Cursed By Blood, Claimed By Love

Moana’s POV

Tonight the air in the pine forest is so cold, it feels like needles on my skin. The smell of burning pine drifted from the great bonfire ahead.

I stood in the dark shadows with my back pressed against a large pine tree, my hands shaking inside my pockets. They were covered in small scars from years of hard work. In the Blackthorn Pack, I lived like a ghost. Nobody really saw me.

My name is Moana Ash claw, but no one calls me that anymore. To them, I am just the servant girl who sleeps in the cold cellar and eats the leftovers meant for the pigs.

Three years ago, my father, Kyrian Ashclaw, tried to kill Alpha Eldrick. He failed and paid with his life. Afterward, Eldrick looked me in the eye and told me I would spend the rest of my life paying for father’s crimes.

“Don’t look up,” I whispered to myself as my breath curled into the freezing air.

In the middle of the clearing, a huge bonfire burned bright. Orange flames leaped high toward the black sky, sending sparks dancing into the night. Hundreds of wolves stood in neat lines around it.

The strongest warriors rested their round shields against their boots while heavy axes hung from their belts. Thick fur cloaks covered their shoulders against the bitter cold.

The Elders stood near the fire in thick fur cloaks fastened with bronze brooches. Some leaned on carved staffs marked with ancient wolf runes as they waited for the ceremony to begin.

The servants and weaker wolves like me stayed pushed to the very back, half-hidden in the shadows where no one bothered to look.

But everyone’s attention stayed fixed on one place: the High Stone Ledge.

Alpha Eldrick Blackthorn stood on the High Stone Ledge. The wind tore through the clearing, but he did not seem to feel it. Silver scars crossed his bare chest and shoulders, and the firelight danced across his skin. His face was hard to read, but his golden eyes held the entire clearing silent.

Three years ago, he ordered my father’s execution, and since that day, I have been nothing more than the pack’s slave.

The clearing fell silent. Warriors pressed closed fists against their hearts while others lowered their heads toward the Blood Moon.

“The Moon is ready!”

Elder Marek called from the High Stone Ledge, his voice rolling across the clearing and silencing the last whispers. Starlight caught in his gray hair, making it look almost white as he raised his hands to the crowd.

“Wait for the Goddess to speak! Wait for the magic to find you!”

Excited whispers spread through the crowd.

Tonight was special.

The Blood Moon only appears once in every ten years. It is the night the Moon Goddess chooses a Luna for the pack’s Alpha. Every wolf dreams about this night, hoping to be chosen as the one meant to stand beside him and lead the pack at his side.

A Luna bond is sacred. Once it’s formed, it can never be broken.

“I hope he gets a mate who’s as mean as he is,” a girl hissed near me.

“I don’t mind if it’s me,” another girl replied.

“You are so pathetic,” the first girl scoffed, her voice full of ridicule.

I moved away quietly when I realized the voices belonged to Sela and Elara. They were strong warriors who never missed a chance to make my life harder.

Sela stared at Eldrick with a hungry smile on her face.

“When the Moon chooses me, I’ll become the new Luna,” she said. “I’ll make sure this pack is only for the strong. We’ll get rid of all the traitors.”

Then her eyes found me standing in the shadows, and she laughed.

“Still here, rat? You really are a stain on this pack, aren’t you?”

I did not say anything back to her. I couldn’t.

A strange heat bloomed in my chest, spreading beneath my skin like a small fire waking up.

The wind stopped blowing, and the forest fell completely silent. Even the bonfire seemed to grow still, as if the whole world was holding its breath.

High above us, the moon changed color, turning from silver to a deep, dark red.

The BLOOD MOON was here.

Deep war horns echoed through the forest. Every wolf lowered their head in silent respect as the red moon bathed the clearing in crimson light.

The air began to hum. Golden mist rose from the grass and drifted through the clearing, curling around the warriors’ boots like soft silk.

Several wolves whispered old prayers beneath their breath while others touched the carved wolf pendants hanging around their necks as the Goddess’s magic drifted among us.

I had heard stories about the Blood Moon all my life, but I had never seen its magic with my own eyes.

It was beautiful. And terrifying.

Alpha Eldrick stood perfectly still on the High Stone Ledge. He took a slow breath, and something in his golden eyes brightened. He looked less like an Alpha and more like a hunter waiting for his prey to appear.

Then suddenly, pain tore through my chest.

A burning heat exploded beneath my ribs, so sharp that it stole the air from my lungs. It felt as though something invisible had hooked itself around my heart and was pulling it toward something I cannot see.

“Ahnn…”

A gasp escaped my lips as my knees hit the ground.

“No,” I choked out, clutching my stomach as panic rose inside me. “What is happening to me?”

Across the clearing, the golden mist in front of Eldrick suddenly flared with blinding light. Before I could understand what I’m seeing, it twisted into a thick golden cord and shot through the air, slamming into his chest.

The whole pack gasped at the same time.

Alpha's Luna has been found.

Eldrick stared down at the glowing cord connected to his chest. For the first time that night, shock flashed across his face as he lifted a hand and touched the light, as though he couldnot believe it was real.

The entire clearing fell silent. Every eye followed the golden cord as it stretched away from him. It did not go to Sela or any of the proud girls standing at the front. Instead, it swept past the warriors and Elders, cutting through the crowd and heading toward the shadows at the very back of the clearing.

My stomach dropped as I realized where it was headed.

Toward me.

No.

Please no.

Panic tore through me, as the golden cord slammed into my chest. The force knocked the air out from my lungs and threw me back against the pine tree.

I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came out. It felt as though something deep inside me was being pulled free and stretched across the clearing, binding me to the man on the High Stone Ledge.

The terrible cold vanished in an instant, replaced by a frightening heat that surged through my body.

My heart pounded against my ribs, but it no longer felt alone. Somehow, I could feel him….his strength, his presence, his power rushing through my blood as the bond locked into place.

Then Eldrick roared.

“Move!”

His voice thundered across the clearing and shook the ground beneath our feet. Wolves scrambled out of the way, opening a clear path between us.

I couldn’t move.

I stood frozen inside the circle of golden light as the shadows that had hidden me for so long disappeared. There is nowhere left for me to hide. Everyone could see me now…my old dress, my thin arms, and the scars covering my hands.

The entire pack was staring at me.

Eldrick walked to the edge of the High Stone Ledge and looked down at me. Shock flashed across his face as the golden cord pulsed between us.

“You?”

The single word crashed through the clearing like thunder.

His gaze swept over me…my worn dress, muddy boots, and dirt-stained skin.

“This little dirty thing?”

The disbelief in his voice hit me harder than a slap. For one heartbeat, the clearing stayed frozen. Then the whispers started.

“The traitor’s daughter?”

“The slave girl?”

“No. That can’t be possible.”

The voices grew louder. Wolves turned to stare at me with shock, disgust, and disbelief. Not one person looked happy.

Sela’s face turned red with anger. “This is a mistake!” she screamed. “That girl used dark magic! She tricked the Goddess!”

I did not listen to her accusation.

My eyes stayed locked on Eldrick. The bond pulsing between us, warm and alive. The warmth wrapped around me like a gentle promise, and for the first time in my life, I felt as though I belonged here.

Tears burned in my eyes as I looked up at him. A tiny spark of hope stirred in my chest.

Maybe he would finally see me. Maybe he would see that I was not my father. And just maybe, I would be treated like an equal.

But then Eldrick’s expression changed. The shock vanished, replaced by a rage so fierce it made me want to run and hide.

His eyes turned cold. His lip curled back, exposing his teeth as he stared at me. Like I am something filthy the Goddess has placed in front of him.

The tiny spark of hope inside me began to die.

His claws slid out. He drove them into the stone ledge, and cracks spread through the rock beneath his feet. Taking a slow breath, he stared at the glowing cord between us as though it was the most disgusting thing he had ever seen.

“The Goddess,” Eldrick growled, his voice low and dangerous, “is playing a trick on me. If she thinks I will ever mark a traitor’s daughter and make her Luna of this pack, she is wrong.”

The golden light flared one last time, lighting up my face as he looked toward the blood-red moon. He was ready to say the words that will break everything.

“I, Alpha Eldrick Blackthorn…”

My legs gave out. I sank down into the dirt. The golden cord pulled tight around my heart, and tears filled my eyes as the terrible truth settled over me. Eldrick was about to break our bond in front of the whole pack.