Morning came too fast.
Luna woke with a sharp inhale, her heart racing as if she had been running. Pale light filtered through the curtains, but the feeling from the night before still clung to her skin.
Power.
Fear.
Choice.
She sat up slowly. For a moment, she did not know where she was. Then she remembered. Kael's apartment. The ritual murders. Adrian's silver eyes.
Her stomach twisted.
Kael was already awake. He stood near the kitchen counter, speaking quietly with Rhea. Their voices stopped the moment Luna stepped into the room.
"You're up," Kael said, relief flashing across his face.
"I couldn't sleep anymore," Luna replied. "It felt like something was pulling at me."
Rhea exchanged a look with Kael. "That's the moon."
Luna frowned. "It's not full yet."
"No," Rhea said. "But it's close enough to whisper."
Kael handed Luna a cup of tea. "Drink. It helps ground you."
Luna accepted it, though her hands trembled slightly. "You both keep talking like tonight is a deadline."
"It is," Rhea said bluntly. "Blood Moon rises tonight."
Luna froze. "Blood Moon?"
Kael nodded. "A lunar eclipse layered over the full moon. Rare. Powerful."
"And dangerous," Rhea added. "Especially for someone like you."
Luna swallowed. "What happens during a Blood Moon?"
Kael's voice was calm, but his eyes were not. "Ancient bonds weaken. Old magic wakes."
"And rituals finish faster," Rhea said. "With less blood."
Luna nearly dropped the cup. "Less blood?"
Rhea met her gaze. "Adrian won't need as many sacrifices."
Anger burned through Luna, sharp and sudden. "Then we stop him before tonight."
Kael shook his head. "We don't know where he is."
"I do," Luna said before she could stop herself.
Both of them turned toward her.
"The observatory," Luna continued. "That's where it starts."
Rhea studied her closely. "You're certain?"
"I can feel it," Luna said, pressing a hand to her ribs where the silver mark pulsed faintly. "Like a string pulling tight."
Kael cursed under his breath. "Then that's where we go."
Rhea folded her arms. "We don't rush in."
Luna lifted her chin. "People are dying."
"And more will die if you lose control," Rhea shot back.
Silence stretched between them.
Kael stepped closer to Luna. "Rhea's right. But so are you."
He took a breath. "We prepare. Then we move."
By late afternoon, the campus buzzed with tension.
Classes were canceled. Security doubled. Whispers moved faster than facts.
Luna walked beside Kael, feeling eyes on her from every direction. Humans sensed something was wrong, even if they did not understand it.
She stopped suddenly.
Kael turned. "What is it?"
"Someone's following us," Luna whispered.
Rhea sniffed the air. "Vampire."
Before Luna could react, a blur slammed into Kael, sending him skidding across the pavement.
"Kael!" Luna shouted.
Three figures stepped out from behind a row of trees. Pale. Smiling.
"Easy," one of them said. "We just want to talk."
Rhea shifted instantly, her eyes glowing. "Wrong day."
The vampire laughed. "Adrian sends his regards."
Luna's blood went cold.
Kael rose slowly, shaking off the impact. "You're trespassing."
"And you're guarding what doesn't belong to you," the vampire replied, eyes flicking to Luna.
Something snapped inside her.
The air vibrated.
Luna stepped forward. "If you came for me, say it."
The vampire tilted his head. "Brave. Or foolish."
He moved fast.
Too fast.
Luna screamed as claws slashed toward her, but before they reached her skin, a burst of silver light exploded outward.
The vampires were thrown back like rag dolls.
Silence fell.
Luna stood frozen, her hands glowing faintly.
Kael stared at her. "Luna."
She looked down at herself, breathing hard. "I didn't mean to."
Rhea grabbed her shoulders. "Listen to me. You are reacting on instinct. That means you're close to awakening."
"That's not comforting," Luna said shakily.
Kael approached carefully. "You saved us."
"For now," Rhea added. "But Adrian will feel that."
As if summoned by her words, Luna's phone buzzed.
Unknown Number: Impressive. But reckless.
Luna typed with shaking fingers.
Luna: Stop this. People don't need to die.
Three dots appeared.
Unknown Number: They already have.
Her chest tightened.
Unknown Number: Meet me at the observatory before moonrise. Come alone.
Kael read the message over her shoulder. "No."
Rhea shook her head. "It's a trap."
Luna knew that.
But she also knew something else.
"He won't start the ritual if I'm there," she said quietly.
Kael grabbed her hand. "That's not a guarantee."
"No," Luna agreed. "But it's a chance."
Rhea exhaled sharply. "You go nowhere without us."
Luna looked at Kael. "We don't have time to argue."
He searched her face, then nodded reluctantly. "We do this together."
The observatory loomed against the darkening sky.
Clouds dragged slowly across the horizon, swallowing the last traces of daylight. The moon hovered behind them, heavy and red-tinged.
Luna's heart pounded with every step.
"This place feels wrong," she whispered.
Kael tightened his grip on her hand. "Stay close."
They reached the clearing.
Candles burned in a wide circle. Symbols carved into the ground glowed dark red.
And at the center stood Adrian.
He smiled when he saw Luna. "Right on time."
Kael snarled. "Step away from her."
Adrian laughed softly. "You still think this is about possession."
His gaze softened when it returned to Luna. "It's about destiny."
Luna forced herself to meet his eyes. "I won't help you."
"You already are," Adrian said gently.
The moon slid free of the clouds.
Blood-red light washed over the clearing.
The silver mark on Luna's side flared, blazing like fire.
She cried out as power surged through her, bending her knees.
Voices filled her mind, louder than ever.
Choose.
Claim.
Ascend.
Kael rushed to her side. "Luna, focus on me."
She clung to his voice, to his presence.
Adrian raised his arms. "Witness the return of the Moonbound."
The ground shook.
Luna screamed as memories not her own flooded her mind. Ancient wolves bowing. Vampires burning. A woman crowned in moonlight.
Her.
"No," she gasped. "That's not me."
Adrian's smile faltered. "It is."
Luna pushed herself upright, tears streaming down her face. "Maybe it was. But not anymore."
She raised her hand.
Silver light tore through the ritual circle, shattering symbols, extinguishing candles.
Adrian staggered back, shocked.
"This isn't over," he hissed.
Luna's voice shook, but it did not break. "It ends tonight."
The moon pulsed overhead.
And the Blood Moon began to rise.