All Chapters of "MIDNIGHT'S MARK": Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

I burned my hand on the oven for the third time that morning. Honestly, it felt like the universe telling me to pay attention. "Lila, you are going to lose that hand if you keep spacing out." Vera appeared in my bakery kitchen doorway. Her arms were crossed. She wore her healer whites that somehow stayed clean. I ran cold water over the burn and yawn ."Just tired." "You are always tired. When was the last time you actually left this place?" She walked over and examined my hand. The burn was already healing werewolf perks but she still applied some salve from the jar she always carried. "Seriously, Lila. You live above a bakery. You work in the bakery. You smell like bread twenty four hours a day." "Bread smells nice." "That is not the point." Vera capped the salve and fixed me with her healer stare. The one that made grown warriors confess they had been ignoring injuries. "The lunar eclipse is tomorrow night. The whole pack will be at the ceremonial grounds. You should come.

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 prese

I did not sleep.How could I? Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Beta Darius's face twisted with rage and disgust. Every time I tried to relax, the mark on my neck throbbed with heat, reminding me of the mate bond I was not allowed to have.Around three in the morning, I gave up and went downstairs to the bakery. If I could not sleep, I might as well work. I went downstairs to the bakery, hoping the familiar smells and movements would calm me. Baking had always been my safe place. Measuring flour. Kneading dough. Watching simple ingredients turn into something warm and good. But that night, nothing worked. I burned two trays of bread because my mind kept drifting. My hands shook when I tried to knead dough. Every shiny surface reflected the faint silver glow on my neck, like it was mocking me. By sunrise, my shelves were filled with pastries that looked fine but tasted wrong. And I felt worse than before. A knock at the door made me jump. No one ever came that early. When I loo

I woke at six thirty after another sleepless night. The mark on my neck alternated between burning heat and a dull ache, the mate bond pulling me toward Darius’s quarters down the hall. I ignored it. At six fifty, I threw on jeans and a sweater, refusing to try and impress someone who had already decided I wasn't good enough.The pack house dining room was mostly empty. Darius sat at a corner table, alone, reading a tablet. Even at seven AM, he looked perfectly put together in tactical gear."You are late," he said without looking up as I sat down."It is six fifty-eight.""Early is on time. On time it is late." He finally looked at me, his eyes lingering on my messy hair. "Sit."I grabbed my coffee. "Do you always wake up this charming?"His jaw tightened. "I need to go over ground rules. One hour together every morning. Breakfast and conversation. Nothing physical. No expectations beyond civil interaction.""Okay," I said, surprised by his bluntness. "But I have rules too. You treat

We spent three hours together that night. We didn't do anything special, just sat on his couch, talking about childhood memories and ridiculous pack gossip. It was the most time Darius and I had spent together since the marking, and by the end, the mate bond felt less like a constant ache and more like a comfortable warmth.“I should go,” I said eventually, noticing it was past midnight. “You probably have early training.”“Five AM.”He walked me to the door, “Same time tomorrow for breakfast?""As long as you actually talk to me instead of reading reports.”His mouth twitched. “I will try.”Back in my quarters, I touched the mark on my neck. It was warm, not painful. The constant pull toward Darius had eased, satisfied with the evening we’d shared. Progress was small and tentative, but it was there. I actually slept that night.Breakfast the next morning was different. Darius arrived exactly at seven, but instead of burying himself in his tablet, he actually looked at me. He asked ho