United under A Shared Blood And Moonlight

Chapter 1

*The scent changes*

When the plate of glass broke on the kitchen floor, I jumped backward. I couldn't even hold a simple dish because my hands were shaking so badly. It wasn't even noon yet, but this was the third thing I broke today.

My best friend Maya looked at the broken bits and asked, "Sera, what's wrong with you?" "You've been acting weird all morning."

It was hard for me to tell her that things felt different. It was too hot on my skin. My heart was beating so fast. I felt like tiny lightning bolts were dancing under my skin, and my whole body tingled in a strange way.

"I'm fine," I told myself as I bent down to pick up the broken glass. But when I stood up, Maya's face had gone totally white.

"Oh no," she whispered, taking a step back from me. "Sera, your scent..."

My blood turned to ice. "What about my scent?"

Before Maya could answer, the kitchen door burst open. Mrs. Henderson from next door ran in, her eyes wild with fear.

"Where is she?" Mrs. Henderson shouted, looking around frantically. "Where's the omega whose scent just matured?"

My knees almost gave out. No. This couldn't be happening. Not today. Not like this.

Maya pointed at me with a shaking finger. "It's Sera. Her smell changed."

Mrs. Henderson's face went from worried to terrified. She grabbed my shoulders so hard it hurt. "Child, you need to hide. Right now. Do you understand me?"

"I don't understand anything!" I cried, pushing her hands away. "What's happening to me?"

The front door slammed open, and my mother rushed in. Her face was pale and scared, which made my stomach twist into knots. Mom was never scared.

"Everyone out!" Mom yelled at Maya and Mrs. Henderson. "Get out of my house right now!"

"But Mrs. Hale," Maya started to say.

"NOW!" Mom screamed.

Maya and Mrs. Henderson ran out so fast they almost knocked each other over. Mom slammed the door behind them and turned to face me. Her hands were shaking just like mine.

"Mom, what's wrong with everyone?" I asked, my words coming out small and scared. "Why is everyone acting like I have some terrible disease?"

Mom walked over and pulled me into a tight hug. I could feel her heart beating fast against my chest.

"Baby girl," she whispered into my hair, "your scent has fully developed. You're officially an adult omega now."

I pulled back to look at her face. "That's good, right? That means I can find my mate now."

Mom's eyes filled with tears. "Sera, your smell... it's not normal. It's too strong. Too clean. Every

unmated male wolf for miles is going to smell it and want you."

My stomach dropped. "What do you mean want me?"

"They're going to come here," Mom said, grabbing my hands. "Alphas, Betas, even other omegas' mates. Your smell is going to drive them crazy. Some of them might try to take you by force. " I felt like I was going to throw up. "But that's not how it works. The mate bond is supposed to be beautiful and special. You're supposed to find your one true mate and live happily ever after."

Mom's laugh was sour and sad. "That's fairy story nonsense, sweetheart. In the real world, strong wolves take what they want. And right now, every wolf in three areas is going to want you."

Outside, I could hear voices getting louder. Men's sounds. Rough and demanding.

"She's in there," someone growled. "I can smell her. That sweet smell is coming from this house."

"Back off," another voice shouted. "I smelled her first."

"You're both wrong," a third voice said. "She belongs to whoever can claim her."

Mom rushed to the window and peeked through the curtains. Her face went even whiter.

"There's at least twenty wolves out there," she whispered. "And more coming."

My heart was beating so hard I thought it might burst. "What do we do?"

Mom ran to the kitchen and started throwing things into a bag. Food, water, a knife.

"We run," she said. "Right now. Out the back door before they surround the house."

"But this is our home," I said, tears starting to fall. "We can't just leave everything."

"Sera, listen to me," Mom said, grabbing my face with both hands. "Your smell is special. Dangerously special. I've only heard stories about omegas like you, but I thought they were just myths."

"What kind of myths?"

"Moon-blessed omegas. Omegas whose smell can make any Alpha lose control. The kind of omega that packs go to war over."

The voices outside were getting louder. Someone started beating on our front door.

"Open up!" a man yelled. "We know she's in there. Send out the omega!"

"We just want to meet her," another voice called, but it sounded mean and hungry.

Mom threw the bag over her shoulder and grabbed my hand. "We're going. Now."

We ran toward the back door, but before Mom could open it, someone started beating on it from the outside.

"Too late," Mom whispered. "They've surrounded us."

The front door started to crack under the beating. Angry growls and snarls filled the air outside. I could smell their scents now - wild and dangerous and wanting.

"Mom," I whispered, "I'm scared."

She pulled me close and kissed my face. "I know, baby. But I'm going to protect you. No matter what happens, I'm going to keep you safe."

The front door cracked and broke open.

Heavy footsteps entered our house.

"There she is," a deep voice said, and I could hear the hunger in it.

Mom pushed me behind her, but I could see over her shoulder. Five huge guys stood in our doorway. Their eyes were burning yellow, and their teeth looked sharp.

The biggest one stepped forward and smiled, showing his fangs.

"Hello, little omega," he said. "You're coming with us."

But before anyone could move, a howl echoed across the town. A howl so powerful and commanding that every wolf in our house instantly dropped to their knees.

"The Alpha," one of them whispered in fear. "The Alpha is coming."

Through the broken doorway, I could see a huge black wolf running toward our house.

And somehow, I knew my life was about to change forever.

Chapter 2

the alpha arrives

Caelum's POV

My horse stumbled beneath me as that smell hit my nose like a lightning bolt. I grabbed the reins so hard my knuckles went white, fighting to stay in the saddle as my wolf went completely mad inside my head.

Mate. MATE. MINE.

"No," I growled out loud, making my Beta Marcus look at me with worried eyes. "Not happening."

But my animal wasn't listening. For the first time in my twenty-five years, my wolf was trying to take control. My hands were shaking, my heart was pounding, and every sense I had was screaming at me to find the source of that incredible smell.

"Alpha?" Marcus asked, riding closer. "What's wrong?"

I couldn't answer him. That smell was getting stronger as we rode into the village, and it was driving me out of my mind. Sweet like honey, wild like the forest after rain, and something else... something pure and strong that made my wolf pace back and forth like a caged animal.

"Stop the horses," I ordered, my words coming out rougher than I meant.

My pack of twenty warriors pulled their horses to a stop, looking confused. We were supposed to be passing through this tiny border town quickly. We had important business in the next area.

But I couldn't leave. Not with that smell calling to every part of me.

"Alpha Caelum," Marcus said slowly, "we need to keep moving. The meeting with the Northern Pack is tomorrow."

I ignored him and jumped off my horse. My boots hit the ground hard, and I started walking toward the smell. I couldn't help myself. My wolf was pulling me forward like I was on a leash.

The town was small and boring, just like a hundred others I'd ridden through. But somewhere in these houses was the woman who smelled like everything I'd never known I wanted.

This is stupid, I told myself. You don't do mates. You don't do love. You use women and throw them away before they can hurt you.

That had been my rule since I was eighteen. Never sleep with the same woman twice. Never let anyone get close enough to betray me like my mother betrayed my father. Keep your heart locked up tight, and nobody can break it.

But this smell was breaking down every wall I'd built.

I followed it down the main street, my pack dragging behind me like they thought I'd lost my mind.

Maybe I had. I'd never acted like this before in my life.

The smell led me to a small house with a broken front door. There were other male smells here too - wolves who had come looking for the same thing I was looking for. But they were all gone now, probably scared away by my howl.

I could hear voices inside. A woman crying. Another woman tries to comfort her.

"It's okay, baby," an older voice was saying. "The Alpha scared them away. We're safe now."

Safe. They thought they were safe because I was here. They had no idea that I was the most dangerous wolf of all.

I walked up to the broken entry and looked inside.

And my entire world stopped.

She was small and scared, with tears running down her face. Her mother had her arms around her, trying to protect her. But when she looked up and saw me standing there, her eyes went wide.

They were the most beautiful eyes I'd ever seen. Brown like warm chocolate, with little gold bits that seemed to glow in the light. And when she looked at me, I felt something crack open in my chest that I'd kept locked away for years.

Mine, my wolf whispered. She's ours.

"Please don't hurt us," the older woman said, stepping in front of the girl. "She's just a child. She doesn't understand what's happening."

I tried to speak, but no words came out. I was looking at the girl - my mate - and feeling things I'd never felt before. Want, yes, but something deeper too. Something that made me want to get on my knees and promise to keep her safe forever.

This was not meant to happen to me.

"What's your name?" I finally managed to ask, looking straight at her.

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She was shaking like a scared rabbit.

"Her name is Seraphina," her mother answered for her. "And she's under my protection."

Seraphina. Even her name was perfect.

"I'm not going to hurt her," I said, surprised by how gentle my voice sounded. I was never soft. "I just want to talk to her."

Behind me, I could hear Marcus and my other soldiers whispering. They knew something big was happening. I'd never acted like this before. The cold, heartless Alpha they knew would have already taken what he wanted and left.

But this girl was changing me, and I'd only been looking at her for two minutes.

"Seraphina," I said, trying out her name. "Will you come outside and talk to me?"

She looked at her mother, then back at me. Slowly, she nodded.

Her mother tried to stop her. "Sera, no. It's not safe."

"It's okay, Mom," Seraphina whispered, her voice soft and sweet. "He won't hurt me."

How did she know that? How could she trust me when everyone else was afraid of me?

She walked toward me on shaking legs, and with every step she took, that incredible smell got stronger. By the time she reached the doorway, my wolf was screaming with joy inside my head.

She stopped right in front of me, so close I could reach out and touch her face. But I kept my hands at my sides. I didn't want to scare her more than she already was.

"Are you really an Alpha?" she asked, looking up at me with those beautiful eyes.

"Yes," I said. "The most powerful Alpha in the region."

She bit her lip, thinking. "And you came here because of my scent?"

"Yes."

"Does that mean..." she took a deep breath, "does that mean you're my mate?"

The question hit me like a punch to the gut. Was she my mate? Everything inside me was saying yes. But I'd spent seven years making walls around my heart. I'd hurt every woman who'd ever tried to get close to me.

But looking at her sweet face, I wanted to be a different man. A better guy.

"Maybe," I said honestly.

She smiled then, the first real smile I'd seen from her. It was like the sun coming out from behind clouds.

"I've been waiting my whole life to meet my mate," she said.

And that's when Marcus rode up behind me and said the words that would destroy everything.

"Alpha Caelum, your father sent a message. Your wedding to Luna Elira Voss has been moved up. It's in two weeks."

The smile died on Seraphina's face.

And my heart broke into a thousand pieces.

Chapter 3

beating heart

My legs buckled when Marcus said those words about Alpha Caelum's wedding. I grabbed the doorframe to keep from falling as my heart broke into a million pieces.

"Wedding?" I whispered, looking at Caelum's face. "You're getting married?"

The look in his eyes was pure pain, like someone had just stabbed him in the chest. But he didn't deny it.

"Seraphina," he started to say, but I cut him off.

"Get away from me!" I screamed, backing into the house. "All of you, just leave!"

Mom rushed over and put her arms around me, but I could barely feel her touch. Everything felt numb and cold. How could this be happening? How could I find my mate and lose him in the same day?

"Everyone out!" Mom yelled at Caelum and his soldiers. "You've done enough damage!"

But Caelum stepped forward instead of leaving. His face was hard and determined, like he'd made some kind of choice.

"No," he said firmly. "I need to talk to Seraphina. Alone."

"Absolutely not," Mom snapped. "You've hurt her enough."

"She's my mate," Caelum said, and his voice was so strong that it made the walls shake. "I have the right to speak with her."

My heart jumped when he called me his mate, even though I was angry and hurt. Part of me still wanted to run to him and forget about everything else.

"Your mate?" Marcus said from behind him, sounding shocked. "Alpha, that's impossible. You're marrying Luna Elira in two weeks."

"I know what I'm marrying," Caelum growled without taking his eyes off me. "But this doesn't change what she is to me."

The other soldiers started whispering among themselves. I could hear words like "scandal" and "impossible" and "what will the pack say?"

Mom held me tighter. "Sera, you don't have to talk to him if you don't want to."

But I did want to. Even though he'd just broken my heart, I needed to understand what was happening. I needed to know why fate would be so evil as to give me a mate who belonged to someone else.

"Five minutes," I said, wiping the tears from my face. "That's all."

Mom looked like she wanted to argue, but she could see I'd made up my mind. She kissed my forehead and walked to the kitchen, giving us space but staying close enough to help if I needed her.

Caelum's troops moved back too, but I could see them watching through the broken doorway.

"Talk," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "Explain to me how you can be my mate when you're marrying someone else in two weeks."

Caelum ran his hands through his hair, looking more upset than I'd ever seen anyone look.

"It's complicated," he said.

"Try me."

"The marriage to Elira was planned when we were children. It's a political union between our packs. I've never had a choice in the matter."

"But you're the Alpha," I said. "Can't you just say no?"

His laugh was sour and angry. "Being Alpha means putting the pack's needs before your own. Always. This marriage will bring peace between two powerful territories and avoid a war that could kill thousands of wolves."

I felt my anger starting to fade, replaced by something worse - understanding. He wasn't marrying Elira because he wanted to. He was doing it to save lives.

"So where does that leave me?" I asked quietly.

Caelum stepped closer, and I could smell his scent - pine trees and rain and something wild that made my wolf purr inside me.

"It leaves you with a choice," he said. "You can stay here in this village and say we never met. Live a normal life, find a nice Beta to marry, have normal children."

"Or?"

"Or you can come with me to my pack lands. Be near me, even if we can't be together the way we want to be."

My mouth fell open. "You want me to come live in your pack and watch you be married to another woman?"

"I want you where I can protect you," he said furiously. "Your smell is unlike anything I've ever experienced. When word gets about what you are, every unmated Alpha in the region is going to

come for you. Some of them won't take no for an answer."

A chill ran down my spine. I remembered the men who had circled our house earlier, the hunger in their eyes.

"What am I exactly?" I asked. "Everyone keeps acting like I'm some kind of freak."

Caelum's eyes got very serious. "You're what we call a moon-blessed omega. Your DNA is special, ancient. There haven't been any like you for over a hundred years."

"What does that mean?"

"It means your smell can drive any Alpha to madness. It means any children you have will be incredibly strong. And it means you're going to be hunted by wolves who want to use you for their own gain."

My legs felt weak again. "I just wanted to find my mate and be happy. I didn't ask for any of this."

Caelum reached out like he wanted to touch my face, but stopped himself. "I know. And I'm sorry. But I can keep you safe if you come with me. My pack is the strongest in the area. No one would dare try to take you from there."

"Except you're going to be married to someone else," I said, tears starting again. "How is that protecting me? How is watching you with another woman going to make me feel safe?"

"Because even if I can't claim you publicly, you'll still be mine," he said intensely. "My wolf has picked you. That tie doesn't just disappear because of some political marriage."

I stared at him, not believing what I was hearing. "You want me to be your secret? Your secret mistress while you play happy family with your wife?"

"I want you to be alive," he said desperately. "And if this is the only way I can keep you safe, then yes. I want you to be my secret."

The front door suddenly burst open again, and a woman with long black hair and cold blue eyes walked in like she owned the place. She was beautiful in a sharp, dangerous way, and she wore expensive clothes that screamed money and power.

"Caelum," she said in a voice like honey mixed with poison, "what's taking so long? We have important things to talk about our wedding."

My heart stopped. This had to be Elira Voss, his fiancée.

She looked at me with those cold eyes and smiled like a hunter who'd found easy prey.

"And you must be the little omega who's been causing all this fuss," she said sweetly. "How... quaint."

Caelum stepped protectively in front of me. "Elira, what are you doing here?"

"I came to meet my future husband's new pet," she said, walking closer. "I wanted to see what all the excitement was about."

She stopped right in front of me and breathed in deeply.

"Oh my," she said, her smile getting bigger and scarier. "You really are special, aren't you? I can see why Caelum is so... distracted."