Chapter 6: The Blood Moon
That night, Elena couldn’t sleep.
She stood beside the bedroom window, staring at the moon.
A blood moon.
She remembered the last one she had seen.
Five years ago.
The night she had run from Adrian.
The night she had received the letter.
If you love him, disappear.
She had believed it.
She had believed that Adrian would be killed if she stayed.
And she had sacrificed everything.
Her love.
Her future.
Her happiness.
But now she wondered…
Had she been fooled?
A knock came at the door.
Elena turned.
Adrian stood there.
“Can I come in?”
She nodded.
He entered quietly.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Adrian said,
“Why did you leave?”
Elena’s heart tightened.
“You know why.”
“No.”
His eyes were fixed on hers.
“I know what I was told.”
She looked away.
“What were you told?”
“That you sold information about my pack.”
Elena closed her eyes.
“And you believed it.”
“I saw the evidence.”
“What evidence?”
“A recording.”
Elena looked at him sharply.
“What recording?”
Adrian’s expression changed.
“You don’t remember?”
“No.”
He walked closer.
“The night you disappeared, I received a recording of you talking to my enemy.”
Elena shook her head.
“That wasn’t me.”
“I know that now.”
Her breath caught.
“What?”
Adrian pulled out his phone.
“The recording was analyzed today.”
He played it.
Elena listened.
Her own voice came through the speaker.
“I’ll give you the Blackwood territory. Just leave Adrian alone.”
Elena’s blood ran cold.
She stared at the phone.
“I never said that.”
“I know.”
“Then how…”
Adrian stopped the recording.
“Someone used your voice.”
Elena’s eyes widened.
“Voice manipulation?”
“Advanced enough to fool everyone.”
She slowly sat down.
“Then someone wanted you to hate me.”
Adrian didn’t answer.
“Someone wanted us separated.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
He looked at her.
“That’s what we’re going to find out.”
Elena suddenly remembered something.
“Adrian.”
“What?”
“The letter.”
“What letter?”
“The one I received before I left.”
She stood.
“It said that if I didn’t disappear, you’d die.”
Adrian’s face darkened.
“Who sent it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you still have it?”
“No.”
Elena paused.
“Wait.”
She opened an old suitcase.
At the bottom was a small wooden box.
She opened it.
Inside was a folded piece of paper.
Adrian took it.
His eyes moved across the words.
Then his face changed completely.
Elena stepped closer.
“What?”
He handed her the letter.
At the bottom was a symbol.
A black wolf with a silver crown.
Adrian’s expression became grim.
“I know this symbol.”
“Who?”
“The first Alpha family.”
Elena stared at him.
“I thought they disappeared decades ago.”
“They didn’t.”
He looked toward the window.
“They went underground.”
“And what do they want?”
Adrian’s voice became cold.
“My throne.”
—
