They said the prophecy was an ancient myth-whispered, tucked between the covers of bedtime tales, always ending in blood. But Aria was always drawn to the forbidden, to the whisper of trees after sunset, to the wolf-song that lulled her to sleep. Born under a dwindling moon, with a silver crescent stamped barely above her heart, she was not the same from the start. The village midwife had gone pale when she'd caught sight of the mark. Her mother had held her tighter, whispering prayers. The old stories warned that a girl like her would call the Wolf King back. No one ever said what he would do once he came back. Now, she knew. On the night of the Blood Moon, he came out of the forest, tall and unyielding, his eyes burning embers and his voice a wisp of smoke that curled around her. He didn't speak at first-he only looked at her, as if she was the last piece in a puzzle, he'd been trying for centuries to finish. "Waited lifetimes for you," he whispered, his hand cradling her cheek, rough and warm. His touch shouldn't have shivered down her spine-but it did. She should have screamed. Should have run. Yet her body leaned into his, as if it recalled something her mind had forgotten long ago. "You're mine, little moon," he whispered against her flesh. "Not because the prophecy requires it. but because I've burned for you in every single life I've ever had." Her heart was racing in her chest, caught between fear and desire. She was no warrior. No princess. Just a girl with too many questions and not enough sense to say no to the crazy fire in his eyes. And yet, when he pulled her into his arms and carried her into the forest, when the pack closed around them and the stars wheeled overhead, Aria didn't fight. She held on tight. For deep in her heart, something wild stirred. Something that wanted to love him. Or kill him. The Wolf King had claimed her as his. But Aria was no one's prey.
The folks of elder grove had many rules.
Don't stray from the paths at night.
Don't leave your windows open during full moon.
And never, ever speak of the Wolf King.
Aria had broken all three before she turned nineteen.
She sat at the edge of the forest now, wind whipping around her like curious fingers, her bare feet grazing soft moss. Her name was whispered by the trees, though there was no one else around. The scent of rain hung in the air, yet the skies were clear-a sign, some would say. But Aria was never curious about signs.
She was only curious about silence.
The village was preparing for the Festival of Moons. Bright banners fluttered between rooftops, and silver coins had been sewn into dresses with shaky hands. At sunset, the villagers would place offerings at the tree line-tokens of peace, tribute for silence. But it was all pretenses. No one had seen the Wolf King in over a hundred years.
And yet. the forest still watched.
Aria lay back on her elbows, eyes straying up to the sickle moon in the late afternoon sky. Its shape was one her mother called the Hunter's Curve. There were some who whispered it was the mark of fate.
But Aria bore her own curve-branded into her skin just above her heart. A crescent-shaped birthmark, pale as milk and warm to the touch when the moon was full.
She didn't know what it meant. Only that it made people stare.
"Aria!"
She turned at the sound of her sister's voice. Lila came running across the field, skirts hitched in one hand, a basket swinging in the other.
"You're going to miss the ceremony," Lila huffed. "Mother's already in a twist."
Aria sighed and rose to her feet, brushing moss from her skirts. "She's always in a twist. About something."
"This time it's serious. The High Seer is here. She's doing the blessing." Lila wrinkled her nose. "Creepy old thing. Keeps asking if you've been. feeling different."
Aria's heart gave a subtle flutter.
"Different how?"
"Like headaches. Dreams. Strange urges to run into the woods and never come back." Lila rolled her eyes. "The usual doomsday nonsense."
Aria didn't answer. She had been dreaming. For months, now. Strange, vivid things. A forest covered in silver frost. A pair of golden eyes watching her from the darkness. A man with a crown of bone and a cloak of fur and ash.
He always called her the same thing.
Little moon.
She never said anything to anyone.
By sundown, elder grove was vibrant with firelight and song. Aria stood at the back of the group; her silver-thread dress too tight at the sleeves. Her mother had braided blue flowers into her hair, praying under her breath the entire time.
"Be still," she had warned. "Don't make a scene."
Aria wasn't trying to-but it always managed to find her anyway.
The High Seer moved in front of the bonfire, her face hidden behind a veil of smoke and silk. She held a bowl of Moonwater and ash and moved along the line of girls, anointing their foreheads with gleaming grey.
When she reached Aria, she halted.
There was a silence that rippled through the crowd.
She, the Seer breathed. Her voice was soft as moth wings, but it stung like frost. "You," she said. "You are the marked one."
Aria was frozen.
The Seer put a cold thumb on her forehead and whispered a word in a language no one else knew. Aria's skin crawled. Her birthmark flared.
Then the wind rose.
Not a breeze-a wail.
The bonfire sputtered. Banners tore from their strings. The music died as every villager turned toward the tree line. The woods were not quiet now.
From the darkened edge, someone stepped.
Tall. Cloaked in black. Fur trimmed his shoulders. Antlers grew from an iron crown, twisted like the roots of an old tree. And eyes-gold burning bright, fixed on Aria as if he'd found the one thing, he'd searched for all his life.
Gasps rolled like thunder.
"Wolf King," a voice breathed.
The legends hadn't done him justice.
He wasn't a monster. Not exactly. His face was human-sharp, striking, carved from stone and secrets. Yet something beneath his skin moved, as if barely restrained. His presence weighed heavy on the air, bearing down like a storm.
And he was walking straight for her.
Aria's feet wouldn't move. Her heart pounded like a war drum.
He stopped a breath away.
"You are mine," he said. Not a question. Not a plea. A claim.
Aria looked up at him. "You're supposed to be a myth."
His lips curled into an almost-smile. "And you were supposed to be a dream."
Then he reached for her.
The villagers shrieked. Her mother wept. Lila called out her name.
But when his arms closed around her and the world shattered into wind and darkness, Aria didn't scream.
For deep within her, something old awakened.
Something that whispered, at last.
Chapter 1 The Girl with the Crescent Mark
13/04/2025
Chapter 2 A Strange Dream
13/04/2025
Chapter 3 The Festival of Moons
13/04/2025
Chapter 4 Bearing Firelight
13/04/2025
Chapter 5 The Whisper in the Forest
13/04/2025
Chapter 6 The Whispering
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Chapter 7 The Wolf King Hunts
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Chapter 8 The Mortal Girl
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Chapter 9 Taken Under the Blood Moon
13/04/2025
Chapter 10 Into the Wildlands
13/04/2025
Chapter 11 His Cursed Throne
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Chapter 12 The Alpha's Wrath
13/04/2025
Chapter 13 The Pack's Suspicion
16/04/2025
Chapter 14 Bound by Prophecy
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Chapter 15 The Oracle's Truth
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Chapter 16 A Queen Unwanted
16/04/2025
Chapter 17 The Human and the Beast
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Chapter 18 Secrets of the Silver Mark
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Chapter 19 Her First Escape
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Chapter 20 The Forest Rebellion
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Chapter 21 The Wolf King's History
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Chapter 22 A Dance of Power
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Chapter 23 Dreams of the Bride
16/04/2025
Chapter 24 A Rival's Bite
18/04/2025
Chapter 25 The Challenge of the Heir
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Chapter 26 A Bond Begins
18/04/2025
Chapter 27 The Full Moon Trials
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Chapter 28 The Queen's Training
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Chapter 29 Shadows of the Pack
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Chapter 30 The Queen's Blade
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Chapter 31 His Gentle Growl
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Chapter 32 Kiss in the Moonlight
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Chapter 33 The Beast Under the Throne
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Chapter 34 The Assassin's Claw
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Chapter 35 The Healer's Warning
18/04/2025
Chapter 36 Wolf King, Wounded
19/04/2025
Chapter 37 Her Blood, His Weakness
19/04/2025
Chapter 38 Secrets Under the Throne
20/04/2025
Chapter 39 The Queen's Secret Alliance
20/04/2025
Chapter 40 The Pack Divides
21/04/2025
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