The Blood Moon Twins
Chapter 1

ADIRA

\tThey were one year old today. My babies had made it through their first year without any outside forces threatening them or our pack, and it felt like a miracle. I watched them sleeping in their cribs, so beautiful and serene. It felt like a dream. Their father and I had been through non-stop threats and attacks for months on end when we first met, and even though I never told anyone, I feared my babies would be targeted just like I was.

\tBut we had had peace for over a year now. The wolf pack was thriving, and I was truly, undeniably happy. My children, Caulder and Remy, were healthy, and they were safe. The door to the nursery cracked open, and I saw Mark peek his head through the open door. When he saw me in here, he slipped into the nursery and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me into him.

\t"What are you doing in here? It's late, baby." He kissed the side of my neck, and my heart started to race.

\tl leaned my head back on his shoulder and put my hands over his. "Can you believe it? They are already a year old. My babies are growing so fast." Tears pricked at my eyes. I had become much more emotional ever since I became a mother. Maybe it was because I had so much more to lose.

\tMark squeezed me, and I could feel his emotions quivering through our mate bond. "I know. It's going too fast. Before we know it, Caulder will be old enough to take over as alpha for me, and Remy will blossom into a young lady who has to fight away all of the boys."

\tl groaned in response to that. "I don't want to think about that. I just want to think about my babies staying sweet and innocent forever."

\tThe air in the nursery suddenly grew cold and unwelcoming, making the hair on my arm stand tall. Mark and I flipped around and saw a shadowy figure lurking in the corner. We both tensed up, and I ignited a ball of magic in my hand, ready to attack. The light from my magic lit up the room just enough to cast the shadows away from the stranger's face, and I quickly realized that this wasn't a stranger.

\t"Winslow," I breathed, relaxing and putting my hand on my chest. The last time I had seen him, I was pregnant with the twins. "What are you doing here?"

\tMark stayed tense, and I could feel he was ready to lunge at any moment. Winslow wasn't exactly a friend. He was one of the elders of the Council of Magic, the people who threatened my life almost two years ago. They had since withdrawn that threat, but I knew Mark would never forget it.

\t"It's the twins' birthday. I thought I would stop in and give them my blessings," Winslow said. He stepped forward, and the light outside emphasized the wrinkles on his face. It looked like he had aged ten years since I last saw him. \t"It's a little late for a social call," Mark growled.

\tWinslow wasn't even the slightest bit affected by Mark's rage. In fact, the smirk on his lips told me he found amusement in it.

\t"Yes, perhaps it is a little late. It's not exactly a social call, if I'm being honest." Winslow continued moving forward towards the babies, but I stepped in between him and my children, and Mark stepped in between us.

\t"Just tell us what you want." My voice was still calm, but my body tensed. The Council of Magic had stopped bothering us long ago. They agreed to let me live out my life as a werewolf in my pack when I refused to join the council myself. A part of me knew they would never fully let my sorcerer side live in peace, but I thought I would have longer before they bothered me.

\t"Do you remember the prophecy?" Winslow asked, making my blood run cold.

\tOf course, I remembered the prophecy. I was nearly killed over the power I held because of a silly prophecy spoken long ago. \t"We ended that," Mark snapped. "When Adira killed Xavier, we stopped it from coming true."

\tWinslow hummed in response. He wasn't fully satisfied by that answer. "Funny thing about prophecies. They are never clear. You see, we all thought Adira was the Daughter of Moon and Magic, so when Xavier was killed, we all thought all was well and done. However..." He let the word linger in the air as he looked over at the crib. My heart nearly stopped beating. "We have been tracking a dark presence, held deep within this earth. It has been stirring, eager to break free. You see, you have conceived a daughter, one who is of moon and magic, and we are starting to think that you were never the one the prophecy was about."

\tMy body shook at the thought. Remy was just a baby. To be part of such a dark prophecy at such a young age would put too much pressure on any child. "You have to be wrong."

\tWinslow flickered out of existence, shifting to the crib. He suddenly had Remy in his hands. Mark started to lunge forward, but I grabbed him. It was too risky to attack Winslow, especially when he was holding our daughter.

\t"If you harm a hair on her head, I will kill you." My voice was low and steady, but it was laced with a mother's rage.

\tWinslow looked down at Remy and smiled. "Relax. I have no intention of harming your daughter. As I said, I have come to give my blessings to the child. The council knew you would fight anyone who dared to threaten your children. We have seen how powerful you are, and we do not wish to go against you. Think of this as a friendly warning. If your daughter is the one who is meant to fulfill the prophecy, she could bring the destruction of this entire world."

\tl was frozen, unable to fight against his words. I hoped he was wrong, but if he was right, it could mean people coming after my daughter and threatening her life. I didn't want that life for her, not after experiencing it myself.

\t"How do we stop it?" I asked, my voice shaking. Mark swept to my side and held me tight. I was grateful for the stabilization he provided me, but I was still terrified.

\tWinslow looked up at me with a glimmer in his eyes. "I have a proposal for you."

-

Nearly 18 years later... REMY

\tThe night was quiet and still, but I lay in my bed, counting the seconds. I was vibrating with anticipation, knowing soon I would officially be eighteen, which meant my world would open up to so many possibilities. My wolf would fully emerge, and I could finally replace my mate. The anticipation had me on edge, and I knew I wouldn't be sleeping at all tonight. \tFinally, I gave up any attempt to sleep, and I threw my bed covers off my body, put on my slippers, and created a small ball of magic light to guide my way. It was one of the few things I could handle when it came to magic. I poked my head out the door to make sure there was no one in the hallway. It was past curfew after all. When the coast was clear, I tiptoed down the hall and opened the door on the other side of my room.

\tl slipped into the dark room, leaving the door cracked. "Cauldy," I whispered. \tThe figure in the bed shifted and groaned, but he didn't properly respond. \t"Caul-dy," I said, dragging out the last part of his name. "Are you awake?"

\t"No," a rough voice responded, shifting again. "That's why I didn't respond in the first place."

\t"Ah but you responded now, which means you are awake!" I jumped up, shutting the door behind me. I ran over to the bed and jumped next to the figure. "I can't sleep. I'm too excited. I don't get how you can sleep tonight."

\t"I can't. There's an annoying buzzing in my ear right now." Caulder grabbed one of his pillows and tried to shove it in my face.

\tl easily took the pillow from his sleepy form and hugged it. I bounced up and down on his bed, determined to wake him up. I wasn't going to be the only one awake tonight.

\t"Remy, go back to bed." Caulder turned over and put his other pillow over his head. He was clearly annoyed with me, but that was what sisters were for.

\tl grabbed his shoulders and shook him. "Come on. We can go for a late night run and look at the moon. It could be your birthday present to me."

\tCaulder sighed and moved the pillow off his head. He looked up at me, and there were bags under his eyes. "Fine."

\tl jumped off his bed and giggled with delight. Caulder was technically my older brother, but only by a few minutes. He had always protected me like an older brother would, though, so I often reverted in age around him. I wanted him to hang out with me and be proud of me, more than I cared about others in my family. He was my best friend and the most important part of my life. That didn't surprise anyone, though, since we were twins.

\tWe were special, too, or so my mother always told us. She was of an unusual nature, since her father was a sorcerer and her mother was a werewolf. Our father was a pure werewolf and the alpha of the pack, which made us unique. Caulder, my mother, and I were the only ones in the pack who knew magic and had werewolf abilities.

\tCaulder moved out of his bed at a zombie pace, swinging his legs over the edge of his bed and sitting there zoned out for a moment. I quickly snapped my fingers in his face, and he batted his hand at me.

\t"You need to have more patience," Caulder groaned, glaring at me.

\tl grabbed his hands and pulled him to his feet. "This is the last night we will technically be children. You should have more fun. Come on, Cauldy." \t"Okay, okay. I'm coming." He slipped on his slippers, and he followed me out of his room.

\tl lit the way with my magic as we snuck out of the pack house. Even though we were nearly eighteen, our parents had us on a strict curfew of 10pm, unless we had special permission or were specifically being escorted. I thought it was overbearing, but our mother and father were the alpha and luna of our pack. They were constantly worried we would be targeted by some enemy of theirs.

\tlt was ridiculous to me. Our pack hadn't been attacked for as long as I could remember, and everyone in the pack knew better than to mess with the children of the alpha and luna. I knew Caulder agreed with me, too. He had snuck out of the house more times than I could count to sneak off with one girl or another. He was popular with the ladies, and he took full advantage of it. Our mom and dad were none the wiser to it, though.

\tCaulder was the golden child and the future alpha of the pack. He had been blessed with most of the skills between the two of us. Not only did he inherit strong magical abilities from our mother, but he also had the strength and abilities of a werewolf, like our father. I had both aspects from our parents, but my skills were nothing compared to Caulder, even though I often spent longer training than him. He was the first born child, and he was blessed with everything because of that.

\t"This way," Caulder linked to me, pulling me away from the normal exit. \t"Where are we going?"

\t"Do you want to get caught? Clearly, you haven't snuck out much before."

\tHe wasn't wrong. I was definitely the goody-two-shoes between us. I did what was asked of me almost always. I was a straight A student and had never ditched class. Caulder had definitely skipped class more than once, but he still had perfect grades. It was like he didn't even have to try to be perfect. It just came naturally to him.

\tl often found myself jealous of the attention it got him, but I never once resented Caulder for it. He was my person, and he was always there for me, cheering me on no matter what. He had been to every dance recital, orchestra performance, and every little award ceremony I had ever had. He fought bullies on my behalf more than once. He would do anything for me, and I would do anything for him.

\tCaulder continued on, entering the laundry room on the first floor of the pack house. He propped open the little window and offered his hand to me. "Ready?" he asked.

\tl looked at the small window, hesitating for only a moment. This was my first time actually sneaking out of the pack house. I didn't realize this was the way he left every time. I rushed forward and grabbed his hand, eager to break the rules just once before I was an adult. He helped me out the window and then jumped out after me with ease. He grabbed my hand and kept leading me on, and soon we were nearing the forest that surrounded the backyard of our home.

\tWe were almost there, when Caulder stuck out his hand, suddenly making us stop. I held my breath as I heard someone nearby.