The forest was cloaked in midnight's hush, yet Aria felt the storm within her brewing louder than the rustling leaves. Kael's words still echoed in her mind.
"Your mark… it's not just a birthmark. It's ancient. It binds us."
She'd heard myths about soul marks and wolfmates whispered by older pack members, usually as bedtime stories or cruel jokes to scare the unmarked. But never in her wildest dreams did she think she'd be one of them—a soul-bound, marked by the Moon herself.
And definitely not to someone like Kael.
"You still don't believe me," Kael said, his voice low as they walked deeper into the woods, where the trees grew thicker and the scent of the earth turned raw and damp. He wasn't looking at her, but the tension between them felt tangible.
"How do you expect me to?" Aria whispered, finally stopping. "You've kept this from me since we met. You knew. You knew and still let me feel crazy, confused… alone."
Kael's jaw clenched as he turned to her, his eyes glowing faintly. "You think I had a choice? The moment I saw that faded crescent on your shoulder, I knew. But I also knew what it meant—what it could cost you. Your freedom. Your future. Everything you thought you wanted."
"Maybe I should decide what I want," she snapped, hurt flaring behind her words.
There was silence again, broken only by the distant hoot of an owl and the soft thud of their heartbeats. Aria stepped closer, narrowing her eyes at him.
"What aren't you telling me?"
Kael hesitated. "There's more than just a soul bond. That mark... it's part of a prophecy."
"A prophecy?" Aria arched a brow. "Now you really sound insane."
"It's real," he insisted. "You're not just my mate, Aria. You're the girl with the faded mark—the one born once in a hundred years. The Moonblessed."
Aria froze. She'd heard the term before—Moonblessed. It referred to a wolf marked by fate, one who could either unite or destroy the ancient balance between packs. But it was legend, nothing more.
Kael moved closer. "The faded mark is a sign that your powers are dormant. But they're awakening. That's why your dreams have been so vivid. That's why the rogue wolves are after you."
Aria's breath hitched. "How do you know about my dreams?"
"I see them," he said, almost shyly. "When I shift, I sometimes feel what you feel. It's part of the bond. Your fear… your pain. That night in the clearing when the rogue attacked you, I felt your panic before I even found you."
Aria swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his words settle in her chest. A thousand questions buzzed in her mind. But one rose louder than the rest.
"Why me?"
Kael stepped even closer, his hand hovering near her face, but not quite touching. "Because you were chosen. And because fate knew I'd protect you—even from myself if I had to."
The last part came out quieter, and it struck something deep within her. In the time they'd spent together—his coldness, his distance, his walls—it was never because he didn't care. It was because he cared too much.
"Kael…" Her voice trembled, soft and unsure.
"I won't force anything, Aria," he said. "The bond might be fate, but your heart is yours. Always."
The forest wind picked up, brushing her hair across her face. Kael gently tucked a strand behind her ear. His touch was feather-light, reverent. For the first time, she didn't pull away.
"I want to believe you," she whispered.
"Then let me show you." He held out his hand.
Without fully understanding why, Aria placed hers in his.
Kael led her deeper into the woods, until they reached a grove bathed in moonlight. In the center was a stone altar, worn with time, marked with the same faded crescent that mirrored her birthmark.
"This is where it all started," Kael said. "Where the first Moonblessed made her vow to protect the packs. That vow lives in you now."
As Aria stepped forward, the mark on her shoulder tingled, warm and pulsing. She gasped, pulling at the sleeve of her hoodie. To her shock, the crescent glowed faintly under the moonlight, as if it was awakening.
"I don't understand," she said, her voice cracking.
"You don't have to, not yet." Kael came up behind her, his presence grounding. "But you'll learn. I'll teach you everything—about our history, your power, and how to protect yourself."
She turned to face him. "And the rogues?"
"They'll keep coming. They sense your power, and they want to claim it. But they won't get to you. Not while I'm breathing."
His vow wasn't loud or grand, but something in it made her heart stutter. She believed him.
Aria reached up slowly, resting her hand against his chest. "I'm scared."
"So am I," Kael admitted, pressing his forehead against hers. "But I'd rather face all of it with you than spend another day pretending this doesn't mean something."
Their breath mingled in the cold air. The tension that had once kept them apart now pulled them closer, tethered by something unspoken but undeniably real.
Their lips met—not with fire or fury, but with a slow, aching need that had been simmering beneath the surface. It was a kiss that said finally—a kiss that made the mark on her shoulder burn brighter, as if the moon itself approved.
When they finally pulled away, Aria felt it—the shift inside her. Not just in her powers, but in her heart.
She wasn't running anymore.
Not from Kael.
Not from her fate.
And definitely not from the truth.