Luna's boots sank into the muddy trail leading back to her pack's territory, the forest air heavy with the scent of rain and pine. Her collarbone burned where the blood moon mark sat, a crescent scar that hadn't stopped humming since she'd left Elijah's loft an hour ago. His words echoed in her head: "It ties you to me, whether we like it or not." She clenched her fists, nails biting into her palms. She didn't do well. Not to her pack, her alpha, Kael, and sure as hell not to a vampire with eyes that saw too much. But that vision—the blood moon, the chanting, the blade—had shaken her. And the Silver Veil's arrow, carved with "forbidden bond," wasn't something she could ignore. She needed answers, and she needed them now.
The pack's camp loomed ahead, a cluster of cabins hidden in the forest's heart. Luna's senses sharpened—wolf instincts kicking in, catching the musk of her kin and the faint tang of smoke from a bonfire. She'd grown up here, trained here, fought for her place. But the mark made her feel like an outsider, a traitor hiding in plain sight. She slipped into her cabin, grabbing a leather satchel, her mind racing. Elijah had mentioned a vampire relic, a pendant tied to the prophecy. If anyone could connect it to werewolf lore, it was Mara, the pack's elder and Luna's mentor since she was a pup. Mara's cabin was a mile out, private and safe. But bringing Elijah? That was a risk she didn't want to take—yet she had no choice.
She found him waiting at the city's edge, his black coat blending with the shadows of an alley. His presence hit her like a gust of wind, all ash and leather and that faint, maddening heartbeat syncing with her own through the mark. "You're late," he said, his voice low, eyes scanning her like he could see the storm inside her.
"You're lucky I'm here at all," Luna shot back, her tone sharp. "This relic of yours better be worth it, bloodsucker." She didn't wait for his reply, striding toward the forest, forcing him to keep up. His speed was effortless, a vampire's grace that irritated her as much as it intrigued her. The mark pulsed, and she caught a flicker of his tension—nerves, maybe, or something deeper. She hated how it made her want to know more.
Mara's cabin was a weathered thing, its walls carved with protective runes that glowed faintly under the moon. Luna knocked, her heart pounding as the door creaked open. Mara stood there, her silver hair braided, her eyes sharp despite her age. "Luna," she said, then froze, spotting Elijah. "You brought a vampire?"
"He's with me," Luna said, stepping forward, her voice firm. "We need your help, Mara. Something's happening to me." She pulled her jacket aside, revealing the crescent mark. It glowed faintly, reacting to Elijah's proximity. Mara's breath caught, and she ushered them inside, locking the door.
The cabin smelled of herbs and old books, shelves stuffed with scrolls and talismans. Elijah set a small, tarnished pendant on the table, its surface etched with a moon and crossed fangs. "This is tied to the blood moon prophecy," he said, his voice tight. "It's been in my clan for centuries."
Mara's eyes narrowed, tracing the pendant's lines. "This is old magic, older than both your kinds." She looked at Luna, her gaze heavy. "Your mark—it's not just a scar. It's a bridge. Between wolf and vampire, life and death." She reached for a dusty tome, flipping to a page with a crude drawing of a blood moon and two figures, one clawed, one fanged. "The prophecy says a marked pair could unite the species—or burn them to ash."
Luna's stomach twisted. "So what, I'm some chosen one?" Her voice was sharp, but the mark burned, and she felt Elijah's gaze like a weight. Before Mara could answer, Luna reached for the pendant, needing to know. The moment her fingers brushed it, the world dissolved.
She was standing under a blood-red moon, the air thick with chants. A woman with her face held the pendant, her eyes locked on a vampire who looked like Elijah. They stood in a circle of wolves and vampires, hands joined, but a blade flashed, blood spilt, and the circle broke. Pain seared Luna's chest, not hers but his—Elijah's ancestor, betrayed. She gasped, back in the cabin, the pendant hot in her hand. Elijah was staring, his eyes wide, as if he'd seen it too.
"You felt it," he said, not a question. His voice was raw, and the mark let her taste his fear—sharp, ancient, personal.
Mara grabbed Luna's arm. "The mark's waking. It'll make you stronger, faster, but it'll also make you a target. The Silver Veil—they'll kill you both to stop this."
As if summoned, a crash shattered the silence. A silver arrow punched through the window, embedding in the wall. Luna dove, pulling Mara down as Elijah blurred to the door. "They're here," he growled, fangs glinting. Luna's claws extended, her wolf roaring to life. She glanced at Mara. "Stay low."
"No," Mara snapped, grabbing a runed dagger. "I'm old, not useless." Luna grinned despite herself, then charged outside with Elijah.
Three hunters waited, cloaked in black, their silver blades gleaming. The mark hummed, syncing Luna's movements with Elijah's. She ducked a blade, slashing a hunter's arm, while Elijah disarmed another with a flick of his wrist. The third aimed a crossbow at Luna, but she felt Elijah's warning through the mark, rolling aside as the bolt grazed her shoulder. Pain flared, but she tackled the hunter, pinning him. Elijah snapped the crossbow in half, his eyes blazing red.
They stood, panting, the hunters down but alive. Luna's shoulder bled, silver burning her blood, but she ignored it, turning to Elijah. "This mark—it's making us fight like we're one." Her voice was steady, but inside, she was rattled. She didn't want to need him.
"It's more than that," Elijah said, stepping closer. "That's why they want us dead."
Mara emerged, her face grim. "Luna, the mark chooses, but you decide its path. Hide it from the pack, or they'll turn on you."
Luna nodded, her jaw tight. She looked at Elijah, the pendant still warm in her hand. "We're finding out what this prophecy really means. Together. But I'm leading."
Elijah's lips twitched, almost a smile. "Wouldn't have it any other way."
As they slipped into the forest, the mark pulsed, tying her to him, to the fight, to a future she wasn't ready to face. But Luna didn't back down—not from hunters, not from vampires, and not from herself.