Chapter 2 Two

Eliana's POV

Titus stumbled backward, his hand still stinging from my bite, but it wasn't pain that twisted his face now it was pure, stunned fear.

My eyes were no longer hazel, they were bright glowing red. Like wildfire trapped in a crystal.

The other men froze, exchanging uneasy glances. Some took a step back. Some looked confused, trying to make sense of what they were seeing.

But most of them looked...terrified.

Then my body began to shake, violently. My arms trembled, my knees buckled but not from weakness. Something was stirring inside me, it was something massive, ancient and untamed!

I clenched my fists, gritted my teeth, and through the crackling energy around me, I screamed one word.

"SCARLET!"

The forest exploded in red light.

A pulsing orb of energy tore open the space in front of me. A swirling mass of red and golden mist, spinning and expanding, rippling like a storm in flame. The men's eyes followed the impossible sight, rooted to the ground by sheer dread.

And then they heard a snarl. It was low, primal, and so deep it made the ground vibrate beneath their boots.

From the heart of the swirling light... something stepped out.

No no..something emerged.

A Lunaris Beast!

It looked like a lioness carved from blood and golden light, but it was twice the size of a horse. Its body rippled with sleek, powerful muscle, every step making the earth quake. Its eyes were the same color as my glowing blood-moon red, before eventually turning to a bright gold.

But its most striking feature was its wings.

Large, menacing wings that had feathers only at the tips, folded behind its back. The feathers shimmered like gold under the sunlight, flickering with an ethereal glow, as if they weren't entirely from this world.

They whispered against the air as they moved, and in that moment, the men felt small.

Utterly powerless.

Powerless against this creature, this creature their fathers told them about as stories but never got to see.

These creatures were twice the size of a full grown wolf. They exude confidence and an overpowering aura. One bite from this thing and it's goodbye to their flesh.

They know they didn't stand a chance!

The beast snarled again, baring long, silver-edged fangs. The air grew cold and time seemed to run too slow.

It stepped forward once, and the men flinched.

The Lunaris beast, Scarlet, stood firm in front of me. It was massive, winged, and growling with a sound so primal it rattled the trees.

My glowing red eyes flickered between the trembling men like a predator choosing her next kill.

"Don't take a step closer," I warned, my voice sharp and burning.

A few of the men had already taken my advice, turning and bolting into the shadows, crashing through the trees without shame.

They didn't want to die just yet, but Titus stayed.

Blood still trickled from the bite mark on his hand, but he didn't care. His jaw clenched, his pride roared louder than his fear.

He glared at me. "You wouldn't dare."

I didn't flinch. My chest rose and fell fast, but my voice was steady.

"Try me."

Titus stepped forward, a challenge in every movement.

And that was all I needed.

"Scarlet, don't let him come through!"

The beast moved.

In a blur of red and gold, Scarlet lunged with shocking speed. Her claws, longer and deadlier than any werewolf's, raked across Titus's neck with a deep, savage, and merciless slash.

He hit the ground hard, gasping, a spray of blood splattering across the dirt.

Scarlet loomed over him, her teeth bared, another snarl rumbling from her throat and the scent of blood filled the air.

Titus writhed, one hand clutched to the wound. "This... isn't over," he choked out. "I'll come for you... Blood moon. I will get a hold of you."

Then he scrambled back, dragging himself into the woods, stumbling away in pain and fury.

But I wasn't watching him anymore.

My breathing hitched, it seemed as though I was struggling to breathe.

A strange, sharp ache pierced my chest. I staggered back, hand clutching my ribs.

Sweat trickled down my face as my skin instantly went pale like I had never been under the sun.

Something wasn't right.

Scarlet snarled again but it sounded... weaker this time.

Titus paused for a second and turned his bloodied face back to me when he heard me cough.

He froze.

Because the beast in front of him was... flickering.

Her outline blinked, fading in and out of reality like a candle caught in the wind.

Titus's eyes widened.

I fell to my knees.

I couldn't hold it, not anymore. I had never been able to summon more than one Lunaris, it was only Scarlet.

Each time I summoned her, I could never hold her out for more than five minutes. My body would instantly feel uneasy, I'd find it difficult to breathe and Scarlet would eventually fade away.

Scarlet, my only summoned beast was starting to vanish.

I gritted my teeth, sweat beading on my forehead. My power, incredible as it was, I haven't mastered it yet. Five minutes was all I ever had before my energy drained like water from a cracked vessel.

Sometimes I just felt a surge of energy, sometimes it's mild while sometimes it's wild. Earlier in the market today my eyes had accidentally glowed red. Everyone knew only a blood moon could do that.

These men saw me, and began to chase me like I was some kind of criminal.

And now Scarlet was blinking, shimmering like she would disappear any minute, which she would.

"No...no, not yet," I whispered.

But it was too late.

Scarlet let out one last growl before her body began to dissolve into sparks of crimson light.

I was left there, kneeling in the dirt with a man who had a devilish look on his face and was out for me, I was weak and vulnerable.