Fire and Blood

Mira couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw those different eyes watching from the forest—ruby and blue. Her brother was out there. Her twin. The thought made her heart race.

She slipped out of bed and tiptoed past Rael's room. Through the crack in his door, she saw him hunched over maps, whispering to someone through that strange device. Who was he really working for?

Outside, the night air felt cool against her skin. The waterfall's steady rush blocked out her movements as she walked toward the pool. Moonlight turned the water silver.

"Couldn't sleep either?" Draven's deep voice surprised her.

He sat on a rock near the water's edge, his massive body outlined in moonlight.

"Too many secrets," Mira answered, sitting beside him. "Too many lies."

"I heard Rael talking to someone," Draven said quietly. "He's playing his own game."

Mira nodded. "I saw him too."

They fell silent, listening to the flow. Without thinking, Mira's hand brushed against Draven's arm. That now-familiar heat sparked between them, but instead of pulling away, she let it flow.

"It's stronger tonight," Draven whispered, his eyes sparkling yellow in the darkness.

"The full moon is coming," Mira said. "Three days away."

Draven's face clouded. "My curse will take hold then."

"The Moonfire Madness." Mira looked at him. "What's it like?"

"Like burning from the inside out," he said. "Like something's trying to claw its way out of my skin." He turned to face her. "But right now, with you, it's... quiet."

Mira moved closer, their shoulders touching. Heat rushed through her veins, but it didn't hurt. It felt right.

"What are we doing?" she whispered.

"I don't know," Draven revealed. "But I can breathe around you. For the first time in years."

Mira closed her eyes, letting the strange feeling spread through her body. Images flashed behind her eyelids—wolves running through fires, a ruby throne, a woman with a crown of thorns. Her mother?

"I see things," she gasped. "When we touch."

Draven's hand found hers. Their fingers interlocked, and the visions grew stronger.

"What do you see?" he asked.

"Fire. Wolves. A woman who might be my mother." Mira opened her eyes. "And eyes watching us. Ruby and blue eyes."

Draven stiffened. "Your brother."

"He's close," Mira said. "I can feel him."

A twig snapped in the forest. They both turned.

"We should go back inside," Draven said, scanning the treeline.

But Mira was already moving toward the sound, drawn by something she couldn't explain.

"Mira, wait!" Draven hissed, following her.

She pushed through ferns and branches, deeper into the moonlit forest. The feeling pulled her forward—a tugging behind her ribs.

"Zephyr?" she called softly. "I know you're there."

The forest fell silent. Even the night creatures stopped their songs.

Then a figure stepped from the shadows—tall, lean, with features so like her own it took her breath away. His eyes glowed in the darkness, one ruby red like hers, one sapphire blue.

"Hello, sister," Zephyr said.

Draven growled, placing himself between them. "Stay back."

Zephyr smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "The Alpha protecting what isn't his to claim."

"What do you want?" Mira demanded, moving beside Draven.

"To warn you," Zephyr replied. "Rael isn't who he claims to be."

"And you are?" Draven challenged.

"I'm exactly who he said I am," Zephyr answered. "The brother trained to kill her." He looked at Mira. "But things change."

"Why should we trust you?" Mira asked.

"Because the Eclipse Queen is coming for you tomorrow," Zephyr said. "And Rael is leading her right to you."

Mira's heart dropped. "He's still working for her?"

"He works for himself," Zephyr replied. "Always has."

"Why warn us?" Draven asked, still suspicious.

Zephyr's mismatched eyes locked with Mira's. "Because I've been having dreams. About a life I don't remember living. With a sister I was told to hate."

Mira took a step toward him. "I don't remember you either."

"But you feel it, don't you?" Zephyr asked. "The pull. The connection."

Mira nodded. The same tugging she'd followed into the forest.

"The twin bond," Zephyr said. "It's waking up, just like your powers."

"How do we know this isn't a trap?" Draven demanded.

"You don't," Zephyr admitted. "But if you stay here, you'll find out too late."

A noise from the cabin made them all turn. Rael stood on the porch, peering into the darkness.

"He's looking for you," Zephyr whispered. "You need to decide. Now."

Mira looked between her newfound brother and the cabin where Rael waited. Her instincts screamed danger, but which man offered the bigger threat?

"We can't go back to the pack," Draven said quietly. "Not if there's a traitor."

"I know somewhere safe," Zephyr offered. "Somewhere even the Eclipse Queen doesn't know about."

"And why would you help us?" Draven asked.

Zephyr's face hardened. "Because they lied to me my whole life. Told me my sister was a monster who needed to be destroyed." His voice cracked. "But my dreams show me different. They show me the truth."

Mira felt tears burning her eyes. Her brother. Her twin. The other half of herself she never knew existed.

"Mira!" Rael called from the cabin. "Draven!"

"Decide," Zephyr urged.

Mira looked at Draven. His bright eyes searched hers, asking a silent question.

"We go with him," she whispered.

Draven nodded, though uncertainty lingered in his face.

"This way," Zephyr said, melting back into the darkness. "And stay quiet."

They followed him deeper into the forest, away from the house and Rael's calls. With every step, the strange heat between Mira and Draven grew stronger, warming them against the night's chill.

"Your bond is developing fast," Zephyr noted as they climbed a steep ridge. "That's dangerous."

"Because of the prophecy?" Mira asked.

Zephyr looked back at her. "Because if you complete it, you'll awaken more than just your powers."

"The werewolf god," Draven said.

"That's what they told you?" Zephyr laughed bitterly. "Another lie."

"Then what's the truth?" Mira demanded.

Zephyr stopped, turning to face them. "The truth is—"

A howl cut through the night—long, mournful, and too close.

"Rael," Draven growled. "He's tracking us."

More howls answered the first. Many voices, many wolves.

"The Eclipse Order," Zephyr said. "They're already here." He grabbed Mira's arm. "We have to run."

They raced through the trees, following Zephyr's lead. Behind them, the howls grew closer.

Suddenly, pain shot through Mira's chest. She stumbled, crying out.

Draven caught her. "What's wrong?"

"I don't—" she gasped as another wave hit her. Her skin glowed slightly red in the darkness.

"It's starting," Zephyr said sadly. "The awakening."

Mira's veins felt like they carried fire instead of blood. Every beating spread the fire further. She screamed as the pain peaked.

Draven held her tightly. Where their skin touched, golden light bloomed.

"We need to break the bond," Zephyr urged. "Before it's too late."

"How?" Draven asked.

Zephyr pulled something from his pocket—a small crystal bottle filled with black liquid. "This will suppress her powers temporarily."

"And I should trust you to give her that?" Draven snarled.

The screams grew louder. Flashlights bobbed between the trees below.

"You don't have a choice," Zephyr said.

Mira writhed in Draven's arms, her skin burning hotter. "It hurts," she whined.

Draven looked at the advancing lights, then at Zephyr's vial, then down at Mira's agonized face.

"If this kills her," he warned Zephyr, "I will tear you apart."

Zephyr nodded grimly. "If this kills her, I'll let you."

Mira felt the cold glass touch her lips as darkness closed in around her. The last thing she saw was Draven's golden eyes, wide with fear and something else—something that looked strangely like hope.

Behind them, a low laugh rumbled through the trees as a pair of violet eyes watched from the darkness.

"Found you," Rael whispered.