Moonlit Heir

hairs on Elara's arms stand on end. It vibrated in her chest, a primal sound that spoke of t

ted towards the open doorway, a flicker of genuine fear replacing their icy composure. "What

enched into fists, and the golden light in his eyes seemed to deepen, taking on a predatory gleam. He looke

hump-thump that wasn't the strange heartbeat Elara had noticed earlier. This

. This wasn't just a storm and a creepy mansion. T

re filled the do

sque blend of human and wolf, with a flattened nose, pointed ears twitching nervously, and a mouth full of long, yellowed teeth bared in

hain, the metal gleaming dully in the dim light spilling from the ro

e's throat as it strained against the c

wolf pendant around her neck. "A thrallhound?

the creature's growl. "They're tracking something. Or someone." His g

er chain, its desperate eyes still locked on Lucien. The air filled with its

beyond the thrallhound,

mor that seemed to melt into the gloom. His face was hard and angular, his eyes cold and c

sofa, Seraphina's shocked face, and Lucien's

e. "We've been expecting you to keep a lower profile." His gaze flickered to Elara's swollen b

a brittle anger. "Kaelen. What is the meaning of this

ines matter little when an abomination is conceived." His gaze returned to Elara, his

ey weren't just after her.

body radiating a protective fu

atural offspring? You disappoint your ancestors, Lucien." He gave a sharp tug on the silver chain, and the t

that made her cry out. Through the haze, she saw Lucien's jaw c

hilt of a hidden blade at her hip. "If you think you can just barge in here an

suffocating. Elara was caught in the middle, a pawn in a

not be allowed to corrupt our lineage. The mother, the child... they both must be purged." He gave another sharp

f something unexpected – not just anger, but a raw, conflicted intensity. Then, he shifte

state. Elara knew, with a terrifying certainty, that her sanctuary had become a battleground, and the only thing standing betwee