Chapter 17 BLOOD OF THE ROOM

Chapter 17 BLOOD OF THE ROOM
CHAPTER 17: BLOOD OF THE MOON
The battle erupted like thunder tearing through bone.
Kael’s wolf hit the first of Darius’s beasts with a snarl that split the night, silver fur flashing beneath the moonlight. I didn’t think—I moved. The dagger pulsed in my grip, the silver edge gleaming with threads of light that coiled around my wrist like veins of fire.
Darius’s wolves lunged from the shadows—too fast, too many. Their eyes burned red, their bodies unnatural, twisted by whatever dark magic bound them. I slashed at one, the blade sinking deep, sizzling where it touched corrupted flesh. The wolf yelped and crumbled into ash before it hit the ground.
Kael roared beside me, his massive form colliding with another. The impact shook the clearing. He was beautiful in that savage, terrible way—pure instinct, all dominance and power.
Darius stood at the edge of the chaos, unmoving. His eyes glowed a faint crimson beneath the glinting Shadow Crown. When he spoke, his voice carried through the air like poison.
“Still fighting, brother? You should thank me. I’ve given you a war worth dying for.”
Kael didn’t answer. He tore into another wolf, his claws slicing through muscle and fur. But even as he fought, the tide kept shifting against us. For every beast he struck down, two more appeared.
“Ria!” he shouted through the bond. Get back!
“No,” I thought fiercely. “Not this time.”
The dagger burned brighter, the Moonblood pulsing through me in waves. My vision blurred at the edges, replaced by threads of silver light weaving through everything—the trees, the air, the wolves. I could see where Darius’s magic touched them, a chain of power binding their hearts to his will.
I lifted the dagger toward the sky, the storm answering my call. “You don’t control them,” I said, my voice not entirely my own. “I do.”
Darius’s smirk faltered. “You wouldn’t dare—”
Too late. The light exploded outward, silvery fire racing across the clearing. The wolves froze mid-leap, their eyes flickering between red and white. I reached into that glow, grasping the chains that held them, and pulled.
The bond shattered like glass.
One by one, the creatures fell to the ground, trembling, free—or dead.
Kael shifted back, breathing hard, blood streaking his chest. His eyes locked on mine—shock and awe mixed with something deeper. “Ria… what did you do?”
“I broke his control,” I said, though my voice shook.
The ground trembled again. Darius stepped forward, his cloak dragging behind him. The crown pulsed darker now, the veins spreading down his neck like living fire.
“You think you’ve won something?” His voice deepened, distorted. “You just fed the Crown.”
Before I could react, the air ripped apart. Power poured from him, thick and suffocating. The earth cracked under his boots, and the freed wolves whimpered, crawling backward.
Kael shoved me aside as a blast of dark energy struck the spot where I’d been standing. Trees splintered. Rocks shattered.
He lunged at his brother, shifting midair, claws aimed for Darius’s throat—but Darius caught him effortlessly, hurling him across the clearing. Kael hit the ground with a sickening crack.
“Kael!” I screamed, running to him.
He coughed, blood staining his lips. “Don’t… stop… fighting.”
I turned, fury boiling through every nerve. “You’ll pay for that.”
Darius laughed. “You sound just like her.”
The name lingered unsaid—my mother.
“You killed her,” I said.
His smile sharpened. “She stood in the way of greatness. Just like you will if you keep pretending you’re stronger than me.”
The dagger flared, answering my rage. Silver flames twisted around my hand.
“Maybe I am,” I whispered.
I rushed him.
He swung his arm, sending another wave of power crashing toward me, but I cut through it. The dagger sliced his magic apart, sparks raining down. I moved faster, closer, my wolf howling inside me.
We clashed—steel and shadow, blood and lightning. The impact rattled my bones. Darius caught my wrist, his fingers digging in like claws. “You’re wasting it,” he hissed. “The Crown belongs to me!”
The Moonblood pulsed in defiance. Not anymore.
I twisted free and drove the dagger into his chest.
For a heartbeat, everything froze. His eyes widened. Then the Crown screamed—yes, screamed—a shriek that tore through the air. Black fire erupted around us, swallowing the forest in shadow.
Kael staggered to his feet, shouting my name, but I couldn’t hear him anymore. The Crown’s energy surged into me through the dagger, wild and consuming. I tried to pull away, but it held me fast.
“Ria!” Kael’s voice broke.
Darius grabbed my arm, his grin bloody. “If I die,” he rasped, “you’re coming with me.”
He yanked the dagger deeper into his chest—and the power exploded.
A burst of blinding light ripped through the clearing. I felt myself lifted off the ground, my body weightless, my heartbeat syncing with something ancient and cold.
Then—silence.
The world dimmed. The forest was gone. Kael was gone. Everything was white.
I stood in an endless field of silver mist. The air shimmered, warm and heavy, and in the distance stood a figure cloaked in light.
My breath caught. “Mother?”
She turned. Her eyes were the same color as mine. “Ria.” Her voice was soft, echoing like wind through glass. “You’ve walked too close to the flame.”
Tears blurred my vision. “I didn’t mean to—he—he tried to—”
“I know.” She stepped closer, brushing her fingers over my cheek. Her touch was cool, calming. “But the Moonblood doesn’t choose by chance. It saw your heart. It saw his.”
“Kael?”
She nodded. “He anchors you. Just as you once anchored me. But the bond comes with sacrifice. To save him, you must give something in return.”
“What do you mean?”
Her expression turned sorrowful. “The Moonblood feeds on balance. One life must fall for another to rise.”
My stomach twisted. “No.”
She smiled faintly. “There is always a choice, my daughter. But hurry—the bond is breaking.”
The mist began to fade. Her form shimmered like smoke.
“Wait!” I cried, reaching for her.
But she was already gone.
Light crashed back into darkness.
I was on the ground again, gasping for air. Kael was beside me, his hand pressed to my face, his voice hoarse. “Ria, look at me. Stay with me.”
I blinked through the haze. Darius’s body lay a few feet away, motionless. The Shadow Crown was gone—shattered into black shards that glowed faintly in the dirt.
Kael pulled me against him, holding me like he could keep the world from falling apart. “It’s over,” he said.
But as the wind carried the scent of blood and smoke, I knew better.
I touched the silver burn on my palm—the mark left by the dagger—and felt it pulse once, like a second heartbeat.
“No,” I whispered. “It’s only beginning.”
The ground rumbled beneath us, faint but certain.
And in the distance, something howled—deep, broken, and impossibly familiar.
Kael froze, every muscle tensing. “That’s not possible.”
I met his gaze, my chest tight. “Who is it?”
He didn’t answer. But the fear in his eyes told me everything.
The storm hadn’t ended. It had only changed its shape.