CHAPTER TWO:THE MARK OF THE MOON
617 Words
The cold night air felt heavier after Kael’s words.
Aria stared at him, confused and terrified as silver light still flickered beneath her skin like living fire. The wolves surrounding them remained low to the ground, their ears flattened in fear.
No one moved.
No one breathed.
“The prophecy…” Aria whispered weakly. “Tell me what you mean.”
Kael’s sharp eyes remained fixed on her glowing mark.
Slowly, he reached toward her shoulder.
A crescent-shaped symbol had appeared against her skin, glowing silver beneath the moonlight.
Kael’s expression hardened instantly.
“The Lunar Crest,” he said quietly. “The mark of the Blessed Luna.”
Aria pulled away from him. “I don’t understand any of this! I’m not a Luna. I’m not even important in my own pack.”
“That is exactly why the moon chose you.”
Before Aria could respond, a distant horn echoed through the forest.
Kael stood immediately.
His warriors growled.
“Hunters,” one of them snarled.
Another wolf shifted into human form beside Kael. “They’re close, Alpha.”
Kael cursed beneath his breath.
Aria’s stomach twisted nervously. “Hunters?”
“They are not human,” Kael said darkly. “They serve the Crimson Order.”
Aria froze.
Everyone knew the stories.
The Crimson Order was an ancient group of werewolf killers who believed the Blessed Luna would bring destruction to the world. For centuries, they had searched for the child mentioned in the prophecy.
And now they had found her.
The sound of horses thundered through the trees.
Torches appeared in the darkness.
Kael grabbed Aria’s wrist instantly.
“We leave. Now.”
Before she could protest, he pulled her toward the deeper parts of the forest. The wolves ran beside them at terrifying speed while branches snapped beneath their feet.
Behind them, voices shouted.
“There!”
“She bears the mark!”
“Kill the Luna!”
Aria’s heartbeat pounded violently.
Arrows suddenly flew through the air.
One struck a wolf beside her.
The creature collapsed with a painful cry.
Aria gasped.
Kael’s eyes flashed gold as rage exploded across his face. He shifted partially mid-run, claws tearing from his fingers.
“No one touches what belongs to the moon,” he growled.
The forest shook.
Then Kael turned.
With monstrous speed, he lunged toward the hunters.
Screams filled the night.
Aria stumbled backward as chaos erupted between wolves and hunters. Silver blades flashed beneath the blood moon while growls and cries echoed endlessly through the trees.
A hunter suddenly appeared behind her.
He wore crimson armor marked with wolf skulls.
“There you are,” he hissed.
Aria panicked as he raised his blade.
But before he could strike—
A burst of silver energy exploded from Aria’s body.
The hunter was thrown violently across the forest, crashing into a tree with enough force to break it apart.
Silence followed.
Aria stared at her trembling hands in horror.
“I… I did that?”
Kael emerged from the shadows, blood staining his arm.
But his attention remained fixed on her.
Not fear.
Not anger.
Wonder.
“The moon magic has awakened,” he said quietly.
Aria stepped backward nervously. “What’s happening to me?”
Kael walked closer.
“The Blessed Luna is more than a leader,” he said. “She is the heart of werewolf kind. The source of ancient power itself.”
Another howl echoed in the distance.
But this one felt different.
Darker.
Stronger.
Kael’s face immediately lost color.
“No…” he muttered.
Aria frowned. “What is it?”
Kael looked toward the mountains beyond the forest.
“The Dark Alpha has awakened.”
- Writer
