Alphated : The forgotten Luna

APTE

ce Beneath

pretending she hadn't noticed the way

ing impossib

he ballroom. When she spoke to one of the servants, his attention followed her. Even when surrounded by

s unn

d to examine too closely, i

bration had been beautiful, certainly, but she had never been comfortable in rooms where ev

of those th

as what she had

anterns whose flames flickered without producing smoke. Moonlight spil

de one of the win

ly. S

he hea

os

traig

ad spoken

rvant or one of the guests who had wandered aw

el

istant mus

d turned back t

e Lu

ce was unmistakabl

d away from

in the

a note of restrained urgency, as though whoever had spoken was standing

was nobo

r fingers agai

ge conversations about werewolf clans, and the unsettling attention of the Sanguinara heir, she w

your mind," she w

s on whom yo

spun

s. His expression was composed, almost indifferent, but there was a te

, neither of

about him that had nothing to do with his title. He carried himself like someone accustome

gnit

kind that followe

eeper th

mething for years and had finally fo

neak away from p

ties are determine

of his mo

oon celebration has f

n't sa

impli

tion can't survive without my admiration, per

stared

pectedly,

t. It was brief and genuine, and it transformed his face so co

mo

e who doesn't know whom she'

y who you are,

w better than to ins

uld organize bet

ed, but amusement r

onds, he simp

guest at his family's estate, after all, and he was the hei

't bring herse

itated her almost as mu

omething,

r full name made h

know my name

went

but Rose caught it. His fingers curled s

was on the

s i

cour

ugh you've seen a ghost ever

ettled be

evening, Xander seemed u

th was standing

ine, a bloodline that should have been invisible to every law governing their wor

ertainty that frightened him m

AT

hrough his mind, drownin

ertainty, he had f

se

ma

was beginni

explanation that wouldn't destroy everything his family had built

upposed to exist in

her existence could change the fate

ld tel

his people had chosen her before either of them h

Register had b

seal around her bloodline concealed

f the wrong people disc

his expressi

emind me of so

you don

haven't m

bli

n't even m

awa

answer question

sk questions I don'

charm

been

lded h

way. Then she remembered the strange v

, but something about the sound had uns

my name just n

xpression

he

rrived. I heard so

ched he

yone el

N

ctly did

e Lu

was so complete that the d

f surged ben

heard

nk, but the discovery sent a c

oodline remained sealed. Even if the Sacred Register had recognized he

eal was alre

waking faster than an

nde

he'd been st

e sound famil

hesit

t familiar, but I've

rward again, restl

ll

ander m

eyes

ha

d at her

ou say?" sh

thi

ust sa

thinkin

ut w

hat doesn't

pression

ou should think

rned t

e could reconsider, s

ai

from his face to th

at

ced anything unusual before arriving at the estate, whether she'd ever felt dr

ow whether she could feel hi

only question that wou

that something about

xpressio

ed look in her eyes softened into something more vulnerable, and fo

different someti

not what

a better

ld he

there's something about yourse

looke

closer to home than

ways been li

righter around her than anywhere else. A strange warmth beneath her skin whenever she stood beneat

never to

al, but because she feared that saying

sking me this?

nswer he could

get

e one who

kno

ving as though

w tigh

dea what you'r

plain it

hoed through

the silver lan

them l

Rose might have mistaken it for a sudden change in

gi

uried

responding

h her palm. She looked down, startled, but found

voice r

os

fr

, it soun

eside

ehind

ide

red at

ou hea

e had g

r wh

voi

dn't

cautious ste

ed my na

less. It was straining against him with

is wa

voice suddenly serious. "If you experience an

at him in

efusing to explain anything, and n

ng you to

wh

oward the t

e estate, enormous and silver, its

shimmer in the glass, like a symbol that appeared o

it va

rned back

ou don't und

ession h

ery conveni

os

you're playing, I

him and continued

e, he le

around the corner, fighting every

ed furiously

at

closed

kno

is

't mean I c

d that existed somewhere

opened

en of protecting a dynasty whose foundations were built upon ancient la

's celebration, and suddenly every less

iny had chos

never cared whet

*

return to

and closed the door behind her. The moment she was alone, she pr

frightene

exac

ay the world seemed to chan

flickering lanterns.

yes when she'd told h

w some

e was determined t

elp her think. Below, the gardens stretched toward the dist

mmered among

aned c

shift, revealing a pale stone archway she was

thing carved i

ounded by seven slen

fingers against t

red something d

a me

cogn

in, and the voice retu

e ho

away from

den was

ay had di

nto the darkness, while an unfa

dea what the

at her as though she carried the answer to

was becoming p

o the Blood Moon estate, i

ce of her forgotten past, somet

ond the reach of ordinary e

ight escaped thr

ns, the ancient magic guarding the