Chapter 6: The Royal Moon Mark

The silver light pulsed beneath Lyra’s wrist.

Once.

Twice.

Then it spread across her skin like glowing veins before disappearing beneath the sleeve of her torn dress.

Silence settled over the forest.

The mysterious stranger’s golden eyes remained fixed on her wrist.

His usually calm expression was replaced with unmistakable shock.

“No…” he whispered. “This shouldn’t be possible.”

Lyra quickly pulled her sleeve down.

“What are you talking about?”

The stranger didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he stood and walked a few steps away, running a hand through his dark hair.

“The Royal Moon Mark…”

He had spent years searching for it.

According to ancient legends, the mark belonged only to the true heir chosen by the Moon Goddess herself.

Its owner would one day unite the fractured kingdoms… or plunge them into war.

And now…

It had appeared on a young woman who believed she was nothing more than a human servant.

The stranger took a slow breath before turning back to her.

“You’ve never seen that mark before?”

Lyra frowned.

“What mark?”

“The one that just appeared on your wrist.”

She looked down at her arm and pushed her sleeve up.

There was nothing there.

Only pale skin covered with tiny scratches from the forest.

“I think you hit your head harder than I did,” she said quietly.

“I don’t have any mark.”

The stranger stared in disbelief.

Only I can see it…

His heart skipped a beat.

The old stories were true.

The Royal Moon Mark remained invisible to everyone except those born of royal Lycan blood.

He kept that thought to himself.

“Perhaps…” he said calmly, “I imagined it.”

Lyra didn’t look convinced, but she let the matter drop.

Far away, inside the Blackwood Alpha Manor…

Karl Blackwood hadn’t slept.

He stood in front of the fireplace, staring into the flames.

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Lyra’s face.

The hurt.

The tears.

The disappointment.

His wolf paced restlessly inside him.

Go to her.

Karl clenched his fists.

“She left.”

Because of you.

“I did what any Alpha would do.”

His wolf snarled.

No. You did what a coward would do.

Karl’s chest tightened painfully.

Before he could respond, a sharp knock echoed through his office.

“Enter.”

Beta Damien stepped inside.

His expression was grim.

“Our patrols searched all night.”

Karl looked up.

“And?”

“No sign of Lyra.”

Karl’s jaw tightened.

“What about rogue tracks?”

“They vanished near the western border.”

Damien hesitated before adding,

“It’s as though someone erased them.”

Karl’s silver eyes narrowed.

“Someone helped her.”

“It appears so.”

For reasons he couldn’t explain…

Relief washed over him.

At least she was alive.

Elsewhere…

Inside the Blackwood Manor’s east wing…

Selena Ashcroft stood before a large mirror while her personal maid brushed her long black hair.

The smile on her lips slowly disappeared.

“So…”

She murmured.

“She survived.”

The maid froze.

“My Lady?”

Selena picked up a silver necklace from the vanity table.

“I told them she wasn’t to survive the night.”

The maid’s face turned pale.

“You mean…”

Selena’s emerald eyes hardened.

“The rogues failed.”

She crushed the necklace in her hand until the chain snapped.

“Useless fools.”

The maid lowered her head, trembling.

“My Lady… if the Alpha discovers”

“He won’t.”

Selena smiled again.

A cold…

Cruel smile.

“Karl believes the attack was random.”

“He’ll never suspect the woman standing beside him.”

She walked to the window, watching the rain fall over Blackwood territory.

“But next time…”

“There will be no mistakes.”

Back in the forest…

The mysterious stranger had built a small fire.

Orange flames danced between the logs, warming the cold night air.

Lyra sat quietly across from him, holding the cup of warm herbal tea he had prepared.

“You should drink,” he said.

“It’ll help with the shock.”

She hesitated before taking a sip.

The warmth spread through her body almost instantly.

“…Thank you.”

“It was nothing.”

For the first time since they met, the stranger smiled.

It wasn’t arrogant.

Or forced.

It was gentle.

“You don’t trust people easily.”

Lyra let out a soft, humorless laugh.

“Can you blame me?”

“No.”

His answer came without hesitation.

“I can’t.”

She looked into the fire.

“I lost my parents.”

“I don’t know who killed them.”

“I grew up believing the Blackwood Pack saved me.”

She paused, swallowing the lump in her throat.

“But now…”

“I don’t even know where I belong.”

The stranger remained silent for a moment.

Then he spoke.

“Sometimes…”

“The family you’re born into isn’t the one you’re meant to find.”

Lyra looked at him.

“And what about you?”

He smiled faintly.

“I’ve spent most of my life searching for someone.”

Her curiosity flickered.

“Did you find them?”

His golden eyes met hers across the fire.

“Yes.”

He didn’t say another word.

But deep inside…

He already knew.

The woman sitting across from him

The rejected human servant

Was the one fate had led him to.

And this time…

He wouldn’t let anyone take her away.