Chapter Seven — Marked by the Moon
777 Words
Liora stared at Kael like he had just spoken in a different language. Everything about him was overwhelming—his presence, his voice, the way her body responded without her permission. Her chest rose and fell quickly, her hands cold but her skin burning.
“You’re mine, Liora.”
Those three words echoed in her mind like thunder.
“I don’t even know you,” she whispered, stepping back.
Kael didn’t move. He stood firm, tall, and calm—like he’d been expecting this moment. His glowing eyes dimmed slightly, but not with anger. It was patience. Sadness, even.
“I know,” he said quietly. “You weren’t ready. But the moon was.”
She shook her head. “No, this is—this is insane. You say we’re bonded, but I’m not like you. I’m human.”
He took one step closer. She didn’t run, but her body tensed. The wolf inside the cabin growled low but didn’t come out. It was watching.
“Human or not, you’re mine,” Kael said. “You feel it, don’t you? The way your heart races near me. The way your breath matches mine.”
She swallowed hard. “I don’t want to feel it.”
“I didn’t want it either,” he admitted. “But I’ve waited for you for years. I followed the signs, the scent… the moon called to me the moment you stepped into that circle.”
She remembered that night—how the air shifted, how the ground felt alive under her feet. She had thought it was fear. Maybe it had been something else.
“But why me?” she asked, voice barely above a whisper.
Kael looked up at the sky. The moon was full and glowing, casting silver light across the clearing.
“Because you’re stronger than you think. Because your soul answered mine. And because even fate bows to the moon sometimes.”
Liora turned away, overwhelmed. “This is too much. I was running for my life two nights ago. Now I’m someone’s… mate?”
“You’re not just someone,” he said behind her. “You’re my anchor. Without you, I lose control.”
She turned back to him, shocked. “You? You don’t seem like someone who loses anything.”
A small, rough smile touched his lips for the first time. “That’s because I haven’t lost you yet.”
She didn’t know what to say to that. Her chest ached with confusion. Her heart wanted to believe him, but her mind was screaming for space.
“I need time,” she said finally.
Kael nodded once. “You’ll have it. But know this, Liora… others will come. Some to take you. Some to hurt you. The bond between us paints a target on your back. That’s why I have to stay close.”
Her eyes widened. “So this isn’t over?”
“It’s just beginning,” he said. “Ardyn isn’t the only one hunting power. Some packs… they don’t believe a human should ever be bonded to an Alpha. They’ll call it unnatural. Weak.”
“I didn’t choose this,” she said again.
“I know,” he replied softly. “But now that you’re marked, they won’t care.”
She frowned. “Marked?”
Kael stepped forward, slower this time, raising his hand to point at her neck.
“You haven’t seen it yet,” he said. “But it’s there. A mark only the moon can give.”
Liora ran inside and stood before the small mirror Maera had nailed to the wall. She pulled her collar aside—and froze.
There it was.
A pale mark, shaped like a crescent, sat on the curve of her neck. Faint but glowing under the moonlight.
She touched it. It didn’t hurt, but it tingled under her fingers.
“It appeared the night you touched the Moon Gate,” Maera said from behind her. She’d been silent until now.
“You knew?” Liora asked.
“I suspected. But when the wind changed, when Kael crossed into these woods, I was sure.”
Kael stood at the doorway, not entering. Respecting her space.
“You’re not trapped,” he said. “This bond… it doesn’t control you. But it connects us. And I’ll protect you with everything I am.”
Liora turned to face him. She didn’t know if she believed in fate. She didn’t know if she could ever feel safe again.
But she knew one thing—Kael was tied to her now. In some strange, invisible way.
And something deep inside her… didn’t want to break that thread.
- Writer
