Chapter 2: Marked
1025 Words
Lyla woke up gasping.
The dream still clung to her skin like sweat — wolves circling her, a silver moon pulsing in the sky, and hands — his hands — trailing fire along her arms. She sat up in bed, heart pounding, hair clinging to her forehead.
Light filtered through her curtains. Morning.
Barely.
She swung her legs over the side of the bed, only to freeze.
A burning sensation sizzled on the inside of her wrist.
She lifted her arm.
And saw it.
A mark.
Black. Elegant. Intricate.
Not a tattoo. Not henna. It looked… alive. The shape resembled a crescent moon wrapped in vines, with an old rune in the center that pulsed faintly like a heartbeat.
Lyla stared in horror. “What the hell…”
She scrubbed at it with a towel.
It didn’t fade.
Her mind raced. “No. No, no, no…”
Was it from the dream? From the wolf in the woods? From… Riven?
The name sent a chill down her spine — and a strange warmth straight to her chest.
Who was he?
And why had he looked at her like he knew her entire soul?
Later that day, Lyla stood in the girls’ bathroom at school, trying to cover the mark with makeup. It didn’t work. The skin shimmered faintly beneath the concealer, like moonlight through fog.
“Are you okay?”
She jumped.
Eden stood in the doorway, arms crossed. “You’ve been acting weird all morning. You didn’t even respond to my t****k. That’s criminal.”
Lyla gave a weak smile. “Just… rough night. And weird dreams.”
Eden raised an eyebrow. “Dreams about a certain tall, dangerous stranger?”
Lyla blinked. “How did you—?”
“I saw him. Last night. Near the fire. Hot in a very ‘might-kill-me’ way.”
Lyla swallowed. “He said his name was Riven.”
Eden’s smile faded. “Wait. Riven Blackthorn?”
“You… know him?”
“Not personally. But people talk. He’s from the edge of town — that freaky estate near the woods. His family’s loaded. Isolated. Creepy. Rumors say he’s in some weird cult.”
Lyla’s stomach dropped.
A cult?
“He said… he saved me from something,” Lyla whispered. “There was a wolf. In the forest.”
Eden stared at her. “Lyla… are you sure it wasn’t just a dream?”
“No. I know what I saw.”
And what she felt.
That heat. That pull.
That bond.
Sixth period was gym. Lyla hated gym. Especially dodgeball. She was zoning out near the bleachers when she felt it — a jolt in her spine, like someone had just screamed her name across a distance only her soul could hear.
She turned toward the entrance to the gym.
And there he was.
Riven.
Leaning against the wall in a dark hoodie, arms crossed, golden eyes locked only on her.
Lyla’s breath caught.
The mark on her wrist flared with heat.
She quickly turned it away, clutching her arm, heart racing.
What was he doing here?
He shouldn’t be here. This was her school. Her normal.
But somehow, nothing felt more real than his stare.
He started walking toward her.
“You shouldn’t show that,” Riven said softly.
Lyla jerked back. “Show what?”
He nodded toward her wrist. “They’ll see it. Others like me.”
“Like you?”
He glanced around, voice low. “Not here. Meet me at the woods. After school. You need answers.”
“I don’t even know you.”
He leaned closer. “But you feel me.”
That stopped her.
Because it was true.
The way her body reacted to his presence — the heat in her chest, the tingling in her spine, the magnetic pull in her gut — it was undeniable.
“I’m not crazy, am I?” she whispered.
Riven’s expression softened, almost… sad. “No. You’re something else entirely.”
After school, Lyla stood at the edge of the forest again.
He was already waiting.
Riven stood with his hands in his pockets, the wind ruffling his hair. His eyes glowed in the shadows — faint, but unmistakable.
She stepped forward.
“Show me the mark,” he said.
She hesitated, then held out her wrist.
He took her arm gently. His skin was warm — almost too warm. When his fingers brushed over the mark, it pulsed again, brighter this time, glowing between them.
Riven’s jaw clenched. “It’s real.”
“What is it?”
He met her eyes. “It’s a mate mark.”
“A what?”
“A bond between two souls. Old magic. Unbreakable.”
Lyla stumbled back. “No. No, no. That can’t be. I don’t even know you.”
He didn’t move.
“You do know me. Somewhere inside. Just like I know you.”
She shook her head. “You’re crazy. I’m not—”
“You’re not human, Lyla.”
Silence.
The trees held their breath. So did she.
“What… did you say?”
Riven stepped closer. “You’ve always felt different. Haven’t you? Like something inside you was asleep. Watching.”
She nodded, despite herself.
“You’re not one of us. Not fully. But you’re not just human either. You’re something older. Something more powerful.”
Lyla’s knees gave out. She sat on the cold grass, trembling.
“This is insane…”
“I didn’t want this,” he said. “The bond. You. But the moon chooses.”
“Are you saying we’re… fated?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t believe in fate.”
Riven knelt in front of her. “Then explain this.”
He pressed his palm to hers.
And the forest exploded in light.
The trees shivered. The wind howled. A silver ripple shot through the ground beneath them. Birds scattered from the branches.
When they pulled apart, the mark glowed on both of them.
Hers.
And his.
Lyla gasped.
“I didn’t do that,” she whispered.
“No,” he said quietly. “We did.”
[End of Chapter 2]
- Writer
