Chapter 1 Blood Moon Rising

The night of Aria’s eighteenth birthday was meant to be warm and happy. The small village of Ravenshade glowed with soft lights. Candles flickered on a small cake her mama had baked with love. The sweet smell of vanilla and cinnamon filled the little house. Cold autumn air came in through the open window, mixing with the warm air inside.

Aria sat at the table with her family. Her best friend Mara sat on the floor, teasing her with a big grin.

“So,” Mara said, “will you finally act like a grown-up? Or will you still sneak into the meadow to look at the stars like a lost dreamer?”

Aria laughed, shaking her head. “I like the stars,” she said softly. “They make me feel there’s something bigger than this.” She waved at the tiny house, the rough chairs, the bread cooling near the fire.

Her father laughed. “Bigger than this? What more do you need? Family, friends, food, and a roof. That’s life.”

Aria smiled, but inside she felt that small ache again. She loved her home, her people, everything here. But something deep in her chest always whispered that she didn’t fully belong. Like she was a piece of a puzzle that didn’t fit.

Outside, villagers were singing under the harvest moon. Their voices carried joy, but behind that joy Aria felt something else. A strange pull. Her heart beat too fast. Her skin felt like it was listening to something only she could hear.

She looked out the window. The forest was dark and tall. The pines stood like guards watching her. They had always been there. But tonight, they felt alive.

Mara followed her gaze. “Don’t tell me you’re thinking about those woods again,” she said. “The elders say not to go near the forest on the night of the blood moon.”

“I know,” Aria whispered. She had heard the stories since she was small—of people who walked into the forest on red moon nights and never came back. Of creatures that lived in the shadows. The stories were meant to scare her. But tonight, fear wasn’t the only thing she felt. Something inside her wanted to go.

Her mother saw the look in her eyes. She reached over and brushed a strand of hair from Aria’s face. “Stop thinking about the forest. Tonight is your night. Enjoy it.”

Aria nodded and forced a smile. But the pull in her chest only grew stronger. Every beat of her heart felt like it was calling her name from the woods.

When the celebration slowed down and her family began to clean up, she quietly slipped out the door. The air outside was colder. The scent of pine was sharp. Behind her, she could still hear laughter, but in front of her was only the forest. The blood moon hung above like a giant red eye, watching.

She stepped forward slowly. Crunch. Crunch. The sound of her boots on the dry leaves. Each step pulled her deeper into the dark. The voices from the house grew quiet. Only the sound of the wind and the trees remained.

She should have been afraid. But instead, the forest felt… familiar. Like she had walked this path many times in a dream.

The air grew thick. The shadows stretched long, like fingers reaching for her. Her chest rose and fell fast. She placed a hand on her heart. Boom. Boom. Boom. It beat loud in her ears.

Then—she saw it.

A figure moved in the darkness. Slowly. Smooth.

He stepped out of the shadows like the night had made him. A tall man dressed in black. His cloak moved like smoke. His eyes were red, glowing like hot fire.

Aria froze. Her breath caught. Her feet refused to move. She should have run. She couldn’t.

The man’s lips curved in a small smile. “You came,” he said softly, his voice deep and smooth. “My little flame.”

Her lips trembled. “Who… who are you?”

“I am Lucian,” he said. “King of this realm. The one your blood belongs to.”

Her stomach twisted. Her blood? She shook her head. “No… I don’t understand. I’m just—”

“Not just,” he said sharply but gently. “Your blood carries the curse, the power, the fate. And tonight…” His eyes glowed brighter. “It wakes up.”

Panic rushed through her. She turned to run. But something she could not see wrapped around her like invisible ropes. It held her tight. She struggled, tears stinging her eyes. “Let me go!”

Lucian only smiled. His sharp teeth glinted in the moonlight. “Run if you want. But if you stay… you may live.”

Then the forest shook. Dark shapes slid out from the trees. Dozens of creatures with pale skin, red eyes, and long fangs. They hissed like snakes and rushed at her.

Aria screamed. She fell back, bracing herself for death.

But Lucian moved like a shadow. His hand lifted. Dark mist wrapped around him like a storm. The creatures screamed as the shadows struck them. In seconds, they were gone—vanished like smoke.

The forest was quiet again. Aria was shaking. Her heartbeat was loud in her ears.

Lucian turned to her. His voice was low. “You belong to this world now, Aria,” he said. “And to me.”

Her knees gave way. She dropped to the cold ground. Her hands pressed into the soil. Tears burned in her eyes.

Under the blood moon, something inside her stirred. A hot, wild fire moved through her veins. She saw flashes in her mind—red skies, fire everywhere, a throne dripping with blood.

Lucian watched her like he had seen this before. “You feel it,” he whispered. “The bond. The power. You can’t hide from it.”

Her voice cracked. “Why me? Why now?”

He stepped closer. His red eyes burned like the moon. “Because destiny waited for you. And now, it has found you.”

Above them, the blood moon climbed higher, painting everything in red. Wolves howled far away. The forest held its breath.

The life Aria had known was gone.

This night would never be forgotten.

It was the night destiny came for her.