Crimson Idol Novels & Stories

A hush fell as the Alpha raised his cup. “To the Blood Moon,” he intoned. “To the gift of the Shift.” The pack raised their cups in unison. Voices lifted in a chorus of reverence and then... A second voice split the night. “The cursed daughter will either crown or bury you all.” The words were ragged and eerie and were seeping into every corner of the clearing. A figure stepped from the tree line, crimson robes dragging against the earth, while her blind eyes were glowing faintly white. The Crimson Seer. Gasps rippled through the pack. Some wolves dropped their cups, while others shifted uneasily. No one had invited her. Her pale, sightless gaze locked on me as my skin crawled immediately.

Because the answer had been forming quietly in the back of his mind ever since he smelled her in the cave years ago. “Your bloodline,” he said slowly. Regina frowned. “My family isn’t special.” Aldric shook his head slightly. “Crimson Hollow’s Alpha line is one of the oldest in the region,” he explained. “Strong wolves. Strong healing.” Regina’s expression darkened. “So he wanted power.” “Most likely.” The thought made Aldric’s jaw tighten. If Rafael had targeted Regina deliberately… Then her kidnapping had never been random. It had been planned. A cold realization settled over him.

⸻ The image darkened. The Crimson One stepped away from his brothers. ⸻ Toward a glowing object hidden beneath the earth. ⸻ A crystal. ⸻ Dark red. ⸻ Beautiful. ⸻ Wrong. ⸻ The moment he touched it— Everything changed. ⸻ The vision exploded. ⸻ Darkness spread across the world. ⸻ Cities burned. ⸻ Wars erupted. ⸻ Entire kingdoms fell. ⸻ The Crimson One watched it all with fascination.

A recognition that lived below thought. The woman's eyes opened fully. Crimson. Not human. Deep glowing red lit from somewhere inside, burning steady and old and alive. Tyra stepped back. "Who are you." "You already know," the woman said. Her voice was warm and cracked at the edges like something that had been through fire and come out the other side. She moved forward, each step soundless on the black soil. Her crimson eyes moved over Tyra's face with a desperation that was almost physical. Like someone who had been kept from something for so long that seeing it again hurt. "You have always known."

The rest would be handled by the one other person who had been able to successfully return from their rogue state…Somchai himself. Five years ago…I had vowed to myself that I would never be an easy target for anyone, and I would make sure to follow through with that vow till the end. No one will ever corner me; no one will ever find me defenseless. And if that meant I would have to shun all weaknesses, including finding my mate…then so be it. I, Alpha Itlan Krimson of Red Claw, will rise again and again from the ashes, no matter how many times I was thrown to the deepest, darkest of edges. And those who had once thought me helpless…will pay with their blood.

And would that make me his aunt? Crimson had already said he would never trust them fully. He didn’t want to be the one to wipe out a Pride, a whole race that as we knew, was the last of their kind, and throw Cambiador into war again. He wanted peace. I understood that more than anything. I didn’t want war either. I wanted to concentrate on Cambiador. I wanted to bring the kingdom to its former glory side by side with my mate. I had a newfound respect for Crimson for not declaring himself the king of Tolba after defeating Arik. I respected Crimson before, but now, seeing his diplomatic and somewhat forgiving side, I applauded him. It would have been so easy for him to kill Arik and Althea.

I looked like a dwarf beside him although I am taller than other girls, as I am five feet seven inches. “I am asking what your name is…” he said in his cold tone and I felt stupid in front of him. I thought he was staring at me but he was just waiting for my answer about my name. I breathed out heavily. My rating for delivery will go down from one to zero because he doesn't seem happy with my delivery service. Oh, shit*! “My name is… my name is... Crimson.” There! I gave him my name! I don’t like my name at all. How I wish that the orphanage named me Red or Scarlet and it was much better than Crimson.

She looked out over the wolves who had come to witness her crowning, seeing faces she knew and faces she did not, seeing hope and fear and love and uncertainty. I am not the Luna you expected, she continued. I am not the gentle mate who stands quietly at her Alpha's side. I am not the traditional leader who follows paths worn smooth by generations before. I am something else entirely. She paused, letting her words settle. I am the Crimson heir. I carry three thousand years of power in my blood. I have fought and bled and nearly died for every wolf in this valley. And I will continue to fight, to bleed, to die if necessary, for the future we build together.

She smiled, “her wolf is one that needs a strong human, not just anyone can control Crimson.” My eyes darted to her and then back to the road, “Crimson, as in blood, fire and brimstone, that type of Crimson?” She sat up straight, “why would you think like that and not that it is just the color red.” I shrugged, “Angel remember, I always think that type of stuff first,” I gave her a shy smile. She nodded, “it doesn’t matter, Crimson is gone with her, unless she is now with someone who didn’t have a wolf.”

"Embrace who you are, and don't let the echoes of your past define you. You have the power to shape your destiny, and I believe in you." I stood there, stunned, as the weight of the revelation settled over me like a heavy cloak. The honor bestowed upon me felt surreal, a stark contrast to the life I had known. It was as if the ground beneath me had shifted, revealing a hidden truth that had eluded me for years. Krimson…seemed to have known all along. His attempts to downplay my power and belittle my abilities now felt like a deliberate ploy to control me, to keep me in the shadows.