The Blood Moon's light bathed the Hollow in a crimson glow that seeped into every crevice of Aria's new senses. Her heartbeat pulsed in tandem with the mark, every pulse a warning, every pulse a promise. Lucian stood before her, chest rising and falling, golden eyes reflecting the moonlight, and she felt the pull of the bond stronger than ever—tight, magnetic, almost unbearable.
"Tonight," he said, voice low and rough, "we complete what the Hollow began. The bond is not just about survival. It's about trust, control, and life. The ritual will bind us—blood to blood, mark to mark, soul to soul."
Aria swallowed hard, muscles tense. "I'm ready," she whispered. She wasn't sure whether she spoke to him, the mark, or the part of herself that had grown stronger, darker, sharper in the last nights.
Lucian's gaze softened, almost tender. "It's not pain-free," he warned. "The bond will hurt. It will strip you bare and leave you exposed. But it's the only way to survive what comes."
The ritual began in the center of the Hollow, where the stream shimmered like liquid fire. Lucian knelt and drew symbols in the dirt with his claw, forming an intricate circle that glowed faintly silver. He gestured for her to kneel opposite him.
Aria obeyed, heart hammering. The mark on her neck pulsed, silver light spilling through her veins, responding to the ritual, to him, to the Blood Moon above.
"Place your hand over mine," he instructed. Her fingers brushed his, and she felt the rush immediately—electric, raw, wild. The bond throbbed in her chest, and she gasped at the intensity.
"Good," he murmured. "Now drink."
Aria froze. Her instincts screamed both fear and desire. "Drink?"
Lucian tilted his head, exposing a pulse in his wrist. "My blood. Only this way will your mark fully awaken and bind with mine. Only this way will the Hollow recognize you as my mate."
Her pulse spiked. The Hunger flared in her chest, stronger than ever. She had already tasted him, but this—this was different. The ritual demanded surrender. Complete, absolute surrender.
She leaned forward, lips brushing the pulse, tasting the warmth, metallic, intoxicating. The mark flared, silver light racing through her veins, setting every nerve alight. Power, raw and wild, surged through her body.
Lucian's breath hitched. "Good… let it flow through you," he urged. "Do not resist."
Her head swam with sensation. The world narrowed to the sound of blood coursing, heartbeat pounding, silver light pulsing along every vein, every muscle, every nerve. She felt herself changing, blending, merging—her humanity entwining with the beast, her body and soul tied irrevocably to him.
The ritual intensified. Lucian's golden eyes glowed brighter, pupils narrow, teeth bared as the bond deepened. Pain seared through Aria in waves, sharp as knives, but the mark pulsed with equal force, a tether holding her in place, making her stronger, faster, sharper.
She whimpered, half in fear, half in desire. "It hurts…"
"Yes," Lucian whispered, voice low, rough, almost feral. "And that is the point. Pain tests control. Pain proves strength. Pain binds us together. Embrace it, Aria. Only by embracing it will you survive the Blood Moon."
The world shifted again. She felt him inside her, not just in her mind but in her body. The mark glowed brighter, racing through her veins like molten silver. Her instincts screamed, urging her to sink claws into flesh, to tear, to hunt—but she held back. The Hunger demanded violence, but the bond demanded control.
Lucian's hand found hers again, guiding, steadying. "Good. Now let it bind."
A pulse surged from the Hollow itself. The water shimmered violently, reflecting not just the Blood Moon but visions of their pasts—the first moment he had marked her, the first fight with the rogues, the first kill. It all merged into a single stream of power that poured into her chest, into her mind, into her veins.
Aria gasped. Her body trembled, a mixture of agony and ecstasy. She could feel him—the Alpha, the beast, the man—inside her, and herself inside him. Every heartbeat, every pulse, every breath shared between them. She was no longer separate. She was part of him, as he was part of her.
When the pulse receded, the world settled into silence. The mark glowed faintly, steady, alive but calm. Aria's chest heaved. Her claws retracted slowly, and she sank to her knees, exhausted, trembling, alive.
Lucian knelt beside her, golden eyes soft now, watching her with something she could not name—pride, love, longing, hunger—all intertwined. "You survived," he said. "You're bound to me now. Blood to blood, mark to mark, soul to soul. Nothing can undo this."
Her lips quivered. "I… I feel it. Stronger. Him… you… everything inside me. I can feel it all."
He brushed her hair back from her face. "And you will learn to control it. The bond is not just about survival—it's about strength, about power. About us. By the next Blood Moon, the prophecy will demand its toll. But together, we are unstoppable."
Aria's eyes narrowed, her senses alive with the mark, the bond, the power coursing through her. She flexed her claws experimentally. Every movement radiated strength, every breath hummed with raw energy.
"And what if the prophecy is… wrong?" she whispered, voice trembling. "What if I'm meant to destroy you?"
Lucian's gaze softened. "Then I will fight. And if it comes to it… I will die protecting you. But I believe the prophecy chose you for a reason. And now, bound by blood, there is no turning back. We are one."
She looked down at her hands, feeling the pulsing power of the mark. She was no longer human, not fully. Not entirely wolf. She was something in between—deadly, powerful, bound, marked, and utterly tethered to Lucian.
Outside, the Blood Moon continued its climb, a crimson beacon in the sky. And somewhere in the shadows, the world beyond the Hollow began to stir. Rogues, hunters, and wolves alike would feel the mark. They would sense the bond. And they would come.
But inside the Hollow, Aria and Lucian remained, bound by blood, by mark, by power. Together. And whatever the prophecy demanded… they would face it as one.