Chapter Five – Marked by the Moon
1072 Words
The man in black furs stepped into the clearing like he owned the earth. His boots didn’t crunch the leaves. The wind bowed to him.
Lucien’s breath left him in a snarl.
“Malrik,” he whispered. “King of the Shadowfangs.”
Ember’s heart pounded so hard she thought it might explode. That man wasn’t just dangerous, he radiated danger. His aura was thick, like smoke laced with venom.
“Bring her out,” Malrik called, his voice oddly calm. “The moon is high. Her blood is ready. We can all feel it.”
Lucien stepped protectively in front of Ember. “You won’t touch her.”
Malrik grinned. “Lucien Thorne. Still pretending to be an Alpha. Still pretending you’re not cursed.”
Lucien’s hands flexed at his sides, claws pushing through his fingertips.
“You want her,” Malrik continued. “But you’ll lose her. You always do.”
Ember’s hand found Lucien’s. Warm. Strong. Alive.
And then
The mark on her shoulder ignited.
Golden light pulsed beneath her skin. This time she didn’t scream, she stood taller. Something inside her welcomed it.
The forest quieted.
Even the wind stopped.
Malrik tilted his head. “Ah. So she really is Lunarborn. The last.”
Lucien growled low. “Get off our land.”
But Malrik only raised a hand.
The wolves behind him shifted first one, then two, then all of them, twisting into monstrous hybrid forms with elongated limbs and red eyes.
Lucien stepped forward, ready to fight.
But Ember gripped his arm. “No. Not now.”
He turned to her, brows furrowed. “What are you doing?”
“I need answers,” she said. “From her. From the Moon Goddess.”
Lucien looked like he might protest but then he nodded. “Then we run.”
They bolted through the forest. The trees blurred. Lucien grabbed her waist and lifted her with ease as he leapt over a fallen log. Behind them, the rogue wolves howled and gave chase.
Ember’s pulse surged not just from fear. From power.
For the first time… she felt faster. Stronger.
Like the forest responded to her.
They reached a stone arch deep in the woods,ancient and covered in silver vines. The moon hit its center just as Lucien pushed her through.
And everything changed.
Light exploded around her.
Warm. Cold. Eternal.
When Ember opened her eyes, she stood in a vast field of white flowers under a violet sky. The stars blinked slowly, like eyes opening one by one.
In the center of the field stood the woman from her vision.
White gown. Hair of starlight. Skin glowing like polished pearl
“You’ve come,” the Moon Goddess said.
Ember took a shaky breath. “What am I?”
The goddess smiled. “You are the last Lunarborn, forged from my blood and bound to the cursed Alpha by fate.”
“Why me?”
“Because only a Lunarborn can tame the beast.” Her voice softened. “Or fall to him.”
Ember shook her head. “Lucien would never hurt me.”
“Then why,” the goddess said gently, “does he fear your touch?”
The vision vanished.
Ember was back in the woods. Lucien was crouched over her, eyes frantic.
“You stopped breathing,” he said, voice breaking. “You were gone for almost two minutes.”
“I saw her,” Ember gasped. “The Moon Goddess. She said… you’re bound to me. That I’m the only one who can tame the curse.”
Lucien stepped back. “No.”
“Yes,” she said. “We’re connected. Whether you like it or not.”
His expression twisted half hope, half pain. “You don’t understand. The curse isn’t about killing others. It’s about killing the one you love most.”
A pause. So quiet the leaves didn’t dare rustle.
“And I’m falling in love with you, Ember,” he whispered.
Ember’s breath caught.
Lucien stepped forward and kissed her not like the first time, full of hunger, but slowly. Desperately. His hands cradled her jaw, and her fingers tangled in his hair.
Time didn’t exist.
The forest bowed to them.
Then CRACK! a branch snapped behind them.
Lucien turned.
Malrik stood ten feet away, smiling like the devil.
“You’re too late,” Ember said boldly. “I know who I am now.”
“Oh, I know who you are too,” Malrik said. “Which is why I brought a gift.”
He stepped aside.
And out of the shadows came…
Ember’s mother.
Alive.
Eyes glassy. Wrists bound.
Lucien swore under his breath.
“Mom?” Ember whispered, staggering forward.
“Careful,” Malrik purred. “She’s not quite herself anymore.”
Ember’s mother looked up.
And her eyes were red.
Ember stumbles back in horror. Her mother growls feral and broken.
“She’s one of us now,” Malrik said. “And she’ll tear you apart… unless you come with me willingly.”
Lucien lunged forward to protect Ember
Ember stumbled back, her mother’s glowing red eyes locking on her like a predator sizing up prey.
Her world spun.
“No…” she whispered. “That’s not real. She….she died. I saw the fire. I saw”
But her mother growled. Low. Animalistic. The sound vibrated with something wrong like nails on bone. Her body was tense, her lips curled back from too-sharp teeth.
Lucien stepped in front of Ember, claws drawn.
“She’s not the same,” he warned. “They’ve infected her. Twisted her.”
“She was just trying to protect me,” Ember said, tears burning her eyes. “She ran from them. For me.”
Malrik stood behind the creature that had once been her mother, arms crossed like a king watching a chessboard.
“She’s still in there,” Ember insisted. “I feel her, she’s fighting.”
“Maybe,” Malrik said, “but not for long. The longer she resists the bond, the more pain she feels. But you… you could save her.”
Ember looked up.
“How?” she demanded.
Malrik smiled slowly.
“Come with me.”
Her mother lunged.
Lucien pulled Ember behind him as claws slashed the air where she’d just been.
“EMBER!” her mother howled, voice cracked, desperate, unnatural.
Not a warning.
A command.
And everything went black.
- Writer
