MARKED BY THE ROGUE MOON

CHAPTER FIVE

Zane didn't let go of my chin.His thumb brushed across my jaw just once, barely a touch and I hated how my body responded. How the bond sang at the contact."We need to move," he said, his voice rough. "Now.""Move where?""Anywhere but here." He finally released me and stepped back. "Shadowridge will send more wolves. And when they find out what I did to Marcus...""They'll come for both of us," I finished."Yes."I followed him out of the cell, my legs unsteady. The wound in my side throbbed with every step, but I pushed through it.We made it halfway up the stairs before voices echoed from above.Angry voices.Zane stopped, his hand shooting out to halt me. "Stay behind me.""What's going on?""The pack." His jaw clenched. "They know."We emerged into the main hall, and I understood immediately.At least forty wolves had gathered. Some in human form, others partially shifted—claws out, eyes glowing, canines extended. The air was thick with tension and barely contained violence.And every single one of them was staring at me."Alpha," a voice called out. A young man stepped forward, he was blonde, muscular, with a scar running down his neck. "Is it true?""Is what true, Torin?" Zane's voice was ice."That she's your mate." Torin's gaze flicked to me, hostile. "That you killed Marcus of Shadowridge to protect a rogue."Silence fell.Zane's power rolled out like a wave, and I felt several wolves flinch. "What I do is not up for debate.""It is when it puts the whole pack at risk!" someone shouted from the back.Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd."You've always said rogues are a disease," Torin continued. "That they can't be trusted. That they bring nothing but death." He took a step closer. "So why is this one still breathing?""Because she's mine." Zane's voice dropped to a growl. "And anyone who touches her answers to me.""Even if she destroys us?" another voice called out. A woman this time, small, with dark hair and sharp eyes. She pushed through the crowd. "Even if she's exactly what Shadowridge claims? A thief carrying an artifact that could control every wolf here?""Lyra..." Zane started."No, Alpha. We deserve answers." Lyra's gaze locked on me, and I saw fear there. Real fear. "If she has the Moonshard, if it's real then she's a weapon. A threat to every pack in the region.""I don't have it," I said, my voice cutting through the noise. "I don't even know what it looks like.""Then why are thirty wolves dead because of you?" Torin demanded."Because Marcus was hunting me!" Frustration bled into my tone. "I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be framed. I didn't ask for..."The scar on my ribs exploded with heat.I gasped, stumbling, and Zane caught me before I hit the ground."Seraphina..."The pain was blinding. White-hot. Like something inside me was trying to claw its way out.And then I felt it.The pulse.It wasn't coming from my heartbeat anymore.It was coming from the scar itself."What's happening to her?" Lyra's voice, closer now."I don't know." Zane's arms tightened around me. "Get a healer. Now.""I am a healer," Lyra said. "Let me see."Through the haze of pain, I felt hands on my shirt, lifting the fabric.And then Lyra sucked in a sharp breath."Oh gods," she whispered."What?" Zane demanded. "What is it?""The scar was not a scar anymore." Her voice shook. "It's a seal. And it's breaking."The world tilted.I could feel something now beneath my skin, pushing against the barrier that had held it in place for seventeen years."We need to get her to the medical wing," Lyra said urgently. "If the seal breaks here, in front of everyone...""What happens if it breaks?" Torin asked.Lyra didn't answer.She didn't need to.I could see it in her eyes.Whatever was inside me, it was dangerous."Clear the hall," Zane ordered. "Everyone out. Now."No one moved."I said OUT!" The Alpha command hit like a physical blow, and wolves scattered in every direction.All except Torin, Lyra, and Kael, who I just noticed had been standing in the shadows the whole time, watching with those calculating green eyes."Brother," Kael said quietly. "You need to think about this.""I am thinking.""No. You're feeling." Kael stepped forward. "The bond is clouding your judgment. If she's carrying what they say she is...""Then she needs help. Not execution.""She needs containment." Kael's gaze shifted to me. "Before whatever's inside her wakes up and kills us all."Another wave of pain crashed through me, and this time I screamed.The scar or the seal, cracked.Not metaphorically. I felt it split, felt something surge beneath my skin, and when I looked down, I saw light bleeding through the fracture.Silver light.Pure and cold and ancient."Get her to the medical wing," Zane said, lifting me into his arms. "Lyra, prep for emergency containment. Torin, lock down the compound. No one in or out.""And if Shadowridge retaliates?" Torin asked."Let them come." Zane's eyes flashed. "They'll die just like Marcus did."He carried me through the halls, Lyra running ahead to prepare. I could barely focus through the pain, but I caught glimpses of wolves watching from doorways, fear and anger on their faces.They wanted me gone. Dead.And I couldn't even blame them.We burst into the medical wing, and Lyra directed Zane to a table in the center of the room. He laid me down carefully, his hand lingering on my shoulder."You are not allowed to die" he said quietly."I don't think I have a choice."Lyra moved around us, gathering supplies- restraints, I realized with growing dread. Silver-lined cuffs attached to the table."Is that necessary?" Zane asked."If the artifact takes control, she could kill everyone in this room." Lyra's hands were steady despite the fear in her voice. "This is for her protection as much as ours."The seal cracked wider, and I arched off the table, biting back another scream."Do it," I gasped. "Restrain me."Zane hesitated for only a second before he secured the cuffs around my wrists and ankles. The silver burned against my skin, but it was nothing compared to what was happening inside me."Lyra," he said. "Tell me you know how to stop this.""I don't." She looked up from where she was preparing a syringe. "But I know someone who might.""Who?"She swallowed hard. "There's a witch. Lives in the Shadowlands. She specializes in ancient magic, curses, seals...""Elder Morrigan," Kael said from the doorway.Everyone froze."You know her?" Zane asked."I know of her." Kael's expression was unreadable. "She's dangerous. Unpredictable. And she doesn't help anyone without a price.""I don't care about the price." Zane's gaze never left me. "Contact her.""Alpha...""NOW, Kael."Kael stared at his brother for a long moment, then nodded and left.The seal split completely.And I felt it, the moment the barrier shattered, the moment whatever my father had locked away came flooding back.Memories which are not mine.A war. Wolves tearing each other apart. A stone glowing silver in the center of the c*****e, pulsing with power.My father's voice: "This is the only way. She has to forget. Has to be hidden."A ritual. Pain. Burning. Something being forced into my body, into my very soul.And then darkness ruled.I came back to reality screaming.But it wasn't my voice.It was older. Deeper. Wrong.Zane stumbled back, his eyes wide.Because when I opened my eyes, I knew they weren't brown anymore.They were silver.Pure, glowing silver.And when I spoke, the words weren't mine."The daughter wakes," the voice said through me. "And the moon will bleed."The lights in the medical wing exploded.Glass rained down.And in the sudden darkness, I felt the power inside me surge.Felt the Moonshard recognize what Zane was.Alpha.My mate and Mine.The restraints shattered.And the last thing I saw before everything went black was Zane's face.Not afraid.Just... resigned.Like he'd known this was coming all along.