Episode 2 — The Mark That Never Fell
1014 Words
The moon hangs heavy and full above the Blood Moon pack house, its silver glow spilling through the towering windows and bathing the ceremonial floor in cold light.
Tonight is supposed to be sacred.
Tonight is supposed to bind me forever to Zane.
My shoulder is bare as I stand at the center of the circle, the pack positioned around us in a wide ring. Their eyes follow every breath I take. Some are hopeful. Some are wary.
Some are waiting for me to fail.
Zane stands before me, shirtless, every inch of his powerful frame etched in moonlight. His golden eyes never leave mine. The bond between us hums so loudly beneath my skin it almost hurts.
One bite.
One mark.
One claim.
And I will be his—publicly, permanently, irrevocably.
Elder Bram steps forward, staff striking the stone once.
“Let the marking of fated mates begin.”
A ripple of power moves through the circle. My heart slams against my ribs. Zane’s hand slips to my waist, steady, reverent.
“You still want this?” he whispers so only I can hear.
I nod without hesitation. “I’ve never wanted anything more.”
His jaw tightens as instinct flares through him. Slowly, carefully, he lowers his mouth toward the curve of my shoulder.
The room holds its breath.
And then—
“STOP!”
The cry cuts through the ritual like a blade.
Every wolf stiffens.
Zane freezes.
My pulse stutters violently as the scent of authority and storm crashes into the circle.
Alpha Jason Bowman steps forward from the shadows.
“The marking cannot happen,” he declares.
A growl rips from Zane’s chest. “You dare interfere in my pack’s sacred rite?”
Jason’s eyes never leave me. “If this bond is completed now, it will violate ancient law.”
Murmurs erupt through the pack.
“What law?” Zane snaps.
Jason finally looks at him. “The Law of Blood Crowns.”
Silence slams down like a physical force.
My stomach drops.
“The law states,” Jason continues, voice steady, “that royal blooded heirs must complete the Awakening before they may be claimed by a mate.”
Every gaze swings to me.
Royal.
Awakening.
Heir.
My vision blurs.
Zane turns slowly. “What the hell is he talking about?”
Jason exhales slowly. “Kali is not just a vampire. And she is not merely a Luna-in-waiting.”
My knees weaken.
“She is the last living heir of the Crimson Throne.”
The world tilts.
Gasps explode around the circle.
“No,” I whisper. “That’s not possible.”
Jason steps closer. “Your parents ruled the ancient vampire clans. Their bloodline was believed lost during the Purge.”
Purge.
The word echoes in my skull like a scream.
“You survived,” he says. “Hidden among wolves. Protected by fate itself.”
Zane stares at me like he’s seeing me for the first time.
“You’re a queen,” someone whispers.
Fear slithers through the pack.
A vampire queen.
In the heart of a wolf pack.
“I don’t want a throne,” I choke. “I don’t want power. I only want my family.”
Jason’s gaze softens slightly. “Power doesn’t care what you want, Kali. It claims you anyway.”
The pack erupts into chaos.
“She’ll dominate us,” a wolf snarls.
“She already can control us!”
“She’ll enslave the pack!”
Zane roars. The ground vibrates beneath his feet. “SILENCE.”
Instantly, every wolf obeys.
Zane faces Jason, murder in his eyes. “You waited until the ritual to reveal this. Why?”
Jason’s jaw tightens. “Because the Awakening is triggered by the full moon and a near-completed marking. It has already begun.”
My chest burns.
Suddenly, pain lances through my veins like fire.
I gasp, clutching my heart as dark crimson light bleeds across my skin in glowing threads.
“Kali!” Zane catches me as my legs buckle.
My scream tears through the night.
Visions crash into me.
A massive obsidian throne.
A city of vampire spires drenched in blood-red moonlight.
A woman with my eyes standing over thousands who kneel.
Fire.
War.
A crown slick with blood.
“You are awakening,” Jason says sharply. “Your full royal power is breaking through.”
Zane cradles me against his chest. “Make it stop,” he growls.
“I can’t,” Jason answers. “Only she can.”
The pack watches in horror as blood-red sigils bloom across my arms.
My mind fractures open.
And I hear it.
The ancient voice.
Bow, Little Queen.
“No,” I sob. “I won’t.”
Rule, or they will all burn.
I scream again.
Zane presses his forehead to mine. “Fight it. You’re stronger than any throne.”
My vision locks onto his.
And I fight.
With everything I am.
Everything I’ve ever been.
Everything I still want to be.
The sigils shatter in a burst of light.
And then—
Darkness.
When I wake, I’m lying in Zane’s bed.
Safe.
But not whole.
Zane sits beside me, his grip locked tightly around my hand, eyes red-rimmed with fear and fury.
Jason stands near the door, silent as a statue.
The marking is gone.
The ritual is broken.
And nothing will ever be the same again.
Zane’s voice is hoarse. “You almost burned from the inside out.”
“What… am I?”
Jason answers quietly. “A living weapon every supernatural faction will hunt.”
Tears spill down my temples.
“All I ever wanted,” I whisper, “was to belong.”
Zane leans down, pressing his forehead to mine.
“You belong to me,” he growls. “Queen or not.”
Jason’s gaze darkens. “And now the world knows it.”
A howl echoes beyond the pack borders.
Not Blood Moon.
Enemy.
Jason’s eyes sharpen. “They’re coming for her.”
Zane bares his fangs. “Then they’ll die here.”
- Writer
