CHAPTER 3: Eclipse Night

The day of the eclipse dragged like time itself was moving through honey.

I woke early out of habit, even though the bakery was closed for the ceremony. The entire pack was taking the night off, something that almost never happened. the elders treat it like something sacred. I spent the morning cleaning my apartment and trying not to think about the evening. Vera had extracted a promise from me, which meant I had to go. But anxiety sat in my stomach like a rock, getting heavier as the sun climbed higher.

Around noon, someone knocked on my door.

I was not expecting visitors, I never had them except Vera. I thought maybe Sienna had come to insult me again. But when I pulled the door open, Elder Morrigan stood there instead. The oldest wolf in Shadowpine Pack, keeper of all our histories. I’d never spoken to her directly in my life.

“You are Lila Crescent.” It was not a question. Her milky eyes seemed to look through me rather than at me, and the air felt heavier with her presence.

“Yes, Elder.” I stepped back automatically. “Would you like to come in?”

She walked past me into my small apartment, moving slowly but with purpose. Her white hair hung past her waist, braided with small bones and silver charms that clicked softly as she moved. Everything about her felt ancient.

“You have your mother's face,” she said, “Elizabeth was a kind woman. Too kind for this world, perhaps.”

My breath caught,no one ever mentioned my mother. “You knew her?

“I know everyone, child. I remember when they died in that storm up north, I remember when you went to the pack home, and I thought that place would break you.”

“It did not break me.” The words came out sharp.

“No. It made you invisible instead. Which is its own kind of breaking.” She moved to my window, looking out at pack territory below. “Do you know why the elders treat tonight's eclipse as sacred?”

I shook my head, too confused to speak.

“Because the last time a lunar eclipse appeared here, something extraordinary happened. A bond formed between two wolves, marked by the moon herself. We call it "Midnight's Mark". It has not appeared in one hundred and twenty-three years. Most think it’s legend, but I saw it when I was young.”

My mouth felt dry. “What kind of bond?”

“The truest kind, a mate bond chosen by the Moon Goddess herself, marked on the skin at the eclipse’s peak. Those who bear it are destined for each other, their souls matched perfectly. Such bonds appear only when the pack needs them most.”

“That is a beautiful story, but why tell me?”

Morrigan smiled gentle and terrifying all at once. “Because tonight, your life will change. Everything you’ve known will be challenged. Be strong enough to accept what the moon offers you.”

My heart hammered against my ribs. “I do not understand.”

“You will.” She paused at the door. “One more thing when the mark appears, do not run from it. Running from destiny never ends well.”

She left before I could respond. I stood frozen, trying to process what had just happened. It was insane, it had to be a mistake. But my hands were shaking so badly I could barely hold onto my table.

Vera arrived at sunset, practically bouncing with excitement.

“You look like you saw a ghost,” she said, taking in my pale face. “What happened?”

I told her everything about Morrigan’s visit and Midnight's Mark. Vera’s eyes widened with every word.

“Holy shit,” she breathed. “The last time that happened, those wolves led us through a terrible famine, saved us all.”

“That was over a hundred years ago. It’s just a story.”

“No way. My grandma used to talk about it all the time.” She jumped up suddenly. “Come on we need to get ready.”

Twenty minutes later, done and ready,

The walk to the ceremonial grounds took fifteen minutes. everyone was excited, warriors in formal leather, elders moving slowly with canes. My anxiety grew with every step

The grounds were on the northern edge of territory, a large clearing surrounded by ancient oaks. Three hundred wolves were already there, with more arriving every minute.

Beta Darius stood next to the Alpha, and even from fifty feet away, his presence was overwhelming. Tall and broad-shouldered in dark tactical gear that looked formal despite itself. His face was all hard angles, He didn’t acknowledge anyone, just stood there like a weapon waiting to be used.

“The moon rises!” someone shouted, and the crowd went quiet.

I looked up as the full silver moon climbed above the trees. A shadow began to creep across its face, slowly swallowing the light.

The eclipse had begun.

The shadow consumed more of the moon with every minute, silver to gray to near black, until only a thin sliver remained. Torches flickered brighter against the darkness, and the temperature dropped sharply. My breath came out in white puffs.

Elder Morrigan’s voice rose above the crowd, chanting in the old language. Other elders joined in, their voices weaving into a sound that made my bones vibrate.

Then the last sliver of moon vanished completely.

Darkness fell, broken only by torchlight. everyone stood silent, staring at the blood-red moon hanging in the sky.

Something inside my chest pulled tight—like a string wound to its limit.

“Lila?” Vera’s voice sounded far away. “Are you okay? You look pale.”

Heat bloomed on the left side of my neck, just below my jaw. Warm to uncomfortable to sharp pain that made me gasp.

“Lila! Your neck is glowing!”

I touched the spot and found raised skin forming a shape I couldn’t make out. The pain spread down my shoulder, and when I looked up, other wolves were staring at me with shocked faces.

“What is happening?” I whispered.

Across the clearing, someone shouted. Wolves backed away from the platform as Beta Darius bent forward, one hand pressed to his neck, exactly the same spot as mine.

“Oh my god,” Vera breathed. “Lila, look at your neck.”

it was a crescent moon.

No. This was not possible.

I looked across the clearing again. Darius had straightened up, his gray eyes scanning the crowd. Our eyes met.

The mate bond snapped into place like a taut rope. I felt him in my chest, my bones, every nerve ending immediate, overwhelming, undeniable.

Beta Darius—the pack’s Second-in-Command, the most powerful unmated wolf in Shadowpine was my fated mate.

And judging by the absolute fury on his face as he stared at me, he was just as horrified as I was.