Dawn broke dark and cold over Bloodmoon Castle. Lyra hadn't slept. Every shadow in Elara's room seemed to whisper secrets, and the strange message burned in her mind. A girl with silver eyes and Elara's face, somewhere in this house. But first, she had to survive becoming Luna.
A firm knock interrupted her thinking. Elder Voss entered without waiting for permission, holding a thick leather book and wearing a grim expression. "Time for your education, child." "About what?" "Staying alive." He dropped the book on her table with a heavy thud. "These are our pack rules. Learn them fast, or you'll be dead before sunset." Lyra opened the book. The pages were filled with rules written in blood-red ink. Her gut twisted as she read. A Luna who shows weakness must be confronted. A Luna who fails three trials loses her job and her life. A Luna who betrays the pack dies by drowning. "Cheerful reading," she mumbled. "The Bloodmoon Pack doesn't coddle weakness," Voss said seriously. "Our enemies are always watching. One sign of a weak Luna, and other packs will attack." "So I'm not just Kael's mate. I'm his armor." "Exactly. And right now, you're armor made of paper." Lyra bristled. "I lived ten years alone in the wild. I'm stronger than you think." "Physical strength means nothing here. You need political power. Social strength. The ability to make other wolves respect you even when they hate you." A noise outside made them both look toward the window. In the courtyard below, a crowd of wolves had formed. They were screaming, their voices angry and loud. "What's happening?" Lyra asked. Voss's face darkened. "Your first test." They hurried downstairs to find chaos in the main hall. Wolves pressed against each other, all talking at once. At the middle of the crowd, Vivian stood on a table, her blonde hair shining like a crown. "—unfit to lead us!" she was saying. "A criminal who can't even read! A killer who killed her own sister!" Cheers exploded from the crowd. Lyra felt like she'd been punched in the gut. "She'll bring ruin to our pack!" Vivian continued.
"Enemies will see our weakness and attack! Our children will die because of her!" More cheers. Someone yelled, "Death to the false Luna!" Lyra stepped forward, her heart pounding. "I can hear you just fine from down here." The crowd turned. Hostile eyes glared at her from every direction. The smell of anger and disgust filled the air. Vivian smiled sweetly. "Luna Lyra. How nice of you to join us. We were just discussing your... abilities." "Discuss away. But do it to my face, not behind my back like cowards." Gasps echoed through the hall. Several wolves shifted closer, their eyes starting to glow. "Cowards?" A massive fighter pushed through the crowd. His arms were covered in war scars, and his teeth were filed to points. "I am Brutus, pack king. Are you calling me a liar, little girl?" Lyra's mouth went dry, but she held her ground. "If you're talking about me when I'm not here, then yes." Brutus laughed, but it wasn't a nice sound. "I like you, thief. You've got spirit. Too bad you won't live long enough to use it." "Is that a threat?" "It's a promise. Tomorrow, after the bonding, I'll challenge you to battle. Winner takes the Luna slot." "And the loser?" "Dies." The crowd roared approval. Lyra felt the walls close in around her. She looked desperately for Kael, but he was nowhere to be seen. Elder Voss appeared at her elbow. "Accept the challenge," he whispered. "Show weakness now, and ten more will challenge you before noon." Lyra's throat felt like sandpaper. "I accept." Brutus smiled, showing his pointed teeth. "Excellent. I haven't killed anyone in weeks. I'm getting rusty."
The crowd laughed and began to scatter, already planning bets on how quickly she would die. Vivian jumped down from the table and walked over. "Poor little rogue. Did you really think it would be easy? That you could just waltz in here and take my place?" "I didn't ask for any of this." "No, but you're stuck with it now." Vivian's blue eyes gleamed with hatred. "When Brutus kills you tomorrow, I'll comfort our heartbroken Alpha. I'll help him forget all about his dead mate." She swept away, leaving Lyra standing alone in the clearing hall. "Feeling overwhelmed?" Elder Voss asked gently. "Feeling like I'm going to die tomorrow." "Maybe. Or maybe you'll surprise everyone." "How? Brutus is twice my size and has been training since birth. I've been eating berries and hiding from hunts." Voss smiled strangely. "Size isn't everything, child. Neither is training. Sometimes, the wildest dogs fight the smartest." Before Lyra could ask what he meant, a commotion erupted near the castle's door. Guards were pulling someone inside—a young woman with tangled brown hair and wild eyes. "Let me go!" the woman screamed. "I have to find her! I have to find my sister!" Lyra's blood turned to ice. The woman's voice was familiar. Desperately familiar. "Mira?" she whispered. The suffering woman's head snapped up. Her eyes—silver eyes that glowed like moonlight—locked onto Lyra's face. "Lyra!" Mira cried. "Oh thank the Moon Goddess, you're alive!" But something was wrong. Mira's face was the same, but different. Older. Sadder. And her eyes... Those weren't Mira's eyes. They were Elara's. "Take her to the dungeons," Garren told the guards. "Another rogue trying to infiltrate our pack." "Wait!" Lyra started forward, but Voss grabbed her arm. "Not here," he hissed. "Too many watching." "But that's—" "I know what that is," Voss said sadly. "And if you're smart, you'll pretend you don't know her. For both your sakes." The guards dragged Mira away, but not before she yelled one last desperate message.
"The river remembers, Lyra! It remembers everything!" Then she was gone, leaving Lyra shaking with questions and fear. "What just happened?" she asked. "Something that should be impossible," Voss mumbled. "Come. We need to talk. Privately." He led her up a narrow staircase to a tower room filled with dusty books and strange objects. Once the door was closed, he turned to face her. "That woman—you know her." "She looks like my pack sister, Mira. But her eyes..." "Had you seen them before?" Lyra nodded slowly. "On Elara. The night she drowned." Voss cursed under his breath. "The curse is spreading." "What curse? Everyone keeps talking about curses, but no one explains anything!" "The river's curse. It doesn't just kill, child. It steals. Bodies, minds, memories. It takes what it wants and leaves twisted copies behind." "You're saying that woman isn't really Mira?" "I'm saying she might be Mira's body with someone else's soul inside it." Lyra sank into a chair, stunned. "This is insane." "Welcome to the Bloodmoon Pack, where insane is Tuesday." Voss pulled out a map and spread it on his desk. "Look here. Every red mark is a place where someone disappeared near the river in the last fifty years." The map was covered in red marks. Dozens of them. "All these people..." "Gone. Replaced. The river sends back copies, but they're never quite right. Wrong eyes. Wrong sounds. Wrong souls." "Why? What does the river want?" "No one knows. But it's getting bigger. More hungry. And tomorrow night, during the blood moon—" He was startled by screaming from the courtyard below. They ran to the window and saw guards surrounding a figure near the well. It was Maya, the servant girl who had brought Lyra food. But something was terribly wrong with her. Her skin glowed silver in the afternoon light. Her eyes were completely white. And when she opened her mouth, water poured out instead of words. "The river calls," she gurgled, her voice echoing weirdly. "The blood moon rises.
The bill will be paid." Then she collapsed, water streaming from her mouth and nose until it made a puddle around her still body. "Dear Moon Goddess," Voss whispered. "It's starting." "What's starting?" "The river's final gathering. Tomorrow night, during the blood moon, it will call in every loan. Every life it's owed for fifty years." Lyra gripped the windowsill. "How many souls?" Voss's face was pale as death. "Everyone who ever escaped it. Everyone who should have drowned but didn't." The implication hit her like a physical blow. "Including me." "Including you. The river let you live ten years ago for a reason, child. Tomorrow night, it will collect what it's owed." Far below, guards were cleaning up Maya's body. But in the growing shadows near the castle wall, other figures moved. Pale figures with glowing eyes and water pouring from their mouths. The river's collection was starting. And Lyra was at the top of its list.