Marked by the moon

The city never really slept. It just held its breath. Some nights, Selena Carter felt like she was the only one breathing. She walked alone down West Alden, the sidewalk cracked and crumbling beneath her boots. Lights flickered above the corner store. Neon buzzed like it was trying to warn her off. Somewhere behind her, tires screeched against wet asphalt. No one screamed. Not tonight. She tugged her hoodie tighter and kept moving. It was almost midnight. Which meant she’d made it through another day without calling her ex, crying at her desk, or answering her mother’s texts. A miracle, really. Her therapist would call it avoidance. Her best friend Rina would say it was being dramatic. Selena just called it survival. The park up ahead was closed—technically. But the gate was barely standing, and she knew every trail in Riverbend by heart. It was where she came to breathe. Or maybe to stop breathing for a while. Hard to tell the difference some nights. The second she stepped past the rusted entrance, the air changed. Cooler and still. Too still. Her steps slowed. The city noise vanished behind her like a door slamming shut. No cars, no sirens. Not even crickets. Just the crunch of gravel beneath her shoes. Selena paused at the edge of the trees. Something tugged at the back of her mind. That low animal instinct that says leave. But she ignored it. Another step forward. Deeper into the woods. Her breath came colder now, fogging the air. It smelled like pine, damp leaves… and something else. Something sharp. Like metal or blood. She should’ve turned back. But pride was a stubborn thing and Selena Carter didn’t scare easily. Not anymore. Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out—dead screen. Black as pitch. “Of course.” She turned back toward the path—and froze. Something was standing between her and the gate. Big, dark and not moving. A shape just barely more solid than the shadows. Selena didn’t breathe. The shape took a step forward. She stepped back. Then it came. Fast, silent, no warning growl, no rustling leaves. One second it was there, the next it was on her, slamming her to the ground. Her skull cracked against stone. Pain lit up her shoulder—teeth. Sharp and Deep. She screamed, fists flailing, legs kicking. But it didn’t let go. It wasn’t just pain—it was fire, racing through her veins, cracking her bones open from the inside. Her vision blurred. Then, out of nowhere—a second shadow slammed into the first. Fur. Claws. Teeth on teeth. Wolves. Too big, too fast and not natural. Selena crawled backward, shoulder gushing hot blood. She pressed her hand to the wound, barely able to see through the haze of pain. The two creatures tore into each other just feet away—growls shaking the trees, jaws snapping bone. One went down hard. Neck twisted. A sickening c***k. The winner turned to her. And she couldn’t run. Couldn’t scream. Because his eyes—his eyes—were glowing gold. She should’ve been terrified. She wasn’t. She was… drawn. Trapped. Like gravity had shifted, and he was the center of the world. The wolf stepped closer, sniffing the air. And then—he changed. Selena gasped as his body twisted in front of her, bones cracking, fur pulling back into skin. What remained was a man. Bare. Broad-shouldered. Blood-splattered. Beautiful, in the kind of way danger always is. His golden eyes didn’t dim, not even a little. She tried to stand. Her legs gave out. The pain was too much. Something was happening inside her—something unnatural, something wrong. He stepped forward. She passed out. ******** She woke up somewhere warm. There was a fire burning. The couch beneath her was leather. The ceiling above her—stone and wood. Not her apartment. Not any apartment. Her hoodie was gone. Her shoulder was bandaged. She was wearing someone else’s shirt. Panic gripped her like a fist. She sat up too fast and nearly blacked out again. Pain flared through her side. She groaned and clutched her ribs. Then the door opened. It was him. Same golden eyes. Different clothes. Still very much not normal. “Don’t freak out,” he said. His voice was low, rough. Like someone who didn’t talk much unless it was a threat. Selena didn’t move. Didn’t blink. “I said—” “I heard you,” she rasped. “Now tell me where the hell I am.” He crossed the room in two long strides but stopped a few feet away, arms crossed. “You’re safe.” “That’s not what I asked.” “You were attacked. I brought you back to Nyx territory.” “Nyx… what?” He said nothing. Her heart pounded. Her fingers inched toward the iron fireplace poker behind her. “I don’t know what kind of Twilight cosplay cult you’re running,” she snapped, “but if you don’t let me leave—” “You can’t.” She stood slowly, despite the pain. “Try me.” He didn’t flinch. “You were bitten.” “Yeah. I noticed.” “You’re changing.” Selena stared at him. “Changing into what?” He said nothing. She laughed, but it cracked in her throat. “You’re serious.” “You wouldn’t have made it if I hadn’t bitten you back.” “You—” She took a step back. “You were the second wolf.” “I’m the alpha.” She nearly choked. “Jesus. Is that what you call yourself?” “That’s what I am.” Something deep in her pulsed at his words. Her skin prickled. She gritted her teeth. “I want to go home.” “You don’t have one anymore.” That stopped her cold. “You’re turning. You’re not human anymore. That life—your job, your city, your friends? It’s all gone.” Her breath caught. Her stomach turned. “No. You don’t get to decide that.” “It’s already decided. The moment my teeth hit your skin, everything changed.” Her voice dropped. “Why me?” He paused. Something flickered in his eyes. “You survived,” he said finally. “Most don’t.” Silence stretched. Selena turned toward the fire, away from him, gripping the mantle until her knuckles went white. “You ruined my life,” she whispered. “No,” he said. “I saved it.” Her laugh came sharp and bitter. “Then maybe next time, let me die.” She didn’t see him move. But she felt him—close, heat radiating off him like wildfire. His voice rumbled just behind her. “I couldn’t.” She turned to face him—and everything in her body tensed. His eyes were still glowing, faint and golden. So were hers. She didn’t need a mirror to know. Something ancient had latched onto her bones. Something fierce. And binding. She didn’t want to believe it. But she knew it. They were connected. Marked.