The Luna's Mark

Cressida

I shivered under the thin, flimsy white sheet Beta Carden had handed over. The fabric was rough against my bare, sensitized skin, damp from the persistent drizzle that hung in the night air. It did little to shield me from the cold, and even less to protect me from the burning stares of the entire pack. They had gathered along the suburban street, lined up on their manicured lawns and peering from their dark porches. I felt their eyes like physical weights, pressing down on my exposed shoulders. The humiliation of being paraded through my own neighborhood naked was overwhelming, but the fear of the man holding me was far worse.

Kaelen’s grip on me was absolute. His massive arms were wrapped securely around my thighs and back, his skin radiating a fierce, unnatural heat that kept the chill of the night at bay. I kept my head down, my forehead resting against the hard, scarred plane of his chest. His muscles felt like solid granite, shifting with every heavy breath he took. I could hear the rapid, powerful thudding of his heart, a constant reminder of the beast lurking just beneath his skin.

Suddenly, a sharp, throbbing ache flared at the crook of my neck. It wasn't physical pain, but a deep, primal pull that vibrated straight down my spine. It felt rough, desperate, and inescapable.

*Now you,* a voice boomed inside my head.

I stiffened, my heart stopping. It wasn't Glimmer, my own young wolf who was still quiet and exhausted from her first transformation. This voice was ominous, incredibly deep, and carried a weight of authority that made my knees go weak even as Kaelen held me. It echoed through the dark corners of my mind like rolling thunder. I stared blankly at the white sheet draped over my chest, frozen in place.

*I’m scared,* I confessed silently to the voice, my thoughts frantic and raw. I felt small, out of my depth. I had only shifted for the first time hours ago, and now I was bound to the most powerful, ruthless predator in the territory.

*You never have to be afraid of your mate’s wolf. Now mark us that we be one,* the voice demanded.

He tried to soften his tone, but the sheer dominance behind the words left no room for refusal. Kaelen had been the Alpha of this pack long before I was even born. He was a ruler who took what he wanted, and he would never accept rejection. The ancient traditions of our kind dictated this path. The marking was the first step to binding our souls, a declaration to the world that we belonged to each other. The Moon Goddess only granted one true mate. I was his, and he was mine.

Kaelen’s powerful arms shifted, effortlessly hoisting me higher up against his chest so I was forced to look at him. I gasped, my fingers clutching his broad shoulders for balance. In the pale, waxing moonlight, his intense amber eyes danced with orange and red flecks, burning with excitement. He was undeniably handsome, with rugged features, a strong jawline shadowed by dark stubble, and thick black hair damp from the rain. But his overwhelming dominance made me shrink back. He looked down at me with an expression that seemed to care deeply, yet his sheer presence forced my inner wolf into instant submission.

He held me tightly by the waist, keeping the thin sheet barely covering our bodies, and positioned me near his neck. He waited patiently, his pulse hammering a steady, heavy beat against his collarbone. I could feel the rise and fall of his deep chest against my own, smelling the rich scent of pine, rain, and pure, dominant male.

I hesitated, my lips brushing against the warm skin of his throat. The raw power radiating from him was suffocating. I closed my eyes, leaned forward, and bit down as hard as I could into the muscular crook of his neck.

My fangs, still new and sharp, sank deep into his flesh. Instantly, the metallic tang of his blood flooded my mouth. Along with the copper taste, a tidal wave of his emotions rushed through the newly opened bond. I could taste his raw power, his simmering aggression, and the swirling, centuries-old loneliness and desire that had built up inside him. It was an intoxicating, terrifying mixture. The bond snapped into place, anchoring us together with an unbreakable force. I was his Luna now.

“Yes, I am all yours,” Kaelen murmured smoothly, a deeply amused smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

He leaned in and pressed a surprisingly warm, tender peck to my flushed cheek. The brief contact sent a jolt of heat straight to my core. I wanted more, but I dared not ask. There was only a paper-thin sheet between us, and the crowd had gathered close around. Kaelen wrapped his arms around me, squeezing the air from my lungs. He buried his face in my hair, inhaling deeply. A low, rumbling growl vibrated in his chest—a sound so deep it made my bones ache. I didn't understand it, and it only added to the panic clawing at my throat.

Kaelen turned his head, his sharp gaze sweeping over the silent, kneeling crowd.

“Hear me, pack!” his voice boomed, echoing off the nearby houses and shattering the silence of the night. “This is my Luna. She is my everything. I will not hesitate to punish any of you if you dare to cause her harm.”

His fierce, unwavering confidence suddenly faltered slightly. He looked down at his own nakedness, and then down at me. Under the thin white sheet, I could feel the hard, thick length of his erection pressing heavily against my thigh. He was fully aroused, his skin burning hot against mine, hard as a rock.

He cleared his throat, his face flushing a deep, rosy red. “Beta Carden… just get me a damn pair of shorts,” Kaelen mumbled, his voice dropping to a low, embarrassed rumble.

Beta Carden raised an eyebrow, a knowing smirk playing on his face. “Yes, my Alpha. Right away.”

Quiet giggles and hushed murmurs rippled through the gathered pack members. Kaelen’s blush deepened, but he kept his grip tight on me as Carden quickly handed over a pair of tight black compression shorts. While Kaelen shifted his weight to pull them on, I took the opportunity to tie the corners of the damp sheet securely around my neck, desperate to keep myself covered.

But the relief was short-lived. A heavy dread began to mount in my chest, sitting there like an elephant on my lungs. What was going to happen when we got to where he was taking me?

I was marked, but I was unprepared for the physical mating process. The second part of the binding was supposed to be intimate, intense. Kaelen had waited nearly two hundred years for his mate. What if he didn't care if I wanted to wait? What if his wolf demanded everything tonight? The thought of his massive, powerful body overtaking mine terrified me. If I asked him to wait, and he refused, what could I even do to stop him?

Kaelen picked me back up, carrying me effortlessly as he began the walk up the steep hill. I kept my arms wrapped tightly around his neck, my face buried in his shoulder to avoid looking at the crowd.

The grand, white colonial packhouse loomed ahead of us. It was a massive, beautiful four-story building with a wide, U-shaped driveway. It sat at the very top of the hill, the center of the pack’s territory. I had never been this close to it before; the furthest I had ever ventured was the small coffee shop at the base of the hill. Large, glowing windows lined the front, and wide stone steps led up to massive wooden double doors with crescent moon handles.

Along the path, formidable Warriors stood guard. They nodded respectfully as Kaelen passed, their eyes filled with reverence for their new Luna. A few cheers and jeers echoed from the lower levels of the house, but my thoughts were spinning too fast to process them.

With every single step Kaelen took, my panic grew. He didn't say a word. His jaw was clenched, his expression unreadable. I risked a quick glance up at him, but his intense glare made me immediately avert my eyes back to the floor. I must have made him mad. Or maybe he was just hiding his anger.

My heart hammered against my ribs. I was glad to have found my mate, but the stories of his brutality, the rumors of his volatile temper, and the sheer power radiating from his body kept me frozen in fear. All he had to do was want something, and no one could stop him.

He kicked the heavy wooden bedroom door open, carried me inside, and shut it firmly behind us with his bare foot.

Kaelen

I mentally cursed myself to the Goddess.

*I want her now,* Varkos growled viciously in my mind, his clawing hunger making my blood boil. The heavy, throbbing ache in my shorts agreed with him, but I forced myself to maintain control. I had to grip the reins of my wolf with everything I had. If I let him loose now, I would end up hurting her, and that was the last thing I wanted.

This was my fault. I had terrified the poor girl so much during my hunt that I had driven her into her very first shift all alone. She had gone through the excruciating pain of the transformation with no guide, no comfort, and no preparation. She had been shivering in my arms all night, her small body shaking so much it made my chest ache.

And the worst part was that she didn't even realize I could hear her.

Because she had been raised by unshifted Omegas who knew nothing of high-ranking wolf bonds, she had no idea that our marking and bonding process permanently linked our minds. Her thoughts were screaming in my head, loud and agonizingly clear.

*What if he doesn't care if I want to wait? What if he kills me?*

She truly, deeply believed I was a ruthless monster who was going to violently ravage and discard her. Varkos’s aggressive displays had only reinforced her worst fears. Instead of showing her she was safe, my primal instincts had reduced my beautiful, fragile mate to a shaking, deeply submissive wreck. I wanted to prove to her that the dark rumors surrounding my name were wrong, but my naturally dominant aura was only pushing her further into terror.

I walked over to the massive bed and set her down gently on the edge. Her silver-speckled dark hair fell over her shoulders, framing a face that looked incredibly young and innocent compared to mine. I stood there for a moment, looking at her. Her hair was unique—I had never seen a wolf with locks so silver, speckled beautifully into a base color so dark it was almost black. Her innocent face made the guilt in my chest tighten.

As I stepped back, a jarring, incredibly embarrassing realization hit me like a splash of ice water.

I had aggressively hunted her down, utterly terrified her innocent family, paraded her before my entire pack while practically hard as a rock, and I didn't even know her name. I had been so caught up in the thrill of finding her, so consumed by Varkos's desperate need to claim our mate, that I had bypassed the most basic human courtesy.

“What is your name?” I blurted out in a low mutter, the words escaping before I could stop them.

Cressida flinched, her fingers nervously twisting the edge of the white sheet. She kept her head bowed, staring submissively at my bare feet. Her posture was so defensive, so small, it made me feel like a monster.

“My name is Cressida, Alpha Kaelen,” she fumbled quietly, her voice barely a murmur.

The sound of her name sent a rush of warmth through my chest. It suited her perfectly. I couldn't stand the distance between us, nor did I want her sitting on the edge of the bed like a prisoner awaiting execution. I stepped forward, scooped her up gently into my arms, and sat down on the bed, pulling her onto my lap. She tensed instantly, her breath catching in her throat, but I kept my touch light and reassuring, wrapping my arms around her waist to anchor her.

“It’s beautiful,” I murmured, trying to soften the harsh edges of my voice.

Varkos let out a low, possessive growl in my mind, furious that I wasn't claiming her, but I pushed him aside. He had already done enough damage. I needed to soothe my fragile Luna, not terrify her further. She didn't know wolf customs, and she certainly didn't know how to handle an Alpha's wolf. Her parents were Omegas who worked at the Zenith prison; they likely only knew of my reputation from the violent criminals they guarded, which meant Cressida had grown up hearing nothing but horror stories about me. They probably thought I was a deranged, rabid beast who tore apart anyone who crossed me.

“You never have to look down at my feet, Cressida,” I said, trying to inject a bit of humor into the heavy air. “There’s nothing to see down there but my ugly claws.”

She paused, her shoulders relaxing just a fraction. Slowly, she looked up, and a tiny, genuine smile touched her lips before she caught herself.

I let out a massive breath of relief, feeling a weight lift from my chest. It was a start. Even a tiny smile was a victory.

“My wolf took over and marked you,” I explained gently, keeping my hands resting lightly on her waist. “He was terrified that you would reject us because of how scared you were.”

“I would have never—” she started softly, her eyes wide with earnestness. But she cut herself off, her cheeks flushing a deep pink, and quickly averted her gaze back to the floor.

A heavy silence fell over the room. I watched her, waiting for her to speak, but she remained frozen, her breathing shallow.

“…are you mad at me?” she asked in a tiny, quiet voice.

The sheer submission in her tone cut me to the quick. She was acting like a terrified Omega expecting punishment, and it made my chest ache with sudden, deep concern. I didn't want a terrified servant; I wanted my mate, my equal.

I raised an eyebrow, leaning down slightly to catch her eye. “Why would you say that?”