His Mark, My Curse

I did not plan to stay. From the moment I stepped back into Mooncrest, I knew this place was no longer mine. Too much had changed. Or maybe I had. The air felt the same. Cold in a way that settled into your skin. The houses, the paths, the distant sound of wolves moving through the forest. Nothing about it was unfamiliar. And yet, everything felt distant. I adjusted the strap of my bag and kept walking, ignoring the few stares that followed me. People here always looked at me like I did not belong. That had not changed either. I told myself I would only stay for one day. Just enough to see my father. Just enough to leave without causing problems. That was the plan. I should have known it would not be that simple. By the time I reached the pack house, the gathering had already started. Voices filled the space, low conversations mixing with quiet laughter. I paused at the entrance for a moment, taking it all in. For a second, I almost turned back. But I had already come this far. So I stepped inside. The moment I did, something shifted. It was small at first. Just a feeling I could not explain. Like the air had tightened around me. I ignored it. I moved along the edge of the room, keeping my head down, avoiding familiar faces. I did not want conversations. I did not want questions. I just wanted to get through the night. “Aria.” I stopped. I had not heard that voice in years, but I recognized it immediately. Slowly, I turned. Caleb stood across the room. For a moment, everything else faded. It was strange seeing him again. Not because I had forgotten what he looked like, but because the person standing in front of me did not match the one in my memories. He looked the same in some ways. Same dark eyes. Same steady posture. But there was something else now. Something heavier. Power. It sat on him naturally, like it had always been there, just waiting. He was not the boy I used to know. He was the Alpha. And he was looking at me like I was not supposed to be here. “You came back,” he said. His voice was calm, but there was something under it. Something I could not quite place. “I did,” I replied. There was no point pretending otherwise. His gaze did not leave mine. “For how long?” “One day.” That seemed to hold his attention. “Then you leave?” “Yes.” It was simple. Clear. That was the plan I had already decided on before coming here. For a moment, neither of us spoke. There were too many things we could have said. Too many questions. But none of them came out. “Good,” he said finally. The word was quiet, but it landed harder than I expected. I nodded once. That should have been the end of it. It should have been just another conversation between two people who used to know each other. But something about the way he was looking at me made it hard to move. Like I was waiting for something else. I did not know what. “Caleb.” A soft voice cut in. I did not need to turn to know who it was. She stepped up beside him naturally, like that was where she belonged. And maybe she did. I looked at her briefly. Everything about her was composed. Confident. Certain. She did not hesitate when she reached for his arm. Her fingers rested there lightly, but the gesture was enough. He did not pull away. That told me everything I needed to know. “The elders are asking for you,” she said. Her tone was polite, but her eyes flicked toward me for just a second. It was not curiosity. It was assessment. I looked away first. Not because I felt smaller. But because I did not want to be part of whatever this was. “I should go,” I said. No one stopped me. I turned and walked away, keeping my steps steady even though something inside me felt unsettled. I told myself it was nothing. Just being back here. Just seeing him again. Nothing more. I had barely reached the exit when it hit me. A sudden tightness in my chest. I stopped walking. It was not pain. Not exactly. Just pressure. Strange and unfamiliar. I took a slow breath, expecting it to pass. It did not. Instead, it grew stronger. I pressed my hand lightly against my chest, frowning. What is this? Behind me, the noise in the room faded. Or maybe I just stopped hearing it. I turned slightly, my eyes searching without meaning to. They landed on him. Caleb was already looking at me. Something had changed. The calm expression he had before was gone. There was something else there now. Something sharper. I felt it again. Stronger this time. My breath caught. This is not normal. I took a step back. Then another. But it did not help. The feeling followed. No. It pulled. Like something was drawing me closer whether I wanted it or not. Across the room, Caleb moved. One step. Then another. Slow. Deliberate. Like he felt it too. My heart started beating faster. This cannot be happening. I shook my head slightly, even though I did not understand what I was denying. People around him began to notice. The room grew quiet. But I could not focus on them. I could only focus on him. The distance between us closed. Step by step. Until he was right in front of me. I could feel it clearly now. That pull. That connection. It wrapped around my chest, tightening with every second. “Aria,” he said. My name sounded different coming from him now. Not distant. Not cold. Something else. Something that made my chest ache. I took another step back. “No,” I said quietly. Because I understood. Even if I did not want to. This was not random. This was not something that would just go away. His hand reached for mine. The moment our skin touched Everything changed. The pressure snapped into something solid. A bond. Strong. Unmistakable. My breath left me. No. No, this is wrong. I looked up at him, panic rising in my chest. But the look on his face was worse. His grip tightened slightly. Not enough to hurt. Just enough to hold. His eyes had darkened. Not with anger. With something else. Something I had never seen directed at me before. Something that felt like possession. Around us, voices started rising. Shock. Confusion. But it all sounded far away. Because the only thing I could think was this Caleb already had someone he was supposed to choose. And it was not me. His fingers tightened just a little more. And in that moment I realized He was not letting go.