Page 64 of Wolf Queen Ruin
I moved closer and traced my fingers over the worn indentations.“This is old, older than any pack writing I was taught, but some symbols are consistent.”
I worked my way around the massive trunk, piecing together fragments of meaning from the weathered carvings.
“It’s a warning,” I finally said.“And…I think a test.”
Damien’s shoulders tensed, his entire body going rigid with alertness.“What kind of test?”
“The Wolf Queen’s resting place is protected by both physical and magical barriers.The writing says something about ‘only those of worthy blood may disturb the Queen’s slumber.’”I frowned, struggling with a particularly weathered section.“And there’s something about night and day working together… No, that’s not quite it.‘The children of night and the children of moon…must join their essence to pass beyond.’”
Damien’s expression darkened.“Vampire and shifter.”
He didn’t sound surprised.
“You knew,” I said, the realization crystallizing suddenly.“You knew the crypt would require both of us to access it.That’s why you specifically hired me, not just for my tomb-raiding skills, but for my shifter bloodline.”
Damien moved with startling speed, suddenly looming over me, his height and presence overwhelming as his eyes flashed with preternatural light.“I suspected,” he corrected.“My research indicated a blood lock requiring both lineages.But no, I didn’t just hire you for your skills and your bloodline.”
He stepped closer, and I found myself backing against the tree trunk.He placed one hand against the bark beside my head, not touching me but effectively caging me in.
“And no, that’s not specifically why I hired you.I hired you because you’re as desperate as I am for a cure,” he said.“Because you need the Shadow Fang more than I need it.BecauseIneedyou.”
He froze as soon as he finished, as though he hadn’t meant to blurt the last part out.For several heartbeats, something raw and unguarded flashed across his face before his features settled into a controlled mask.He stepped back abruptly, giving me space again.
There was a lot to unpack in all he’d just said, but my mind kept spiraling around:Because you need the Shadow Fang more than I do.Since when had he elevated my family over his?
And surely he meant he needed me to help him find the Shadow Fang, not that he neededme.Right?From the intensity of his stare, it was hard to tell.
We both looked away at the same time, and my breaths rushed back in, so quickly that my head spun.
I turned back to the tree, channeling my confusion and rapid heartbeat into finding the entrance.
After careful examination of the root system, I identified a section where the patterns seemed deliberately arranged, too geometric to be natural growth.Moss and dirt had accumulated over centuries, disguising what might once have been obvious.
“Here,” I called to Damien, who had been investigating the opposite side of the tree.“Help me clear this.”
He was beside me in an instant, somehow moving without making a sound.Together, we removed layers of vegetation and soil from between two massive roots, revealing a recessed stone panel carved with more ancient shifter runes.In the center was a circular depression surrounded by a spiral pattern.
“It’s a lock,” I murmured, tracing the spiral.“But there’s no physical key, at least that I know of.”
Damien crouched beside me, careful not to touch the stone.“The inscription mentioned blood.”
“‘The children of night and the children of moon must join their essence,’” I quoted.“Blood would be the most direct interpretation.”
I sat back on my heels, considering the implications.Blood magic was among the most primitive and powerful forms of supernatural binding—and potentially the most dangerous when misused.Sharing blood with a vampire, even in this context, crossed boundaries that most shifters would consider taboo.Doinganythingwith a vampire was considered taboo.
But I wasn’t a shifter anymore.
Damien’s expression turned grave.“This isn’t a decision to make lightly, Luna.Blood exchanges have consequences.Particularly between our kinds.”
“We don’t have any alternatives.”I pulled my knife from its sheath, the silver blade gleaming dully in the muted light.“Ladies first, I guess.”
Before I could cut my palm, Damien caught my wrist in an iron grip.“That blade is silver.”
“Well spotted.”I tried to pull free, but his grip remained firm, his thumb brushing over the racing pulse at my wrist.
“Silver will taint the offering,” he said, his eyes darkening.“The Wolf Queen would recognize it as an insult, a poison to her kind used to activate her sanctuary.She’d ensure we suffered for generations.”
I hadn’t considered that.“Then what do you suggest?All of my knives are silver.”
