Chapter 3 The bite that didn't kill me

I opened my mouth to scream and blue fire came out instead.

It wasn't fire. It was light, but it burned like fire.

It hit the stone ceiling of Kael's room and cracked it. The black furs on his bed started to glow where I lay. My back arched so hard I thought spine would snap.

Kael grabbed me. "Mara! Do something!"

Mara was already chanting, blind white eyes rolled back, blue face tattoos glowing. She threw white powder and it turned blue touching my skin.

"She is shifting! First shift! Hold her down!"

"I'm trying!" Kael shouted. He pinned both wrists above my head, body over mine. He was heavy, hot. Wolf fully out, amber eyes black, claws digging into headboard.

"Don't look at me!" I cried. Teeth sharpening, nails turning to claws.

"Look at me," he commanded, forehead to mine. "Aria, look at my eyes only."

I looked. Amber. Only color not blue.

"Tell me what you feel."

"Like dying! Every bone breaking!"

"You're not dying. You're becoming. I felt same at thirteen when I first shifted. It ends. I promise."

"Will I be monster?" I sobbed. Tears blue.

"No," he whispered. "You will be wolf. My kind of monster."

Mara slammed cold wet cloth smelling like mud and moonflowers onto my neck, over bite bleeding light.

I screamed and blue light came from eyes, nose, mouth at once. Room went white-blue.

Then silence.

Light sucked back into me, like moon inhaled.

I collapsed, soaked in sweat glowing faintly.

Kael let go slowly. Big hands shook.

"Aria?"

I opened eyes.

Still blue, but deeper, luminous, like second moon trapped inside.

And I could hear everything.

Wolves on walls three floors down. Heartbeats of twenty men outside door. Kael's heart pounding like war drum above me. Mara's old slow heart.

And something else.

New heartbeat inside chest.

Not one heart anymore. Two. One fast, human. One slow, powerful, wolf. Beating together.

"Oh Goddess," Mara whispered, touching face. "She did it. Survived first shift without shifting skin."

"What do you mean without shifting?" Kael asked hoarsely.

"She is second moon wolf, Kael. Your wolves shift skin to fur, man to beast. Hers shifts inside. Kept human skin but has wolf inside now, fully awake. Feel pulse."

Kael put tattooed hand on chest, over heart. Eyes widened.

"Two hearts."

"One girl, one wolf," Mara said. "Both awake. That is why bite didn't kill her as baby. Born to hold two souls."

I sat up slowly. Body lighter, stronger, sharper. Could see cracks in stone across room. Could smell Kael clearly - pine, smoke, blood, something sweet underneath just for me.

"What am I?" I whispered, voice echoing like two voices.

Mara knelt. Not because I commanded. Because she wanted to.

"You are what we thought extinct, child. Before first moon, before first Alpha, there was second moon every night. It made wolves who could command, not dominate. Wolves who were queens, not lunas. First moon Alphas like Kael feared them. Luna obeys Alpha, but Queen makes Alphas obey. So first Alphas hunted them, killed every female second wolf - mothers, daughters, babies - until only male line remained. Six boys, cursed to be Alphas but never have Queen. And you are first daughter born in thousand years. You are Mother of Second Wolves. You can make new second wolves with bite."

I stared. "I can turn people?"

"You turned Kael's Beta last month without knowing, didn't you, Kael?" Mara said quietly.

Kael went rigid. "That was accident. He cut hand-"

"And her glowing tear fell into his blood at river. Now eyes flash blue when angry. Yes?"

Kael didn't answer, jaw tight.

I looked at hands. Normal, but faint blue veins pulsing underneath.

"I made someone like me? With tear?"

"You are contagious, little Queen," Mara whispered. "Blood, tears, bite, command - they carry second moon. You don't know how to control any yet. That is why six are coming. Not just because you smell like sister, like blood. They want you because you can give them sons who are real second wolves, not just cursed Alphas. You can give them pack that never kneels to first moon Alphas or Lycan King again."

Kael growled low. "She is eighteen. She just shifted five minutes ago. She is not giving anyone sons."

Mara smiled sadly. "You say that because you already feel it, Alpha. Possessiveness. Madness. Second moon bond makes Alphas obsessed, more than normal mate bond. You marked neck with teeth an hour ago. You think she is yours. You would kill brothers for her."

"I marked her as prisoner!" Kael snapped, but hand went to neck, gentle. "So others know she is in Blackthorn territory."

"It doesn't matter what head calls it," Mara said. "Wolf calls it claiming. Wolf stronger than head now."

Outside, six howls came again, closer. Window rattled with blue light. My new wolf ears heard each distinct voice. Six brothers.

Kael went to window, back tense, tattoos flexing.

"They are at river. Twenty minutes to gates."

"What do we do?" I asked, pulling furs around me.

"We do not open gates," Kael said. "Blackthorn never fallen. We never lost battle in three hundred years."

"They are not coming for battle," Mara said. "They are coming for her. Keep her locked like prisoner, they will burn mountain to get her. They waited eighteen years for sister."

Kael turned, looked at me in his furs, glowing faintly, blue eyes wide, dark hair messy, lips parted, neck glowing with his mark and old bite.

For first time since meeting him in forest, I saw more than ruthless Alpha. I saw boy. Boy who was Alpha since sixteen. Boy who never had anything soft and scared of losing first soft thing he found.

"Do you want to go to them?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know them! I don't know you!"

"I know," he said. "But they share your blood, curse, second moon. They will understand what is happening inside you better than I do. Better than Mara. They are like you. They have two hearts too."

"And you?" I whispered.

He walked back, knelt - on purpose, slowly, giving submission as gift, not forced - and took glowing hands.

"I am Alpha who hates humans and you are no longer human. I am Alpha who swore never take Luna and you are not Luna. You are Queen. And my wolf has waited for Queen to kneel to since born. So I will not give you to them. Even if they burn mountain."

He leaned, whispered against glowing mouth, not kissing, just breathing:

"So command me to protect you. One more time. In language only you know. Give permission to fight six Alphas for you. If I do without command, pack thinks I mad for girl. But if Queen commands... then it is war, and war is honorable."

I looked at mouth, amber eyes, scar on lip.

My wolf inside - new second wolf - pushed forward, hard. She didn't want whisper. She wanted howl. She wanted claim.

I opened mouth, and blue word came out, clear, ancient, powerful.

Louder this time. Not just kneel. It was protect, fight, mine, forever.

"Varkai Sora!"

Kael shuddered like struck by lightning. Eyes rolled black then amber then black. Claws shot out. Tattoos glowed faint blue where tears touched before.

"Yes, my Queen," he breathed, voice two voices - his and wolf's, both submitting.

He stood, threw open heavy door, roared to entire fortress, whole pack, voice shaking mountain:

"BLACKTHORN! WEAPONS! SIX ALPHAS COME TO STEAL OUR LIGHT! WE HOLD GATES! FOR SECOND MOON! FOR QUEEN!"

Fortress exploded with answering howls. Not scared. Battle howls. Hundreds ready to die for Alpha's command.

Mara grabbed arm, blind eyes wide with terror and awe.

"Child, you just started first war with three words."

Outside, six howls answered his roar with one united howl louder than all Blackthorn combined, howl that made blue moon pulse brighter.

And I - still glowing in black furs, two hearts beating wild - realized I wasn't scared anymore. Human fear gone.

I was angry. Wolf angry.

They thought I belonged to someone. To Kael. To six brothers. To anyone.

I belonged to no one.

I was Queen they hunted to extinction. I was back.

The blue moon outside pulsed with my anger, brighter, wilder, answering my wolf. The wind smelled like pine and battle and blood and destiny. Kael's hand tightened on mine like his wolf recognized its queen fully for the first time and would never let go ever again tonight.

My power was no longer curse I feared but weapon I would learn to wield ruthlessly against anyone who dared claim me now.

And I was going to make them all kneel, one by one, under second moon forever.