Chapter 7 Blood and Betrayal

The clearing erupted into chaos. Snarls filled the air as wolves from both sides bared their fangs, the tension that had been building for years finally snapping like a broken wire. But I couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't do anything but stare at the woman who was supposed to be buried in Portland General Cemetery.

"Mom?" The word came out as barely a whisper.

She stepped forward, her movements fluid and predatory in a way I'd never seen before. This wasn't the gentle woman who'd made me hot chocolate when I had nightmares, who'd sung lullabies in a voice soft as honey. This person wore my mother's face, but her green eyes held a coldness that made my blood freeze.

"Hello, Aria. You've grown so much." Her smile was sharp as glass. "Though I see you've fallen in with the wrong crowd."

"You're dead." I shook my head, willing this to be another nightmare. "I watched them lower your coffin into the ground."

"A necessary deception." She tilted her head, studying me like I was a particularly interesting specimen. "Though I must say, you've awakened faster than expected. The Moonbound power usually takes months to manifest, not days."

Behind me, I heard Luca's low growl. "Helena Blake. I should have known."

My mother's eyes flicked to him with obvious disdain. "Little Luca Thorn. Still playing hero, I see. Just like your father."

"Enough." Marcus stepped forward, his voice carrying the authority of an Alpha. "State your business here, Helena. The ritual has begun-"

"The ritual is a farce!" Her voice rang across the clearing, silencing even the most aggressive wolves. "You think uniting the packs will bring peace? You're fools. The Moonbound weren't meant to unite-they were meant to rule. To control."

The silver light inside me pulsed erratically, responding to her presence. "I don't understand. What are you talking about?"

"The prophecy you've been told is incomplete, darling." She moved closer, and I caught the scent of pine and earth and something else-something wild. "The Moonbound don't choose an Alpha. They become one. The most powerful Alpha that's ever existed."

"That's not true," Luca said sharply. "The ancient texts clearly state-"

"The ancient texts were rewritten by cowards who feared our power." My mother's laugh was bitter. "I should know. I helped write some of them."

The world tilted again. "You're a werewolf."

"Was. Am. It's complicated." She gestured to the Northern Pack Alpha, who'd remained silent throughout the exchange. "Meet your stepfather, dear. Kieran Blackwood. He's been very eager to meet you."

Kieran stepped forward, and I saw the family resemblance immediately-the same auburn hair, the same green eyes, though his held warmth where my mother's had ice. "Aria. You look just like your mother did at your age."

"My father-"

"Was human," my mother finished. "A mistake I made in my youth. Though he did give me you, which has proven... useful."

The casual cruelty in her voice hit me like a physical blow. This wasn't my mother-not the woman who'd raised me, who'd died protecting me from a drunk driver. That woman would never speak about my father like he was nothing more than a breeding experiment.

"You're not her," I whispered.

Something flickered in her expression-so fast I almost missed it. Pain, maybe. Or regret. "I'm exactly who I've always been, Aria. You just never knew the whole truth."

The Red Moon pulsed overhead, and I felt its pull like a tide in my veins. Power surged through me, more than I'd ever felt before, demanding release. The five Alphas who'd come to be chosen backed away as silver light began to radiate from my skin.

"Choose carefully, daughter," my mother said softly. "Your decision tonight will determine the fate of every werewolf in North America. Unite them under the old ways, under our bloodline's rule, and you'll have power beyond imagining. Refuse..." She shrugged. "Well. Civil war has a way of solving population problems."

"Aria." Luca's voice cut through the haze of power and confusion. "Look at me."

I turned toward him, and his gray eyes anchored me to myself. In them, I saw everything I'd been feeling but hadn't dared to name-not just attraction or gratitude, but something deeper. Something that felt like coming home.

"Whatever you choose," he said quietly, "I'll stand with you. Not because of prophecies or politics, but because I-" He stopped, jaw clenching.

"Because you what?"

"Because I love you." The words were barely audible, but they hit me like thunder. "I know it's crazy. I know we barely know each other. But when I look at you, I see everything I want to protect, everything worth fighting for."

My mother scoffed. "How touching. Young love conquers all." Her expression hardened. "Tell me, Luca, will your love be enough when she tears herself apart? When the Moonbound power burns through her because she refuses to embrace what she is?"

"What do you mean?" I demanded.

"The power needs an outlet, darling. Channel it properly-through dominance, through ruling-and you'll live forever. Fight it, try to diminish yourself for the sake of others, and it will consume you from within." Her smile was cold. "You have until dawn to decide. After that, nature will make the choice for you."

She turned to leave, then paused. "Oh, and Aria? That car accident? I made sure you survived. The least you could do is show some gratitude."

Then she was gone, melting back into the forest with her pack, leaving me alone with the revelation that everything I'd believed about my life was a lie.

The clearing slowly emptied as the other packs retreated to consider this new development. Soon, only Luca, Marcus, and a few Southern Pack members remained.

"Is it true?" I asked Marcus. "What she said about the power?"

His expression was grim. "We don't know. The Moonbound bloodline has been gone for so long, most of what we know comes from fragments and legends."

"But some of those legends," Luca said quietly, "do mention... consequences for those who fight their nature."

I sank to my knees in the soft earth, overwhelmed. The silver light flickered and died, leaving me feeling hollow and drained. "So my choices are: become some kind of supernatural dictator, or die horribly while taking half the werewolf population with me?"

"There might be another way," Marcus said slowly. "But it would require trust. Complete trust."

"What kind of trust?"

Luca knelt beside me, his hand finding mine. "The kind where you let us help you figure this out. Where you don't face this alone."

I looked at him-really looked at him. This boy who'd saved me from wolves, who'd revealed his deepest secrets, who'd just confessed his love in front of dozens of supernatural creatures. He was asking me to trust him with my life, with the lives of everyone around us.

"Okay," I whispered. "Help me."