CHAPTER TWO
1214 Words
CHAPTER TWO: The Awakening
Mira
I dropped to my knees in the snow.
“Luka!” My voice broke as I pulled him into my arms. His skin was cold. Too cold. His body was limp, eyes shut, lips pale.
The glow was gone but the memory of it stayed. That eerie white light that flashed from his eyes, the strange wind that rose with no warning, the way the moon above us flickered like it blinked.
None of it was normal.
“Luka, baby, look at me,” I whispered, brushing snow from his face. “Please…”
His little chest barely rose.
He was breathing, but shallow. Weak. Slipping.
Behind me, I heard Cian crash through the trees, panting. “What happened?!”
I ignored him. My shaking fingers pressed against Luka’s wrist. His pulse was faint. Sluggish.
“I don’t know,” I said, voice cracking. He was fine. He was asleep…he…”
Cian dropped beside me. “His scent, it’s changing.”
“What?”
He leaned closer to Luka, his brows furrowed. “I can smell something old. Something powerful. That wasn’t there before.”
I pressed Luka against my chest. “Don’t touch him.”
“Mira, we need help.”
“I don’t trust your pack!”
He met my eyes, jaw tight. “Then trust me.”
I wanted to scream. To run. But I couldn’t do either.
Because my son, our son, was dying in my arms, and I had no idea what was happening.
“Call the healer,” I whispered.
“I’ll bring her to the South Wing. Go.”
I ran through the halls of Frostfang Castle like a storm.
I didn’t care that the guards stared. I didn’t care that whispers followed me.
All I cared about was the soft, fading heartbeat against my chest.
By the time I reached my room, my cloak was soaked through with melted snow and fear.
I laid Luka on the bed, tucking warm furs around him, brushing his damp hair from his forehead. His skin was still cold. Unnaturally cold.
Then his fingers twitched.
“Mama…”
I dropped to my knees beside the bed. “I’m here. I’m here, baby.”
His eyes opened only for a second.
They weren’t his.
They were glowing white. Like the moon had taken over his soul.
“Mama,” he whispered again. “The moon is angry.”
And then he passed out again.
---
Minutes later, the healer arrived.
A young woman, probably my age. Dressed in gray robes, a satchel over her shoulder.
She gave a small bow when she entered. “Alpha said the child needs immediate care”
I stepped between her and the bed. “If you touch him wrong, I’ll break your hands.”
She didn’t flinch. “I’m not here to harm him." I’m here to keep him alive.”
I moved aside.
She examined him quickly;pulse, eyes, breath. Her face turned pale.
“This isn’t a normal illness,” she said. “This is ancient magic. Wild and unstable.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means your son isn’t just any pup. He’s been touched by something bigger. Something older than our packs.”
My throat tightened. “Can you help him?”
“I can try to stabilize him. But to fully heal him, we need someone who knows the old bloodlines. Someone who understands the Unmarked.”
I froze.
“What did you just say?”
She looked up at me, seriously. “You’re Mira Solen, right? The girl they called Unmarked? They were wrong.”
“I never had a bond mark.”
“Because your blood hides it. Protects it. Your line isn’t cursed, Mira. It’s sealed.”
Her words shook something deep inside me.
Sealed?
Before I could respond, someone pounded on the door.
It flew open.
Cian walked in, chest heaving. “What’s wrong with him now?”
The healer answered, “His power is rising too fast. His body wasn’t ready. He needs moonroot and blood balm. Now.”
“I’ll get it,” Cian said, already turning.
“I have some,” I said quickly, grabbing my travel bag. “But I need a bowl and water.”
The healer nodded. “Boil it. Mix the herbs. Lay him beside moonlight.”
As I prepared the mixture, Cian stood in the corner, silent.
Watching me.
Waiting.
I could feel his thoughts burning behind his eyes.
At last, he spoke. Quiet. Low.
“Why didn’t you tell me he was mine?”
My hands stilled. The herbs crushed beneath my fingers.
“I didn’t owe you that,” I said.
“He’s my son, Mira.”
“He’s my heart,” I snapped. “And you rejected both of us before he ever existed.”
“I didn’t know…”
“You didn’t care.”
Silence.
Then Cian stepped forward slowly, eyes on Luka.
“I’ve made mistakes,” he said. “But I won’t let him die.”
I wanted to hate him. I did.
But at that moment… I needed help more than I needed anger.
---
That night, I stayed by Luka’s side. Feeding him sips of warm tea. Singing softly. Waiting for the fever to break.
Cian didn’t leave.
He sat in the corner all night, arms crossed, eyes on his son.
The healer came and went, checking vitals, giving soft instructions.
By sunrise, Luka’s breathing slowed. The fever faded.
His cheeks flushed pink again.
I finally let myself exhale.
“He’s stabilizing,” the healer whispered.
Then she hesitated. “But Mira… there’s something else.”
“What?”
“While I worked… I saw a mark.”
My blood ran cold. “What kind of mark?”
She swallowed. “A crescent moon. Tiny. Faint. Right above his heart.”
I stared at her.
“That’s impossible.”
“No,” she said gently. “It’s rare." But it’s real. He’s a child of the Hidden Mark.”
I turned my head slowly to look at Luka.
His chest rose and fell gently. His little face peaceful at last.
But the weight in my chest only grew heavier.
Because that mark meant something.
Something big.
Something dangerous.
Cian walked over and sat beside me. His voice was low.
“There’s an old prophecy,” he said. “My father used to whisper it to the council. They thought it was just a story.”
I didn’t move. “What prophecy?”
He looked at Luka.
“The child of the Hidden Mark will carry the moon’s fury in his blood and bring judgment to the bloodlines that denied him.”
My stomach twisted.
“That prophecy… is it about him?”
“I don’t know,” Cian said. “But someone will think it is.”
---
A loud crash echoed from outside the room.
Then a guard’s voice shouted: “They’re here! Rogues, inside
the gates!”
I jumped to my feet.
Cian swore under his breath and turned toward the door.
“Stay here,” he ordered. “Keep him safe.”
My heart raced. “What’s happening?”
He looked over his shoulder.
“Someone’s after the boy.”
- Writer
