The Crimson Mark

Chapter 3: The Forest Bonfire

The sound of the bass beating from the speaker wall vibrated deep into the earth as the smoke and golden embers floated towards the midnight canopy. Half the senior class encircled the roaring bonfire at the edge of the Blackwood Reserve, plastic cups in their hands.

Aria stood near the tree line, nursing a soda. "Remind me why I let you convince me to come to this?"

"Because you need to show Chloe you're not terrified of her," Ezra said leaning against a pine tree next to her. He wore a dark jacket, a devilish smirk playing across his lips as he casually flicked a silver lighter in his hands. "Besides, watching you make the local royalty uncomfortable is the highlight of my week."

"I'm not here to play games Ezra," Aria said her dark eyes on the crowd.

"Everyone here is playing games sweetheart," Ezra murmured leaning closer. "Especially him."

Aria followed his line of sight. Standing across the fire pit, framed by the leaping flames was Julian. He looked lethal in a black jacket, his stormy grey eyes locked in on Aria through the smoke. The moment his eyes met the ones in Ezra's standing in her space, his jaw tightened so that his cheekbones stood out like stone.

"He looks like he wants to murder me," Ezra remarked smoothly as he took a sip from his cup. "Careful Vance. The Alpha's Enforcer doesn't share."

Before Aria could retort, the music suddenly stopped.

"Attention, everyone!" Chloe's voice rang out over the clearing. She stood on a flat rock near the fire having held a gold cup in her hand, her platinum hair catching the moonlight. "Before we get back to the music, I have a quick announcement."

The crowd quieted down as they turned to face her.

"We have a thief among us tonight," Chloe said her voice dipping into a dramatic, sharp cadence. She held up her bare, manicured hand. "My heirloom platinum-and-pearl bracelet, the one my father got me for my birthday has been stolen from my bag, in the girls' locker room."

There was a murmur in the crowd.

"I'm sure whoever took it just made a silly mistake," Chloe purred her ice-blue eyes sweeping over the students till they landed on Aria. "So if everyone could just open their bags for a quick search, we can get back to the party."

Aria's stomach turned. "She's insane."Don't do it, Aria," Ezra warned softly under his breath, his playful demeanor gone. "She set a trap."

"I have nothing to hide," Aria spat as she stepped into the clear space between the fire and the crowd. "Search my bag Chloe. Go ahead."

Chloe smirked as she gestured to two of her large football-player friends. "Check the new girl's backpack. Just to be thorough."

One of the guys grabbed Aria's canvas bag off the wooden picnic table and unzipped the main pocket, throwing the contents on the bench. Notebooks, pens and a wallet tumbled out.

And then, with a heavy metallic clatter, a thick strand of pearls and glittering platinum clattered onto the wood.

The clearing was silent as everyone stared.

"Well, well, well," Chloe breathed stepping off the rock, her face twisting in fake disappointment. "Look at that. The transfer is a thief."

"That's not mine!" Aria yelled her temper flaring up like gasoline on fire. "You put that in my bag, Chloe!"

"I saw her hanging around your locker during fourth period!" one of Chloe's sycophants shouted from the back.

"She took it!" another voice called out.

"You lying b***h!" Aria snapped as she took an aggressive step towards Chloe.

Suddenly, a massive hand gripped Aria's upper arm, stopping her from laying a finger on Chloe.

"That's enough," Julian's voice cut through the noise, low and heavy.

Aria whipped her head around to glare at him. "Julian! She set me up!"

Julian didn't look at her, his face a stone mask, his grey eyes fixed on Chloe. "I'll handle this, Chloe. Give me the bag."

"You're protecting her?" Chloe demanded her voice rising in outrage. "She stole from me, Julian! She needs to be turned over to the pack elders!"

"I said I'll handle it," Julian growled so deep and guttural it rolled off his chest sending the students nearest to him taking a step back in fear.

"Julian, look at me!" Aria demanded as she tugged against his grip.

The heat coming off his palm was scorching but inside her chest something far worse was happening. Her blood was boiling and her heartbeat hammered against her ribs like a sledgehammer - thump-thump, thump-thump and a frightening, violent prickle began beneath her fingernails.

She looked down at her hands in horror. Her nails were lengthening, darkening into sharp jet-black talons.

"Julian..." Aria gasped her voice trembling as panic gripped her throat. "Something's wrong with me..."

Julian looked down at her hands and his amber eyes flared with pure horror.

"Run," Julian whispered fiercely in her ear, his hand tightening on her arm. "Aria, run into the woods right now!"

"What?"

"RUN!" Julian roared shoving her back towards the tree line.

Aria didn't think, the violent, uncontrollable heat inside her burst forth and she turned on her heel and bolted straight into the pitch-black darkness of the Blackwood Reserve.

"Aria, stop!" Ezra's voice echoed behind her.

"Get back, Ashwood!" Julian's roar split the night followed by the violent sound of bodies crashing into the underbrush.

Aria ran blindly through the trees, tears of pain blurring her vision. Her spine felt like it would break in half and she collapsed into the damp moss miles past the boundary line, clutching her chest as a guttural scream tore from her throat.

CRACK.

Her bones snapped and reset, a violent blinding light exploded behind her eyes as her vision fractured into sharp, predatory hues of silver and red.

Heavy, fast footsteps crunched through the dry leaves behind her.

"Aria!" Julian burst into the small clearing panting, his shirt torn.

He froze dead in his tracks.

Aria was on all fours in the center of the moonlight, her breath blooming in wild white clouds. She lifted her head giving out a raw, terrifying howl that vibrated through the very roots of the ancient pine trees.

Julian fell back a step staring at her in unadulterated shock.

Beneath the full moon, her fur wasn't brown, black or grey.

It was a brilliant, blinding shimmering silver-white.

"By the gods..." Julian whispered his voice shaking as he dropped to his knees in the damp pine needles. "The Bloodmoon lineage... you're a royal Alpha."