The Mark Of The Moon

The silver crescent burned against Aurora’s skin long after the wind had settled.

She stood frozen before the mirror, her chest rising and falling in uneven breaths. The glowing mark beneath her collarbone pulsed softly, almost as though it had a heartbeat of its own.

“This… this can’t be real.”

With trembling fingers, she rubbed at the crescent. It didn’t fade.

Instead, it glowed brighter.

A sudden wave of dizziness hit her.

Fragments of unfamiliar memories flashed through her mind.

A castle bathed in moonlight.

A wolf howling beneath a silver sky.

Crimson eyes staring at her with heartbreaking longing.

Then…

A woman’s gentle voice.

“When the mark appears… your destiny begins.”

Aurora gasped and stumbled backward.

The vision disappeared as quickly as it had come.

Her bedroom returned to normal.

Only the glowing mark remained.

⸻

Hundreds of miles away…

Ravenfall Castle.

The grand hall buzzed with uneasy whispers as Lucien Draven stood before a massive window overlooking the endless forest.

His crimson eyes were fixed on the full moon.

Cassius entered quietly and bowed.

“Your Majesty.”

Without turning around, Lucien asked, “Did every elder feel it?”

“Yes.”

“And?”

“They believe the prophecy has finally begun.”

A faint smile crossed Lucien’s face.

“Not believe.”

He turned slowly.

“They know.”

Cassius hesitated.

“There is another matter.”

Lucien raised an eyebrow.

“The wolves felt it too.”

The room fell silent.

For the first time in centuries, Lucien’s expression hardened.

“So…”

“They have found her.”

⸻

Blackthorn Territory.

Kael Blackthorn shifted into his wolf without a second thought.

His enormous black wolf raced through the forest, weaving effortlessly between towering pines.

Behind him, dozens of wolves followed.

Rowan struggled to keep pace.

“Kael!”

The Alpha didn’t slow.

“I can feel her.”

“She’s outside our territory.”

“I don’t care.”

“The treaty—”

Kael skidded to a stop, his golden eyes blazing as he shifted back into human form.

“The treaty means nothing.”

His voice was low.

“If the vampires reach her first…”

He clenched his fists.

“…I’ll burn their kingdom to the ground.”

⸻

The next morning…

Aurora barely slept.

Dark circles framed her hazel eyes as she pulled a hoodie over her head, making sure the strange crescent mark stayed hidden.

She wasn’t ready to tell anyone.

Not even Selene.

As she stepped outside, something felt…

Different.

People stared.

Not everyone.

Just a few.

An elderly woman smiled knowingly before whispering a prayer.

A stray dog stopped in the middle of the road, lowered its head, and whimpered as Aurora passed.

Even the birds seemed unusually quiet.

“What is going on?” Aurora whispered.

By the time she reached the university, the uneasy feeling had only grown stronger.

She had just entered the library when the lights flickered.

A book crashed to the floor.

Then another.

And another.

Students looked around in confusion.

Aurora’s heart pounded.

One ancient leather-bound book slid across the floor on its own.

It stopped at her feet.

She slowly bent down and picked it up.

Its cover was worn with age, embossed with a silver crescent moon.

The moment she touched it, the pages flipped wildly on their own before stopping on a single illustration.

A woman stood between a vampire and a werewolf, both reaching for her beneath a glowing full moon.

At the bottom of the page were six words.

“The Moon’s Daughter shall choose.”

Aurora’s blood ran cold.

“Impossible…”

“You shouldn’t be reading that.”

A deep voice came from behind her.

Aurora turned.

Standing only a few feet away was the mysterious man she had seen outside the university the day before.

He was even more striking up close. Tall, impeccably dressed in black, with pale skin that seemed untouched by the sun. His crimson eyes held an intensity that made it impossible to look away.

He offered a small, knowing smile.

“My name is Lucien.”

Before Aurora could respond, a powerful crash echoed through the library.

The front doors burst open.

A tall man with messy black hair, golden eyes, and a commanding presence strode inside.

His gaze locked onto Aurora instantly.

Then shifted to Lucien.

The air turned heavy with tension.

The newcomer took one deliberate step forward.

“I found her first.”

Lucien’s smile vanished.

“No, Alpha.”

His voice was calm, but icy.

“You merely arrived second.”

Aurora looked from one stranger to the other, utterly confused.

Neither of them looked away from the other.

Neither of them blinked.

And neither of them had come to leave without her.