The Moonblood Pack's denhouse was never truly quiet, not even at night. There was always the distant hum of the forest, the restless shifting of guards outside, the faint pop of embers from the great hearth in the main hall. But tonight, the silence felt heavier, as though the walls themselves were holding their breath.
Natalie had been lying in her bed, tossing and turning, her mind churning with unanswered questions. The Alpha's strange absences during council, his sharp temper, the way his eyes sometimes clouded as though looking inward at something only he could see,it all unsettled her. She told herself it was none of her business, yet here she was, pulling a cloak over her shoulders in the middle of the night, her bare feet padding across the cold stone floor.
The moonlight slanted in through narrow windows, silvering the halls. She walked without a destination at first, telling herself she just needed air, maybe a glimpse of the stars beyond the treeline. But then...
A sound.
She froze, ears straining. Faint, muffled voices, somewhere ahead. Her brow furrowed. At this hour, the council chamber should be locked, the main hall empty. Yet the voices came from deeper within, down the hallway that led toward the Alpha's private wing.
Natalie's pulse quickened. She shouldn't be here. No one was allowed in that wing without summons. Still, curiosity tugged her forward. She crept along the wall, steps silent, the stone cool under her toes.
The voices grew clearer;low, urgent, the kind of conversation meant to be kept behind closed doors. She reached a half-open doorway and pressed herself against the wall, peering through the narrow gap.
Inside, three figures stood around the Alpha's massive bed. Two were healers, their robes marked with the moon-woven crest of the pack's medics. The third lay propped up on the bed itself,Damien, the Alpha. His usually sharp, commanding presence was dimmed. His skin looked pale, almost ashen, and a sheen of sweat clung to his forehead. His chest rose and fell in shallow, uneven breaths.
Natalie's eyes widened. She had never seen him like this.
The elder healer, a woman with silver-streaked hair, spoke first. "It's progressing faster than we feared."
The younger man beside her shook his head grimly. "The curse runs deeper than the flesh. It's in the marrow now."
Damien's voice was hoarse, but still carried the stubborn edge she recognized. "I don't need your pity. Just tell me what it will take to end it."
The elder hesitated. "There is no end, Alpha. Only delay. The Blood Moon rises in three months. When it does…" She trailed off, glancing at the younger healer as if urging him to speak instead.
The man's jaw tightened. "When it does, the curse will claim you."
Natalie's stomach lurched. Claim him? She leaned closer, holding her breath.
Damien's fingers curled into the blanket. "There's nothing in the old records? No rite, no counter-spell?"
The elder healer's gaze shifted to the shelves along the far wall, stacked with jars of herbs, strips of dried wolfbane, and tattered scrolls. "There is a legend," she said quietly. "It speaks of the Ancient Wolves,those who roamed before the packs, before the moon's first binding. They say one of their descendants carries the blood that can cleanse a curse born under a Blood Moon."
Lucien's eyes darkened. "Legends don't save lives."
"No," the healer said softly, "but they guide the desperate. If you don't find that blood before the moon rises, your body will not survive the change."
A heavy silence followed, broken only by the faint crackle of a candle burning low.
Natalie's mind whirled. Ancient Wolves? Blood Moon? She'd heard scraps of such tales growing up, whispered by elders to frighten restless pups into obedience. She never thought they were real. And now, hearing the Alpha,the most feared and respected wolf in the region,spoken of as if his days were numbered… it felt unreal.
The younger healer began grinding herbs into a paste at the bedside. "This will dull the pain, for now. But every transformation will weaken you. We should keep you from shifting until....."
"Until I'm too weak to defend my pack?" Damien's voice was sharp, even in its frailty. "No. If this curse kills me, it will do so while I'm standing."
The elder bowed her head. "Then may the moon guide you, Alpha."
Natalie felt something she hadn't expected,a flicker of sympathy. She'd thought of Damien as untouchable, an unyielding force who couldn't be shaken by illness or fear. Seeing him like this, pale and human in his vulnerability, unsettled something deep in her. She didn't like him;she still remembered the way he had treated her when they first met,but now… she wasn't sure she could hate him either.
The younger healer adjusted the blankets and snuffed out one of the candles. "Rest, Alpha. We'll return before dawn."
Natalie's heart thudded as they moved toward the door. She pressed herself flat against the wall, praying they wouldn't glance her way. The healers stepped out, their soft footsteps retreating down the hall. She exhaled slowly, relief loosening her chest.
Then she realized,she wasn't alone.
A shadow shifted in the doorway.
Damien's was sitting upright, his piercing eyes locked on her.
"How long," he said quietly, "have you been listening?"
Natalie's throat went dry. She thought about lying, but those eyes,cold, sharp, and knowing,would cut through it instantly.
"I..."
He swung his legs off the bed, wincing as he stood. Even weakened, he radiated authority, the air in the room tightening with his presence. He stepped closer, and Natalie's feet refused to move.
"Curiosity," he murmured, "can be dangerous in this den, little wolf."
"I'm not....." she began, but the words caught in her throat. Not what? Not a wolf? Not curious? She wasn't sure which lie would be safer.
Lucien studied her for a long, tense moment. Then, to her surprise, his expression shifted..not softening, exactly, but cooling into something almost unreadable.
"You'll keep what you heard to yourself," he said finally. It wasn't a request.
Natalie nodded, pulse still racing.
He turned away, bracing a hand on the bedpost. "Go. And if I catch you in this wing again without summons, I won't be so lenient."
She backed toward the hall, relief and unease tangling in her chest. As she slipped out, she couldn't help glancing back. He was watching her still, his silhouette framed in moonlight,an Alpha carrying a secret that might kill him before the month was out.
And for the first time, Natalie found herself wondering not what it would mean for her if he died… but what it would mean for the pack.