MOONBOUND HEARTS
Chapter Four — The Beast Within
By chizzy
Cold air bit at Mara's face when she woke. The forest was quiet except for the whisper of branches. She was lying on damp moss, her wrist still burning where the mark glowed faintly through her skin.
For a moment, she thought she was alone. Then a rustle came from behind her.
"Mara."
Luca's voice was rough, almost broken. He stepped out from the shadows, his shirt torn, his breathing uneven. His eyes no longer glowed, but there was something wild in them that hadn't been there before.
"You shouldn't have followed," he said.
"What happened?" she asked. "That thing—what was it?"
He glanced toward the deeper forest. "One of us. Or what's left of us. The moon draws them out before the change."
"The change," she repeated, her voice trembling.
He nodded. "Three nights from now, the Blood Moon rises. It wakes what's buried in our blood. The thing you saw was a wolf that lost its mind to it."
Mara pushed herself up slowly. "And me?"
"You still have time. But you need to leave before the moon finds you again."
She looked down at her wrist. The light under her skin pulsed with every heartbeat. "I can't just walk away, Luca. You said the forest remembers. If that's true, then it already knows me."
Luca didn't answer. He looked torn, as if fighting something inside himself. Then he said quietly, "There's another way—but it's dangerous. If you face the Alpha before the moon rises, you might break the bond."
"The Alpha?"
"The first wolf. The one who made the pact centuries ago. He guards the old ruins beyond the ridge."
She stared at him, unsure whether to believe him or not. "And you'll help me find him?"
His expression hardened. "I'll get you there. After that, you're on your own."
The wind carried a distant howl, low and mournful. Luca's head turned sharply toward it.
"They've found your scent," he said. "We have to move."
He pulled her to her feet, and together they ran through the forest, the mist curling around them like ghostly fingers. Behind them, the howls multiplied—closer now, echoing off the trees.
As they reached the ridge, Mara risked a glance back. Shadows moved between the trunks, too fast, too many.
"Luca," she gasped, "they're following!"
"I know."
He stopped abruptly at a break in the cliff. Below, the forest fell away into darkness. "Jump," he said.
"What?"
"There's water beneath. Trust me."
The pack's howls were nearly on top of them now. Without another word, Mara took a breath and leapt.
Cold water swallowed her whole. For a heartbeat she thought she was sinking forever—then strong hands pulled her upward. They surfaced together in a hidden pool surrounded by stone walls.
"This way," Luca said, pushing through a narrow cave opening.
The howls faded behind them, replaced by the steady drip of water and the echo of their own breathing.
Somewhere in the dark, something ancient stirred again.
And for the first time, Mara realized the forest didn't just hold monsters—it was one.
To be continued...