The Hollow Mark

“ARIA’S POV” The towers of Crescent Hollow Academy stood tall, piercing against the morning sky like blades of obsidian, black stone towers reaching for the clouds, their sharp edges catching the light. Silver banners rippled in the wind, each marked with the crest of the moon and wolf. Wolves carved into the stone arches gleamed under the rising sun, their eyes glowing faintly as if alive, watching every student who passed beneath them. Students crowded the courtyard below. Laughter mixed with whispers of voices buzzing with excitement , and the clang of training blades filled the air. Everyone was talking about the Rite—on tonight’s full moon, every first-year would summon their wolf. I kept to the edge of the crowd. Walking among them like a shadow. My steps were quiet, head lowered, a loose strand of dark hair fell over my face as I tried to ignore the glances and whispered laughter that always seemed to follow me everywhere I went. At eighteen, I was supposed to be brimming with confidence and bold like everyone else, but I had long grown used to being invisible and ignored in the crowd. Ivy Hale bounced besides me with restless energy, her auburn curls swaying, eyes sparkling with excitement as she leaned in close, looping her arm through mine, her grip warm and grounding. 

“Do you hear them? she whispered. Her voice low. “Everyone’s saying Kael will dominate the Rite. He’ll make a statement as Alpha heir. I glanced up, my stomach twisting when my eyes caught the crowd at the far end of the courtyard. My gazing landed on Kael Storm. He stood in a circle, surrounded by admirers, tall and broad-shouldered, his black hair fell across his face, His body movement in the crowd seemed effortless, his presence radiated authority like an invisible weight pressing in the air. Girls circled him, fawning and clinging to him, hungry for his attention and laughing at jokes I couldn’t hear, their eyes gleaming with excitement and dazed admiration. But Kael’s expression never softened. His storm-dark eyes glared sharply, with an unreadable expression, and when they swept across the courtyard, My chest tightened as if his gaze had found me. “I don’t see what’s so special,” I muttered. Pulling my gaze away. Ivy gasped dramatically. “You’re the only one in this school who's brave enough to say that! ‘That’s the Council’s golden boy!…He’ll soon be crowned the next Alpha!” “Do you know how many girls are already begging the moon for him to be their mate?” She grinned, nudging me playfully. “You really don’t feel anything when you look at him?” she teased. I hesitated. “No! Not what they feel.” I scoffed. Yet, the unease feeling that’d struck me the moment I cast my sight on Kael, still lingered inside me like a restless hum, each moment my eyes darted back at him across the yard, drawn against my will. Ivy studied my face, then sighed. exasperated. “You’re impossible.” I shook my head, refusing to admit it. “All I feel is tired. Let’s get to class.” We walked past, weaving between clusters of students circling around the training ring. I slowed, watching as two boys sparred in preparation for the Rite, shifting mid-fight, fur bursting from their skin, and their claws scraping against the stone. The crowd cheered wildly as one landed a clean strike. The loser shifted back, panting, but still proud. The sound of cheers burned in my ears. My fingers curled into fists. While my chest ached with a dull, familiar pang. What if my wolf never comes? A thought that hunted me ever since I was a child. Everyone else seemed so certain, brimming with confidence, Unlike me, struggling with a strong inferiority complex, as usual I wasn’t feeling confident or proud. I could only feel a gnawing restlessness and a strange ache that had settled in my chest since I walked into the courtyard. It felt like a hunger clawing beneath my skin. “Hey.” Ivy’s hand brushed mine. She leaned closer, her voice soft and insistent. “You’ll be fine tonight. I know you feel… different, but that doesn’t mean broken, Aria. Whatever happens, your wolf will come.” I bit my lip, staring at the carved silver wolves watching from above the courtyard gates. Their carved eyes glimmered in the sun like they were judging me—or maybe waiting. Trying to believe each word she always circled back to. The academy bell tolled, loud and cold across the spires. Students began to disperse toward their classes, voices still buzzing with anticipation about the moonrise. For a moment, I paused, suddenly tugged back by a presence. My gaze lingered back against my will drifting once more at Kael Storm. For a heartbeat, his head lifted, his eyes sweeping the crowd before finally landing on me as if he had sensed my stare. My chest stuttered. Like the world seemed to hold its breath. Immediately he stepped forward, moving out of the crowd of admirers, who’d circled him, walking towards me. My breath caught. Now, the hum in my veins intensified, refusing to settle. Then a girl quickly slid up beside him, giggling as she curled in her arms, clutching it into his. His attention broke, gone like it had never touched me at all. And still, the hum of heat beneath my skin refused to fade. My pulse grew stronger and I felt the air around me cease. Immediately I turned sharply, striding off, trying to ignore it. But then, a sudden jolt shot through my arm. My eyes widened. Feeling a strange warmth, like fire beneath my skin, radiating from my arm. My eyes widened as a faint fiery glow pulsed across my skin, unseen by anyone but me. Or at least, that’s what I thought. Immediately, I turned, scanning the courtyard to make sure no one else had witnessed what had just happened. My eyes caught Kael’s gaze—frozen on me. His eyes narrowed, an unreadable expression flickering across them. Then, I quickly jerked my attention away, realizing… Kael had noticed it too. I moved quickly, about to make my way toward the restricted area door, but he shifted as well, as if trying to follow me. My breath caught as I saw him closing in. Before I could take another step, a sharp crack echoed across the courtyard, and the crowd’s chatter erupted into screams, their whispers swirling around me.