Marked by the Moon
1173 Words
Chapter 11 – Marked by the Moon
The mirror was cold under my fingertips.
I stared at the glowing symbol—the cracked moon etched in faint silver light across the glass—like a warning, or a calling. It pulsed softly, rhythmically, like it was alive.
Just like in my dreams.
My breath came in shaky waves, and a voice inside me whispered: It’s starting.
I backed away from the mirror, heart racing. I didn’t know what was happening, but I could feel it. Something ancient was waking inside me. Something I didn’t understand. Something even Lucien seemed afraid to name.
The door burst open.
Kael.
His chest rose and fell like he’d sprinted the entire hallway. His eyes immediately locked on the mirror behind me.
He saw it.
The symbol.
“Arabelle,” he whispered. “Step away.”
But I didn’t move.
“I’ve seen this before,” I murmured. “In my dreams. It always ends with fire.”Kael moved closer. Carefully. Slowly. Like he was approaching a wild creature on the verge of panic.
“You weren’t supposed to awaken yet,” he muttered under his breath.
My heart dropped. “Awaken?”
He sighed. “There’s a reason I hid our bond. A reason I kept you from shifting.”
“What reason?” My voice cracked.
“You’re not like the others, Arabelle,” he said. “You’re more. The prophecy… it wasn’t just about the Luna. It was about you.”
My stomach twisted. “Say it. All of it.”
He ran a hand through his hair, then looked into my eyes.
“The prophecy speaks of the Moonborn. A she-wolf marked by the Goddess. Hidden in plain sight. Her blood unlocks a power we haven’t seen in centuries.” He stepped toward me, lowering his voice. “And that mark on the mirror? It’s not a vision. It’s your birthright.”
My knees nearly buckled.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I whispered. “You’ve known all this time.”
Kael’s jaw tensed. “Because the last Moonborn was hunted. Killed before she ever shifted. I thought if I kept you close, kept the truth hidden… I could protect you.”
“But you didn’t protect me,” I said. “You rejected me.”
His eyes dimmed with regret. “I know. I thought rejection would keep you safe. If no one suspected we were mates, they wouldn’t come for you. But it’s too late now. Someone knows. They’ve marked the territory with your scent. They want to trigger the prophecy.”
I swallowed hard. “What happens if it’s triggered?”
He looked down. “The old bloodlines wake. Powers we don’t understand. And enemies we thought were extinct… return.”
A chill passed over me.
Kael reached for my hand. “Whatever’s coming, I’ll fight it. But I need you to trust me again.”
I hesitated.
But deep down, I already knew—I still trusted him.
Maybe I always had.
I placed my hand in his. “Then don’t leave me behind again.”
“I won’t,” he vowed. “Not ever.”
⸻
We spent the night in the war room—Kael, Beta Greyson, and me. Maps of the territory were spread out, along with ancient scrolls and pages from the old prophecies.
Kael paced behind me while Greyson whispered, “That mark—it’s not just prophecy. It’s a summoning.”
I looked up. “A summoning?”
Greyson nodded. “An invitation to the Blood Moon Trials.”
Lucien stopped pacing. “Impossible. That tradition was outlawed generations ago.”
Greyson raised an eyebrow. “And yet the mark appeared.”
I looked between them. “What are the Blood Moon Trials?”
voice dropped. “They’re a ritual. Brutal. Magical. Designed to test the strength of the Moonborn. If you pass, you gain power. If you fail…”
“You die,” Greyson finished.
My stomach turned.
Kael turned to me. “We’re not doing it. I won’t risk you.”
“What if it’s not a choice?” I asked. “What if the mark means the Trials have already begun?”
They didn’t answer.
Because deep down… they knew I was right.
⸻
The next day, rumors spread like wildfire.
The warriors whispered about “the marked girl.” Some said I was cursed. Others said I was a weapon sent by the Moon Goddess herself.
A few even started bowing when they saw me.
I hated it.
All I wanted was to blend in. To survive.
But those days were over.
I sat on the edge of the training field, watching the younger wolves spar while Kael met with the elders. I wasn’t sure if they knew I was his mate yet, or just assumed I was important.
Either way, they stared.
Then, someone approached.
A tall, raven-haired girl with a twisted smirk.
“I know what you are,” she said.
I stood slowly. “Do you?”
“You’re a distraction,” she snapped. “A danger. He was fine before you.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You must be Olivia.”
She flinched.
Kael had mentioned her once. A childhood friend. Someone the pack expected him to choose as Luna.
She stepped closer. “If you care about Kael, you’ll leave. Before you destroy everything.”
I didn’t blink. “If I were you, I’d be careful what I threatened. The Moon has a way of hearing.”
Olivia’s eyes narrowed. “You’ll regret staying here.”
Then she turned and walked off.
But I wasn’t afraid.
Because something inside me was growing. Power. Strength. Fire.
The moon wasn’t done with me yet.
⸻
That night, I dreamed of fire.
Not chaos—transformation.
I stood at the center of a burning forest, and the cracked moon glowed above me like a silver crown. My skin shimmered. My eyes glowed.
And from the shadows, a voice spoke:
“The Luna awakens. The trials begin.”
I jolted awake.
And for the first time in my life…
I could feel the wolf inside me.
Alive. Awake. Ready.
The next morning, Kael was waiting outside my door.
“There’s a visitor,” he said. “She asked for you by name.”
I frowned. “Who?”
But he didn’t answer.
He led me to the edge of the forest, where an old woman stood—cloaked in gray, eyes milky with age.
She looked at me and smiled.
“I’ve waited a long time, child,” she said. “The Moon calls you by name now.”
Kael stepped protectively in front of me. “Who are you?”
“I am the Seer,” she said. “And I’ve come to prepare the Moonborn.”
My heart skipped. “Prepare me… for what?”
“For the first trial,” she whispered.
Then, in the blink of an eye, she vanished into mist.
- Writer
