Blood always smelled worse when it belonged to someone you knew.
Luna sat on the steps outside the medical building, her hands trembling no matter how many times she scrubbed them clean. She could still feel the sticky warmth of Jake's blood staining her skin, see the way his eyes had gone blank.
Jake. The packmate who had welcomed her when she first arrived. Who had stayed late to spar with her, helping her control her strength. Who had trusted her orders without hesitation.
Now he was wrapped in a white cloth, waiting for burial rites.
"Seven dead. Fourteen wounded, three critical." Thomas's voice came from behind her, steady but heavy. "Could have been worse."
Luna's laugh was bitter, cracked around the edges. "How are seven dead not the worst thing that's ever happened?"
"Because you saved forty-three others." Thomas lowered himself onto the step beside her. The harsh lights made the lines on his face look deeper, older. "Was this your first time leading in combat?"
"My first time leading anything." Luna pressed her palms to her eyes, trying to push the images away. "I told them to attack. I gave the orders. They died because of me."
"Because you lived."
Kieran's voice cut through her guilt. He stood a few feet away, dried blood streaking his skin and clothes. His storm-gray eyes softened as he crouched in front of her. "They died so you could live. So, we all could. That's what pack means."
"I didn't ask them to die for me."
"You didn't have to." His gaze locked with hers, unwavering. "They chose to follow you. Jake chose. They saw something in you, Luna. They trusted you with their lives."
She wanted to believe him, but all she could see was Jake's startled face as claws tore through him.
"How do you live with it?" she whispered. "Knowing people died because of your orders?"
Kieran was silent for a long moment. When he finally spoke, his voice carried the ache of old scars. "You remember them. Every single one. Their faces, their names, why they fought. You don't get to forget, and you don't get to stop caring. You just learn to carry it. And you make sure their sacrifice meant something."
His hand brushed a tear she hadn't realized had slipped down her cheek. The warmth of his touch was steadying, not the rush of attraction she sometimes felt, but something deeper. Comfort. Understanding.
"Luna."
Magnus's voice made her turn. His eyes were red-rimmed, his jaw clenched so tight the muscle jumped. "We need to talk about Vera."
The name sliced through her like ice. "What about her?"
"She's, my aunt." His voice cracked. "She raised me after my parents died. Trained me. Guided me. I trusted her more than anyone, and I never saw it." He shook his head, anguish in every word. "How could I not have seen it?"
"Because she's been hiding it for decades," Luna said softly. "She's practiced at deception."
"My visions should have warned me." His fists tightened. "I've seen thousands of futures, but never once her betrayal. How is that possible?"
"Maybe because she isn't fully in time anymore." Sage stepped out, wiping her hands on a stained cloth. Her green eyes were tired but sharp. "Void Walkers live partly outside reality. If she's worked with them long enough, they might have shielded her from prophetic sight."
Magnus's face twisted with grief and fury. "I should have known."
"Well, you didn't." The words came out harsher than Luna intended, but her exhaustion had burned away her patience. "None of us did. But we know now, and we act."
"Act how?" Magnus's laugh was brittle. "She knows everything. Our tactics, our strengths, our alliances. She's probably feeding the Void Walkers every detail."
"Then we stop reacting and force them to react to us." Luna's voice steadied, something like iron building inside her.
Garrett emerged from the shadows; his massive frame wrapped in bandages. "With what army? We lost fighters today. Other packs will hesitate to send more."
"The Shadow faction stands with her," Victoria said, stepping forward with her arm in a sling. "Today proved Luna is worth bleeding for."
"The Iron Pack holds," Garrett added, conviction in his tone. "But we need a strategy, not just throwing lives away."
"The rogues, too," Dmitri said, appearing from the edge of the camp. "But what's our endgame? What are we actually building toward?"
Luna felt all their eyes on her. Expecting answers, she wasn't sure she had. But she thought of Jake, of the others wrapped in white cloth, and she forced her voice steady.
"The endgame is stopping the Void Walkers before they turn us into cattle. Vera's been setting us up for decades. So, we do the opposite, we unite. Every supernatural being is willing to stand with us."
Thomas's tone was careful. "That's what your great-great-grandmother tried. They killed her for it."
"Then I'll do it better." The words surprised even her, but they felt true. Solid. "Sage, how long before the wounded are stable?"
"Where would we even move them?" Sage asked.
"Anywhere Vera doesn't know." Luna turned to Solareth, silent at the treeline. His massive form was still, ancient eyes watching. "You said other dragons are in hiding. Can they help?"
He lifted his head. Pain flickered in his gaze. "I killed my mate today. Three centuries together. Corrupted into something I could no longer recognize."
Luna's chest tightened. She stepped closer despite the pack's tension. "I'm sorry. Truly. But if we don't fight, how many more will lose the ones they love?"
The dragon studied her. "You are young to carry this weight."
"I know. But it's mine to carry. Will you help me?"
A rumble shook the ground, somewhere between grief and reluctant hope. "Yes, bridge-builder. I will call the others."
"Then we begin now." Luna turned back. "Reach out to your contacts. Every supernatural group needs to know what's coming."
"Some won't trust us," Victoria warned.
"Then we prove them wrong," Luna said, her tired voice sharpening with resolve. "We show them what unity can do."
Magnus's voice was raw, but quieter now. "How?"
Before Luna could answer, pain ripped through her body. She doubled over, gasping.
"Luna!" Kieran caught her as she nearly collapsed.
"What's happening?" Magnus demanded.
She lifted her gaze to the sky. The full moon rose, heavy and bright, dragging her into its pull.
Sage's eyes softened with grim understanding. "Her first full transformation."
The pain intensified, breaking bones and tearing muscles. Luna screamed, helpless against the force of the moon's command.
"Sacred grounds," Thomas said urgently. "Now."
Kieran scooped her into his arms. His heartbeat was steady against her cheek. "I've got you."
Magnus's hand pressed her shoulder. "We both do."
Another wave of pain stole her voice, and all Luna could do was hold on as the moon demanded its due.
Ready or not, she was about to learn what it meant to be Crimson Bloodline.
The sacred grounds were only a clearing deep in the forest, yet the moment Kieran set Luna down, she felt something different. The earth seemed to hum beneath her, alive with a power older than memory. How many wolves had given themselves to the moon here? How many had felt this same pull demanding they surrender?
"It hurts." Luna's voice cracked as another wave of pain tore down her spine. She could barely breathe. "Why does it hurt so much?"
"Because you're fighting it." Magnus knelt beside her, one large hand steady on her shoulder. His tone was calm, but his eyes held warning. "Your mind wants to stay human, but the moon doesn't ask permission."
"Let go," Kieran urged from her other side. His fingers threaded through her hair, grounding her as her body twisted against itself. "Trust the wolf. Trust yourself."
She wanted to argue, to cling to reason, but another sharp crack of bone left her breathless. Fighting was useless. With a gasp, Luna gave in.
The transformation ripped through her in seconds. Bones snapped, muscles stretched, senses exploded. The pain dulled the moment she stopped resisting. When it was over, she stood on four massive paws, the world sharper, louder, brighter.
Her fur shimmered silver-white, catching the moonlight as if it glowed from within. Strength pulsed through her body with every breath.
"Damn," Kieran muttered, shifting into wolf form beside her. His wolf was strong, but he looked small next to her. "You're huge."
Magnus joined them, his dark wolf almost vanishing into the shadows. "The Crimson Bloodline," he said. "The old texts claimed they were twice the size of normal wolves. I thought it was a myth."
Luna tried to speak, but no words came. Instead, her thoughts spilled outward, a thread that linked her to them both.
Can you hear me?
Both wolves froze, staring at her with wide eyes.
Impossible, Magnus answered, awe in his voice. New wolves can't use pack telepathy. That takes months of training.
Apparently, I do everything wrong, she replied, testing her legs. The ground under her paws whispered secrets her human form had never sensed. She could hear voices miles away, smell prey and water, and feel the emotions of every wolf in the territory. It was overwhelming. It was glorious.
Try running, Kieran suggested. Your first run under the full moon is unforgettable.
She didn't hesitate. Pushing off, she shot into the forest, the wind slicing through her fur. Trees blurred past, and for the first time since Jake's death, guilt and grief loosened their grip. This was freedom.
Magnus and Kieran ran on either side of her, moving like water over stone. Her heart soared.
This is amazing! Luna's mental voice was bright with joy. I feel alive.
Wait until you hunt, Magnus said, amusement breaking through his sorrow. Then you'll know what it means to be a wolf.
They ran until a stream slowed their pace. Luna lowered her muzzle to drink, but a wrongness in the air made her hackles rise.
Do you smell that?
Kieran stiffened. Void Walker corruption. Can you track it?
Luna realized she could. The taint felt like a scar across reality itself, easy to follow once she focused.
There, she said, pointing her muzzle at a cluster of rocks. Something's hiding.
A figure stumbled out. Luna's breath caught; it was Sarah, one of Victoria's Shadow factions. But her eyes glowed with that terrible, alien light.
"Bridge-builder," the corrupted voice hissed through Sarah's lips. "You cannot save them all."
Kieran lunged, shielding Luna. But she pushed past him, fury rising. She had freed Victoria. Maybe she could free Sarah, too.
Fight it, Sarah. Don't let it control you.
The Void Walker laughed through her. "She dances for us. Soon, all your allies will."
Rage ignited inside Luna. No more. Not again. Power flared from her wolf body, golden light bursting outward. It burned through Sarah's corruption, searing the infection away with raw force. Sarah screamed, but Luna didn't falter. She held on until the last thread of darkness dissolved.
When it was done, Sarah collapsed. Luna shifted back to human without thinking and caught her.
"Sarah? Can you hear me?"
The young woman blinked up, human once more, her voice trembling. "Luna? What… happened?"
"You were infected. But you're safe now."
Magnus's face darkened. "This was Vera's plan. She let us win so she could spread infection during the battle. Spies among our own people."
Kieran cursed. "How many?"
"I can find them." Luna's voice was steady. "In wolf form, I can sense corruption like blood in water."
Magnus looked worried. "You've already done too much. Your body needs rest."
"Rest can wait," she said, fire in her eyes. "We check everyone before more lives are taken."
Kieran touched her shoulder. "Then we do it together."
They returned to camp. Luna shifted again, her senses stretching across the gathering. Three more infected wolves. She didn't hesitate. Golden fire streamed from her body, striking all three at once. Their screams echoed, but when it ended, the corruption was gone.
Her strength shattered. She collapsed, but Kieran caught her.
"We've got you," Magnus said softly, throwing a blanket over her.
The pack stared, shaken. Garrett's voice was grim. "If four of ours were corrupted without us knowing, how many more are out there?"
"Hundreds," Victoria whispered.
Luna forced herself upright. "Then we screen them all. Anyone who refuses doesn't join the alliance. It's harsh, but it's the only way."
Silence followed. Then Solareth's deep voice rumbled from the shadows. "The bridge-builder is right. Dragons will come by dawn. With Luna's senses and our fire, no corruption will hide."
Kieran's arm stayed firm around her. "Enough for tonight. Rest."
She wanted to argue, but exhaustion dragged her under. As her eyes closed, she knew one truth.
They would win. Somehow, they would.