The Vampire's Luna

The music floated, violin and harp intertwined in a delicate waltz that echoed through the candlelit treetops. Couples swayed, nobles toasted, and the smell of roses and red wine filled the air.

Luna turned to Damien, her eyes reflecting the shimmer of fairy lights. "Dance with me," she said.

Damien looked at her for a moment. He took her hand and led her to the dance floor.

They moved slowly, in rhythm with the soft waltz, their bodies close but their hearts apart. Luna’s fingers curled around his hand. She wanted to say something, anything, but the music and the eyes of the court held her tongue hostage.

A border guard cut through the crowd. "Your Highness," he said, bowing low, his breath uneven. "There is someone at the border to see Alpha Kyllian. He says it’s quite urgent."

Damien’s brow lifted. "Who?"

The guard hesitated. "Beta Talon."

"Talon?" Luna echoed, blinking. "That’s odd."

Damien glanced at her, then gently released her hand. It fell back to her side. "Come," he said, and together they made their way to the edge of the garden, toward the only man in the room who still looked like he’d rather kill him than bow.

Kyllian straightened as they approached, already sensing something amiss. His posture was rigid, his eyes sharp.

"I am told your Beta is at the border," Damien began without preamble. "Is there a reason why he is here?"

"Must be a message from the king," Kyllian said, already stepping away. "I’ll go check on him."

"I’ll go with you," Damien replied.

"Me too," Luna added.

Kyllian cast her a look. "You shouldn’t come. You have to attend with to the guests."

"I’m not asking."

Together, the trio moved through the grand garden, the clinking of wine glasses and polite laughter fading behind them.

They crossed the bridge into the outer perimeter of Blood City and reached the border. What they found made the air stop moving.

Talon was slumped against pole, blood streaming down his face, his clothes shredded. His chest rose and fell in frantic gulps. One eye was nearly swollen shut. The other darted to Kyllian as he collapsed to his knees beside him.

"Talon! What happened?"

Talon gripped Kyllian’s forearm with blood-slick fingers. "Alpha Kyllian... Princess..." he rasped. "We... we are under attack. The king... he is... there are too many of them."

Luna’s blood ran cold.

Damien’s face turned to stone. "What do you mean? Who’s attacking?"

"Vampires." Talon coughed. "They came last night. From the forest. We lost the southern border. The king is fighting—holding them off—but..."

Luna staggered back a step, the air thinning around her. "My father..." she whispered.

Damien caught her, steadying her gently. His eyes flicked to Kyllian, and for once, no rivalry passed between them—only shared understanding.

"Send word to my father." Damien barked at the guard. "I’m going to the werewolf territory. See to Beta Talons wounds."

"No! I’m going. I have to protect the king." Talon argued.

Luna looked between them, heart pounding. "I’m coming too."

"No," Damien said quickly. "You’ll stay here, where it’s safe..."

"I am the princess of the werewolf kingdom," she shot back. "I am not hiding while my people die."

"You’re also my mate," Damien growled. "And I won’t risk you..."

Kyllian stepped between them. "Are you guys fighting? Now?"

That said, they all got into one of the available cars at the border and sped in the direction of Luna’s home.

*****

The moment the car halted at the blood-soaked border of the werewolf kingdom, a hush of horror fell over the trio. Damien stepped out first, his eyes widening as he took in the wreckage. Luna climbed out beside him, her hands trembling, rage and grief colliding violently in her chest. Kyllian stood still. His home... his people...

It was Luna who broke the stillness. "No," she whispered, then louder, "No!"

Damien didn’t need prompting. With a burst of vampiric speed, he launched into the chaos. One second he was standing beside them, the next, he was tearing through enemy lines. Heads flew. Bones snapped. He was all fury, a creature of war given flesh.

"I have to get to the King," Kyllian shouted, eyes flashing gold.

"Go!" Luna barked, already shifting mid-leap. Her transformation was seamless. She bounded forward and crashed into three vampires.

Damien caught one of her victims as she flung it at him. He didn’t even look as he crushed the creature’s skull in one hand, tossed it aside, and vibrated his fingers into another that had dared to get close. He moved like vengeance itself.

Luna, still in wolf form, circled around the injured and the vulnerable, her eyes blazing. A young werewolf pup was pinned under a vampire’s boot—she lunged and took the bloodsucker down with one bite to the throat. Her snarl echoed through the trees, uniting the scattered wolves around her. With her arrival, they surged with new purpose. She fought like a warrior queen, biting and clawing, rolling through the battlefield with unstoppable force.

Meanwhile, Kyllian sprinted through, searching for the king.

From the trees, hidden in the gloom of the forest, William watched. His eyes were calm, calculating. The moment he spotted Damien in the fray, William smiled.

He opened his mouth and let out a piercing, high-pitched bat-like shriek. It vibrated through the bones of every vampire on the field. In unison, they stopped, disengaged, and vanished into the night.

Luna lifted her muzzle, panting. Around her, the forest had fallen into a haunting silence. Damien stood, his face a mask of fury and confusion. "What the hell was that?" he growled.

"They retreated," Luna said after shifting back.

"But why?" Damien asked. "They had the upper hand."

Luna shrugged.

Kyllian’s wolf senses were on fire, guiding him through the madness to where the king’s scent was strongest. His heart thundered from the dread clawing at his soul. When he finally found Magnus, crouched behind a splintered tree with two warriors flanking him, Kyllian felt the ground tip under his feet.

(At least 30 powerstones and there will be a mass release focusing on Luna and Damien on the run for their lives. Its getting good guys. (Gifts are great too.)