The journey to the Blood Moon Pack felt endless. Elena’s wrists were bound with silver chains that burned against her skin. Every step she took sent a sting of pain crawling through her veins. The guards who dragged her said nothing. Their eyes were cold and empty like the forest around them. The scent of wet soil and blood lingered in the air, reminding her that she was walking into a place where no witch ever returned alive.

The Blood Moon Pack was a story told to frighten young witches. A tale of savage wolves who feasted on their enemies’ bones. They called their Alpha the Demon Wolf, the Alpha of Alphas. No one had ever seen him and lived to tell the tale. Some said he was born during an eclipse, others said he was cursed by the moon goddess herself.

The gates of the Blood Moon territory rose high and blackened like the walls of a fortress. As they opened, the scent of iron filled the air. Elena’s heart pounded. Her power was weak, drained by the silver around her wrists. She tried to steady her breathing, tried to call to the elements for help, but nothing answered her.

They dragged her through the courtyard where wolves stood in human form, their eyes glowing faintly red. Their expressions were unreadable. Some looked curious, others hungry. When she stumbled, a guard yanked her by the hair, forcing her back up. Her feet scraped the ground until she reached a dark corridor beneath the main hall.

It was cold there. The air was damp and smelled of rot. The further they went, the darker it became. Then she saw them—skeletons chained to the walls, the remains of witches and rogues who had been here before her. Their bones gleamed pale in the flickering torchlight. Elena’s stomach churned.

One of the guards laughed. “Scared, little witch? You should be. This is where the Alpha keeps his secrets.”

They shoved her into a small cell. The door slammed shut, the echo ringing through the underground chamber. She fell to her knees, her hands still bound. Her skin burned where the silver touched. She tried to summon a healing spell but nothing worked. Her powers were sealed tight.

The silence was suffocating. She could hear distant screams, faint and broken. They were not ghosts. Someone else was being tortured in another cell. She pressed her forehead to the cold stone wall, fighting the tears that burned behind her eyes.

Her grandmother had warned her about the Blood Moon Alpha. “He is no ordinary wolf,” she had said. “He was born in blood and raised by death. If he ever finds you, child, you must run.”

But there was nowhere to run now.

Hours passed. Maybe more. Elena had lost count of time. When the cell door opened again, two guards entered. One carried a whip, the other a blade that gleamed faintly red.

“Confess, witch,” one growled. “Tell us who sent you.”

She shook her head. “I came here by mistake. I was only—”

The whip cracked against her back before she could finish. Pain tore through her body. She bit her lip to keep from screaming.

“Do not lie,” the second guard said. “We found you near the sacred boundary. No witch goes there unless sent by the High Coven.”

“I’m not with them,” Elena whispered. “Please… I don’t even know why I’m here.”

The second strike came harder. She gasped, her knees giving out. Blood dripped down her arm. She wanted to fight back, to call the fire that once answered her so easily, but the silver burned every time she tried.

The guards left after a while, muttering curses as they went. She lay still, trembling. The cell felt darker than before.

Above ground, the Blood Moon fortress was alive with tension. Inside his chamber, Alpha Derek sat before a large window that overlooked the moonlit valley. His eyes were fixed on the horizon, but his thoughts were elsewhere. His presence filled the room like a storm waiting to break.

He had felt it the moment the intruder was caught. A strange pulse of power that rippled through his senses, neither human nor wolf. Witch energy. But it was different, it was wild and ancient.

The door opened, and his Beta, Skylar, entered. “Alpha, the council of ten has called for a meeting tonight. They demand your presence.”

Derek turned, his golden eyes sharp. “The council always demands. What do they want this time?”

Skylar bowed slightly. “Rumor has spread about a witch caught near our border. They fear it’s a sign that the old war may start again.”

Derek’s jaw tightened. “They fear too much. Send word that I will attend. But before that, I need to see her.”

“The witch?” Skylar asked.

“Yes,” Derek said, his tone colder. “I want to see for myself why she crossed into my land.”

When he rose from his chair, the air seemed to shift. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with eyes that glowed like molten gold. His aura carried raw power, the kind that made even other Alphas bow in silence. He walked past Skylar without another word, his long black coat brushing the stone floor as he made his way down into the dungeon.

The guards straightened as he passed. None dared to speak. His scent alone carried authority and danger.

When he reached Elena’s cell, he paused. Through the bars, he could see her sitting on the floor, her clothes torn, her face bruised. Despite her condition, there was something fierce in her eyes, something untamed.

“Leave us,” Derek ordered.

The guards bowed and left the chamber.

He stepped inside, his presence heavy and suffocating. Elena looked up slowly. Their eyes met. The air between them trembled.

He had interrogated countless prisoners before. But this felt different. The moment his gaze locked with hers, something inside him shifted. His wolf stirred violently. His heartbeat quickened.

Elena felt it too. A strange warmth crawled up her chest, confusing and terrifying. She wanted to look away, but she couldn’t.

Derek’s voice broke the silence. “Who are you?”

“Elena,” she whispered. “Elena”

“Why did you trespass into my land?” His tone was low and steady, yet his eyes betrayed a storm.

“I didn’t mean to,” she said. “I was being chased by shadows. I used a portal spell to escape, but it brought me here. I didn’t know this was Blood Moon territory.”

He studied her for a long moment. Her voice trembled, but it carried truth. He could smell lies, and she wasn’t lying.

“Shadows?” he asked, his expression darkening. “What kind of shadows?”

“They weren’t human,” she said softly. “They came from the northern woods. I’ve never seen anything like them before.”

Derek stepped closer. His scent surrounded her, a mix of pine and smoke. His eyes softened for a brief second before he looked away. He hated that his heart was reacting this way.

“Do you know who I am?” he asked.

Her lips parted. “They call you the Demon Wolf.”

A faint smirk crossed his lips. “Do they?”

“Yes. They say you killed your own father and took his crown under the blood moon.”

His smile vanished. “And what do you believe?”

Elena swallowed hard. “I think… you’re not what they say.”

He blinked, surprised. “You don’t even know me.”

“Maybe,” she said. “But I can feel it. You’re not a monster.”

Her words struck something deep inside him. No one had ever spoken to him like that. No one dared.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The silence stretched, thick and electric.

Then Derek took another step closer until he was standing right before her. His golden eyes searched hers, and something primal stirred between them. He reached out and touched her chin, forcing her to look at him. The moment his skin met hers, his body went rigid.

A shock ran through him. His wolf roared inside his head. Mate.

The word echoed, wild and undeniable.

He froze, unable to move. His heart pounded, his breath sharp. He stared at her in disbelief, then in something dangerously close to awe.

Elena felt it too. Her veins burned with strange heat. Her pulse raced. She didn’t understand what was happening, but her body seemed to recognize him in a way her mind couldn’t.

Derek pulled his hand away, his expression unreadable. He turned toward the door, his voice low and hoarse.

“Untie her”

The cell door slammed shut behind him..