CHAPTER 4 — Blood Under the Full Moon

POV: Rowan

Somewhere beyond the bright celebration fires, a stranger had just spoken a name that would burn our world down before sunrise, and none of us had heard it yet.

The moment Lyra disappeared into the dark crowd, something inside me broke, and my wolf paced wildly inside my mind, snarling with frantic urgency, "Go after her! Bring her back!"

I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms and muttered aloud, "No."

Then my wolf growled back angrily, "She is our mate! We belong to her," I forced myself to reply, "not anymore," even though the words tasted like bitter ash in my mouth as I said them.

I forced myself to keep my eyes fixed on the remaining guests instead of looking down the dark path where Lyra had just vanished as I kept telling myself this was the right decision, it had to be.

The political alliance with the Ashcroft Kingdom would make the Blackwood Pack stronger, wealthier, and safer than ever before, finally bringing a permanent end to the brutal border attacks, the freezing, starving winters, and our historically weak reputation among the major packs.

It was just one hard sacrifice for the future security of thousands of innocent pack members, and that was what I kept repeating to my hammering heart yet, despite all my logic, my chest refused to stop aching.

The Moon Priest stepped beside me, his old face lined with worry, and said quietly, "The ceremony is complete, Alpha."

I gave a short, stiff nod and replied, "It is."

Princess Selene smiled brightly and slipped her manicured arm through mine, leaning against me as she whispered, "You did the absolute right thing Rowan, and we will build an empire together." She said.

But when I looked down at her hand resting on my arm, it felt entirely wrong, It wasn't painful, nor was it physically uncomfortable; it simply felt like a lie.

My wolf growled low and viciously in the back of my mind, "That isn't her, that isn't our mate." But I brutally pushed the voice away, telling myself firmly that it was enough, the past was over, and I had to look forward.

The guests slowly began celebrating again as loud, cheerful music filled the sacred courtyard while servants rushed back and forth carrying heavy trays of roasted meat and sweet, spiced wine, warriors laughed loudly as though nothing heavy or heartbreaking had just happened.

But as I scanned the crowd, I noticed something different, many of the veteran warriors weren't smiling, they kept glancing anxiously toward the dark road where Lyra had walked away.

Beta Gavin walked over to my side, his face carved from stone. "Alpha," he said, his voice unusually stiff.

"What is it, Gavin?" I replied, turning my attention to him.

"The warriors are unsettled," he said, his eyes scanning the gathering. "They aren't happy with how this was handled." He added.

"They'll accept it in time," I answered firmly, hardening my tone.

"They're worried about Lyra," he added, pushing harder than he usually dared.

Before I could answer, a sharp, cold look from Princess Selene silenced him entirely and she stepped closer, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. 

"She's no longer important to this pack, and the men should focus on celebrating our future, not mourning an Omega who didn't fit our standards." She said.

Though Gavin's jaw clenched so hard a muscle ticked in his cheek, he didn't argue back, he simply dipped his head in a stiff bow and stepped away into the crowd.

I watched him leave even though Gavin had trusted my judgment without question for years, tonight, for the very first time in our lives, I thought I saw deep disappointment shining in his eyes.

A loud, boisterous laugh pulled my attention away as several neighboring Alphas raised their heavy cups high into the air.

"To Alpha Rowan!" one shouted across the tables.

"To the powerful new alliance!" another roared in agreement.

"To Luna Selene!" a third cheered.

More cheers echoed across the crowded courtyard, bouncing off the stone walls and feeling the heavy weight of a thousand expectations, I forced myself to lift my cup of wine in salute.

"To peace," I said aloud.

The words sounded hollow and empty even to my own ears. Suddenly, my wolf growled again, much louder this time, sending a jolt of pure instinct through my veins. "Danger," he barked inside my head.

I frowned, lowering my cup as the night air suddenly became far too quiet, cutting through the festive noise.

The music continued to play and people laughed, yet beneath those sounds I heard something entirely different, heavy, synchronized footsteps, dozens of them, moving rapidly through the dense pine forest surrounding the clearing.

I spun around toward the dark treeline and shouted over the music, "Gavin!"

He reacted immediately, rushing back to my side, drawing his short sword as he asked, "What is it, Alpha? Do you see something?" He asked.

"Did you hear that?" I asked, straining my ears against the wind but before he could answer, a massive, deafening explosion tore through the eastern gate.

The ground shook violently beneath our feet, sending shockwaves through the courtyard, and women screamed in blind terror.

Bright orange flames burst into the dark sky as another powerful explosion followed closely behind, then a third, and the festive celebration dissolved into utter, bloody chaos in a matter of seconds.

"Attack!" someone screamed at the top of their lungs, and a horde of masked figures poured through the broken, burning gate like a wave of dark shadows, their faces were entirely hidden beneath heavy black cloaks, and their curved, deadly steel blades flashed viciously beneath the cold moonlight.

The first assassin struck an elderly warrior before anyone could even draw their weapons, splashing dark blood across the pristine white ceremony stones, women shrieked, children scattered, and panic took over.

"Protect the civilians!" I roared, drawing my own heavy steel sword from its scabbard, my wolf surged forward, taking control of my body, ready at last for something I actually understood: a brutal, straightforward battle.

The nearest assassin lunged toward me with terrifying speed, steel crashed against hard steel and the ringing impact echoing through my arms and rattling my teeth.

He attacked again, fast, aggressive, and highly skilled, far too skilled for an ordinary rogue or bandit but I blocked the strike with a grunt, pivoting on my heel, and kicked him hard in the chest. Before he could regain his balance, I slashed my blade across his armor, and he collapsed silently onto the stone.

Another masked assassin rushed past me directly toward Selene, raising a dripping dagger then I threw myself between them, and our blades collided again and again as sparks flying wildly into the smoky night air.

Behind me, Gavin barked orders like a seasoned commander and his voice cutting through the pandemonium. "Form defensive lines! Protect the elders! Get the archers to the rooftops immediately!"

The Blackwood warriors answered his call, rallying behind him to form a wall of shields.

The courtyard had quickly turned into a literal battlefield as thick black smoke covered the moon, and raging fires spread rapidly across nearby wooden buildings, filling the choking night air with the thick, coppery smell of fresh blood and burning ash.

I fought fiercely through wave after wave of attackers, each time one fell, another seemed to step over his body, leaving my mind racing with terrifying questions: Who were these men, and why had they chosen tonight, of all nights, to launch this coordinated assault?

One of the assassins suddenly threw a strange, glowing black crystal onto the stone ground and it detonated instantly, bursting into a thick, choking gray smoke that smelled of sulfur.

Our warriors coughed blindly, their vision blocked, and several brave men were cut down from the shadows before they could raise their shields to defend themselves.

"This isn't a normal pack raid!" Gavin shouted, parrying a blow near the altar. "They planned every single second of this!" He added.

A heartbreaking cry echoed from behind me, I spun around just in time to see one of our youngest guards fall heavily beside the sacred stone, his armor split wide open and dark blood staining the ancient altar.

Rage exploded like wildfire inside my chest and I charged forward, bellowing, "No!" as my wolf howled in fury, raw power rushed through my veins, and I struck down three assassins in three quick, devastating blows.

The remaining attackers hesitated for a fraction of a second, and a dark part of me thought, good, fear your Alpha.

Then, everything changed in an instant, one by one, the assassins abruptly stopped fighting while the chaotic noises of battle faded, and the entire courtyard fell strangely, unnaturally quiet then the surviving attackers slowly lowered their weapons to the ground.

I frowned, lowering my sword a fraction. "What are they doing?" I asked, none of them answered my question. Instead, every single masked assassin dropped instantly to one knee at the exact same time, their heads bowed low toward the broken, burning entrance.

The fires continued to crackle and burn as smoke drifted lazily through the night, but a heavy, crushing pressure suddenly swept across the battlefield, crashing over all of us like a giant, suffocating ocean wave and several of our warriors stumbled hard, and others fell directly to one knee without meaning to.

 I was completely overwhelmed by the sheer, terrifying force of it that even my wolf froze inside my mind, flattening his ears, and for the first time in all my years as an Alpha, he sounded genuinely afraid and whispered, "Impossible."

The wind stopped entirely, and even the roaring flames seemed to grow still then, heavy, measured footsteps echoed through the ruined gate, slow, steady, and dripping with absolute confidence.

No one spoke, no one even dared to breathe and every single Alpha around me lowered his head in instinctive submission, and even the visiting foreign kings nervously stepped back into the shadows.

I forced my eyes toward the entrance and saw a long line of elite warriors dressed in heavy black armor marched through the thick smoke, silver wolf crests gleaming coldly across their iron shields.

Royal Lycan Guards.

My heartbeat slowed to a agonizing crawl, because I knew with absolute dread that there was only one reason they would ever leave their capital and march onto our lands.

The soldiers split into two perfect, rigid lines and a tall, terrifying figure stepped between them, his dark black cloak moved gently behind him like a shadow, his glowing crimson eyes swept slowly across the ruined battlefield, and the very air around him seemed to bow in terror before his presence.

Someone standing right beside me whispered with trembling, bloodless lips, "The Lycan King."

I had spent my entire life believing the Blackwood Pack answered to no one in this world but in that single, crushing moment, watching him walk casually through the smoke as if the fire itself feared him, I understood just how painfully wrong I had been.