CHAPTER ONE

THE NIGHT THE MOON TURNED RED

CHAPTER ONE

THE NIGHT THE MOON TURNED RED

The first time Aurelia dreamed of the palace, someone was screaming.

Not screaming in fear.

Screaming in pain.

She stood barefoot on a cold marble floor, the hem of a white dress dragging behind her as she ran through a corridor she had never seen before.

The walls were burning.

Smoke filled the air.

Somewhere ahead, a woman was crying.

“Aurelia!”

The voice echoed through the palace.

Aurelia stopped.

Her heart pounded.

She knew that voice.

She had never heard it before.

And yet, somehow, she knew it better than her own.

“Mama?”

The word left her lips.

Then something growled behind her.

Aurelia turned.

A massive black wolf stood at the end of the corridor.

Its crimson eyes glowed through the smoke.

Blood dripped from its jaws.

She should have been afraid.

Instead, the wolf lowered its head.

And Aurelia felt something inside her chest answer.

Mine.

The word did not come from the wolf.

It came from inside her.

The palace shook.

Aurelia turned back toward the voice.

“Mama!”

The woman screamed again.

This time, there was terror in her voice.

“Run!”

Aurelia ran.

She pushed open a pair of enormous wooden doors and found herself standing inside a grand hall.

A man lay on the floor.

Blood covered his chest.

A woman knelt beside him, holding a tiny baby in her arms.

The woman looked up.

Her face was wet with tears.

Her eyes were the exact same silver-grey as Aurelia’s.

For one strange moment, they stared at each other.

Then the woman smiled.

“You’re alive.”

Aurelia’s breath caught.

The woman reached toward her.

But before Aurelia could move, a shadow appeared behind her.

A man wearing a black mask raised a sword.

“No!”

The woman screamed.

Aurelia woke up.

She sat upright in bed, gasping.

Her hands flew to her chest.

For several seconds, she couldn’t breathe.

The room was dark.

Silent.

No burning palace.

No blood.

No masked man.

Just her small bedroom, the faint sound of rain tapping against the window, and the familiar glow of the digital clock on her bedside table.

3:17 A.M.

Aurelia pressed a hand against her forehead.

It was only a dream.

Just another dream.

Except it didn’t feel like one.

Her heart was still racing.

She could still feel the cold marble beneath her feet.

She could still see the woman’s face.

And that wolf.

Aurelia shivered.

She had been having the same dream for as long as she could remember.

The palace.

The fire.

The woman.

The wolf.

But tonight was different.

Tonight, the woman had called her by name.

Aurelia slowly pushed the blankets aside and climbed out of bed.

Her feet touched the cold floor.

The moment they did, something moved in the darkness.

Aurelia froze.

Her breath caught.

There it was again.

A low growl.

She turned toward the window.

Nothing.

Only rain.

Aurelia swallowed.

“Very funny.”

Silence.

She stared at the window for another few seconds before shaking her head.

“I’m officially losing my mind.”

She walked to the bathroom and switched on the light.

The girl staring back at her from the mirror looked as exhausted as she felt.

Long, dark hair fell messily around her face. Her skin was pale from lack of sleep, and her grey eyes looked almost silver beneath the harsh bathroom light.

Aurelia splashed cold water on her face.

When she lifted her head, her reflection was staring back at her.

For one terrifying second, her eyes were red.

Aurelia blinked.

They were grey again.

She stared at herself.

Then she laughed nervously.

“Okay. Definitely losing my mind.”

She turned off the light and went back to bed.

She didn’t see the faint silver crescent beneath her collarbone begin to glow.

And she didn’t hear the voice whisper from somewhere deep inside her.

Soon.

By seven o’clock, Aurelia had convinced herself that she had imagined everything.

The dream.

The growl.

The red flash in her eyes.

All of it.

She stood in front of her closet, staring at the limited selection of clothes hanging inside.

“Absolutely nothing to wear.”

A voice came from the doorway.

“You say that every morning.”

Aurelia turned.

Mia stood there with two cups of coffee in her hands and a look of amusement on her face.

Mia was the only person who had known Aurelia long enough to understand that her morning mood was dangerous.

“You’re in my room,” Aurelia said.

“You gave me a key.”

“I gave you a key for emergencies.”

“I was experiencing an emergency.”

“What kind?”

“Coffee.”

Aurelia stared at her.

Mia smiled.

Aurelia took the cup.

“Fine. You may live.”

“Thank you.”

Mia walked inside and dropped onto Aurelia’s bed.

“So,” she said, taking a sip of her coffee. “You look terrible.”

“Good morning to you too.”

“Did you sleep?”

“Barely.”

“Nightmares again?”

Aurelia went still.

Mia noticed.

Her expression softened.

“The palace?”

Aurelia nodded.

Mia had heard about the dreams before.

She was the only person Aurelia had ever told.

“I saw the woman again,” Aurelia said.

“The one you think is your mother?”

“I don’t know if she’s my mother.”

“You’ve been dreaming about her since you were a child. She looks like you. She calls you Aurelia. I’m just saying…”

“I know what you’re saying.”

Aurelia turned away.

She had spent years trying to understand the dreams.

She had asked her adoptive parents about them once.

Her mother had gone completely silent.

Her father had simply told her that dreams were meaningless.

But Aurelia had never believed him.

There was something about the palace.

Something about the woman.

Something about the wolf.

She didn’t know what it was.

But she knew it mattered.

Mia studied her.

“Are you going to tell me what happened?”

Aurelia hesitated.

Then she shook her head.

“Nothing.”

Mia narrowed her eyes.

“That means something happened.”

“I said nothing.”

“Fine.”

Mia stood and walked toward the door.

Then she stopped.

“Oh, by the way, you have to go to the woods today.”

Aurelia frowned.

“Why?”

“Your father asked me to remind you.”

Aurelia sighed.

Her father owned a small property on the edge of town, surrounded by a massive stretch of forest.

He had asked her to take some documents there before sunset.

Aurelia had always hated the place.

She didn’t know why.

The forest made her uncomfortable.

Sometimes, when she stood near the trees, she felt like something was watching her.

Something familiar.

Something that knew her.

“Why can’t he go himself?” she asked.

“Because apparently, important people have important things to do.”

“Since when is my father important?”

Mia shrugged.

“Since he started acting mysterious every time you ask him about your childhood.”

Aurelia’s smile faded.

Mia immediately regretted the words.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

But it wasn’t.

Aurelia had always known that there were things her parents weren’t telling her.

She just didn’t know how important those things were.

By sunset, the rain had stopped.

Aurelia parked her car at the edge of the forest and stepped out.

The air was cold.

Too cold.

She pulled her jacket tighter around herself.

The trees stood tall and silent around her.

The forest looked different at night.

Darker.

Older.

Aurelia glanced at her phone.

No signal.

“Of course.”

She picked up the folder from the passenger seat and started walking.

The path was familiar.

She had walked it dozens of times.

But tonight, something felt wrong.

Aurelia stopped.

The forest had gone completely silent.

No insects.

No birds.

Not even the sound of wind moving through the trees.

Her fingers tightened around the folder.

Then she heard it.

A branch snapping behind her.

Aurelia spun around.

Nothing.

Her pulse began to race.

“Hello?”

No answer.

She took a step backward.

Another branch snapped.

This time, closer.

Aurelia turned and ran.

She didn’t know what she was running from.

She only knew that every instinct inside her was screaming.

Run.

Faster.

Aurelia ran between the trees.

Her lungs burned.

Branches scratched against her arms.

She stumbled but caught herself.

Behind her, something moved.

Fast.

Far too fast.

Aurelia looked over her shoulder.

A shadow passed between the trees.

Then another.

Her heart slammed against her ribs.

She stopped.

The forest was silent again.

Aurelia turned slowly.

A pair of eyes glowed in the darkness.

Red.

Her entire body froze.

A wolf stepped out from between the trees.

It was enormous.

Much larger than any wolf she had ever seen.

Its fur was black.

Its eyes were crimson.

Aurelia couldn’t move.

The wolf stared at her.

And then—

Something inside Aurelia answered.

A deep, ancient instinct rose from somewhere beneath her skin.

Mine.

Aurelia gasped.

The wolf took one step toward her.

Aurelia stepped back.

“No.”

The wolf growled.

Not at her.

Behind her.

Aurelia turned.

Three men stood between the trees.

They were dressed in black.

One of them smiled.

“There she is.”

Aurelia’s blood ran cold.

The wolf moved in front of her.

Protecting her.

The tallest man tilted his head.

“So the rumors were true.”

Aurelia stared at him.

“What do you want?”

The man smiled wider.

“We’ve been looking for you for a very long time.”

Aurelia’s heart began to pound.

“Who are you?”

The man looked past her.

His eyes fixed on the wolf.

Then he looked back at Aurelia.

“You really don’t know, do you?”

Aurelia felt the strange presence inside her stir.

The wolf beside her snarled.

The man took a step forward.

“You don’t know who you are.”

Aurelia’s breathing became shallow.

“What are you talking about?”

The man lifted his hand.

The three men behind him suddenly shifted.

Bones cracked.

Aurelia screamed.

The sound that came out of them was not human.

It was a roar.

Aurelia stumbled backward.

The black wolf beside her lunged.

The forest exploded into chaos.

Aurelia ran.

She didn’t look back.

She didn’t know where she was going.

She only knew she had to escape.

But something inside her was no longer afraid.

Something inside her was awake.

And it was furious.

Aurelia tripped over a root and fell hard against the ground.

Pain shot through her ankle.

The sound of footsteps approached.

One of the creatures emerged from the trees.

Aurelia crawled backward.

“No…”

The creature smiled.

“Found you.”

It lunged.

Aurelia threw up her hands.

A scream tore from her throat.

And the world stopped.

The air around her exploded.

A wave of silver light burst from her body, sending the creature flying backward.

The forest fell silent.

Aurelia stared at her hands.

They were glowing.

Silver veins of light moved beneath her skin.

Her eyes reflected in the dark window of a nearby car.

They were no longer grey.

They were silver.

With a ring of crimson around the iris.

A voice whispered inside her mind.

Finally.

Aurelia’s breath caught.

“Who are you?”

The answer came instantly.

I am you.

Aurelia froze.

The black wolf stepped out from the trees.

Its eyes met hers.

And this time, Aurelia understood.

The wolf was not looking at her.

It was looking through her.

The voice inside her mind growled.

They found us.

Aurelia stared at the enormous wolf.

“Who are you?”

The wolf’s lips pulled back, revealing sharp teeth.

Then the voice answered.

Nyx.

Aurelia’s entire body went cold.

The men in the forest had stopped moving.

They were staring at her.

Not with anger.

With fear.

One of them whispered:

“The Blood Moon.”

Aurelia looked up.

The moon had risen above the trees.

It was turning red.

And somewhere far away, in a castle Aurelia had never seen before, a powerful Alpha suddenly opened his eyes.

His wolf was awake.

And it was howling one word.

Mate.