Blood Moon Rising

Lucas's shadow whip cracked through the air, slicing a tree stem clean in half. The massive oak crashed to the forest floor, birds scattering in fear. Lucas stood in the small space, breathing hard, his silver eyes glowing in the dim morning light.

"Again," he mumbled to himself.

He'd been training since dawn, pushing his shadow magic harder than ever before. Three days had passed since he'd woken from his crystal-induced sleep. Three days of fighting to regain his strength while feeling like half of himself was missing.

Lucas gathered the shadows around his hands, shaping them into deadly blades that extended from his fingers. He spun, slicing through boulder and tree alike. Sweat poured down his face as he pushed harder, forcing the shadows to follow his will.

But something was wrong. The shadows kept slipping away, unwilling to hold their shape. And there was a strange warmth to them that he'd never seen before—as if they were reflecting light that wasn't there.

Lucas glanced up at the sky. The sun was high overhead, but strangely dim. And the moon was visible despite the daylight—a faint white circle that seemed to be slowly dimming at one edge.

A twig snapped behind him. Lucas spun, shadow blades ready.

"Peace, Alpha," came an old voice. Aria Moonwhisper stepped into the clearing, her white hair shining. "I've been looking for you."

Lucas dropped his hands, the shadows reluctantly fading. "What is it, Aria?"

The old Omega pointed to the sky. "You've noticed it too, haven't you? The moon. It's changing."

"It's just visible in daytime. That happens sometimes."

Aria shook her head, her opalescent eyes worried. "Not like this. Look closer."

Lucas squinted at the moon. The darker edge had spread, now covering nearly a quarter of its surface. And there was a reddish tint starting to appear.

"That's not possible," he whispered. "The next blood moon isn't due for months."

"This isn't a normal blood moon," Aria said seriously. "This is a blood moon out of time. A sign of terrible magical imbalance in the realm."

Lucas's heart sank. "Because of what Marcus is doing? Opening the doorway to the First Ones?"

"Partly. But also because of this." Aria reached out and tapped Lucas's chest, right where the crystal pieces had entered his skin. "You broke the balance when you shattered your bond with Elijah."

"I was trying to protect him!"

"I know. But some things cannot be broken without consequences. The mate bond between two alphas is one such thing."

Lucas turned away, guilt squeezing his chest. "I didn't break it. I just... blocked it."

"And now the magical balance of our entire realm is responding." Aria pointed at the increasingly red moon. "If the blood moon completes its cycle out of time, the barrier between worlds will be at its weakest. The First Ones will pour through, not just possessing our wolves but walking freely among us."

Lucas punched a nearby tree, his hand leaving a crater in the bark. "What can I do? Nova has gone to rescue Elijah from The Void. I'm stuck here, trying to regain my strength."

"Are you?" Aria asked, her head tilting. "Are you truly stuck here, Lucas Blackwood? Or are you afraid to face what you've done?"

Before Lucas could answer, a young wolf burst into the clearing, her eyes wide with fear.

"Alpha! Come quickly! Kael has collapsed—he's having some kind of fit!"

Miles away, in the shadowy land of The Void, Elijah sat in a cage made of strange black metal that dampened his fire magic. His hands were bound with chains carved with old runes. Despite his situation, his face showed focus rather than fear.

Since the moment Lucas had shattered the crystal against his chest, Elijah had been working hard to understand what had happened to their bond. It wasn't gone—he was certain of that now. It was like a radio signal being jammed: still broadcasting, but stopped by interference.

And sometimes, in quiet moments like this, he could catch glimpses through the chatter.

Marcus paced outside the cage, his red eyes sparkling with excitement. "The blood moon rises ahead of schedule," he said. "Your mate's foolish actions have accelerated my plans."

Elijah ignored him, focusing instead on the faint pulse he could feel—Lucas's feelings leaking through their damaged bond. Anger. Determination. And underneath it all, a bone-deep desire that matched Elijah's own.

"He can't save you," Marcus continued. "By the time he realizes where you are, it will be too late. The doorway will be open, and the First Ones will have physical form."

Elijah finally looked up. "You keep talking about these First Ones like they're your allies. Don't you understand? They're using you, Marcus. They don't share power."

Marcus smiled, showing teeth that had grown unnaturally sharp. "Who said anything about sharing? I've made preparations of my own."

He pulled up his sleeve, showing black veins similar to those that had infected Thomas and the others. But these veins formed patterns—deliberate marks that pulsed with sickly power.

"I've been preparing for decades," Marcus said. "Learning their language. Their magic. I won't just invite them in—I'll control them."

Elijah laughed, a harsh sound in the gloomy room. "You always were arrogant. That's why the council exiled you a century ago. You think you can control primal forces that existed before our kind even had names."

Marcus's face darkened. "Speaking of arrogance—how's your mate doing without you? Your brother sent a message that Lucas has been training alone, pushing himself to exhaustion. So predictable. So... human, despite all his years as a wolf."

Elijah kept his face blank, but inside, his heart clenched. Lucas was pushing himself too hard. He could feel it now—the bone-deep tiredness seeping through their bond.

"Your little rescue party is being led in circles," Marcus continued, enjoying Elijah's badly hidden concern. "Raven is quite the actress, isn't she? By the time they realize they're nowhere near The Void, the blood moon will be full."

"Nova isn't stupid," Elijah said. "She'll figure it out."

"Perhaps. But will it be soon enough?"

A jolt ran through The Void, making the black metal cage rattle. Outside what passed for windows in this strange place, the sky turned a darker shade of red.

"Ah," Marcus said with pleasure. "Right on schedule."

He walked to a stone altar at the middle of the chamber, where a familiar object lay—the other half of the crystal, the part that hadn't entered Lucas's chest. It glowed with the same sickly red light as the sky.

"You should thank your mate," Marcus told Elijah. "He did me a favor by shattering the crystal. Half in him, half here with me—a perfect connection for the ritual."

Elijah pulled against his chains. "What ritual?"

"The joining, of course." Marcus ran a finger along the crystal piece. "When the blood moon reaches its peak, I'll use this connection between you and Lucas to pull him here. Both bonded alphas, present for the doorway opening. Just as the prophecy requires."

Fear shot through Elijah, cold and sharp. "That's why you let Nova 'escape' to warn Lucas. You want him to come after me."

Marcus's smile widened. "Very good. You always were the clever one."

Another tremor shook the room, stronger this time. The red light from outside grew more intense, bathing everything in bloody lighting.

Alone in his cage, Elijah closed his eyes and focused with all his might on the fragile thread of connection that still tied him to Lucas. If he could just push one word through—one warning—

"Don't come. It's a trap."

Elijah gasped as he felt something push back along the bond—a familiar presence, warm and fierce.

Lucas had heard him.

But instead of recognition or agreement, Elijah felt something else flood through their bond. Determination. Resolve. Love so fierce it burned.

And three words, clear as day in his mind:

"I'm coming anyway."