Chapter Two: The Mark Beneath the Skin
898 Words
Kael remained motionless.
Slowly, the girl sat up, her silver eyes shining in the infirmary's darkness like twin moons. Her voice hung in the air like a curse, barely audible above a whisper.
"Until we're all dead, it won't stop."
With the girl's blood still on her fingers, Mari froze in the middle of her stride. As it tracked the girl's heart's irregular rhythm, the monitor next to the bed beeped frantically. However, Kael was not looking at the machines. They were focused on her, this stranger with the frail appearance who had just uttered a death-tasting prophecy. "What do you mean?" Kael asked, voice low, clipped. "What isn't stopping?"
Kael remained motionless.
Slowly, the girl sat up, her silver eyes shining in the infirmary's darkness like twin moons. Her voice hung in the air like a curse, barely audible above a whisper.
"Until we're all dead, it won't stop."
With the girl's blood still on her fingers, Mari froze in the middle of her stride. As it tracked the girl's heart's irregular rhythm, the monitor next to the bed beeped frantically. However, Kael was not looking at the machines. They were focused on her, this stranger with the frail appearance who had just uttered a death-tasting prophecy. "What do you mean?" Kael asked, voice low, clipped. "What isn't stopping?"
Kael's face grew serious. "In the ancient scrolls. The forbidden ones.”
“The ones your father kept locked in the War Room?”
He nodded.
Only a handful of Alphas had ever been granted access to those scrolls—remnants from the earliest packs. dark wisdom. forgotten ancestries. Prophecies too risky to be spoken out loud.
In particular, he recalled one symbol.
An ancient creature known only as The Hollowed One—a creature of shadow born of treachery and exiled by the Moon Goddess herself—had a twisting mark tied to it.
According to the legend, it would reappear when things were out of balance.
And that its presence would be marked by a silver-eyed vessel.
His mate.
Kael whispered, "She's bound to something." Something ancient. Something... gloomy.
Mari took a deep breath. "You should talk to the Elders."
"No," Kael blurted out. "Not until I have more information. If the council discovers that she bears the Hollowed One's mark—
With wide eyes, Mari concluded, "They'll kill her."
Kael gave a somber nod.
Furthermore, he doubted his ability to stop them.
The storm eventually subsided after several hours. Once more, the forest was silent, but Kael's thoughts were anything but.
As he poured over the ancient scrolls, a fire crackled behind him in his private study. His desk was covered with pages of yellowed parchment with ancient runes and symbols inked on them. Each line described bloodshed, war, and a creature capable of capturing and devouring even the most resilient wolves.
There were several names for the Hollowed One. The Devourer. The King of Void. The Bringer of the End.
Legend has it that it could only cross the veil between worlds when the balance of power had been upset, namely when an Alpha rejected his fated bond.
Kael tensed.
Is he the one?
He turned down the mate bond? His denial of the Moon Goddess? Had something been weakened by that?
He slammed the scroll shut and pushed the thought aside.
The door was gently knocked on.
He said, "Enter," without raising his gaze.
It was his best friend and Beta, Jarek.
Jarek declared, "She's awake." "And requesting you."
Kael instantly got up and threw his cloak over his shoulders.
The girl was sitting up in bed once more, her eyes clearer, when he reached the infirmary. A haunted shadow lingered behind her eyes, but the silver glow had vanished.
She whispered, "You're the Alpha," as he took over.
"You were already aware of that."
She nodded slightly. "I heard your voice. even prior to my meeting you. I was drawn here by it.
With his arms folded, Kael stood at the foot of the bed. "Speak up. Who are you? From what do you flee?
"My name is Aria," she said after hesitating. I have no idea where I'm from. Only the place where I got away.
"What did you escape from?"
“A place called The Veil. It’s not a realm of the living… or the dead. I was taken there as a child. Trained. Marked. Bound to something I didn’t understand.” Kael moved closer. “The Hollowed One?” Her eyes widened in surprise. “You know?” “I know you’re in danger. And now, so is my pack.” Aria’s voice fell to a whisper. “It followed me here, Kael. It wears different faces. It can control minds. It doesn’t need to knock down your gates… it’s already inside.” A chill ran through him. Before he could react, the lights above flickered. A low, buzzing sound filled the room. The monitor next to her crackled—and then shorted out with a pop.Then the air turned icy cold.
Mari hurried inside. There's a problem at the eastern border, Alpha. Patrols simply disappeared. No indication of a struggle. Simply gone.
Aria sat up straight, her voice once more distant.
"It discovered a host."
Kael turned toward her. "What sort of host is that?"
Aria gazed at him with fear in her eyes.
"One of your own."
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