The night air was thick and heavy, carrying the metallic tang of anticipation and wild earth. The blood moon had risen, casting the forest in a deep crimson that stained every leaf, every blade of grass, and every shadow with an eerie, almost unnatural glow. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath, whispering through the trees like a secret meant only for those brave,or foolish,enough to witness it.
Natalie crept through the underbrush, the memory of the day's hunt still raw in her muscles and bones. The scent of wolf fur, wet earth, and the lingering fear of prey she had nearly lost hung in the air. But tonight was different. Tonight, the forest felt charged, alive with something darker than mere game. Her eyes adjusted to the red light, catching movement in the distance. The Alpha was there, moving like a shadow among shadows.
He did not call out. He did not signal. He simply existed in the moonlight, a figure both commanding and terrifying, and Natalie's stomach twisted at the sight of him. He was hunting again, but this was no ordinary hunt. The blood moon seemed to draw out something primal in him, something that made her pulse quicken with equal parts awe and fear.
A massive beast emerged from the underbrush, muscles rippling beneath its dark fur, eyes gleaming with terror and fury. It was larger than any prey she had seen before, a creature that could have easily torn a normal wolf apart in seconds. Natalie froze, heart hammering, claws digging into the soil. She could sense the tension in the forest, the quiet ripple of anticipation among the pack. Even the Alpha's wolves seemed to hesitate, sensing that this hunt belonged entirely to him.
In one fluid motion, Damien struck. The speed was blinding, the brutality almost shocking. The beast barely had time to react before it was thrown to the ground, fangs clashing, claws slashing, and yet Natalie could see the precision, the calculated ferocity in every move. The red glow of the blood moon illuminated his face, revealing something she had only glimpsed before,a feral edge, a darkness lurking just beneath the surface of his control.
Natalie's breath caught in her throat. She had known the King was formidable, a predator unmatched in skill and cunning, but this… this was something else entirely. The way he moved, the intensity in his eyes, the sheer force of his power,it was intoxicating and terrifying all at once.
And then it happened. For a fraction of a second, his expression shifted. The controlled mask he usually wore cracked, just enough for her to see the raw, untamed hunger behind it. His eyes flickered with something unstable;something dangerous, almost hungry in a way that had nothing to do with the beast at his feet. Natalie's heart pounded, and for a moment, she felt as though the forest itself had frozen, holding its breath in fear.
The moment passed as quickly as it came. He straightened, mask back in place, and the Alpha that everyone knew returned,the one who commanded respect, instilled fear, and held the loyalty of an entire pack. But Natalie could not unsee the flicker in his eyes, the brief, primal glimpse of something untethered, something that whispered of power far beyond what anyone dared imagine.
She wanted to look away, to pretend she had not seen it, but curiosity rooted her to the spot. The King's movements were mesmerizing, every motion a blend of lethal grace and cold calculation. He dispatched the beast completely, leaving nothing but silence in its wake. The forest seemed to exhale, the tension dissipating, but Natalie's pulse remained wild, her senses alive with every rustle of leaf and snap of twig.
And then he turned. His eyes met hers, dark and piercing beneath the blood-red light. The air between them thickened, charged with unspoken warning. Natalie felt the weight of his gaze pressing down on her, assessing, measuring, and perhaps judging her for daring to witness something she was never meant to see.
"Speak of this to no one," he said, voice low, cold, and sharp enough to cut through the night itself. The command carried the finality of law, a warning she could not ignore. Her ears twitched, every instinct screaming compliance, but her mind raced with questions she dared not voice.
The forest around them seemed to shrink, the red glow of the blood moon intensifying the tension. Natalie swallowed hard, aware that the King's words were not merely a suggestion,they were a threat cloaked in authority. She nodded once, carefully, making sure he saw her acknowledgment.
He turned away, back into the shadows, moving with the same lethal grace that had struck the beast down. Natalie remained frozen for a moment, processing what she had just witnessed. The thrill of fear mingled with a spark of fascination. The King was more dangerous than she had imagined, and the blood moon had revealed a side of him that was both terrifying and compelling.
Her mind raced with possibilities. Why had he allowed her to see it? Was it a test, a warning, or merely an oversight? The memory of the flicker in his eyes,the primal, untamed hunger,
, refused to leave her thoughts. She knew now that beneath the polished exterior, the control, and the calculated dominance, there lurked a darkness that no one in the court had ever glimpsed.
Natalie's paws sank into the soil as she shifted back into human form, muscles sore but senses still heightened. She pressed her palms to her chest, steadying her heartbeat, the red light of the blood moon still bathing the forest around her. The image of the King's eyes lingered, a reminder that there were depths to his power she had only begun to understand.
As Natalie stepped into the shadowed corridors of the castle, her mind refused to settle. The King's feral edge under the blood moon was no mere display of power,there was something darker at work, something ancient. She thought back to the whispers of the servant, the tales of a curse that had plagued him since birth, and the elusive "woman with the blood moon" who might be the only one capable of taming it. The pieces refused to align neatly; the curse, the hunts, his feral bursts of violence,they were all connected, she was certain. And somehow, somewhere within the crimson glow of the forest and the secrets he guarded, she would have to find the key to understanding it all… before it consumed him,and perhaps everyone around him.
The warning lingered in her mind: Speak of this to no one.
And yet, Natalie knew that this secret,the glimpse of the King's feral nature under the blood moon,would shape everything she would do, every decision she would make. The forest had revealed its truth, and now it was hers to carry, a dangerous weight that would test her in ways she had yet to imagine.