Chapter 1: THE BLOOD MOON
Chicago never truly slept. It only pretended to, lights dimmed, streets thinned, but beneath the concrete and steel, the city breathed like a living beast. Power hummed through its veins: old magic buried under rail lines, blood spilled into its soil long before skyscrapers ever touched the clouds.
Tonight, the moon hung low and swollen, a pale eye watching everything.
Kevin felt it before he saw it.
The pull.
It started as a tightening in his chest as he stood atop an abandoned warehouse near the Chicago River, the wind tugging at his coat. The scent of rusted metal, oil, and distant rain mixed with something far more dangerous, blood.
Not fresh. Not human.
Vampire.
His jaw clenched. "Damn it," he muttered.
Kevin was a wolf, born of the old bloodlines that once ruled the forests long before cities rose. An alpha by right, though he rejected the title. Wolves like him were not supposed to be here, Chicago was vampire territory, claimed centuries ago under treaties written in blood and moonlight.
But treaties didn't matter anymore.
Something was wrong.
The moonlight shimmered against his skin, bones aching beneath flesh. He fought the change, nails digging into his palms as fur threatened to tear through skin. He inhaled slowly, grounding himself. Shifting now would draw attention, and attention in this city meant death.
Below him, the streets whispered with danger.
That was when he heard it.
A scream, cut short.
Kevin moved.
He leapt from the warehouse, landing hard but silent, boots hitting the pavement as he melted into the shadows. His senses sharpened unnaturally, every sound magnified: a rat skittering, a train rumbling miles away, the faint echo of footsteps in an alley to the east.
And then, her.
The scent hit him like a blow. Cold. Ancient. Sweet with rot and power.
Vampire royalty.
Kevin rounded the corner and froze.
Three men lay crumpled on the ground, throats torn open, blood staining the alley like spilled wine. Standing among them was a woman, her back to him, moonlight threading through raven-black hair that fell down her spine.
She was holding herself stiffly, as if bracing against something unseen.
"Don't come closer," she said calmly, without turning.
Kevin blinked. "You heard me?"
A soft, humorless laugh escaped her lips. "You're loud for a wolf."
That sent a jolt through him.
She turned.
Her eyes were a deep, burning crimson, glowing faintly in the dark. Her skin was pale, flawless, untouched by time. She wore a long black coat, splattered with blood that was not hers. Power radiated from her like heat from a fire.
Yet beneath it… fear.
"You're far from your pack," she continued. "Or did they finally abandon you?"
Kevin bristled, teeth flashing before he could stop himself. "Careful, vampire."
"Rwanda," she corrected. "My name is Rwanda."
The way she said it, like a declaration, like a challenge, made something twist in his chest.
"Kevin," he replied after a beat. "And you're killing humans in my city."
She arched a brow. "Your city?"
"This territory is neutral."
"Was," she said quietly. "Not anymore."
Before he could ask what she meant, the air shifted.
Kevin's instincts screamed.
The shadows at the mouth of the alley thickened, stretching unnaturally as figures stepped forward, six of them, cloaked, eyes glowing with the same crimson fire as Rwanda's but twisted, feral.
Vampire enforcers.
Rwanda cursed under her breath. "They found me faster than I expected."
Kevin glanced at her. "Friends of yours?"
"Slaves of his," she said. "And if you don't want to die tonight, wolf, you'll run."
He laughed, low and dangerous. "Yeah. That's not happening."
The lead vampire snarled. "Step aside, beast. She belongs to Aether."
The name hit like thunder.
Kevin felt it, ancient fear rippling through the city itself.
Aether.
The master of all vampires. The first turned. The undying tyrant whose rule stretched across continents and centuries.
Rwanda's hands curled into fists. "I belong to no one."
The vampires lunged.
Kevin didn't think. He shifted.
Bones snapped and reformed in a blur of pain and power as fur erupted across his skin. His coat tore apart as a massive silver-gray wolf exploded into the alley, eyes glowing gold beneath the moon.
He slammed into the first vampire, claws ripping through flesh and bone. The creature screamed before dissolving into ash.
Rwanda moved like a storm.
She was everywhere, faster than Kevin's eyes could follow, blades flashing from her sleeves as she decapitated one vampire, then another. Blood sprayed, hissing as it touched the ground.
But they kept coming.
Kevin fought with primal fury, teeth sinking into undead flesh, strength fueled by moonlight and rage. Still, he sensed the imbalance, these vampires were enhanced, empowered by something darker.
By him.
Aether.
One of them caught Rwanda from behind, fingers closing around her throat. She gasped, crimson eyes flaring as she struggled.
Kevin roared.
He leapt, colliding with the vampire mid-air, tearing its head clean off. Rwanda staggered back, steadying herself against the brick wall.
For a moment, silence fell.
Ash drifted through the alley like gray snow.
Rwanda stared at Kevin, chest rising and falling though she did not breathe. "You didn't have to help me."
Kevin shifted back, pain ripping through him as bones reset. He dropped to one knee, breathing hard. "Yeah," he said hoarsely. "But I wanted to."
Their eyes met.
Something ancient stirred between them, something neither wolf nor vampire could name.
"This city isn't safe for you anymore," he said. "If Aether's hunting you, he won't stop."
Rwanda looked up at the moon, then back at him. "I know."
"Then why stay?"
Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Because if I run, he wins."
Kevin studied her, truly seeing her now, not just a vampire, but a warrior standing against an immortal god.
"Well," he said slowly, standing. "Looks like you've got a problem."
She tilted her head. "And you're offering to solve it?"
A crooked smile tugged at his lips. "No. I'm offering to fight it."
The moon burned brighter overhead.
Somewhere far beneath the city, something ancient stirred, aware at last that wolf and vampire had crossed paths.
And destiny had begun to move.