The Cursed Bonds: Marked by the Moon

Aria’s POV My body feels like fire. I bolt upright in bed, holding my chest. Sweat drips down my face. My nightshirt sticks to my skin. I gasp for air as heat spreads through me like flames. My heart pounds fast…too fast. Something is wrong. Then I feel it. A sharp sting on the side of my neck I reach up, all my fingers shaking, and touch the skin It burns. “Ahhhh!” I scream as pain shoots through me like a bolt of lightning. My vision blurs. My body trembles. I stagger out of bed and run to the mirror. My breath catches. There’s a mark right on my neck. A silver crescent moon circled by tiny sparkling stars. It’s glowing. “No… no… this can’t be happening.” I back away from the mirror. My legs hit the edge of the bed, and I fall onto the floor, hugging myself. Tears run down my face. Why now? Why me? The door crashes open. “Aria!” Grandma runs in, her gray hair flying behind her. Her eyes land on my neck. She freezes. I watched her lips. She doesn’t speak for a moment. Then, softly, she says, “It’s starting.” I blink through my tears. “What… what’s starting?” I asked her She kneels beside me, holding my face between her warm hands. “You’ve been chosen, child.” “Chosen for what?” I whispered. Grandma’s eyes fill with something between fear and pride. “The Moon Goddess has marked you. You’re changing, Aria. Your first job is coming.” My stomach twists. I shake my head. “No. That’s not possible. I’m not even a full wolf... I was born weak. You said I might never shift.” Her expression tightens. “We thought that. But the Moon Goddess has other plans.” I sit there, stunned. The pain on my neck fades, but the glow stays. I feel it pulsing with energy I’ve never known before. “But… I’m not ready,” I whisper. “No one ever is,” Grandma says. “But ready or not, the pack needs to know. The Ceremony of the Moon is tonight. You must come.” Ahh “Tonight?!” I said stand up, fear rising. “I can’t face everyone. What if they laugh at me? What if I don’t shift?” “They won’t laugh at you,” Grandma says, though her voice trembles slightly. “And if they do… you’ll hold your head high. You were marked. That means something.” I nod slowly, but my heart isn’t in it I’m still scared. The moon hangs heavy in the sky. Bright. Watching. Waiting. I stand at the edge of the opening, surrounded by trees. The whole pack is here…wolves and people both. Bonfires crackle around us, releasing sparks into the night. Drums beat slowly, like a heartbeat. My beating. Everyone stares. I keep my eyes on the ground. Whispers float through the air like cold wind. “Is that her?” “She’s the weak one, right?” “She was marked?” I wish I could disappear. Then I feel him Before I even look, I feel something… strange. A pull. A deep thrum in my chest. I lift my eyes, And I see him. Tall. Dark hair. Golden eyes that glow like flames. Muscles beneath a black shirt that hugs his big body. His jaw clenches as he steps into the circle of firelight. Damian Blackthorn. The future Alpha My heart skips. The crowd goes quiet He walks straight toward me. I freeze, unable to move. Our eyes lock. And something slams into me. Like the world just cracked open. My breath catches. I feel it in my bones. Mate. He stops inches from me. The link is pulling hard now. I can feel his beating. Smell his scent...woods and storm. I want to speak, but I can’t. My lips won’t move. Then he growls. Not slowly. Not with love, But like a threat. His eyes narrow. His lips curl. “You?” His voice is cold. Sharp. “You can’t be my mate.” My chest tightens. “What…?” He steps back, looking at me like I’m dirt under his feet. “I refuse,” he says, loud enough for the whole pack to hear. “The Moon Goddess must be wrong.” A gasp emerges from the crowd. Whispers turn into shocked whispers. My throat closes. My heart feels like it’s breaking. “You don’t even know me,” I say. “I don’t need to,” he spits. “You’re weak. You’ll never live as Luna.” Tears sting my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. He turns his back on me. Walks away. Just like that. And the link inside me screams in pain. The event continues, but I don’t hear it. My ears are ringing. My legs feel numb. I stand there, surrounded by people I don’t know, feeling like I’ve been ripped open. Rejected. In front of everyone. I wrap my arms around myself and slowly back away from the fire. No one stops me. No one even looks. When I reach the trees, I run. Branches scratch my skin. My feet slip on the dirt. But I don’t stop. I keep running until the clearing is far behind me, until the sounds of the drums are gone. Then I fall to my knees and scream into the night. I scream until my throat burns. Until there’s nothing left but silence. Hours later, I’m sitting under an old tree near the river. The water glows silver in the moonlight. My body aches, and the mark on my neck still glows softly. I touch it. Why did the Moon Goddess give me this mark? Why would She tie me to someone who hates me? Tears fall again. I don’t stop them this time. Then I hear a sound. A twig snapping. I stiffen and slowly turn my head. There’s someone in the darkness, Watching me My breath catches. “Who’s there?” I whisper. No answer I stand slowly, heart beating. “I said who’s there?” Another step Then a figure steps into the moonlight. Not Grandma. Not anyone from the pack. It’s a stranger A man. Tall. Lean. Pale skin and silver eyes that glow too brightly to be human and when he talks, his voice is smooth and deep. “I’ve been waiting for you, Aria.” My blood runs cold, I take a step back. “Who… who are you?” He smiles, sharp and chilling, “I’m the one who’s going to change everything.”