The forest was alive with whispers — ancient, restless, and hungry.Under the crimson glow of the Blood Moon, shadows stretched long across the silvered earth, and the scent of wild things filled the air. Every leaf trembled, every creature hid. For tonight was not an ordinary night. It was The Hunt, when the werewolves of the Northern Pack roamed to cleanse their territory — and to spill vampire blood.
Selena Draven moved silently between the trees, her eyes glimmering faintly red in the moonlight. The air was thick with the scent of fur and iron — danger. She could feel the pull of her vampire instincts urging her to flee, yet another part of her — the human part, the cursed part — wanted to stand her ground.
She wasn't supposed to exist.Half vampire, half human, a product of a forbidden union long erased from the histories of both clans. She had spent her life hiding in the ruins outside the kingdoms, feeding only when she must, surviving only because she was too stubborn to die.
But tonight, she was being hunted.
A howl shattered the silence, low and haunting, echoing through the mountains. It was not the cry of a wild beast — it was a call, a declaration.The wolves had found her trail.
Selena's heart hammered as she broke into a sprint, her feet light as shadows on the moss. She darted between twisted trunks, leaping over roots and fallen branches, until the world blurred into a rush of moonlight and darkness. But the howls followed — closer, faster, relentless.
Then came another sound.A deeper growl, close enough to feel in her bones.
Selena spun around just in time to see him.A figure emerged from the mist — tall, broad, his silver eyes burning with predatory light. His claws glinted under the blood-red sky. Yet there was something different about him, something far more dangerous than the rest.
He did not attack.He stood there, studying her, his breathing controlled, his presence commanding.
"Run," he said — his voice low, rough, carrying both warning and curiosity.
Selena's lips parted, surprise flashing in her crimson eyes. "Why?"
"Because if you don't," he murmured, stepping closer, "I might forget which side I'm supposed to be on."
The forest seemed to stop breathing. The moonlight caught his face — young but scarred, fierce but almost human. She realized who he was,Luca Varyn.The Alpha's heir. The next Wolf King. The one who should have killed her without hesitation. Instead, he took another step forward.
For a fleeting moment, vampire and werewolf stood beneath the same bloodstained sky — enemies bound by something neither could name. The prophecy whispered long ago had begun to stir.
And fate, merciless and watching, smiled.