Page 6 of The Blood Moon Hunt

The room grows quieter, the weight of his words pressing down on all of us.

“To mark the occasion, we will be holding a competition,” Damien explains, his eyes scanning the room, pausing for a heartbeat when they land on me. “Willing participants will stay, but be warned—once you chooseto stay, you will not be able to leave until the Blood Moon rises.”

I feel a cold knot forming in my stomach. My friends seem enthralled by his speech, but I can’t shake the sense that something is very, very wrong.

“The rules are simple,” Damien says, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. “If you choose to remain, you will be hunted. If you are captured, you will be claimed. Those who survive until the Blood Moon rises will be rewarded.”

He doesn’t elaborate on what “claimed” means, but the way he says it sends a shiver through me. The vagueness of the rules only adds to the sense of danger thrumming through the room. My friends don’t seem to notice, though.

“This is going to be so fun,” Lila whispers excitedly beside me. “A month-long game? And look at those guys. I wouldn’t mind being ‘claimed’ by any of them.”

“Lila, are you serious?” I hiss back. “This doesn’t feel like a game. Something feels... off.”

“Oh, come on, Selene. It’s Halloween. It’s obviously some elaborate skit or something. You’re just freaked out because it’s dark and mysterious.” She winks at me, but I can’t shake the growing sense of unease curling in my gut.

“It’s just for fun,” Tessa adds, her voice calm. “They’re not actually going to hunt us for a month.”

Evie giggles, “I mean, would it be so bad if they did?”

My stomach flips. How can they be so nonchalant about this?

I glance back up at the platform. Damien’s eyes are still on me, and just like before, the intensity of his gaze makes my body heat up, my heart racing in my chest. It’s that same pull I felt when we were alone, that same magnetic force drawing me in.

I want to leave. I should leave. But I can’t move. His eyes lock on mine, and suddenly, it’s like my feet are glued to the floor. The air between us crackles with tension, and I can’t tear my gaze away.

“This is your last chance,” Damien announces, his voice ringing through the room, deep and resonant, commanding everyone’s attention. “Anyone who does not wish to participate should leave now. If you stay, you consent to the rules of the Hunt.”

The words sink into me, heavy and final, but I can’t move. I should be running for the door. Everything inside me screams that I need to leave, that I should grab my friends and get as far away from here as possible. But I don’t.

I’m trapped. Trapped by the intensity of Damien’s gaze, by the way his eyes lock onto mine with such purpose that it feels like the rest of the room disappears. My body reacts instantly, a rush of heat flooding through me, making my skin flush and myheart pound. I can feel the slow, steady pull of desire unfurling inside me, curling low in my belly and spreading out like wildfire.

He’s not just looking at me. He’sseeingme.

It’s as if no one else in the room exists, like his entire focus is centered on me, and the sheer force of that attention sends a shiver down my spine. His eyes burn with something I can’t quite place—something dark, powerful, and undeniably intoxicating. My breath hitches in my throat, my pulse quickening as a wave of heat rolls through me.

I should run. I should turn around and bolt for the exit, but my legs refuse to move. My body is drawn to him, my feet planted firmly in place. The rational part of my brain is shouting at me, warning me that this is dangerous, that whatever this is, it’s not normal.

But the other part—the part that’s been aching for something more, something raw and real—is pulling me closer to him, keeping me rooted to the spot.

The room feels like it’s tilting, the air growing thick and electric between us. My friends are beside me, but I barely register their presence. All I can focus on is Damien, his figure commanding the platform above, his eyes locked on me like I’m the only person who matters.

The desire swirling inside me is overwhelming, drowning out every ounce of logic I have left. I can feel it in every part of me—an ache, a need. It’s not just lust; it’s something more. Something deeper, morevisceral. His gaze feels like a promise, one that sends a thrill of anticipation through me, even as it terrifies me.

For the first time in what feels like forever, I feel...seen.

I’ve spent so long feeling invisible, fading into the background of my own life, but Damien’s eyes are telling me otherwise. They’re telling me that I matter, that he sees something in me that I don’t even see in myself. And that feeling—being truly seen—sets my blood on fire.

My breath comes in shallow, uneven bursts, and I can’t tear my gaze away. Every inch of my skin tingles, my body coming alive under the weight of his stare. I want to stay. Even though every part of me knows I should be running for the door, Iwantto stay.

And that thought alone scares me more than anything else.

Without thinking, I find myself nodding. Agreeing to the terms before my mind even has a chance to catch up. The movement is automatic, like I’m not fully in control of my own body anymore. It’s as though Damien’s pull is magnetic, and I’m helpless to resist.

Around me, a few people shuffle nervously, edging toward the exit. Their footsteps echo faintly in the otherwise silent room, but only a handful leave. My friends remain, their eyes gleaming with excitement and mischief. I want to turn to them, to tell them thatthis isn’t right, that something about this feels dangerous, but the words won’t come.

Lila nudges me with her elbow, a wide grin spreading across her face. “This is going to be epic,” she whispers. “A month-long game? I’m so in.”

I try to respond, to tell her that this isn’t a game, that we should be leaving, but I can’t. My voice is trapped in my throat, my body still locked in place by Damien’s gaze.

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