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EVANThe corridor is quiet.All those search parties have shifted to the western grounds exactly as planned, leaving the residential wing undisturbed after Clara climbed into the worst possible office she could have chosen at the worst possible time.That guard will hold.He has no reason not to.By dawn, what little he remembers will become uncertain, or gone entirely. Either way, he won't be a problem.I stop outside Clara's door and knock twice. The handle turns almost immediately, the door swinging open.So much for following instructions.She stands at the frame exactly as I left her—barefoot, hair half undone, one hand still faintly stained with dried blood despite her obvious attempts to scrub it away.There's at least no blood stench now."I asked you not to open the door." I remind her."You knocked.” She says."I told you not to open it until I got here.""You are here.""It could have been anyone."She folds her arms. “Well it's you.”I hold her gaze for a moment before loo
CLARA "Whether you understand it or not, Human Luna..." His eyes never leave mine. "Your life is no longer yours alone." I blink at him. "What?" What the fuck does that even mean? That sounds disturbingly cult-like. Did he hit his head on the way down? He sure did— Before I can ask, the sharp crunch of boots over gravel cuts through the night. Guards. Shit! The sound comes fast, branches rustling as flashlights sweep through the hedges. "There!" someone yells. Of course. Of fucking course. I have to escape! I have to run— Everything moves at once. Evan's hand settles against the small of my back, steady and firm, moving me behind him before my brain even catches up. One step. That's all it takes, and suddenly all I can see is the width of his shoulders filling my entire view. He's shielding me? ...Again. "Evan!" One of the guards skids to a stop, chest heaving as the beam of his flashlight swings straight onto us. Right into my eyes. I squint,
EVAN. There are promises a man chooses to make. Then there are the ones that choose him. Mine has always been simple. To protect. And protecting Clara Vance has quickly become the most exhausting responsibility of my life. Which is remarkable, considering she isn't actually mine to protect. That woman is trouble. I knew it the moment I watched her throw herself out of a third-floor window with all the confidence of someone who had clearly mistaken luck for skill. Most people make plans. She makes disasters and somehow survives them. So when I catch the faint crease between Alaric's brows, his attention breaking from the Blood Moon for the first time tonight, settling on the glowing watch on his wrists. I knew something happened. Or rather… Someone happened. Around us, the gardens have fallen into reverent silence. Hundreds stand beneath the crimson moon with their heads bowed, silver offering bowls reflecting scarlet light that humans will never see. The a
CLARA. I quietly slipped through the palace doors, and reached the residential building without much attention and entered the main hall soon. Empty. Good. Everyone who mattered was outside watching the Blood Moon, everyone who didn't matter was probably serving everyone who did, and that left me with long corridors, polished marble and an entire building to myself— "Lady Clara?" Fuck! Someone's here? How the ... Why? I take a deep breath and put on my best innocent face before turning around. Two maids are standing there, and judging by the direction they're headed, they're on their way to the gardens too. Couldn't they have left five minutes later? "Yes?" I ask after realizing I've been staring at them a second too long. "Lady Clara, everyone's at the gardens." One says softly. I know, woman. "Yeah...?" "Do you need something here? Should I help—" "No." The answer jumps out before my brain approves it. "I mean... the Blood Moon's already woken up. You sh
CLARA"Another one," I mutter to myself, reaching for another cupcake, making the tiered stand wobble in protest.The one thing nobody tells you about important pack ceremonies is that they're incredibly boring before they even begin. Everyone dresses up, stands around with expensive drinks in their hands and pretends they aren't all just waiting for the fucking moon to turn red.I lean against the long buffet table beneath the open sky, peeling the paper from my third cupcake of the evening.Vanilla.Buttercream.An unreasonable amount of frosting.Exactly what this evening needs.A smear of icing sticks to my thumb. I lick it off absentmindedly, my gaze drifting to the enormous full moon hanging above the palace grounds.It looks...Normal.White.Round.Very committed to being a moon."So..." I mumble around another bite. "When exactly do you become dramatic?"For the past three days, I've heard nothing except Blood Moon this and Blood Moon that.The Blood Moon.Capital letters inc
EMMAThe door closes firmly behind me.For a moment, I remain standing outside his room, my hand still resting against the handle. The cool brass presses into my palm while the scent of smoke and leather still lingers in my lungs, stubborn and familiar, refusing to fade despite the distance now separating us. I close my eyes for a second, letting the quiet settle around me. When I open them again, the corridor stretches ahead, long and empty, the polished floors reflecting the dim light overhead. I straighten my shoulders and force myself forward, my footsteps steady against the silence, leaving whatever passed between us where it belongs—Behind closed doors.Alaric's wing has always reflected him, minimal, controlled and impossibly quiet. Soft recessed lights cast a warm glow over dark wood and charcoal walls, while floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the sleeping territory below, countless lights glittering against the night. Even the artwork is understated, chosen more for balance t
CLARA Everything goes silent, not like death. Worse, like the world forgets I exist. The pain, the weight, the sound of my own blood—gone. And then I’m falling, not down, not anywhere, just… through something endless and bright. Light surrounds me from every direction, soft and warm, like the ai
CLARA."What the fuck is happening, Alaric?!"The door slams open under my hand, the sound echoing through the room, loud and violent, matching the storm raging inside me.“What is going on?!”My voice cuts through the air, sharp, shaking with fury I can’t control, burning my throat raw as it tears
CLARA I look up slowly. And meet a pair of dark brown eyes. Too dark that the night felt lighter in comparison. Fuck. “If you’re going to die," the man's voice blooms, low, edged, not at all panicked, "at least make it worth it." The— Before I can even process them, my body jerks upward. His
CLARA. "Do you take Alaric Voss as your lawfully wedded husband?” The priest’s voice echoes, distant, unclear. I can’t breathe. Blood—there’s my blood… my flesh—ah—it’s tearing, hot, wet, slipping through my fingers. Wolf… its claws, teeth, ripping me. I’m… my— My fingers twitch, and I’m







