Chapter 4 Blood Moon Ritual (Part 2)

📖 Moonblooded: The Alpha's Cursed Mate

Chapter 3: Blood Moon Ritual (Part 2)

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Shivana slumped against Kade's chest, gasping for air.

The bond had struck like a lightning storm inside her - shattering the pieces of who she thought she was. Every heartbeat now felt split between two bodies: hers... and his.

She tried to speak, but the words dissolved on her tongue.

"Easy," Kade said, his voice rough, breathless. "The bond hit harder than expected."

"You think?" she rasped, lifting her head. "You burned my soul."

He almost smiled - just almost.

But before another word passed between them, Elder Malrik stepped forward, his expression unreadable. "It is done. The Moon has accepted the union."

"No," Shivana said softly, still dizzy. "It hasn't."

The clearing fell silent.

She looked up at the sky. The Blood Moon no longer glowed red - it shimmered silver now. Cold. Watchful.

Then her body arched in pain.

The mark on her shoulder flared again - not with agony, but energy. Power. Her fingers trembled. Her breath hitched.

The wind around her changed.

Leaves twisted upward like a cyclone, dust spinning in rings, and the ground beneath her vibrated.

Malrik stepped back, eyes wide. "What is this?"

"She's... awakening," Kade muttered.

Shivana screamed as energy exploded from her body, invisible but sharp. The altar cracked beneath her. Elders stumbled backward. Light poured from her mark, flooding the forest in silver fire.

Kade shielded her with his body, pulling her close. Her body was scorching hot against his skin, yet he didn't let go.

"Breathe," he whispered. "Don't fight it."

Her back bowed again, her hair lifting on unseen wind. And then-suddenly-everything stopped.

The light faded.

The mark dimmed.

Shivana collapsed into Kade's arms, unconscious.

But not broken.

Changed.

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🌑 Later that night...

The fire crackled low in the Alpha's den.

Shivana lay beneath thick blankets, her skin pale, sweat beading her forehead. A cool cloth rested on her brow, placed there by Kade himself. He hadn't left her side since the ritual ended.

She stirred.

"Are you going to stare at me all night?" she murmured, eyes still closed.

He exhaled. "You should be resting."

"I was. Until your thoughts started buzzing in my head."

His posture tensed.

"You felt that?" he asked.

She opened her eyes slowly. "Your fear. Your pain. The memory of your father bleeding in your arms. That wasn't a vision. That was... you."

The bond had done more than tie their blood. It had opened a door between their souls.

Kade turned away. "You weren't supposed to see that."

"I didn't mean to."

"But you did." He crossed the room, gripping the edge of the fireplace. "The bond is unstable. Raw. It's bleeding into everything."

Shivana pushed herself up on one elbow. "You think I want this?"

"I think," he said tightly, "that we're both caught in something older than us. Something cruel."

She swallowed hard, then stood slowly, her legs weak.

Their eyes met.

And for the first time... no anger. No defiance.

Just understanding.

A terrible, mutual truth:

> Neither of them had chosen this. But the moon had.

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