Moonlit Blood

The Night t

st was t

e blades through mist. Every sound-the rustle of leaves, the creak of bark-was amplified by the tension hanging

t in their bones hours before the first raven came bearing the

y peace after the Treaty of Black Hollow ended centuries of bloodshed. Now, Kael stood at its outskirts, his claws half-s

ing embers. Charred bodies littered the paths, some human, some wolf. And some-he could smell it-vam

his nose-a scent he remembered from his childhood, from the merchant woman who sold healing herbs to bo

ommand, kneeling beside the corpse. "They k

hapel and the old fountain, now cracked and dry. There, near the well, lay the body of a child-no

bush," he said finall

ace pale with rage

e him. "Then war i

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always bee

st before the elders forged the fragile Treaty of Black Hollow. The terms were simple: no werewolf would cross into vampire territory without permission, and no v

fifty years, th

il

Pack of the Ashen Moon had gathered around the sacred stone circle, awaiting his report. Alpha Corvan stood

len, Alpha. At least twenty dead. The scent of vamp

owed his ey

ng... different. A magic not born

circle. The older wolves

stepping beside Kael. "They've broken more than the

nce. "Do not speak of balance l

king despite himself. "They killed a child

e, his expression hard as ston

ans. Light the signal fires. We will summon the High

the rising sun. But Kael remained silent, the

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catacombs beneath the ruined castle of Nocthol

strong enough to reach her pale skin. Her crimson eyes shimmered wit

ed it. And yet, the blood of her kind s

lric, her father, entered the chamber. Cold and regal, his long

it burn,"

he repli

and now why peac

, defiance glinting in her g

el. "Eldergrove was a lie. The werewolves grow bold

her fists. "You sla

were w

ere inn

glowing red. "There is no suc

Somewhere deep in her soul, she felt the earth cry out beneath the bloodsh

forest, her heart whispered a

will dest

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