The morning after the ritual, Selene woke with a dull ache between her thighs and a strange fire still smoldering in her blood. Her lips were bruised. Her skin buzzed with phantom touches. She touched the spot above her heart—where the faint, glowing crescent moon had shimmered the night before.
But now, it was gone.
A dream?
She shook her head.
No. Not a dream. She could still smell him on her skin—smoke, pine, and something darker. And her body remembered everything. Kael's mouth, his hands, the way he had worshipped her and claimed her in front of the entire pack.
She didn't know the rules of this world she was being pulled into, but something inside her had already decided.
She wouldn't fight it.
---
Kael paced.
The earth trembled under his boots as he moved through the sacred cave beneath the mountains. His blood was fire. His wolf restless. He had gone too far. Touched her. Claimed her. And worse—marked her.
His mate.
Selene.
The mating mark had burned itself into her skin during the ritual. A crescent moon, pulsing in time with her heart. It would fade from sight… but not from their bond. She was tied to him now. Her scent had changed. Her energy… his.
And that meant one thing.
If another wolf caught her scent, they'd know she was claimed.
And they'd test him.
Or worse—try to take her.
---
Selene wandered into town that afternoon, and something was different.
People watched her. Too long. Too curious. Especially the women.
Especially Lira.
The she-wolf approached with the grace of a serpent, her silver braid gleaming like a blade against her black leather. Her ice-blue eyes raked over Selene with contempt.
"So," Lira said, voice like velvet laced with venom. "You're the one."
Selene straightened. "Excuse me?"
"The one who's stirred our Alpha's... primal side."
"I'm not trying to—"
"Oh, but you already have," Lira interrupted, stepping closer. "You've been marked."
Selene's heart stopped.
Lira smirked. "You didn't know?"
She circled Selene like a predator. "That glowing little crescent wasn't some sweet little hickey. It was a claim. You're bonded to him now. His scent is on you. In you."
Selene's stomach flipped.
Lira leaned in. "He might have touched you. But you'll never truly be one of us."
Selene held her ground. "Then why are you so afraid of me?"
Lira's smile vanished.
Before she could strike with words—or claws—Kael appeared.
He was fury in motion. "Back off, Lira."
Lira turned slowly, her voice suddenly laced with false sweetness. "Just making introductions."
Kael stepped in front of Selene, his arm shielding her. "Try it again and I'll tear your tongue out."
Selene flinched. Not from fear. From the rage vibrating off his skin.
Lira bowed mockingly and slipped away into the mist.
Kael turned to her. "Are you hurt?"
"No," she said quietly. "But… what did she mean?"
He looked at her. A long, searching gaze.
Then he took her hand and led her into the woods.
---
They reached a quiet glade, where the light filtered through the trees in soft shafts. He stopped, turned, and spoke:
"You were marked."
Selene's breath caught. "By you."
"Yes. During the ritual. I didn't mean to—it's instinct. When a wolf finds his mate, the mark happens the first time we… touch with intention."
Her face flushed. "You mean—"
"The way I touched you. The desire. The connection. I should've stopped it."
"But you didn't."
"No," he whispered. "Because I've waited my whole life to feel that bond. And when I kissed you, I knew. You're mine."
Selene stared at him, heart hammering. "Then what does it mean for me?"
"It means you're part of me now. It means you'll start to feel things. Hear me. Sense me. Need me. And it means…" He stepped closer. "You'll never be safe again."
Her throat tightened. "Why?"
"Because others will want to break the bond. To test it. To take you from me. To prove I'm not strong enough to keep what's mine."
He reached out, brushing her jaw.
"But I am."
Selene leaned into his touch. "Kael…"
He growled low and pulled her against him. Their lips met again, softer this time—but no less urgent. His tongue tasted hers, slow and claiming. Her hands gripped his shirt, pulling him closer.
Then he broke away. "If we go any further, I won't stop."
She whispered, "Then don't."
---
They fell into the grass, lips colliding, limbs tangled. He kissed her neck, her collarbone, dragging her dress up with one hand while the other anchored her to the earth.
She moaned softly when his fingers slid beneath her lace, stroking her until her thighs trembled.
But before he could fully take her, he stopped. Breathing hard.
"No," he whispered. "Not here. Not like this. You deserve more than a hurried claiming in the woods."
She looked at him, lips swollen, chest rising. "But I want you."
His voice was strained. "And I want to make you mine the right way."
Selene nodded slowly, biting her lip.
But deep down, she already was.
---
That night, as she lay alone again, Selene felt it: a deep, invisible thread between her and Kael. It pulsed with every beat of her heart, tugging her closer to a world she hadn't asked for.
But now, she was part of it.
---