The Blood Moon was coming.
Not just any full moon. Not the usual monthly pull that called the wolves to shift and run through the forest. This was different. A rare celestial event whispered about in hushed tones and ancient prophecies—when the moon would bleed red and the earth would hold its breath. The Blood Moon.
In the wolf packs, it was sacred. An honor. A time of powerful shifts and ancestral connection. But for Seraphina, it was something else entirely.
It was the beginning of the unknown.
Everyone knew she would transform that night. It wasn't a secret. Not anymore. Word had spread through the pack like wildfire, and though most didn't say it aloud, their eyes said enough—fear, curiosity, reverence. She wasn't just one of them.
She was marked.
The Moon Crest on her collarbone had started to glow days before. The Blood Seal on her wrist pulsed with every heartbeat. And the prophecy—"When blood and moon rise together, the child of dusk shall awaken"—lingered in the minds of elders, alphas, and enemies alike.
She was being watched.
And because of that, she was being hidden.
Not in her room. Not in the village. But deep in the forest, in a place most only heard of in stories—the Cavern of Solace.
It was sacred ground. Where the moonlight touched stone and silence danced with shadows. Where even the strongest wolves went to meditate or mourn, but never to fight.
Eryn led her there with a small group of trusted guards.
"You'll be safe here," she said, though her voice lacked its usual firmness.
Seraphina nodded, eyes on the red-tinged sky. Her heart was pounding.
Vael had wanted to come with her, but they'd agreed he should stay back—draw attention elsewhere. She didn't need another target painted on her.The cave was cool and damp. Moonlight filtered through cracks in the ceiling like silver threads. There was no bed, no comfort—just a stone altar in the center where she was to sit. Wait. Transform.
She didn't know what would happen.
Would she grow claws? Wings? Would the vampire in her try to kill the wolf? Would she even survive?
She curled her knees to her chest, shivering despite the warmth of the fire they lit at the cave's mouth.
Outside, the packs howled in unison. The shift had begun.
Inside, she bit down on a scream.
It started in her spine—a searing heat, crawling up her neck, down her limbs. Her fingers twisted, bones cracking, reshaping. Her back arched violently. Her breath came in gasps. Not just pain.
It was splitting.
As though her body didn't know what to become.
Her eyes glowed—not just gold like the wolves, but crimson, a flash of both blood and moon. Her teeth elongated, sharp and white. Her limbs lengthened but didn't sprout fur. Instead, her veins glowed faintly under pale skin.
She was becoming.
Not one. Not the other.
Both.
The prophecy lived in her bones. She was no longer girl or wolf or vampire.
She was Duskborn.
Suddenly, a wind cut through the silence.
And then came the scent.
Not wolf.
Vampire.
The guards outside snarled in alarm. Shouts followed. A scream.
Then, a figure stepped through the firelight.
Clad in dark robes. Eyes crimson. Skin like marble.
"You're weaker now than you'll ever be," he said softly. "Perfect timing."
Seraphina stood, unsteady but burning with defiance. Her voice cracked as she said, "I'm not alone."
He smirked. "You are."
Another vampire leapt through the mouth of the cave. Then another. And another.
Three against one.
Or so they thought.
As they lunged, her body moved on instinct. Not with the grace of a wolf or the speed of a vampire—but something new. A blur. A whisper. A flash of power.
She dodged the first, elbowed the second, caught the third mid-air and slammed him into the cave wall.
But she was still new to this.
A hand caught her by the throat. Lifted her.
Pain shot through her ribs. She kicked, gasped, clawed.
The cave trembled.
Then, from the shadows outside, a shape emerged. Watching. Silent. Radiating power.
A man.
His eyes glowed faintly—familiar eyes.
He didn't move. Didn't interfere. But Seraphina felt him. Like a thread of blood tied to her own.
Her father.
She couldn't see his face clearly. But she knew.
His presence lit something in her. A spark.
She roared.
Light burst from her chest, slamming the vampires back.
She fell to her knees, gasping. The cave flickered with residual energy.
When she looked up again, the vampires were gone.
And so was the man.
But the moon still bled above.
And Seraphina, trembling, knew the first test was over.
She had survived.
Barely.
But this was only the beginning.