Marked under the blood moon

Elara's POV 

"What are you doing?"

The words stuck in my throat. I stood frozen in Liam's doorway, hands still trembling. Tonight was supposed to be our night,our first Mating Day. I'd finally told myself I was ready to give in to him, trusted every soft promise he'd ever whispered. I'd pictured rose petals on the bed or maybe a room lit with a dozen candles.

But what I walked in on wasn't even close.

Liam was naked. He looked just how I had always imagined strong, gorgeous, still breathing heavy.

But someone else was there, too.

My younger half-sister, Seraphina, was sprawled out on top of him like she'd just won a contest. She didn't pull away. She didn't look shocked or sorry. The minute she spotted me, she actually smiled. Then she tilted her head, moaned (louder than necessary), and sank her teeth right into Liam's neck.

"Yes... right there," she whispered, making sure I caught every syllable.

Liam let out a groan. He didn't tell her to stop. He grabbed her hips instead, rolled her under him, dug his face into her skin.

The room spun. My stomach twisted so hard I thought I might collapse. The air felt thick smothering.

Finally, Liam glanced up. He noticed me standing there in the shadows.

"Elara," he said, soft but clear.

For just a second, I caught something like guilt flicker across his face. But he didn't move. He didn't cover himself. He didn't push Seraphina away.

"Seraphina and I just found out," and now his voice was cold, as if we were strangers. "We're fated mates."

His words hit harder than a punch every part of me just... cracked.

Fated mates.

On Mating Day, every werewolf over nineteen can smell out their fated mate, plain and simple. You can't ignore the pull. Sometimes one whiff is enough to set everything off. When fated mates finally meet, there's no resisting it. They'll mate, mark each other, and from then on, they're soul-bound for good.

There's only one loophole.

If you make your choice and bite your partner before you ever meet your fated mate, the bond can't touch you. You're safe. That's what Liam and I agreed on. We were supposed to mark each other tonight to save our future. To choose each other.

Tonight. Our first Mating Day.

But I'd never once believed I even had a fated mate. My wolf was always silent.

While everyone else shifted or talked with their wolves, I got nothing. No voice in my head. No answers. There was something buried down in my mind, sure, but the second I tried to explain it to anyone? I became the punchline.

No one laughed harder than Seraphina and her little crowd.

"Wolfless freak."

"What a pathetic human liar."

They said those words to my face, confident I couldn’t fight back without a wolf.

And yet, Liam chose me.

He was the Alpha heir. Strong. Respected. Powerful.

He was the one who stood up for me when the bullies got cruel. He was the one who promised me, over and over, that we belonged together.

Tonight was supposed to be the proof.

Liam was going to mark me. He was going to claim me and keep me safe for the rest of my life. I had nothing else he was the only good thing I had left in this world.

But now, he belonged to Seraphina.

How could the Moon Goddess do this to me?

“You chose Seraphina?” I asked. “After everything she’s done to me?”

My voice shook. A sob burned in my throat, but I refused to cry.

I hated that my hands trembled as I stared into his eyes. The eyes of the man I loved. The man I was ready to give myself to tonight.

I had even worn special lingerie under my coat to make the night perfect.

Now it felt stupid.

Liam looked like he wanted to say something. Regret flickered across his face.

Seraphina wrapped her arm around his neck and pulled him closer to her, smirking at me.

Liam clenched his jaw. “Fated mates make each other stronger, Elara.”

“So I meant nothing to you?” I asked.

The sob escaped before I could stop it.

“El…” Liam began, pulling slightly away from Seraphina and reaching toward me.

Seraphina grabbed his hand and laced her fingers through his, stopping him. Her eyes shone with victory.

“Liam,” she said softly, “Mating Day is when an Alpha heir should be with his fated mate.”

She arched her naked body against him.

Liam swallowed and leaned back down to her neck.

I saw his eyes flash yellow.

When he looked at me again, the man I loved was gone.

Only coldness remained.

“Get lost, human,” his wolf growled.

Tears streamed down my face as I turned and ran.

I didn’t stop until I reached the old forest.

Where could I go?

There was only one place I ever felt safe.

A small, quiet pond hidden deep among the trees.

The water shimmered softly under the moonlight. I sat at the edge and pulled my knees to my chest. The cool moss beneath me felt gentle.

My breathing was heavy. My chest ached as I tried not to cry too loudly.

Slowly, the sounds of the forest surrounded me. Leaves rustling. Wind is moving through the branches.

Then I heard something else.

A distant howl.

My heart jumped.

Rogues.

Tonight was the Full Mating Moon. Unmated wolves were more restless and dangerous on nights like this.

Staying here wasn’t safe.

I wiped my tears with my sleeve and stood up, ready to head back to the pack town.

That was when I smelled it.

The scent was sweet. Deep. Dangerous.

Heat rushed through my body, starting at my spine and spreading everywhere.

My breath caught.

What was happening?

I breathed in again. My body wanted more of that scent. Every part of me ached for it.

Was this… mating heat?

That couldn’t be possible.

My wolf was supposed to be dormant.

Whatever this was, I needed to leave.

I was alone. I had no mate not even a chosen one anymore to help me through this.

I shook my head and started walking, but the scent grew stronger.

It was coming closer.

“Look what we found,” a low voice said from the trees. “A female in heat.”

I spun around.

A tall man stepped into the clearing. His face was rough, covered in stubble.

More men followed him.

They wore worn clothes. Knives and nets hung from their belts.

They smelled dirty and dangerous.

Rogues.

“I…I was just leaving,” I said, my voice shaking.

“If you’re looking for a mate,” the man said, sniffing the air with a grin, “we’ve got plenty who’d be happy to help.”

The others laughed.

They moved behind me, blocking my escape.

“Stay away from me,” I tried to growl.

Another man laughed. “She’s a feisty one.”

One of them lunged forward and grabbed my coat, pulling me back.

Tears filled my eyes as panic set in.

“LEAVE HER ALONE!”

The command cracked through the clearing like thunder.

That intoxicating scent wrapped around me again.