The mark had changed.
Raina stared at her hand as she walked through the fog-drenched trees.
It pulsed now no longer a faint shimmer but a glowing, silver thread beneath her skin. It throbbed with every step she took, matching her heartbeat, as if guiding her somewhere she didn't want to go.
And yet… her feet kept moving.
She had no coat. No plan.
Just her nightdress, boots, and this unbearable weight in her chest.
She didn't remember deciding to leave the mansion.
But she remembered waking.
The air in the room had been thick. Her lungs had struggled to pull it in. The walls seemed to close in on her.
The moment she stepped outside, she could breathe again.
As if the forest was expecting her.
She followed the pull in her body the same pull that had made her stare at Lucien last night instead of closing the door.
Something inside her knew this path.
And then, between the twisted trees, she saw him.
Lucien.
Standing still. Back turned. Coat open, hair loose, shoulders bare beneath the weight of early fog.
The mark on her hand pulsed again.
"Lucien," she called out, unsure if her voice would reach him.
It did.
He turned slowly, his expression unreadable.
"I felt you wake," he said.
She didn't answer right away. "I needed air."
"So did I."
He looked down at her hand. The glow was brighter now.
"It's surfaced," he murmured.
She raised it slightly. "What is it?"
"Proof," he said. "That the bond has begun."
She frowned. "What bond?"
He took a step forward and measured slow. "The one you agreed to. Without knowing."
"I didn't agree to anything," she snapped. "I signed a contract because I needed a job."
Lucien tilted his head. "And the moon doesn't care why."
His calm made her want to scream.
"I'm not some " she paused, swallowing emotion. "You should've told me."
"You wouldn't have believed me."
"You didn't give me a choice!"
Lucien's eyes flared slightly at that. "You had a choice. You just didn't ask the right questions."
She stepped back. "What does this mark mean?"
Lucien moved closer. "It's not just a mark. It's a memory."
Raina blinked. "What?"
He raised his own hand, pale, strong. Turned it palm up.
"I carry it too. In a different place. But the meaning is the same."
Something sharp tugged at her mind.
A flicker of fire.
Chains.
A man screaming.
A name not her own.
She staggered slightly. Lucien didn't move to help her, only watched.
"What… was that?" she whispered.
"The bond awakening. You've triggered it."
"I saw—" her voice faltered. "I think I saw you."
"In another time," he confirmed.
Raina shook her head. "This is insane."
"Is it?"
She looked up at him, eyes wet but defiant. "What are you?"
He didn't answer at first. Then finally said, "The question isn't what I am. It's what you are."
She exhaled shakily, mind racing.
"This can't be real."
Lucien stepped forward, closing the space between them.
"You feel it," he said quietly. "Don't deny it."
Her voice broke. "Why me?"
He reached out, gently touching the glowing crescent on her hand.
His touch sent shivers through her bones.
"You were mine once," he said.
She looked up at him, barely breathing. "And now?"
Lucien's silver eyes darkened. "Now… you must choose."
"Choose what?"
"To remember," he said. "Or to run."
She didn't speak. Couldn't.
The forest around them fell silent, like it too was waiting for her answer.
Lucien stepped back, letting the distance return.
"Not today," he said. "But soon."
He turned and
disappeared into the fog without another word.
Raina stood alone.
Hand burning.
Heart racing.
Whatever this was it had already begun.
And something deep inside her… wanted to remember.
Even if it broke her.