“That means… marking you.”
Ayria’s voice faded like smoke carried off by the wind, leaving Aurora frozen in the middle of her room.
“Marking?” she whispered out loud. “Wait—marking who?”
But her wolf didn’t respond. The silence that followed was heavy, deafening.
“Ayria?” Aurora tried again, her voice trembling a little. She waited, reaching inward the way she always did, but this time… nothing. It was like her wolf had retreated behind a wall, her presence dim and unreachable.
The mark. The word replayed in Aurora’s mind again and again, each time stirring something deep in her chest — a strange mix of warmth and panic. Her pulse raced, her body thrumming with a restless energy she didn’t understand.
She splashed cold water on her face, hoping to wash away the heat crawling up her n
