quiet authority of a man who has stood beside t

Ulric’s POV:The streets disappear behind me as I approach the auction hall. Fenrir stirs beneath the surface. He can feel my tension and restlessness. I pull into the driveway of the auction hall. The car comes to a halt and I sit for a moment, hesitating to exit. The building sits isolated and dead, like a haunted forest, yet I can see it is alive with something dark and dangerous.The doors open, and the scent hits me first: warm human sweat, the faint tang of perfume, and underneath it all, coffee, pine, and lavender, something soft, yet unmistakably potent. Fenrir’s ears twitch; the wolf growls low in warning, though I shove the sensation aside. It smells lovely, but I shake the feeling quickly.A familiar voice breaks the tension.“Ulric Wolfhart.”Madam Sherry. Poised. Elegant. Wearing a red dress that hugs her form, emphasizing her curves. Her dark hair frames a face trained to command attention, and she smiles faintly as she approaches.“I never thought I’d see the day,” she

Maya’s POV:My mind struggles to keep up with what my eyes are witnessing. One moment, Cole is staring at me like I am his prey. Next, the man who bought me appears, moving faster than I’ve ever seen.I hear a sickening thud, the sound of breath being knocked from lungs, and Cole suddenly vanishes from in front of me. I gasp behind the gag.The stranger now stands between us.He looks bigger up close — broader, solid, like nothing could move him if he didn’t want to be moved. His chest rises and falls slowly, but I can sense something dangerous beneath that calm, something he’s holding back. His eyes lock onto mine again.And that strange feeling hits me.Safety.It makes no sense. I don’t know this man. He just bought me at an auction, like a painting. Men don’t spend that kind of money to be kind. My stomach twists at the thought of what he must expect in return.His hands move to the chains around my ankles.I freeze.Is this it? Is this where it gets worse?Instead, the metal snaps

Page One:A letter from Ulric to Maya.Dear Maya,I know this seems strange. I know you are scared. But you do not need to be afraid of me.Why should you trust me? That is a fair question. So let me begin at the beginning.I am a wolf.Yes, you read that correctly. I am a wolf. And to your kind, that must sound impossible. Like something from a story told to frighten children.But we are not stories.We are real. We exist in the shadows of your world because history has taught us that humans fear what they do not understand.Secrecy keeps the peace. Secrecy keeps you safe.Because despite what you may believe after what you have endured, we are not monsters.Not all of us.We are loyal beyond reason. We protect what belongs to us. We defend our own with violence if necessary. And when we love, we love completely. Without hesitation. Without retreat.Especially when it comes to our mates.A mate bond is a joining of two souls, chosen by the Moon Goddess herself. It is not affection