claimd and

Somewhere in the Blood Moon Pack.

“You should have just let her be,” Kaide says. The moment Rygan returns from talking to Elise, he

stops in his tracks. A vein filled with irritation pops as he turns to his beta.

“Not until I can explain myself.”

“And then what? Rygan, you are betrothed to Alvira; hell, you were together last night; the whole town knows that, especially the way she flaunts it around, and everyone is looking forward to the mating ceremony that had been pushed back because of your imprisonment.”

“I will do something about it; I will,” he assures

“That will only bring dishonor to Elise, and you know it. Everyone will assume the enemy pack daughter hatched the plan to snag the most powerful alpha king from his mate. They will hate her, and some still question who she is. It will not be long before they know her real identity, and now you speak of having her by your side?” Kaide hisses with a furious tone. fares, and his eyes widen when he notices how much he has talked down to his Alpha as he tries to control his voice.

His nose

“I am sorry”

That was the last straw for Rygan as he snarls at his friend, “That will be enough from you; what do you think you own here? Do you think you get to decide who I want?” He roars, making his beta shudder.

“I did not mean anything. Alpha,” Kaide says with a bow the moment he smells the harsh, deadly pheromones of his king fill the air, and he knows he was treading on thin, dangerous lines right now.

“Get the hell out.” Rygan orders, and Kaide makes his way out of the grounds. As he walks back, he sees something on the sidelines of his vision. He coincidentally notices a certain familiar redhead; it is Elise.

But she isn’t alone; she and Vienna are walking down the bridge steps together. The moment she sights him, she also stops. in her steps, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment when she recalls that he was the one who shielded her during the confrontation with Rygan earlier.

Vienna quickly notices the situation, and Kaide gives her a quiet look to make herself scarce after greeting them goodbye. “Hey,” Elise mutters quietly as he marches towards Kaide, who walks closer to her.

The annoyance from earlier, after the incident with Rygan, quickly melts at the sight of her; he can’t help wondering why. “I’m sorry for how I took off earlier; I just needed to think,” she explains, and Kaide nods his head in understanding.

“Of course, you have the right to that, the right to feel that way,” he continues. He has to physically stop himself from Touching her; she isn’t his; Rygan has already claimed her, but soon enough she will be free, and he could have her. What was he thinking?

“Kaide?” Elise’s voice breaks through his thoughts as her brows furrow in concern. She tilts her head, watching him quietly before she speaks. “Is something wrong?”

Kaide blinks rapidly before he shakes his head. “No, not at all. I was just thinking about the rites in a few days. I don’t think I’d be able to meet you until then. It’s dangerous for us wolves this season to be near someone tempting, as we give in to our

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innermost desire that we yearn for and claim as ours, he explains.

“I don’t understand… oh,” she says with a tinge of blush on her cheeks when she knows what he means.

“I don’t understand… oh,” she lays with a

“We will be in our most feral form when we lead the new wolves to change and rum wild for the lunar rites; it affects each of us differently, so I don’t want people I care about to be in danger

To others, it might sound scary, but Elise can’t help but find that moment magical-to be able to be one with your feral side. So being able to turn into her wolf was one of her lifelong dreams, but she still had doubts that she had one.

For a split moment, she wonders how Rygan will control his, but she shakes her head, breaking away from any thoughts of him. “Well good luck,” she calls with a short smile and a tinge of blush, which makes Kaide laugh.

“But that does not mean your training stops anytime soon; Taz is dying to get you in the ring with him.”

“Are you sure he isn’t just missing me?” She teases, and Kaide lets out a chuckle before they make their way back to the moon house, making sure not to mention Rygan even for a second in their conversation.

The day of the rites comes abruptly. The moon hall is filled with delta and rankless wolves and their families, who cheer for them as they are ready to prove themselves in the blood rites. Since Elise hasn’t trained with them, it would be dangerous to let her go with them, especially since no wolf will be in control of themselves.

She takes a seat next to Taz, who kisses her hands as he takes a seat, and even though she feels multiple gazes from single females in the pack, the most obvious glare is from Rygan and Alvira’s stare at her; she does not meet their gaze.

Rygan bites back his tone as he stands up from his throne, but Alvira grips his hand and gives him a firm shake to not. pursue or do anything rash right now, especially with hundreds of wolves in attendance. He knows it is best not to do anything: he isn’t about to cause commotion, especially since it would make Elise feel uncomfortable, and today is the day.

After affirming words to the young wolves ready for the lunar race, they all march out into the open field with a large bonfire in the middle, where all the wolves line up.

Elise catches a glimpse of Bellamy in the lined-up crowd of other wolves. Her small stature is admirable as she waves shyly. to Elise, and her forehead is marked with dark ink, shaped like a moon, as other wolves are marked too.

An elder comes forward to give prayers and ancient chants as the crowd hushes down, and Elise can feel the mood and atmosphere shift from under her feet. All of a sudden, it gets warmer, and Elsie can feel the heated rays of the moon from where she stands.

There is a significant shift in the air, so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. The silence feels like an eternity. That stillness ends with a crack and a groan from one of the changing pups as they begin to grunt and growl in pain.

whimpers and growls echoed through the Moon Hall. Elise, perched on the edge of the crowd, watched with a mixture of fascination and dread as the young wolves of the Blood Moon Pack endured the brutal transformation ritual. Their guttural cries resonated, a reminder of the primal power coursing beneath their skin.

The painful cries and howls continued. She watches and sees the pain and anguish on Bellamy’s face, which hasn’t turned yet, but the minute her eyes meet Elise’s, she feels something intense from it as her back arches.

She is on all fours as brown fur begins to rise out of her skin and bones curve, crack, and shift into a small wolf, a size Elise had predicted and to fit Bellamy so well. She is proud to see that Bellamy is a shifter. In a few minutes, a field of wolves has emerged, but a few aren’t so lucky to change.

Beside her, Taz, a grizzled warrior with a playful glint in his eyes, squeezed her hand. “Nervous, little one?”

She nodded, her throat tight. The air crackled with raw energy, the anticipation building towards the full moon’s peak. Unlike the others, she remained human, a gnawing self-doubt twisting in her gut. Did she even possess the spark to become

a wolf?

Suddenly, a booming voice cut through the noise. Rygan, the Alpha King, stood on the dais, his powerful physique radiating an aura of untamed dominance. His eyes, usually a warm storm, blazed with an intensity that sent a shiver down her spine. Today, he wasn’t just the leader; he was a predator waiting to be unleashed

Elise couldn’t tear her gaze away. A forbidden heat blossomed in her chest, a yearning she couldn’t explain. Alvira, his betrothed, stood beside him, a picture of icy elegance.

Rygan ripped off his shirt, revealing the intricate black moon inked on his chest. A guttural growl ripped from his throat, the sound echoing through her soul. Then, with a sickening crack of bone, flesh morphed into fur. His transformation was swift, breathtakingly brutal.

He let out a primal roar, with his wolves howling Isack before leading the newly transformed wolves into the night. Elise watched them disappear into the darkness, a pang of loneliness gripping her. The pack howled in unison, a sound that resonated deep within her, a call she couldn’t ignore.

Later, as the celebratory bonfire dwindled to embers, Elise excused herself from Viennas invitation and and slipped away. The crisp mountain air filled her lungs, the scent of pine needles and damp earth calming her racing heart. Tonight, under the watchful gaze of the full moon, she would try again.

She is better at climbing now and gets used to the rough tracks and path in no time. She walks through the dark woods, her body aching from each climb and her skin flaky with sweat, but she perseveres, and after a few minutes, she finds herself on the flat hilltop, the familiar creak of the waterfall she washed up after training with Kaide, and everything else looks the

same.

Following Kaide’s instructions, she reached the secluded clearing the same place where he’d taught her to hone her senses. Closing her eyes, she focused on the rhythmic beat of her heart, willing her body to shift. Minutes turned into hours, the frustration mounting. Was she destined to remain forever human?

Elise tries again, she takes time to adjust to what Kaide taught her she crosses her legs in a bow form, her eyes closed and her arms relaxed, and she takes controlled breaths as her body stills, searching for that connection to her wolf. But nothing

Training starts as a slow and sad attempt to change into a wolf. She races through the woods, improving her agility and speed. A sense of calm takes over her while she feels the wind in her face as she runs; it feels like her own little lunar race.

She decides to soak in the small creek lake. She dips into the cool pool of water to wash under the small waterfall. She dips her hand into the cool water to splash her face, but she freezes the minute she hears the rustling of leaves. She isn’t alone

anymore.

She pauses in concern as her senses heighten, but she can’t stop the gasp that leaves her lips when she sees a muddy, dirty, and very naked Rygan, his eyes a deep blood red, his canines and claws out. “Rygan…” Elise mutters, but he moves forward. at the speed of lightning, grabbing her.

He doesn’t care if she is naked, as his nose dives to her nape. “Mine, your scent is so sweet; I want to devour you; I want to own your every breath; you are mine,” he declares with a growl. He isn’t in his right mind.

And before Elise can protest and push away from his feral touch, Rygan shuts her up with a kiss,

Black Moon wolves are known to go feral with what they desire through the lunar night, and he wants her.

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