Moonbound: The Mark of Yesterday

Chapter Two: Welcome to the Hollow

The Hollow hadn’t changed.

Not in the ways that mattered, anyway.

Jada stood just beyond the tree line, her arms crossed, eyes sweeping the valley below. Moonlight dripped over the forest like silver paint, casting shadows long and deep. The same jagged cliffs to the east. The same winding river snaking through the trees. The same moss-covered cabins dotting the hillside.

But there was something new too—an ache in her gut, sharp and cold. Like the land itself was mourning.

She hadn’t been here since the night of her rejection. The night Alex looked her in the eye and told her she wasn’t his mate. That she was nothing. He hadn’t said it cruelly. That would’ve made it easier. No, he said it with that same quiet sorrow he’d used when he told her his father was dead.

Like he didn’t want to say it—but had to.

And she believed him. Because back then, she still trusted him more than she trusted herself.

A branch snapped behind her.

This time, she didn’t spin or flinch. She just spoke.

“I know you're there.”

A pause. Then a voice, gruff and familiar: “Still sharp as ever.”

She turned slowly, her lips tugging upward. “Tobias.”

The old Beta stepped from the shadows, arms crossed over his broad chest, beard longer than she remembered. His salt-and-pepper hair was tied back, eyes sharp as flint.

“You’ve changed,” he said.

“So have you.”

He gave her a short nod. “You smell different.”

“I’ve been gone a long time.”

He grunted. “And yet, the moment you cross the border, a rogue gets shredded and Alex starts pacing like a pup again.”

She raised a brow. “Still not fond of subtlety, are you?”

He smiled—barely. “Subtlety doesn’t kill rogues. Strength does. And you’ve always had plenty of that.”

Jada felt a strange warmth at the words. Tobias had never been the affectionate type, but he’d trained her harder than anyone. Treated her like a warrior. Not a girl. Not a fragile thing.

He glanced at her ribs. “You’re bleeding.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Let Sarah look at it.”

“I’m fine, really—”

“That wasn’t a request.”

Jada sighed, but followed him. Some habits were hard to break.

They walked in silence through the trees. The path was narrower than she remembered, overgrown with wild grass and fern. The scent of wolves—hundreds of them—saturated the air now. Tense. Watchful. The Hollow was on edge.

She caught glimpses as they moved: wolves perched on rooftops, others pacing in human form, weapons strapped to their backs. Children ushered inside as they passed. Doors closing. Curtains shifting.

She wasn’t just the girl who left anymore.

She was the one who’d survived.

The main cabin stood tall at the heart of the Hollow. It had been rebuilt twice since she’d last seen it—once after the fire, once after the raid. But it still looked the same: dark wood, wide porch, warm light spilling through the windows.

Tobias knocked once and pushed the door open.

Sarah, the pack healer, looked up from where she was mixing herbs at the long table. Her hands froze. Her eyes went wide.

“Jada?”

The warmth hit her like a slap. Before she could react, Sarah crossed the room and pulled her into a tight embrace. She smelled like thyme and old books.

“You came back,” Sarah whispered.

Jada froze for a beat, then slowly hugged her back. “Didn’t plan to. But things change.”

Sarah pulled away, her eyes already scanning her injuries. “You’re hurt.”

“It’s nothing serious—”

“Sit.”

Jada obeyed, only because resisting Sarah had never worked—not even as kids. The healer pressed a warm poultice to her side, then busied herself with salve and bandages.

“You’re lucky,” Sarah said. “Another inch and that rogue would’ve hit your lung.”

“Luck has never liked me much.”

The door creaked open again. Jada didn’t have to turn to know who it was.

Alex’s presence filled the room like thunder.

She could feel his gaze on her—like a brand. Hot. Familiar.

Sarah straightened. “She’s stable. Just surface wounds.”

“Thank you,” he said quietly.

Jada stood. “So. What now?”

Alex didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he studied her face like he was trying to memorize something that had already been fading.

“You’re staying,” he said finally.

She didn’t blink. “You don’t get to decide that.”

“No,” he said. “But Kael already has.”

The room went still.

Alex stepped forward, dropping something onto the table.

A silver chain. Burned at one end. And dangling from it—a fang. Blackened.

Jada’s stomach turned.

“That belonged to Ezra,” Sarah whispered, her hand covering her mouth. “He was on patrol last night.”

“He never stood a chance,” Alex said. “Kael sent a message.”

Jada’s fingers curled into fists.

“Then I guess we'll send one back.”

The war room hadn’t changed either. Same stone table in the center. Same burn mark from where one of the elders had lost his temper and thrown a lantern. Same heavy tension in the air, like dust and thunder waiting to fall.

Jada stood against the far wall, arms crossed, as Alex paced slowly near the table. Tobias leaned in the corner, sharpening a knife methodically. Sarah had stayed behind to tend to the wounded. No elders were present—Alex had dismissed them earlier. This was a private council.

The kind that only happened when the world was about to bleed.

“He sent Ezra’s fang because he knows we’re watching,” Alex said finally. “Because he wants us to feel it.”

Jada’s voice was cold. “Good. Let’s return the favor.”

Tobias looked up from his blade. “You have a plan?”

“Not yet,” Alex admitted. “But I have a suspicion.”

He moved to the map on the wall. Red pins dotted the eastern edge of the Hollow—border towns, outposts, trails. Most were surrounded by black ink circles.

“These are the recent attacks,” he said. “Always at night. Always swift. But no kills unless provoked. Ezra… was different.”

“Because he fought back,” Jada murmured.

Alex nodded. “Or because Kael wanted to mark the shift. To warn us.”

Tobias sheathed his blade. “We’re still not sure how Kael’s controlling the rogues.”

“He’s not just controlling them,” Jada said. “He’s binding them. Their blood changes. Their eyes. It’s not just instinct anymore. It’s something darker.”

Alex looked at her. “You’ve seen this?”

She nodded. “Two years ago, in the northern territories. Packs started vanishing. Rogues appeared in their place. They didn’t just kill—they hunted strategically. Some of them used to be my friends.”

Tobias let out a low whistle. “Then this is bigger than we thought.”

“Much,” she said. “And Kael’s not alone. He’s building something.”

“A cult?” Alex asked.

“No,” she said. “A kingdom.”

That silenced the room. Even the wind outside seemed to pause.

Alex rubbed his jaw. “We need to rally the outer packs.”

“They won’t come,” Tobias said. “Not unless we have something real.”

“We have her,” Alex replied, turning to face Jada fully. “She’s proof Kael fears something.”

Jada bristled. “I’m not a banner to wave, Alex.”

“No,” he said. “You’re a blade. And we need you.”

She looked away.

It was Tobias who broke the silence. “The annual summit’s in five nights. If the packs won’t come to us, we go to them.”

“They won’t believe me,” Jada said.

Alex stepped closer. “They’ll believe us.”

That word—us—was more dangerous than Kael. She didn’t say anything.

Not yet.

Instead, she asked, “Where is he hiding?”

Alex hesitated. “We’re not sure. But every rogue we've tracked vanishes near the Shatter Pines.”

Jada’s heart sank. “The ruins?”

Tobias nodded. “Place still stinks of blood and witch dust.”

That wasn’t all it stank of. The Shatter Pines were cursed ground. No wolves went there unless they wanted to die—or disappear.

Alex turned to her. “You know that place better than anyone.”

She didn’t deny it.

Years ago, she and Alex used to sneak into the ruins, daring each other to get closer to the collapsed temple in the center. Back when they were just kids, and curses were stories, and the world was small and safe.

Those days were long gone.

“I’ll go,” she said.

Alex’s jaw tightened. “Not alone.”

She raised a brow. “You don’t get to tell me what to do.”

“No,” Tobias said, stepping between them. “But he’s right. If Kael’s watching, he’ll be waiting.”

Jada folded her arms. “Fine. One of you comes. But I lead.”

Alex smiled faintly. “I wouldn’t dare argue.”

Tobias smirked. “Then we leave tomorrow.”

Jada glanced at the map one more time. At the pins. The black circles. The fang still sitting like a curse on the table.

She clenched her fists.

Kael had taken everything from her once.

He wouldn’t get the chance again.