Aria’s POV

"You either win… or you die."

The words echoed in my mind long after I left the headmistress’s office.

Outside, the academy loomed, its towering spires cutting into the storm-gray sky like sharpened teeth. The Blood Moon Trials. I didn’t know what they were, but one thing was clear—losing wasn’t an option.

I had just arrived at Blackthorn Academy.

And I was already running out of time.

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I stepped into the grand dining hall, my stomach tight with unease. Massive chandeliers cast a soft golden glow over long, dark oak tables, each one packed with students whispering behind crystal goblets filled with red liquid I didn’t dare identify.

A seat at the far end was empty. I headed toward it, ignoring the way eyes followed me, tracing my every move.

"Well, well. The lamb walks straight into the den."

I froze.

The voice was low, rich, laced with amusement.

When I turned, I was met with a smirk—and the most dangerously beautiful boy I’d ever seen.

Sebastian Voss.

Where Lorien had been cold, distant, untouchable, Sebastian was the opposite. He radiated heat, confidence, something dark and inviting all at once. His hair was a wild mix of black and gold, his amber eyes glowing under the candlelight.

I didn’t trust that smile.

"Not talking?" he mused, tilting his head. "Shame. I was hoping to hear the new girl beg for mercy."

I gritted my teeth. "I don’t beg."

Sebastian’s smirk widened. "Not yet."

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Sebastian invited himself into the empty seat beside me, draping an arm over the back of my chair.

"So, has anyone explained how things work here, or are they just waiting for you to be slaughtered?"

I stiffened. "Slaughtered?"

He stole a grape from my plate, rolling it between his fingers. "Blackthorn has rules, sweetheart. First rule: humans are at the bottom of the food chain. We allow your kind here for one reason only—entertainment."

The room suddenly felt smaller.

"Second rule?" I forced out.

His grin was sharp. "The Blood Moon Trials. Once a year, humans compete for the right to stay in this school. If you fail..." He made a slicing motion across his throat.

I swallowed hard.

"And the third rule?"

Sebastian leaned in, voice dropping lower.

"You belong to us."

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I felt him before I saw him.

The air grew heavy, electric, suffocating. The candle flames flickered. Conversations died out.

Then, Lorien Duskbane was there.

He moved like a shadow, silent and commanding, his silver-gray eyes landing on me with something unreadable.

Sebastian only smirked wider. "Uh-oh. Here comes the prince of doom and gloom."

Lorien ignored him, his gaze locked on mine.

"You shouldn’t be sitting here."

The words weren’t a suggestion. They were an order.

I bristled. "Excuse me?"

Lorien’s jaw tensed, his entire presence radiating cold dominance. "Get up."

Sebastian chuckled. "Careful, Duskbane. She might start thinking you actually care."

Lorien’s gaze snapped to him. The air crackled, an unspoken warning hanging between them.

I stood so fast my chair scraped against the floor. I didn’t know what game they were playing, but I refused to be the pawn.

Lorien’s voice was steel when he spoke again.

"Stay away from him, Aria."

Then he was gone, his presence disappearing as fast as it had arrived.

Sebastian sighed, shaking his head. "Well, that was dramatic." He turned back to me, lips curving. "So, sweetheart, whose side are you on?"

I had no idea.

But I was starting to think that either choice would be dangerous.

I still didn’t know what the Blood Moon Trials were. But one thing was clear—I wasn’t safe here.

And I wasn’t the only human who had learned that the hard way.

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The hall opened into a massive courtyard bathed in silver moonlight. A crowd had gathered near the iron gate, their hushed whispers carrying a sense of dread.

I stepped closer—and immediately regretted it.

A girl stood in the center, her chest rising and falling in terrified gasps. She was barefoot, her uniform disheveled, and her wide, tear-streaked eyes darted from one vampire to another.

"Please," she sobbed. "I just want to go home!"

The crowd didn’t move.

And then, from the darkness, a tall figure emerged—Headmistress Selene.

"Humans don’t leave Blackthorn," she murmured.

The girl made a run for it. A mistake.

Because the second she moved, something blurred past me—a flash of black and silver.

Lorien.

He didn’t even look at me as he struck.

In the span of a breath, he had the girl pinned against the iron gates, one hand locked around her throat.

"You know the rules," he said, voice soft but merciless. "You break them, you suffer the consequences."

I expected him to snap her neck.

But he didn’t.

Instead, he tilted his head slightly—and his fangs lengthened.

I gasped. The girl sobbed harder.

Then, Lorien leaned in and bit her.

A choked cry left her lips, turning into something between a moan and a whimper. Her body trembled not in pain, but in… pleasure?

Her pulse thrummed in the air, thick and intoxicating. My skin prickled with heat, my own heartbeat hammering in response.

I should have looked away.

But I couldn’t.

The way Lorien held her was possessive, dominating. The way she arched into him—as if the pain and pleasure were one.

He was drinking from her so slowly.

So… intimately.

Something deep in my stomach coiled.

Then, just as quickly as it began, it was over. Lorien released her, letting her slump against the gate. His silver eyes lifted—locking onto mine.

For a moment, the world tilted.

Because that look wasn’t just cold.

It was knowing.

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My legs were unsteady as I left the courtyard, trying to shake off what I had just witnessed.

The way Lorien’s lips had parted, the way the girl had trembled in his hold—it was wrong.

It was forbidden.

It was… something I couldn’t stop thinking about.

"You’re not handling this well, are you, sweetheart?"

I spun around.

Sebastian again.

The smirking, golden-eyed vampire lounged against a stone pillar, his arms crossed over his chest.

He was watching me too closely.

I straightened. "What do you want?"

His smirk deepened. "To make you an offer."

I glared. "Not interested."

"Are you sure?" He pushed off the pillar, closing the space between us too fast. I backed up—until I hit the cold marble wall behind me.

His hand lifted, fingers trailing up my arm, slow and deliberate.

I sucked in a breath. His touch was cool but not unpleasant, his skin like silk over something deceptively strong.

"You don’t have to suffer, Aria," he murmured. "The trials… the fear… the uncertainty. I could make it all go away."

His face was close now, his breath brushing my skin.

"You could belong to me instead."

My pulse stuttered.

His hand slipped down, brushing my hip. The touch was light, teasing—but I felt it everywhere.

"You’d like it," he whispered.

I shoved him away.

Sebastian laughed. "That’s adorable."

"Stay away from me."

"Why? Because Lorien said so?" He tilted his head. "I saw the way you watched him in the courtyard. You liked it, didn’t you?"

I went rigid.

His smile turned wicked.

"Maybe you’d like it even more if it was you in his arms," he mused. "You think he’d be gentle with you, Aria? Or do you think he’d pin you down and make you beg?"

Heat rushed through me. I hated the way my body reacted to his words.

Sebastian chuckled, stepping back. "You’ll come to me eventually, sweetheart. They always do."

Then he was gone.

And I was left burning.

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When I arrived at the Blood Moon Trial arena, my breath hitched.

The place looked like an ancient gladiator pit, a massive stone ring with torches casting eerie gold light against the night.

Headmistress Selene stood at the center.

"This trial is simple," she announced. "Humans must endure until the final bell."

Endure what?

A loud metallic creak answered my question.

A massive iron gate lifted at the other end of the arena.

And something came out.

A feral vampire.

It was all muscle and hunger, its eyes red, its lips curled back in a snarl. Its entire body coiled like a beast ready to strike.

My stomach dropped.

Oh, shit.

The trial was chaos.

The feral vampire chased us down, lunging at humans who weren’t fast enough.

I was panting, my legs burning as I dodged through the shadows. My body ached, sweat dripping down my back.

A sharp cramp hit my side, and I stumbled.

Too slow.

The vampire lunged for me.

And then—Lorien was there.

He moved so fast I barely saw him. One second I was about to die, the next—his hand was on me.

Not rough. Not bruising.

But firm. Possessive.

His fingers circled my wrist, pressing against my pulse.

A small sound escaped me.

Because the moment he touched me… my entire body reacted.

My heart pounded, my skin tingled with something raw and electric.

His thumb grazed my pulse point—a slow, deliberate movement that sent heat curling low in my stomach.

I looked up—right into his storm-gray eyes.

And he… felt it too.

For a second, his grip tightened.

Then, just as quickly, he let me go.

His voice was ice.

"Don’t fall again."

Then he was gone.

I barely lasted another few minutes.

The trial was too much. My vision swam, my body gave out.

I hit the ground, gasping.

The last thing I saw before everything went dark…

Was Lorien.

Standing above me.

Watching.

But doing nothing to help.