Page 31 of The Blood Moon Hunt

“Why did you?” I ask, my voice low. “Stop me, I mean.”

Her gaze flickers up to the treetops, as if searching for an answer. Her silence feels like it stretches forever, but then she speaks, her voice barely above a whisper. "Because... I can't let you take what’s mine. Not like this."

Her words hit me harder than I expect. They shouldn’t sting, but they do. I narrow my eyes, my voice colder than I mean it to be. “You think this is yours to control?”

She turns her head back to me, and her expression softens, her brows furrowing like she’s searching for the right words. “It’s not about control, Lucien. It’s about choice. Mine.”

Choice. The word lands in my chest like a stone, sinking deep into the fire that always burns there. Choice wasn’t something I ever had—not when it came to my power, not when it came to my family, not when it came to this Hunt. I’ve always been ruled by the chaos inside me, by the fire that refuses to be quieted.

But she stopped me. Not with control, not with force, but with something... different. Something I can’t quite name.

“You don’t understand,” I say, my voice rough. “You think this is just about winning, about claiming you. But it’s not.” I push myself up onto one elbow, my gaze locking with hers. “This fire—this chaos—it doesn’t stop. It doesn’t quiet. Not for anything.”

Her lips part slightly, her breath catching as she watches me. I see the flicker of fear in her eyes, but there’s something else there, too—something deeper.

“It’s never stopped?” she asks, her voice softer now, almost curious.

I shake my head, a bitter smile tugging at my lips. “Not once. My whole life, it’s burned, louder and hotter every day. And no matter what I do—no matter who I take, who I defeat—it’s never enough. It always comes back.”

She’s silent, her gaze searching mine. I can feel her trying to understand, trying to piece together what this means. And for a moment, I let her see it—the raw, untamed fire that has ruled me for as long as I can remember.

“But you,” I say, my voice dropping lower. “You stopped it. Just for a second. I don’t know how, and I don’t know why, but you did.”

Her lips press into a thin line, her expression unreadable. “Lucien...” she starts, but she trails off, her words faltering.

The sun climbs higher, warming the grass beneath us, but all I can feel is the fire inside me, roaring for release. I close my eyes, exhaling slowly, letting the moment stretch. She doesn’t know it, but she’s dangerous—not because of her power, but because of what she makes me feel.

Hope.

I hate it.

I push myself up onto my elbows, my muscles screaming in protest, and peer into the trees. Something’s coming. I can feel it, the familiar prickle at the back of my neck, the subtle shift in the atmosphere that tells me we’re not alone.

Selene is already sitting up besideme, her eyes narrowing as she focuses on the treeline. I can see it in her too—the awareness, the readiness. She’s learning fast, faster than I ever expected.

“Someone’s there,” she whispers, her voice tight with tension.

I nod, my gaze scanning the thick underbrush. “Get ready. They’ll be coming for you.”

The movement becomes clearer now, shapes shifting between the trees, and I curse under my breath.Shadows. They’re here, hunting us just like we’re hunting her. And with the dawn, there’s little I can do to stop them.

Selene shifts beside me, her posture stiffening. She looks at me, her brow furrowed in concern. “What do we do?”

I force a smirk, even though the situation is anything but amusing. “We run. For now.”

The sound of footsteps grows louder, closer, and my heart pounds in my chest. We’re out of time. I push myself to my feet, stumbling slightly before regaining my balance. Selene is already standing, her eyes darting between the trees and back to me.

“Lucien...” she says softly, her voice barely audible.

I glance at her, feeling the strange tug of something deeper between us. But now’s not the time for it. Not yet.

“Go,” I growl, my voice sharper now. “I’ll catch up.”

She hesitates for a split second, her eyes locking onto mine. And then she runs.

As I watch her disappear into the trees, the shadows closing in around us, I can’t help but feel the familiar pull of frustration and something dangerously close to longing.

Damn her.

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