Chapter 1 – Blood on the Moon

“Elara, run!” My mother’s voice ripped through the air, sharp as a blade. Her nails dug into my arm, pulling me away from the doorway where I stood frozen.

“But Mama, no!” My throat burned as I shouted. “I can’t leave you!”

“You must!” Her silver eyes glistened, wild with fear. “If you stay, they’ll find you. Do you hear me? You have to survive!”

The walls of our small cabin trembled as claws scraped against wood. Smoke rolled in thick waves, burning my lungs, making my vision blur.

Somewhere inside the chaos, my brother shouted. “Stay away from her!” His voice cracked, breaking into a growl as the enemy wolves swarmed.

“Dreams can’t stop us now” another voice mocked, dark and cruel. Laughter followed, the kind that froze my blood.

I caught a glimpse of him, the Alpha, Thorne. His shadow filled the doorway, taller than any wolf I’d ever seen, his presence heavy like chains pressing down on my chest. His eyes burned like coals in the smoke.

My father stood between him and me, tall and unyielding even though his body shook with exhaustion. “You’ll regret this, Thorne. Taking life won’t grant you more.”

Thorne sneered. “Spare me the wisdom. I want what you’ve been keeping from me. That girl’s gift. She will heal me.”

“No!” My father’s voice was firm, but quiet, calm even in the face of death. “No one escapes the circle of life. You will die as all Alphas must.”

“Then your family dies tonight.” Thorne’s eyes flicked to me, hungry, triumphant.

“Papa!” I stumbled forward, but my mother yanked me back.

“Go!” my father roared, and for a heartbeat, I saw something flicker in his eyes...not fear, not despair, but sorrow.

The first wolf lunged. My father’s claws slashed, blood spraying across the walls. My brother’s scream echoed as he fought, teeth snapping, bones breaking. My mother shoved me again, harder this time, her nails leaving marks in my skin.

“Run, Elara!” she begged. “Live for us!”

The door burst inward. Shadows poured through like a flood. I tripped backward, landing hard on the dirt. My breath hitched. My brother was pinned, his throat torn. My mother’s mind brushed mine for the last time as she whispered ‘I love you’.

Then silence.

I didn’t remember how my legs moved, only that I stumbled into the forest, branches whipping my face as I ran. My lungs burned, my heart cracked open inside me. I should have kept running. But I didn’t.

I went back.

The cabin was nearly ash when I reached it. My hands shook as I pushed open the half-burnt door. The air stank of blood. My mother was gone. My brother lay still, eyes open and glassy. My stomach turned, bile rising in my throat.

“Papa!” My voice cracked.

A cough answered. Weak. Guttural. I stumbled toward it.

My father lay on the floor, his body shredded, blood soaking into the dirt. His eyes fluttered open when I knelt beside him.

“Daughter…” His hand trembled as it reached for mine.

“No, no, no, don’t talk. I can heal you.” Tears blurred my sight. My palms pressed against his wounds, the familiar heat of power flickering under my skin, eager to flow. “I can save you...”

“Too late.” He shook his head, his lips pulling into a faint smile. “You must not heal me. Not me. Not anyone.”

“Papa, please!” My voice cracked as the first sob broke loose. “If I don’t try...”

“Listen.” His grip tightened on my wrist, surprising me with its strength. His eyes burned, desperate. “Thorne did this. Him and his kind. Promise me, Elara. You will never heal those like him. Swear it.”

I shook my head, tears spilling onto his chest. “Don’t make me promise this. Please...”

“Swear it!” His voice thundered, cutting through my sobs. Then softer, almost breaking, “Or his evil wins. Don’t let my death be wasted.”

My lips trembled. My heart shattered. “I swear,” I whispered.

Relief softened his face. But then, something strange happened. His eyes glowed brighter, silver and sharp, brighter than I’d ever seen. He raised his hand, pressing it to my forehead.

“For you…I give my sight,” he whispered. “See the truth. See the danger. See the path.”

Heat rushed into me, searing, blinding. My mind filled with flashes...shadows, faces I didn’t know, blood, betrayal, fire. I gasped, clutching his arm.

“Papa…what’s happening?”

He smiled weakly. “You will understand one day. Stay away from them. Never trust their blood.”

And then his hand fell, his body stilled, and the world went quiet.

I screamed until my throat was raw.

I shot up in bed, choking on air, the scream still echoing in my head.

The ceiling of my apartment stared back at me, yellowed with damp stains. Not the forest. Not the fire. Just a dream. Again.

Sweat soaked my sheets, clinging to my skin. My chest heaved as if I had truly been there..kneeling in my father’s blood, powerless, useless.

Always too late.

I wiped my face with shaky hands. My tiny room was dark, lit only by the sickly glow of the streetlamp outside. My stomach growled, breaking the silence.

I dragged myself out of bed. The floor was freezing under my bare feet. My cupboard creaked when I opened it...half a bag of rice, one can of beans. I sighed. “Breakfast of champions.”

My phone buzzed. I grabbed it, half hoping, half dreading.

Outstanding fees. Final warning.

I let the phone drop on the table. “Fantastic. I’m officially broke and about to be kicked out of school.”

A knock rattled my thin door, making me jump.

“Elara!” It was my landlord’s voice, gruff and annoyed. “Rent! Don’t make me ask again.”

I pressed my back to the door, heart racing. “I’ll get it soon!”

“You said that last month. Pay up or pack out!”

His footsteps faded down the hall. My throat burned. I hated begging. I hated being cornered. And I hated that I had no one left to turn to.

I sat at my rickety table, staring at the peeling wallpaper. My father’s words came back to me: Never heal them. My palms tingled faintly, the power restless under my skin. It wanted out. It wanted to save, to fix. But I shoved it down.

Healing had cost me everything. I would never betray him.

My phone buzzed again. I glanced at it, not expecting much.

“Maid wanted. Live-in. Good pay.”

I frowned. A maid. Not exactly my dream job, but..better than starving.

I clicked it open, scanning. Apply through an agency. Confidential household. Mansion.

A humorless laugh escaped me. “A mansion. Right. Like they’d ever pick me.”

But something made me stop scrolling. Made me stare at the listing longer than I should. My pulse quickened.

I leaned back in my chair, whispering to myself, “What’s the worst that could happen?”

The answer, of course, was everything.