THE MORNING AFTER THE MARK

I woke up because my neck was itching.

Not hurting anymore — itching, like when a cut heals. The honey paste had dried.

The fur around my neck was stuck a little with blood.

Kael was still holding me. We were still sitting up on Luna bed, grey dress bloody, his bare chest bloody too.

Fire was low.

He was awake, gold eyes open, looking at my neck, not sleeping.

"Does it itch?" he whispered.

"Yes," I said, voice scratchy. "Like ants."

"Good," he said, relieved. "Itching means healing.

Venom working. Human Luna heals slower than wolf, but you heal faster than I thought."

He carefully peeled the fur away. The bite — two deep holes and small teeth crescent — was not bleeding now. It was red, puffy, but closed. Scab forming.

He touched it lightly with one claw tip.

"Mine," he whispered, but soft, not possessive angry. Proud.

I felt it again — his feeling, inside my chest. Pride, huge pride, like he won a war.

"I feel you," I said. "You are proud."

"You feel bond again," he said, gold eyes bright. "Even after sleep. That means bond took. Human and wolf, fully."

He leaned down and licked the edge of the mark, not the center, because center hurt. Wolf tongue, rough but warm, made itch less.

"Kael," I whispered, holding his shoulders, "does it mean I will live 200 years now?"

He stopped licking.

"Yes," he said, quiet. "My venom in you. My life in you. You will not get sick like village humans.

You will be strong. But... but if you hate it later..."

"I don't hate," I said fast. "I want to live 200 years. With you."

He closed eyes, forehead to my forehead. I felt his relief flood my chest too.

Then door knocked — soft but urgent.

Beta Mara. "Alpha? Luna? Healer wants to check mark. And... and Elder Corvin wants to see Alpha. Now. With North letter."

Kael's whole body went stiff. His gold eyes went black in one second. The happy feeling in my chest vanished, replaced by cold anger.

He stood, pulling me behind him, grabbing black shirt from floor, putting it on fast.

"Stay here," he told me. "Don't show mark to anyone until healer says okay."

"But you said pack will bow deeper when they smell your scent on me?" I asked.

"Later," he said, kissing my forehead, not neck. "First I must see what North dogs want. They should not know you marked already. If they know, they will be more angry."

He opened door. Mara was there with healer woman and Elder Corvin holding black wax letter.

Elder Corvin looked past Kael, saw me on bed, grey dress bloody, fur around neck, and sniffed.

His eyes went wide.

"She is marked," he said. "You marked last night, without full Council blessing? Half moon marking, you did?"

"She asked," Kael said, voice low growl. "Clear head, not heat. Council woman blessed. That's enough law."

Elder Corvin held up letter. "Then this is worse. Look."

Kael took letter, broke black wax, read, claws coming out, paper tearing a little.

His jaw tight.

"What?" I asked from bed, hand on itching mark.

Kael didn't want to tell me. But through bond, I felt his fear — not for him, for me.

Mara took letter gently and read aloud, voice shaking:

_"To Stoneclaw Pack, from North Pack Alpha Rorik. We heard you have human Luna with sweet heat. We want her. Humans are rare. Give her to us before full moon, 5 days, and we give you 20 cattle and peace. If not, we come and take her. We have 50 wolves. You have 30 after last winter. Don't be fool."_

Room went quiet. Fire crackled.

Healer woman gasped. "20 cattle for human Luna? Like she is goat?"

Kael crumpled letter, threw it into fire. Black wax melted, stinking.

"She is not goat. She is Luna. Marked. Mine," he growled, gold eyes burning, looking at me, hand on my marked neck feeling. "Rorik wants war. He will get war."

Elder Corvin banged staff. "We cannot fight 50 with 30! Last winter killed many! We need alliance, not war! Maybe... maybe if Luna not marked, we could talk... but now she IS marked, North will be insulted..."

I stood, legs shaking, grey dress bloody, but mark itching, bond making me feel Kael's anger as my own.

"If I am Luna," I said, voice not small now, "then I don't get given for cattle. Right? That's not Luna law?"

Kael looked at me, proud again flooding bond.

"Right," he said. "Luna law — Luna stays with Alpha. No trade."

Mara smiled, even though scared.

Healer checked my mark quickly, put new honey paste, said, "Mark good, Alpha bite perfect for human, not too deep. She can walk tomorrow, but no running."

Elder Corvin left, angry, muttering about war.

Kael barred door again, this time from inside, and pulled me to chest, careful of neck.

"5 days until full moon," he whispered into my hair. "Rorik will come. I must call all wolves, even old ones, even young ones who just shifted. And you... you must stay in Luna room, with Mara. No going outside alone."

"But I want to fight too," I whispered.

"You already fought," he said, touching mark. "You survived marking. That's first fight. Second fight is staying alive while I kill Rorik."

Outside, pack had stopped howling happy.

Now one wolf howled — long, warning howl.

War howl.