Marked by Moon

hapter

d That Sho

The heart only learns to obey."* > -L

he rode like something hunted him-driven not by instinct, but by something older. By the time he reached the edge of the Crescent Pines, the sun had dipped behind clouds and dusk curled low around the trees. He dismounted in silence and began to walk. His wolf's senses sharpened. Then-he felt it. *Her.* Not a scent, at first. Not a sound. Just a **pull.** As if someone had wrapped a thread of starlight around his ribs and was slowly reeling him forward. His steps slowed. A shimmer on the ground caught his eye. The **Moonstone Path**. It had only ever been a myth. A trail of dust left by the Moonmother herself-visible only to those chosen by fate. The elders said it would lead to the one the moon had marked as divine. Kael exhaled and stepped onto the path. The ground shimmered beneath his boots, and every tree around him seemed to lean in. The wind quieted. His heartbeat thundered. Then, through the trees-he saw her. --- She knelt by a stream, face turned slightly away, dark hair trailing like ink in the wind. She was not dressed like a princess. No silks. No jewels. Her clothes were plain, worn, dusted in ash. And yet, Kael stopped breathing. His beast, usually raging with fire and fury, fell still. *This is her.* His pulse surged. He stepped forward. The leaves barely rustled beneath his weight. She looked up. Her eyes locked with his. And the **bond snapped** into place. It wasn't soft. It was thunder. Kael staggered beneath the force of it. The scent of her hit him like memory and storm-wildflower, smoke, and rain on stone. His chest ached, every sense overwhelmed. He saw the mark on her shoulder-shaped like a red wolf's head, broken and incomplete. No. Not broken. **Burning.** His voice came out rough. "You..." She backed away, confused. Frightened. "I don't know who you think I am," she said. But Kael knew. The moon had sung her name. And every piece of him-beast and bone-was answering it. "You carry the mark," he said quietly. "And the moon just chose you." --- Before she could reply, the branches behind them snapped. Three Crescent warriors burst into the clearing, blades drawn. Kael's eyes narrowed. Elara froze. "She stole from the healer," one barked. "She's cursed," another spat. They raised their swords. And Kael's wolf **roared**. He stepped between Elara and the blades, eyes flaring with silver flame. "You will lower your weapons." The soldiers hesitated. Then, recognition flickered. "My king..." one of them said. "She's nothing," another muttered. "A girl with a mark. No wolf. She's not-" K