Chapter Two: The Blood Moon Heir
Elira's breath caught in her throat as the last words of the Alpha King echoed across the clearing. "Bring the girl forward."
The crowd murmured, a wave of confusion rippling through the wolves as they strained to see who the king was referring to. A guard stepped forward, his hand gripping Elira's arm with enough force to jolt her from her daze.
"Move," he ordered, his voice rough.
Elira stumbled, the weight of every eye in the court settling like chains around her limbs. They thought she was a joke. A wolfless orphan. No one to care about, no threat to anyone.
But the air crackled around her.
Something shifted.
As she walked past the snarling nobles and sneering omega girls, her steps steadied. Her pulse slowed, her mind sharpened. She didn't know what was happening—only that it wasn't normal.
She was burning.
But not from the shame.
From something deeper.
A fire that felt ancient.
Elira stopped at the base of the steps, standing before the four princes, each one staring down at her with wildly different expressions. But it was the Alpha King who rose from his throne, his golden eyes glowing with unreadable emotion.
"Kneel," he commanded.
Elira didn't move.
"I said kneel!"
The command struck like a whip across the minds of all wolves in attendance. Some whimpered, others dropped to their knees instantly.
But not her.
Elira stood tall.
Gasps filled the air.
The Alpha King's eyes widened slightly. "Impossible."
The four princes were suddenly alert, watching her not with disgust—but with curiosity. With something bordering on awe.
The youngest, Prince Riven, leaned forward, his icy blue eyes narrowed. "She resisted the king's command. That's not wolfless. That's... something else."
The third prince, Kade, who rarely spoke, folded his arms and grunted. "She smells like ash and lightning. What the hell is she?"
The second prince, Leon—with storm-gray eyes and a constant smirk—tilted his head. "I told you the ceremony would be different this year."
But it was the crown prince who stood.
Darian.
Dark, tall, and with an aura like crushed obsidian, his stare pinned Elira in place.
He stepped down slowly, each movement echoing with authority. As he reached her, silence fell.
He raised a hand—and touched her face.
A pulse of red-hot energy surged between them. The flames returned.
Not just in her veins.
All around them.
The torches roared. The blood moon above gleamed brighter. The ground trembled. A gasp rose from the High Priestess herself.
"The bond... it's ancient," she whispered, her eyes wild. "She's not just a mate. She's... the Blood Moon Heir."
A scream split the night.
Someone in the crowd fainted.
Darian's hand dropped. His voice was quiet, but every wolf heard it.
"Who are you really, Elira?"
Before she could answer, pain knifed through her head. Visions—bloody, broken, burning—flashed before her eyes. A silver crown. A river of fire. A blade in her chest. A kiss that tasted like smoke and betrayal.
She screamed.
And everything went dark.
---
When Elira awoke, she wasn't in the ceremony grounds anymore.
She was in a room she didn't recognize—warm, too clean, and entirely too large. Her body ached, and her skin tingled like the embers had followed her here.
The door creaked open. Darian stepped in.
His gaze was unreadable.
"You passed out for two days."
Elira blinked. "What happened to the ceremony?"
"It ended the moment you collapsed. You shook the entire court."
She swallowed. "The bond—"
"It wasn't just with me."
Her heart dropped. "What?"
Darian nodded slowly. "Each of us felt it. Me, Leon, Kade, and Riven. The same pull. The same fire. You weren't just bonded to one of us."
"But that's not—"
"Normal?" Darian finished. "No. It's not."
He walked closer, towering over her. "You've changed everything."
Elira's voice trembled. "Why me?"
Darian's jaw tightened. "That's what we intend to find out."
The door slammed open behind him.
Leon entered, his smile playful—but his eyes calculating. "The council is demanding answers. They want her tested. Broken, if needed."
"They'll have to get through me first," Darian snapped.
Leon raised an eyebrow. "Protective already? Interesting."
Elira sat up. "I'm not something to be tested."
Leon looked at her, and for the first time, she saw a flicker of respect.
"No. You're something much more dangerous."
Outside the window, the blood moon still lingered in the sky—longer than it should have.
The kingdom had been waiting for its savior or its destroyer.
And they had no idea Elira might be both.
They took her to the royal archives that night.
Lit by only moonstone torches, the air was thick with age and magic. Tomes lined the shelves, bound in dragon hide and marked in tongues Elira couldn't read.
"We need to know what you are," Kade said bluntly, his arms crossed.
Riven nodded. "If the old prophecies are true, you're not just some lost orphan. You're the girl born under the shattered star. The one tied to flame, death... and fate."
Elira stared at the crumbling scrolls. "And if I am?"
No one answered.
Because the truth was, they didn't know what came next.
"Start here," Darian said, placing an ancient book before her. "It's forbidden, but we've already broken enough rules tonight."
Elira's fingers brushed the pages—and flames rippled through the ink.
The book opened itself.
A symbol glowed on the page: a crown split in half, engulfed in fire.
"It's her," the High Priestess whispered from behind. "The true heir. The curse-breaker."
Elira looked up, heart racing.
"But what curse?"
---
Back in her chamber, she stood before the mirror. For the first time, she didn't see a wolfless girl.
She saw someone born of shadows and embers.
A knock interrupted her thoughts. It was Riven, holding out a pendant.
"It was left with you at the orphanage," he said quietly. "No one knew what it meant. Until now."
Elira opened it.
Inside was a flame—alive and flickering.
And a whisper echoed from it: "Daughter of ruin. Queen of rebirth."
Suddenly, her veins burned. Not with pain.
With awakening.
Flames danced along her skin—and her reflection smiled.
She was no longer just Elira.
She was becoming who she was always meant to be.
The girl the world tried to bury.
The one they would all come to fear—and need.
The Blood Moon Heir had returned.