The moon hanging over the Northern Citadel wasn't white tonight. It was a bruised, angry crimson, bleeding light across the jagged peaks like an open wound in the sky. To the common folk, the Blood Moon was a time for celebration and prayer. To a wolf, it was a night of heightened senses and thinning tempers. But to me, it was a death sentence.
I paced the length of my bedchamber, my breath coming in shallow, ragged hitches. The shadows I had siphoned from General Silas and the other soldiers weren't sitting quietly anymore. They were screaming. I could feel them behind my ribs, a chaotic, oily swarm of energy that wanted to claw its way out of my skin.
Give us life, the Serpent hissed, its voice vibrating in my skull. Feed us, or we will eat the vessel.
"Shut up," I whispered, clutching my stomach. I looked at my hands in the crimson moonlight. The dark veins were no longer just on my fingertips; they had crawled up to my elbows, pulsating in sync with the heavy thrum of the mountain's heart.
I stumbled toward the washbasin and splashed freezing water onto my face. It didn't help. The water felt like boiling oil against my feverish skin. Every time I closed my eyes, I didn't see the room; I saw the life force of every living thing in the Citadel. I could sense the guards in the hallway, their heartbeats were like rhythmic drums, their auras a tempting, golden glow that made my mouth water.
I was a predator. I was a parasite. And if I didn't get out of this room, I was going to kill someone.
I lunged for the heavy oak door, but before my hand could touch the iron latch, it swung inward.
Caspian stood there. He wasn't the polished King I had seen at the Council dinner. He was half-shifted, his eyes completely consumed by the black of his wolf, his chest bare and glistening with sweat despite the freezing draft. His scent, ozone and rain hit me like a physical blow, making the hunger in my gut howl in recognition.
"Stay back!" I screamed, backing away until my calves hit the edge of the bed. "Caspian, get out! I can't... I can't hold it. The moon... it's pulling the rot out of me."
"I know," he growled. His voice was deeper now, a gravelly sound that came from the back of his throat. He shut the door behind him, the click of the lock sounding like a gavel in the silent room. "I could hear your heart from the throne room, Elara. It sounds like a dying bird."
"If you stay here, I'll drain you," I rasped, my vision flickering into that terrifying violet hue. "I can feel your power, Caspian. It's so bright. It's so loud. If I touch you, I won't be able to stop."
"Then don't stop."
He didn't hesitate. He stalked toward me with the predatory grace of a mountain lion. He didn't look afraid; he looked like a man walking into a fire he had started himself. When he reached me, he grabbed my wrists. His skin was scorching hot, a stark contrast to the icy darkness sliding through my veins.
"Take it," he commanded, pinning my hands against his bare chest, right over his thundering heart. "The shadows are eating you because you have nothing to balance them with. My light is too much for me to carry tonight anyway. Take it, Elara. Give the Serpent something else to chew on."
The moment my palms pressed against his skin, the world exploded.
It wasn't like siphoning the soldiers. That had felt like drinking stagnant water. Touching Caspian was like swallowing the sun. A torrent of pure, golden Alpha energy surged into my arms, slamming into the shadows in my chest with the force of a tidal wave.
I cried out, my head snapping back as the two forces collided. It was agony and ecstasy all at once. The black veins on my arms began to glow a brilliant, fiery orange as Caspian's power hunted down the rot, neutralizing it, burning it into ash.
My knees buckled, but Caspian caught me, pulling me flush against his body. I buried my face in the crook of his neck, my teeth grazing his skin as I drank and drank. I was a drowning woman and he was the air.
"That's it," he whispered, his large hands sliding up my spine to hold me steady. "Easy, little wolf. I've got enough for both of us."
Slowly, the screaming in my head died down to a hum. The violet tint faded from my eyes, replaced by a clarity that felt like waking up from a nightmare. The darkness wasn't gone, it was still there, a permanent part of my soul, but it was quiet. It was full.
I stayed there for a long time, my forehead resting against his shoulder, our breaths syncing in the quiet of the room. The Blood Moon was still red outside, but the air in the chamber felt sacred.
"Why?" I whispered, my voice muffled against his skin. "You could have died. No Alpha gives away his strength like that. Not to a stranger. Not to a 'runt' from the South."
Caspian pulled back just enough to look me in the eye. He didn't let go of my waist. His thumb traced the line of my jaw, his touch surprisingly gentle for a man built of scars and stone.
"You aren't a stranger, Elara," he said, his blue eyes searching mine. "I've spent my whole life looking at these mountains, thinking they were the most powerful thing in the world. Then I saw you stand up to Kaelen with nothing but the ghost of a smile and a heart full of fire."
He leaned in, his lips brushing against mine. "The Moon Goddess didn't give you to Kaelen because you were his mate. She gave you to him because she knew he was too weak to keep you. She was just waiting for you to grow your teeth so you could find your way home."
I didn't pull away. For the first time in two lives, the bond I felt wasn't a chain around my neck. It was a bridge.
"I'm not a healer anymore, Caspian," I reminded him, my hand sliding up to the back of his neck, my fingers tangling in his dark hair.
"I know," he murmured, his mouth hovering just an inch from mine. "I don't need a healer. I need a Queen who knows how to kill."
When he finally kissed me, it wasn't a question. It was an answer. And as the Blood Moon reached its peak, I knew that the Blackwood Pack wouldn't just lose their healer. They were going to lose everything.