Marked by The Moon

The Quiet Before

Ayla’s POV

The fire had burned low by the time I realized I hadn’t moved.

I was still curled in the same position, knees tucked beneath me, the phone now dark and heavy in my hand. Megan’s voice still echoed in my ears. Carter’s did too—clipped, cold, commanding.

But it was Damon’s that lingered the most.

Now… we find out who you can really trust.

I didn’t know how to answer that.

The room felt still and quiet, but not empty. His presence still hung in the air, wrapped around me like his hoodie. I hadn’t taken it off—not even when I’d considered changing. It was ridiculous, really. But I couldn’t bring myself to shed it.

It made me feel… safe.

No. Not safe.

Anchored.

And that scared me more than anything.

I looked down at my hands. My fingers had stopped trembling, but they didn’t feel like mine anymore. My skin still buzzed faintly, like static clinging to the surface. Every so often, something shifted in my chest—an unfamiliar heat, a pressure I didn’t understand.

My wolf. Or what was left of her.

She wasn’t fully there yet. I didn’t hear a voice or feel a second mind. But something inside me had changed, and there was no undoing it.

“I don’t even know what I am,” I whispered.

No one answered.

But the bond did.

A subtle warmth spread across my spine. Faint, like a pulse in the distance—but real. Tangible. I’d felt it earlier when Damon looked at me like he saw through every layer I tried to wear.

My heart skipped.

I didn’t want to admit it out loud, but the truth pressed hard against my ribs.

He was my mate.

The way I’d been drawn to him in the forest… the way his voice calmed the storm inside me when everything else had felt like it was shattering…

It had to be that.

But I wasn’t ready. And I didn’t know if I ever could be.

I’d spent my life being told I was wolfless. Less. I was fed silence and isolation in the name of protection. Told I was fragile when really—I was just being kept small.

And now this man—this Alpha—wanted to act like I was meant for something more?

How could I believe it?

Because he hasn’t lied to you yet, a voice inside me whispered.

I stood slowly, stretching my legs as I moved to the window. The forest outside was quiet, blanketed in pale moonlight and frost. Somewhere out there, Damon was walking beneath the trees. I imagined him linking his Beta and Gamma, giving orders, laying out strategies.

He was probably preparing for war, and I was just… here.

Useless. Confused. Barely shifted.

But something in my bones stirred again—like a memory I didn’t have. Like the moon itself was calling me to remember.

The knock on the door startled me.

Not loud. Just a single, firm tap.

I turned. My heart thudded hard.

It opened before I could answer.

Damon.

He stepped inside without a word, closing the door behind him, silver eyes scanning the room before landing on me. He looked the same as before—but different somehow. Tension coiled beneath his movements, like he was trying to stay calm and calculated.

But when his gaze lingered on the hoodie I still wore… something flickered behind his eyes.

“Just checking on you,” he said softly.

I nodded, throat dry. “I’m fine.”

He raised a brow.

I almost laughed. Fine was a lie even I couldn’t sell.

“I’m…” I started again, then shook my head. “I don’t know.”

His expression didn’t change, but he didn’t look away. “That’s normal. You’re waking up in pieces.”

Pieces.

That’s exactly how I felt.

He walked to the fireplace, added another log, and poked the embers. The light flared up, casting shadows across his sharp jawline and the corded strength in his forearms.

I looked away.

“I heard your wolf,” I said quietly. “Not words. Just… felt something.”

He turned slowly. “That’s a good sign.”

“Good?”

“You’re waking.”

I swallowed. “What if I don’t want to wake up?”

“You already have.”

I let the words hang there, too heavy to carry.

He stepped closer then, slowly, like approaching a cornered creature.

“You don’t have to decide anything tonight,” he said. “You don’t have to believe me. You don’t even have to trust me.”

I looked up, heart thudding.

“But you’re not alone anymore, Ayla.”

I believed him. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind, I actually did believe him.