HIS MARK, MY RUIN

The first time my mother told me we were moving, I thought she was joking. She wasn't. Three weeks later, I was sitting in the back seat of a black SUV, watching the city disappear behind us while the only home I had ever known became smaller and smaller in the distance. I kept my forehead against the window. The familiar streets were gone now. The shops. The crowded roads. The little café where my mother and I sometimes bought breakfast on Sundays. Everything I knew was being swallowed by the countryside. "How much longer?" I finally asked. My mother didn't look back. "About forty minutes." I sighed. "You said that twenty minutes ago." "I said approximately forty minutes." "You said forty minutes twenty minutes ago." She smiled faintly. "You've always been impatient." I turned back to the window. Normally, I would have argued. Today, I didn't have the energy. There was something about the journey that had been bothering me since we left. My mother was nervous. She had been nervous for days. Not ordinary nervousness either. She kept checking her phone without opening any messages. She had barely slept the previous night. Twice that morning, I had caught her standing by the bedroom window, staring outside as though she expected someone to be waiting there. Whenever I asked what was wrong, she gave me the same answer. Nothing. I had stopped believing her. My mother was not a good liar. She was simply very good at avoiding questions. I glanced at her again. "Are you happy?" She looked at me through the rearview mirror. "About what?" "Moving." Her smile disappeared for a moment. "Yes." Another lie. I looked away. Six months ago, she had married Adrian Hart. Adrian was nothing like the men my mother had dated before him. He was older, wealthy, private, and strangely influential. I had never understood exactly what he did for a living. Whenever I asked, my mother simply said he owned several businesses. That explanation had been enough for me. Until now. Because people like Adrian did not usually live in places that required private roads and multiple security gates. The trees outside became thicker. The road narrowed. Then the first gate appeared. It was enormous. Black iron stretched between two stone pillars, and a security guard stood beside a small booth. The gate opened before our driver even stopped. I sat up. "What is this place?" My mother looked back at me. "Adrian's estate." I stared through the windshield. "Estate?" She nodded. The road beyond the gate disappeared into a forest. I frowned. "You never told me he lived this far from the city." "I wanted to surprise you." "This is not a surprise. This is the beginning of a horror movie." She laughed softly. It was the first genuine laugh I'd heard from her all day. But even then, her eyes remained uneasy. We drove deeper into the trees. The second gate appeared. Then the third. By the time we reached the fourth, I had stopped making jokes. Something about the place had changed the atmosphere inside the car. It was too quiet. No traffic. No people. Not even birds. Only the steady sound of the tires moving over the road. Then the gates opened. The house appeared. I forgot to breathe. It stood at the top of a gentle hill, surrounded by enormous trees and dark stone walls. Three floors. Tall windows. Wide balconies. A sweeping staircase leading to the main entrance. It was beautiful. And somehow terrifying. "That's our new home?" I asked. My mother nodded. I stared at it. "You're actually serious." "Yes." I looked at her. "You married a billionaire and forgot to mention it?" She laughed again. This time, she shook her head. "You'll understand Adrian better once you live here." I wasn't sure whether that was supposed to reassure me. The car stopped beneath the entrance. Before I could open the door, the front doors swung open. Adrian walked out. He smiled when he saw my mother. She immediately got out. They embraced. I watched them for a moment before stepping outside. Adrian turned toward me. "Rose." "Hi." He smiled warmly. "Welcome home." The words should have felt comforting. Instead, something cold moved through me. I ignored it. He hugged me briefly before taking my suitcase. "You must be exhausted." "A little." "You'll have time to rest. Your room is ready." I followed them inside. The mansion was even more impressive from the inside. Everything was polished and expensive without feeling overly decorated. Dark wooden floors stretched across the entrance hall. A huge chandelier hung above us. Portraits lined the walls, though none of the people in them looked familiar. I slowed beside one. A woman stood in the painting wearing an old-fashioned black dress. Her eyes were strangely vivid. Almost golden. I stared at them. "Rose?" I blinked. Adrian was already several steps ahead. "Coming." I hurried after them. As we crossed the hall, I noticed something strange. A man stood near one of the corridors. He was dressed in black. He wasn't a servant. At least, I didn't think he was. His attention was fixed on me. He didn't smile. Didn't greet me. He simply stared. There was something unsettling about his expression. Recognition. As though he'd seen me before. Adrian noticed him. His face hardened. "Leave." The man lowered his head and disappeared. I looked at Adrian. "Who was that?" "Staff." "He didn't look like staff." Adrian's expression didn't change. "You'll meet many people here. Don't worry about everyone you see." That was a strange thing to say. But before I could ask what he meant, my mother called my name. I followed her upstairs. My room overlooked the forest. It was beautiful. Huge bed. Private bathroom. Walk-in wardrobe. A balcony. I walked toward the glass doors. The forest stretched endlessly beyond the property. Something moved between the trees. I stopped. I leaned closer. Nothing. Probably an animal. I turned around. My mother was standing behind me. "Do you like it?" "Yeah." She smiled. Then her expression changed. "Just don't go into the forest." I frowned. "Why?" "It's dangerous." "Because of wild animals?" She hesitated. "Yes." That hesitation stayed with me. That night, I couldn't sleep. The house made strange sounds. Wood settling. Wind brushing against the windows. Something moving somewhere far below. At around two in the morning, I finally gave up. I got out of bed and opened the curtains. Moonlight spilled across the room. The forest looked different at night. Darker. Closer. And then I heard it. A howl. I froze. Another answered from somewhere farther away. I stared into the darkness. A third howl rose. Closer. My skin prickled. I closed the curtains. Then came a sound from the hallway. Footsteps. I held my breath. They stopped outside my door. Nothing happened. Then they continued down the hall. I waited. When the house became silent again, I opened my door. The hallway was empty. I stepped outside. I don't know why. Maybe curiosity. Maybe because some part of me had already sensed that something was wrong with this house. I walked toward the staircase. The lights downstairs were dim. Moonlight spilled through the tall windows. Then the front door opened. A man entered. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Dressed entirely in black. He shut the door behind him and turned. Our eyes met. Everything inside me stopped. I didn't know him. I'd never seen him before. Yet the moment I looked into his eyes, something deep inside me stirred. His eyes were dark. Almost black. Then, for the briefest second, they flashed gold. He froze. His expression changed. Shock. Recognition. Something far more dangerous. His breathing became uneven. He stared at me as if the sight of me had knocked the air from his lungs. Neither of us moved. Then he whispered one word. "Mate." I frowned. "What?" He immediately looked away. "Go back upstairs." His voice was controlled, but barely. I didn't move. "Who are you?" He looked at me again. There was something almost painful in his expression now. "Kael." Just one name. Then he turned and walked away. I remained on the staircase. My heart was beating far too fast. I touched my neck. A strange burning sensation had appeared beneath my skin. I moved my fingers over the spot. Something was there. A mark. Faint. Like the beginning of a crescent. Then I heard my mother's voice behind me. "Rose?" I turned. She stood at the end of the hallway. Her eyes moved from my face to the mark on my neck. She stopped breathing. For several seconds, she said nothing. Then all the color drained from her face. "Who was that man?" I glanced toward the hallway where Kael had disappeared. "Kael." My mother's expression changed completely. Fear. Real, unmistakable fear. She rushed toward me. "Did he touch you?" "No." "Did he say anything?" I frowned. "He told me to go upstairs." She stared at my neck. Her hands began to tremble. "Mom?" She didn't answer. "What's wrong?" She finally looked into my eyes. And whatever she saw there seemed to break something inside her. "Rose..." Her voice trembled. "The mark." I touched my neck again. "What about it?" She looked toward the dark hallway. Then back at me. "We have to leave." My stomach dropped. "Leave?" "Tonight." "Why?" She grabbed my hand. Her fingers were cold. "Because I was wrong." "About what?" She pulled me toward my bedroom. "I thought we had more time." I followed her, completely confused. "Mom, you're scaring me." She stopped at the door. For a moment, she looked like she was fighting with herself. Then she whispered: "They found you." And somewhere deep in the forest outside the house, something howled. This time, it sounded frighteningly close.