Bound To Kill My Mate: The Tattooed Luna

Lois's POV:

“Mr and Mrs Thornhart, please.” Vera pleaded, her fingers clasped tightly together as she stood by the wooden threshold of our cabin. “She’s almost eighteen. She deserves to see it at least once.”

Rochelle crossed his arms and stared at Vera with thinly veiled suspicion. “You know how the village gets when they see her. She’s not safe there.”

“But I’ll be with her.” Vera insisted, her voice trembling just slightly, the way it did when she knew she was winning. “I swear, on the Moon herself, I won’t let anything happen to her. She’s my best friend.”

Michelle, ever the gentle one, glanced toward me with softened eyes. “Lois, do you want to go?”

I stood silently behind the kitchen counter, fingers resting against the worn wooden edge. Want was a strange word. Did I want to be gawked at? Hissed at? Laughed at? No. But did I want to be locked away in this house forever? Also no.

I gave a faint nod.

Rochelle let out a grunt. “Moon help us.”

With that, Vera pulled me into my room and thrust a dress into my arms. “I had this made just for you,” She said.

The dress was cream-colored with soft lace along the sleeves, nothing too fancy, but on me, it felt like an enchanted robe.

Vera had brought it from one of the nearby cities, swearing it was made for me the moment she saw it. I slipped into it quickly, pulling my thick black curls into a bun while she braided a moonstone necklace around my neck.

“You look beautiful.” She whispered as we walked down the narrow forest path to the ceremony grounds. “You look like you belong.” She always said that. And yet, I never truly did.

The village square was lit with golden lanterns that swayed with the night breeze. Stalls lined the path, filled with sweet bread, silver trinkets, and colorful fabrics. Young women wore silks that shimmered like water. Young men stood tall and broad-shouldered, eyes scanning for their fate. And me? I tried to blend into the shadows behind Vera’s glowing figure.

Then he appeared.

Vera froze mid-step. Her eyes widened, her mouth parted, and a slow, trembling smile touched her lips.

“I found him,” She breathed. “Oh my Goddess... Lois, I found him.”

He was tall with a thick mane of dark brown hair tied at the nape. His jaw was strong, but it was his eyes—burnished gold, steady and soft-that—told you this man was hers. Her Mate.

He stepped forward, gaze locked on her. “Can we talk?” He asked.

Vera glanced at me, hesitation flickering across her face. “I can’t just leave her…”

“Go.” I signed with my fingers, smiling slightly. “I’ll be okay.”

She looked uncertain.

“I’ll stay near the vendors,” I added aloud, my voice faint but clear enough. “Promise.”

After a lingering hug, she walked off with him, her fingers brushing mine for strength.

I tried to enjoy the stalls. I really did. I even reached for a piece of honey bread. But that’s when they surrounded me.

“Well, if it isn’t the cursed mutt.” Sneered Lyra, the baker’s daughter.

“I didn’t know today was for freaks too.” Chimed in Carina, flipping her golden braid over her shoulder. “Thought they locked you up in the woods.”

“Or maybe they let you out for laughs.” Said another, one I didn’t know. “To show off the creature everyone’s been whispering about.”

I turned, ready to walk away, but Lyra stepped into my path. “You think just because you wear a dress and braid your hair, you’re one of us?”

“She’s useless, remember?” Carina said with a laugh. “Probably can’t think either.”

“She’s cursed.” Lyra hissed, eyes narrowing. “Everyone knows it. You shifted too early, have those creepy eyes at night, and don’t even look like the rest of us. What even are you?”

My fists clenched at my side. My throat burned with the words I didn’t say. And even if I could scream at them, they’d never hear me.

So I ran.

I darted through the trees, branches scratched my skin, and the voices behind me faded into the night.

But I didn’t stop until the forest swallowed the sounds of the festival. And until I reached the lake—the one hidden deep within the woods, where the water mirrored the moon and no one could see me.

This place always felt safe.

I sank onto a patch of grass, curled my knees to my chest, and looked into the water.

Michelle and Rochelle found me when I was still a baby and had no name, just the tattoo that stretched from my back, down to my arms.

Rochelle screamed when he saw it, calling me a bad omen. But Michelle had wrapped me in her cloak and whispered, “You’re a gift.”

They had been married for ten years by then but still couldn’t have children. So when Michelle found the me, she saw it as a gift—especially after years of being ridiculed for her childlessness.

And as I grew, strange things happened. At night, the forest would call me. I’d stand by the door, eyes black as pitch, unable to resist. But Michelle would sing—soft lullabies that lulled the call of the wild inside me.

When I was fourteen, I shifted for the first time—under a blood moon. The villagers had never seen a child shift so young, and it terrified them. They pushed us deeper into the forest and stopped associating with Michelle and Rochelle too, just for being close to me.

Now, I sat here again, trying not to cry.

That’s when I smelled it.

An earthy, woodsy, and warm scent.

I stood, drawn deeper into the trees, until I saw him.

He sat beneath a tree, reading a book in the moonlight. His hair was a mess of soft curls, and his brows furrowed as he flipped the page. He didn’t sense me at first. But then he looked up.

And everything changed.

Our eyes locked, the air thickened, my heart stopped, and then thudded violently. His scent filled my lungs and heat spread through my body like wildfire.

‘Mate!’ My wolf whispered.

As my eyes widened, his expression flickered with shock. Then—

Disgust.

“You?” He said, standing abruptly. “No.”

I stumbled back. “You’re my—”

“No.” He repeated sharply. “This is a mistake.”

Before I could ask more, he grabbed my wrist. “We’re going back.”

I didn’t understand. Weren’t Mates supposed to be a blessing?

Holding my hand tightly, he dragged me out of the forest. And no matter how hard I tried to struggle, his grip remained firm.

When we emerged from the trees, the villagers turned. Their eyes widened as gasps echoed.

My eyes also widened as I recognized who he was.

Samuel, the son of the merchant lord. I recognized him from the painting in Vera’s house. He was specifically invited to this ceremony with the hopes that he would take an interest in a beautiful girl and then be moved to help build academies, Clinics, and more stores for Hellbound Village.

Everyone in Hellbound Village prayed that he would take an interest in Vera because she was the Village Head's daughter.

Instead, he was mated to me, the cursed girl.

He raised his hand. “Everyone, I have something to say.”

My chest tightened.

“I spent the evening hearing stories about a cursed girl. One who transforms into a beast under moonlight, one who brings misfortune wherever she goes. I thought it was nonsense.”

A pause. I wanted to vanish.

“But then I went into the woods... and she found me.”

Eyes locked on me, some were horrified and others delighted.

“She’s my Mate.” He said coldly. “But I want nothing to do with her.”

Silence.

“In front of everyone, I want to make it clear that I will have nothing to do with a cursed girl.” He said clearly.

“What?” I demanded, with teary eyes.

And he replied. "I reject you, cursed one. I want nothing to do with a girl like you.”

They say the Moon Goddess never makes mistakes. But tonight, under her silver gaze, I wonder if even goddesses can be cruel.