Marked by the moon

Chapter 2

The dreams were not her own.

Selena drifted through a forest soaked in silver moonlight, the trees humming with ancient secrets. Wind rushed past her ears—not like air, but like voices. She could almost understand them. Almost. They whispered her name, over and over, like a summons.

“Selena…”

She turned.

The golden-eyed wolf stood just beyond the trees.

Not snarling.

Waiting.

She reached out.

And woke up choking on her breath.

The room was dark again. The fire was out. But she wasn’t cold. She was burning—inside out. Her skin itched, her muscles ached like they were trying to reshape themselves. She sat up, drenched in sweat, and clutched her shoulder where the bite still throbbed beneath the bandages.

The heat inside her was getting worse. It wasn’t just physical. It was need. Hunger. Her senses were sharper than before—she could hear the crackle of ash under the hearth, the creak of the old beams above her. The way her heart beat too hard, too fast, like it was chasing something.

Then the door opened.

Selena whipped her head around, ready to fight.

But it wasn’t Rafe.

This man was taller, leaner, with midnight curls tied back loosely, a scar running down his left cheek like a faded memory. His eyes were cool, clever, and just a little amused. He leaned casually against the doorframe like he owned the whole damn forest.

“Easy,” he said, raising a hand. “I’m not here to rip your throat out. Swear.”

“Convincing,” she rasped. “Who the hell are you?”

“Micah Vale. I’m the Beta. Rafe’s second-in-command.”

Beta. Alpha. She still wasn’t used to the lingo, and she hated that the words settled into her brain like they belonged.

She didn’t respond. Just stared, tense and waiting.

Micah pushed off the frame and came closer, glancing around the room. “Comfortable, isn’t it? It’s a former hunter’s cabin. We fixed it up after we took the territory back.”

“We?”

“The Nyx Pack. You’re standing—well, sitting—in our land now.”

Selena narrowed her eyes. “And I’m your what? Prisoner?”

He gave a faint shrug. “Guest. Kind of. You’re still alive, aren’t you?”

“Barely.”

He nodded. “Yeah. That part’s rough.”

Selena clutched the throw blanket tighter around her. “Why am I here?”

Micah studied her. “Because you were bitten. Because Rafe made the call to save you. Because if he hadn’t, you’d be buried in pieces right now.”

“I didn’t ask him to save me.”

“You don’t get asked,” Micah said, no humor in his tone now. “You either survive the bite, or you don’t. The fact that you’re still breathing means something.”

She hissed. “You sound like him.”

He smirked. “I’ve known Rafe since we were kids. If I ever sound like him, shoot me.”

Selena’s heart slowed a little. Micah wasn’t threatening, not exactly. But he was still dangerous. Just… smoother about it.

“Is there a way to undo it?” she asked quietly. “This change?”

Micah’s expression turned unreadable. “No.”

Her stomach dropped.

“You’re one of us now,” he said. “Whether you like it or not.”

She turned away from him, teeth grinding.

“You’ll shift for the first time soon,” Micah continued. “And when you do, it’ll hurt like hell. Every bone in your body will break and remake itself. You’ll think you’re dying. But you won’t.”

“Encouraging.”

He tilted his head. “Most wolves are born into the blood. Shifting comes natural to them. But bitten wolves? It’s different. Harder and angrier.”

“Why?”

Micah smiled darkly. “Because the wild in you was forced to wake up.”

Selena’s jaw clenched. “Then maybe I’ll fight it.”

He looked amused again. “You can try. But once the moon calls, your body won’t listen to you anymore.”

She didn’t answer.

Micah stepped back toward the door. “Rest while you can. When the alpha gets back, things won’t be quiet.”

********

He was right.

It was late evening when Rafe returned.

Selena knew it before the door even opened. She felt him approaching like a shift in the air. Her pulse picked up, her skin buzzing in warning—or more like in anticipation.

She hated that she couldn’t tell the difference.

He walked in silently, like he didn’t need introductions or explanations. His black shirt was damp with rain and sweat. Dirt stained his boots. His scent hit her first—pine and smoke and something raw underneath. He didn’t even look at her right away. Just moved to the fireplace and stirred the ashes.

“Don’t ignore me,” she snapped.

He looked up slowly, eyes dark gold in the low light. “You should be resting.”

“I want answers.”

“I gave you answers.”

“Bullshit answers,” she shouted. “Why me? Why save me? What the hell is happening to me?”

He stood, taller than she remembered, broader. “You were bitten. I completed the bond before the venom killed you.”

“Why me?”

His jaw clenched. He didn’t answer.

“I’m not your problem,” she whispered. “I don’t belong here.”

“You do now.”

“No,” she said, stepping back. “You made me this.”

“I saved you.”

Selena laughed bitterly. “You saved me for what? To be your little pet? Your mate?”

Something flickered in his eyes. She didn’t like how it made her stomach flip.

“You’re not my mate,” he said slowly. “Not yet.”

Her breath caught.

“But the mark binds us. That means you’re under my protection. Whether you like it or not.”

Her throat tightened. “I didn’t ask for that.”

“I didn’t ask to find you in the woods half-dead, either. But here we are.”

Their gazes locked, tension crackling like a live wire between them.

Finally, Selena turned away. “I want to leave.”

“You can’t.”

“You’re not keeping me here.”

“I’m not the one keeping you. The moon is.”

She turned sharply. “Stop talking in riddles.”

Rafe stepped closer, his voice low. “You’re changing, Selena. And if you walk out of here before your first shift, the wild will tear you apart.”

“Then let it.”

He grabbed her arm—not rough, but firm enough to freeze her in place.

“You think this is just about you?” he said through clenched teeth. “You think this is a fluke?”

She yanked her arm free. “Isn’t it?”

Rafe exhaled. Then, softly, “There’s a prophecy.”

Selena stilled.

He continued, voice quiet. “Our seer saw it before the eclipse. A woman. Bitten by an alpha. Marked by the moon. Fated to either doom our pack… or save it.”

She laughed. It sounded hollow. “No. No. I’m not—”

“You are.”

“I’m not anyone’s fate.”

“Neither was I. Until I became alpha.”

The words hung between them like smoke.

“I don’t believe in fate,” she said finally.

“Believe in survival, then.”

She stared at him. “Why do you care if I survive?”

Rafe didn’t answer.

Instead, he looked at her shoulder—where his bite was. Where the mark glowed faintly beneath her skin like a brand.

“You’re not ready to hear the real answer yet.”

She hated how much that answer scared her.

And how much she wanted it.

********

That night, the pain came again.

Worse than before.

Selena curled into herself, every muscle burning, her skin too tight, her bones screaming to shift. She tried to stifle her cries, but they ripped from her throat anyway.

Then she felt it—through the pain, through the fire—him.

Rafe.

She knew the second he entered the room. She didn’t see him.

She just felt him.

His presence hit her like a tide, steady and grounding. And without a word, he dropped to the floor beside her, pulled her into his arms, and held her through the storm.

She should’ve fought.

She didn’t.

Because part of her knew—without logic, without reason—that only he could keep her from falling apart completely.

And part of her didn’t want to fight it anymore.