Moonlit Fever

Four Years Ago

"John!" I cried, and my heart shattered as he took his final breath.

Fredrik screamed in anguish, his face crumpling in grief as he cradled his little brother's body.

"This is what happens to those who disobey me!" Sebastian laughed hysterically, looking down at me with a maddening smile. "His death is on you."

The world around me spiraled into chaos. My vision dimmed as tears filled my eyes.

I did this.

I stared at John's eyes, still open but void of life. He warned me not to escape. That there would be consequences. I didn't listen to him and now he's dead.

There wasn't even time to use my power to heal him. He was just gone.

Fredrik yelled and tackled Sebastian away from me. Their bodies collided.

The force of the impact shook the ground beneath us. Fredrik clawed and ripped at his brother's body and the entire time, Sebastian cackled.

Beside me, Lizzie fell to her knees, sobbing as she cradled her twin. Then her head snapped up at me. Angry and full of hatred.

"Heal him!" she screamed.

"I-I can't..." I stammered. "I can't heal the dead."

"Heal him!" she shouted again.

"I'm sorry."

Lizzie burst into tears as she held her brother close, and a terrifying scream ripped from her throat, raw and primal.

The sight of her falling apart ignited a fire within me. I was shaking, my breath coming in short as I trembled with anger. Then something snapped inside of me.

The necklace glowed, and I felt a surge of an ancient power awakening within me. I saw flashes, memories of a life that wasn't mine but the previous owner of the necklace. A strong and powerful werewolf, as he controlled and manipulated his pack.

"Being able to heal is just a fraction of what your power offers..." The necklace's ethereal voice echoed in my mind, but this time it's tone was sinister. "You can manipulate blood."

My heart was racing as I stared down at my shaking palms. My elongated claws were still coated in Sebastian's blood from where I'd scratched him earlier.

"You can manipulate blood." The ethereal voice echoed in my mind. "Just one drop, and you can control anyone with a single thought. You'll be unrivaled. An alpha among alphas. Unstoppable."

I stared at my hands. "A single drop."

Before I could stop myself, I licked the blood from my claws. The foul taste of iron filled my mouth and, with a deep breath, I focused on Sebastian.

I imagined his blood boiling, his flesh tearing apart, his bones breaking, making him feel every ounce of pain and suffering I'd endured from his hands.

Sebastian staggered, his eyes widening in agony as old wounds began to split open anew. Blood gushed from the deep gashes, his body convulsing as I willed the blood to fracture his bones.

Each crack was louder than the last. He attempted to force shift into his wolf to get away from me, but I forced him to stop mid-shift. He screamed, a sound of pure torment, as he fell to his knees.

"Stop it!" Sebastian growled viciously, blood spilling from his mouth, his alpha's voice no longer working on me.

"Why should I?"