Page 41 of The Blood Moon Hunt

The academy continues to grow, its halls filled with warlocks who look to me for guidance. They see the perfect heir, the prodigy who never falters. But they don’t see the cracks. They don’t see the boy who learned too young that trust is a weakness and that loyalty comes at a price.

As I stand on the edge of another Hunt, the prey scattered before me like chess pieces waiting to be moved, I wonder if this will ever be enough. If I will ever feel anything beyond the cold logic that has defined my life.

And deep down, I know the answer. It’s not about feeling. It’s about winning. And I can’t afford to lose.

Not now. Not ever.

Chapter

Twenty-One

SELENE

The moment Adrian steps closer, I feel my body tense. Not out of fear, but something else—something much harder to explain, and even harder to control. My heart races as I watch him, his calm, calculating eyes assessing me, as if he can see right through me, stripping away everything I thought I knew about myself.

Why am I drawn to him? Toallof them?

It’s a question that’s been gnawing at the back of my mind since this twisted Hunt began. Every time I’m near one of these men—these warlocks—I lose a little more control. It’s like something inside me shifts, something that makes me want to be closer, to let go, to givein. But I hate it. I hate feeling like I’m not in control of my own body, my own emotions.

But as Adrian moves toward me, I feel that pull again, that overwhelming urge to be near him, to let him touch me. My breath hitches, and I instinctively step back, my mind screaming at me to resist, to fight it, but my body... my body betrays me.

"Selene," Adrian murmurs, his voice low, seductive. There’s no trace of the cold detachment he usually wears like armor. This is something different. "I can see the conflict in your eyes."

I swallow hard, my heart thudding in my chest as he gets closer. His presence is magnetic, impossible to ignore. "Why is this happening to me?" I whisper, more to myself than to him. "Why do I feel like I’m losing control around all of you?"

Adrian smiles faintly, his gaze darkening as he steps even closer, his fingers brushing lightly against my arm. The simple touch sends a shiver down my spine, and I hate how my body responds so easily, so eagerly. "Because," he says softly, "you’re not like the others. There’s power inside you, Selene, something that’s been dormant for too long. And when you’re near us, it’s awakening."

"Power?" I whisper, my voice shaky as I look up at him. "I don’t understand..."

He chuckles softly, as if amused by my confusion. "You will," he says, his fingerstrailing up my arm, sending sparks of heat along my skin. "Your body recognizes the power in us. You’re drawn to it... just as we are drawn to you. It’s instinctual."

"But I don’t want this," I protest weakly, though my voice lacks conviction. The truth is, part of medoeswant it, craves it, even. "I want to be in control of my own mind, my own body."

Adrian’s eyes glint with something dark and dangerous as he steps closer, his hands resting on my shoulders, and I feel the heat of his touch seep through me, weakening my resolve. "Control," he murmurs, his voice soft, hypnotic. "That’s what you’re so afraid of, isn’t it? Losing control."

I tremble under his touch, my body betraying every thought in my head. He’s right. Iamafraid—afraid of what’s happening inside me, afraid of this power I don’t understand, and most of all, afraid of how much I want him. Want all of them. "I... I don’t know what’s happening to me," I whisper, my voice barely audible.

"Let me show you," Adrian whispers back, his hands sliding down my arms as he gently pushes me back toward the bed. I try to resist, but my legs give way too easily, and before I know it, I’m sinking into the soft mattress, his body looming over mine.

I gasp as his weight presses down on me, pinning me in place, but there’s no fear—just that ever-present desire, that hunger I can’t seem to escape. His lips hoverinches above mine, and I can feel the heat of his breath on my skin, sending another shiver through me.

"You feel out of control because you’re awakening," Adrian says, his voice like silk, smooth and dark. "You’ve spent your whole life being told what to do, what to feel, how to act. But that’s not who you are, Selene. You’re more than that. You’re meant for more than that."

I shake my head, trying to fight the sensations overwhelming me, but it’s futile. His words sink into me like a drug, intoxicating and inescapable. "But whyyou?" I breathe out. "Why am I drawn to you? To all of you?"

Adrian’s lips curve into a wicked smile as he leans down, his mouth brushing against the sensitive skin of my neck. The heat of his breath, the graze of his lips—everything about him is like fire against my skin. "Because we are power," he whispers, his hands trailing down my sides. "And you are drawn to power, whether you want to admit it or not."

I want to protest, to push him away, but my body reacts before I can even think. My hips arch against his, a low moan escaping my lips before I can stop it. Adrian chuckles softly, the sound vibrating through me.

"Your body knows what it wants," he murmurs against my skin, his lips tracing the curve of my jaw. "All you have to do is stop fighting it."

I can feel myself slipping, falling into the pull of him, of the power coursing between us. My mind is ahaze of confusion and desire, but it’s too late. Adrian’s lips are on mine before I can say another word, and the world around me disappears.

In this moment, nothing else matters but him—the heat of his touch, the weight of his body against mine, the way he makes me feel like I’m on fire. And somewhere, deep inside, I know I’ve crossed a line I can never come back from.

Chapter

Twenty-Two

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