The Mark

Chapter 9

Eleanor barely slept that night. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the forest again. The river. The moonlight. And Ethan. She kept telling herself that the strange connection between them meant nothing. It had to be some instinctive reaction caused by her newly awakened wolf. Nothing more. There was no other explanation.

Yet the silver crescent beneath her sleeve refused to let her forget. She sat on the edge of her bed, staring at it. The mark had appeared after Ethan disappeared into the forest. It wasn't painful, but it carried a faint warmth that seemed to pulse beneath her skin whenever she thought about him. That was what frightened her most. Eleanor covered it with her palm. The warmth immediately intensified. She pulled her hand away. "What are you?" There was no answer. Only silence.

Her bedroom door opened suddenly. Eleanor quickly pulled her sleeve down. Her mother stood in the doorway. "You are awake." It wasn't a question. Eleanor forced a small smile. "I couldn't sleep." Her mother's eyes narrowed slightly. "Your father said you went running last night." Eleanor's heart skipped. "He did?" "He noticed your absence." "I just needed some fresh air." "At midnight?" Eleanor looked away. Her mother walked into the room and closed the door behind her. "You're eighteen now, Eleanor. I know you want independence." She sat beside her. "But there are things you don't understand yet." Eleanor swallowed. "Like what?" Her mother studied her face. "The mark." Eleanor froze. "What mark?" Her mother's expression changed. "You don't have to pretend with me."

Eleanor slowly pulled her sleeve upward. The silver crescent was still there. Her mother stared at it. For several seconds, she said nothing. Then she reached for Eleanor's wrist. Her fingers barely touched the mark before she pulled away. "Where did you get this?" "I don't know." "Think." "I woke up and it was there." Her mother stood immediately. "Who were you with?" "No one." "Eleanor." "I was alone." It wasn't completely true. Her mother seemed to know that. "Did you go anywhere near the Chattahoochee?" Eleanor hesitated. That was enough. Her mother's face went pale. "You went into neutral territory." "I only went running." "Alone?" "Yes." Her mother turned toward the window. "This cannot be happening." "What can't?" She didn't answer. Eleanor stood. "Mom." Her mother finally looked at her. "Have you ever heard of a silver mark?" The question seemed to hit her mother harder than anything else. "Where did you hear that?" "I haven't." "Then why are you asking?" "Because of this." Eleanor pointed to her wrist. Her mother looked away. "There are stories." "What kind of stories?" "Old ones." "About what?" Her mother hesitated. "Connections between wolves."

Eleanor's heartbeat quickened. "What kind of connections?" "Your father will explain." "Why can't you?" "Because I don't know how much of the old history he has told you." Eleanor frowned. "What history?" Before her mother could answer, footsteps sounded downstairs. Her mother immediately straightened. "Your father." A moment later, Julian Vale entered the room. His expression was calm. Until he noticed Eleanor's wrist. His entire face hardened. "Who?" Eleanor stared at him. "Who what?" "Who did this?" "No one." "That's impossible." Julian walked closer. He examined the mark without touching it. His jaw tightened. "Your mother?" "I've told her nothing." "Then you need to tell me." Eleanor crossed her arms. "I don't know what happened." Julian's eyes remained fixed on the mark. "Did you shift last night?" "Yes." "Where?" "Near the river." His expression darkened. "Who was there?" Eleanor knew she couldn't lie convincingly. So she told him. "Ethan." The room became completely silent. Her father's expression changed. Not anger. Something worse. Fear. "How close?" Eleanor frowned. "What?" "How close were you to him?" "Why does that matter?" Julian looked at her mother. Neither of them spoke. Eleanor's suspicion grew. "You know something." Julian turned back toward her. "You are not to see Ethan Blackthorne again." "Dad—" "I mean it." "You haven't even told me why." "Because you don't understand what you're dealing with." "Then explain it." He remained silent. "Dad." Finally, he spoke. "The silver mark is not ordinary."

Eleanor looked down at her wrist. "What does it mean?" Her father sighed. "It means your wolf has recognized something." "Recognized what?" Julian's eyes met hers. "Another wolf." Eleanor's stomach tightened. "That's it?" "No." His voice became quieter. "It means the connection is mutual." Eleanor remembered Ethan lowering his head. The strange warmth. The pull she had felt. Her wolf whispering that single word. Mine. She immediately pushed the thought away. "What kind of connection?" Julian didn't answer. Instead, he said something that made Eleanor's blood run cold. "The last time a Vale carried that mark, someone died."

By the time Eleanor arrived at Georgia State University, she had barely spoken. Amaya noticed immediately. "You look like you didn't sleep." "I didn't." "Nightmare?" "Something like that." Amaya walked beside her across the courtyard. "Is everything okay?" Eleanor looked around. Students were everywhere. Human students. Werewolf students. People who knew the truth. People who didn't. For the first time, she wondered how many of them were secretly watching her. "Do you ever feel like everyone knows something except you?" Amaya laughed. "Welcome to university." "I'm serious." "So am I." Eleanor smiled faintly. Then she noticed someone across the courtyard. Ethan.

He stood with two other students near the steps of the business building. Even from a distance, she could tell something was different. He wasn't looking at her. But he knew she was there. Eleanor felt the warmth beneath her sleeve. The mark pulsed once. She quickly covered it. Amaya noticed. "What's wrong with your arm?" "Nothing." "Eleanor." "I'm fine." Before Amaya could question her, Ethan looked across the courtyard. Their eyes met. The noise around Eleanor seemed to fade. For a brief moment, neither of them moved. Then Ethan looked away. One of the students beside him said something. Ethan answered without looking back. Eleanor's heart was beating faster. She hated it. She hated that her body reacted before her mind could stop it. "You're staring," Amaya whispered. "I'm not." "You absolutely are." "I'm looking at the building." "Sure." Eleanor ignored her. They continued toward their lecture hall. But before they reached the doors, someone stepped into their path. Marcus Blackthorne. Ethan's older brother.

Eleanor had met him only once. That had been enough. He carried himself differently from Ethan. Where Ethan was quiet and controlled, Marcus seemed openly confident. His eyes dropped briefly toward Eleanor's wrist. Then he looked back at her face. "You should cover that." Eleanor froze. "What?" "The mark." Amaya looked between them. Marcus lowered his voice. "Your father hasn't told you everything." "What does that mean?" Marcus glanced toward Ethan. "He hasn't told you about the bond." Eleanor's heart stopped. "What bond?" Marcus smiled without humor. "Ask your father." He stepped aside. Eleanor watched him walk away. Amaya waited until he disappeared. "Okay." "What?" "That was definitely not normal." Eleanor looked toward Ethan. He was still standing across the courtyard. But Marcus was no longer beside him. Ethan was watching Eleanor. His expression was unreadable. Then his eyes dropped toward her covered wrist. Eleanor quickly turned away.

That evening, Eleanor found herself back home earlier than usual. She walked into the study. Her father was sitting behind his desk. "We need to talk." He looked up. "I assumed we would." Eleanor closed the door. "What's a mate bond?" Julian went completely still. The silence answered her before he did. "So it's true." "Who told you?" "Marcus." Her father's jaw tightened. "I told you to stay away from the Blackthornes." "I asked you a question." "Eleanor—" "Is Ethan my mate?" The words came out before she could stop them. Her father's expression changed. He looked older suddenly. Tired. Defeated. "Yes." The single word seemed to echo through the room. Eleanor stared at him. "No." "I wish I could tell you otherwise." "No." "Eleanor." "No." She stepped backward. "That's impossible." "Why?" "Because he's a Blackthorne." "I know." "They hate us." "I know." "You hate them." "Yes." "Then how can this happen?" Julian looked down. "Because the bond doesn't care about family feuds."

Eleanor felt overwhelmed. "Does Ethan know?" "I don't know." "How could he not?" "Some wolves recognize the bond before others." Eleanor remembered the forest. The way Ethan had looked at her. The way he had lowered his head. "He knows." Her father studied her. "What happened last night?" Eleanor hesitated. Then she told him. Everything. The river. Ethan. The strange pull. The mark. The voice she had heard in her mind. When she finished, her father looked deeply troubled. "You heard him?" "Yes." "Inside your mind?" "I think so." Julian stood. "That's not supposed to happen yet." Eleanor stared at him. "What does that mean?" He walked toward the window. "It means the bond is stronger than we expected."

Before Eleanor could ask another question, her phone vibrated. She pulled it from her pocket. One message. Unknown number. We need to talk. A second message appeared. Tonight. Then another. Come alone. Eleanor stared at the screen. Her father noticed her expression. "Who is it?" She locked the phone. "No one." But she already knew who had sent it. Another message appeared. I know what your father hasn't told you. Eleanor looked toward the window. Outside, the Atlanta skyline glittered against the night. Somewhere in the city, Ethan was waiting. And for the first time, Eleanor realized the danger wasn't simply that their families hated each other. The real danger was that something older than both families had already chosen them. And whatever had chosen them wasn't finished yet.