The night pressed down like a living weight, thick with an energy that made Ariana's pulse stumble. The forest was alive yet silent—every rustle, every whisper of wind felt amplified in the stillness. The air shimmered with tension, and though Damon's presence beside her offered a strange comfort, unspoken truths burned hotter than the crimson moon above.
"Where are we going?" Ariana asked, her voice trembling. The crescent mark on her wrist throbbed beneath her sleeve, glowing faintly with silver fire. Above, the moon hung half-eclipsed, casting a red light that made the shadows twist unnaturally.
Damon's gaze swept the treeline, sharp and distant. "You'll see soon enough. This place is older than any pack in the valley. It's where the Moon first touched the earth—where your awakening truly begins."
Her chest tightened. Power. Awakening. Prophecy. Each word echoed in her mind, heavier than the last. She wanted to trust him, to believe the Alpha who had pulled her from darkness. But doubt clawed at her heart. His dead mate. The prophecy. The shadows that hunted her. What had she truly stepped into?
They broke through the last of the trees.
The clearing opened like a secret buried for centuries. Jagged stones formed a perfect circle, etched with runes that pulsed faintly in the red light of the Blood Eclipse. The air vibrated—alive, ancient. Ariana felt the mark on her wrist burn hotter, a deep, insistent thrum that called her forward. Every instinct screamed that crossing that circle would change everything—and yet, she couldn't resist.
"This is where it begins," Damon said quietly. "The Blood Eclipse will awaken what sleeps inside you. But it will also show you the truth—the prophecy, my past, and the enemies who would see you destroyed."
Her breath hitched. "Enemies? What enemies?"
Damon's jaw tightened. Shadows seemed to deepen around his face. "Hunters. Beings that feed on power born of the moon. They hunted my mate once. Now they hunt you. The prophecy speaks of the one who can awaken the Moon's true power. That's you, Ariana. But with it comes a choice—one that will decide the fate of us all."
Ariana's fingers brushed the glowing crescent. The warmth spread through her veins, pulsing in rhythm with her heartbeat. "Why me?" she whispered.
"Because you survived what my mate could not," Damon said softly, pain threading through his voice. "Because the moon saw your strength. And because only you can bear what's coming."
She stepped into the circle.
The moment her foot crossed the boundary, energy roared through her veins like wildfire. Her vision blurred, the ground fell away, and suddenly she was no longer in the clearing. She stood in a vast hall awash in red and silver light. Shadows clung to the walls, whispering her name.
At the far end knelt a woman—beautiful, spectral—her eyes full of sorrow and warning. Damon's first mate.
"You feel it," the spirit whispered. "The Blood Eclipse awakens what sleeps inside you—the power, the danger, the choices. But beware, Luna of the Hidden Line… the shadows are patient, and they will test you."
The voice echoed, multiplying. Ariana turned—and froze.
Damon stood ahead, but his silver eyes burned too brightly, his aura too sharp, too otherworldly. The shadows surrounded him, bowing, feeding off his presence. In that moment, Ariana's heart stuttered with realization. The Damon she knew… might not be the whole story.
Her mark flared, searing her skin. Visions assaulted her mind—flashes of past and future colliding. She saw herself standing on a cliff beneath the red moon, shadows circling her like vultures. Power surged within her, raw and intoxicating, both beautiful and terrifying.
A cry tore from her throat. The vision shattered.
She collapsed to her knees, gasping. The clearing returned—runes flickering, the crimson light dimming. Damon knelt beside her, his face unreadable, torn between pride and grief.
"You felt it," he murmured. "The Blood Eclipse began sooner than I feared. The shadows are already moving. The prophecy… it's shifting."
Ariana's mind spun. "What prophecy? What does it say about me?"
Damon looked away, eyes dark as stormclouds. "You must find those answers yourself. The moon reveals truth only to the one it marks. But remember this—power without control destroys. And not everyone you trust will survive the truth."
A chill swept through her. The wind rose, rattling the trees, carrying the metallic scent of rain and blood. The mark on her wrist flared, hotter now, almost alive.
She turned sharply. A whisper drifted through the darkness.
"The Blood Eclipse has begun… and with it, everything changes."
The voice came from nowhere and everywhere at once—soft, cold, and ancient. The forest seemed to hold its breath. Ariana's heartbeat thundered as she realized she wasn't alone.
The mark seared brighter than ever, casting a silver halo across her skin. The night trembled. Something—someone—was watching from beyond the circle.
Ariana's throat tightened. Whatever came next, she would face it alone.
Because under the Blood Eclipse, there was no turning back.
The Blood Eclipse awakens Ariana's full power, reveals fragments of Damon's secret past, and hints that the prophecy may condemn them both — setting up the next arc with danger, betrayal, and revelation.