Chapter 13

The Marked One

POV: Kael

Alice stirred beside me, her fingers twitching against the rough blanket. The fire between us had dwindled to orange coals, casting flickers of light across her face.

She hadn’t spoken much since we left the clearing two nights ago. I didn’t blame her. The truth I dropped on her was enough to wreck anyone’s sense of self.Still, silence wasn’t something I ever got used to with her.“When are we leaving?” Her voice was soft but edged with something sharp. Tired. Annoyed, maybe.I didn’t look at her right away. I knew that tone. She’d been holding it in for hours.

“Back to the Pentagon Pack,” she added, pulling the blanket tighter around herself. “You said we’d only stop here for a night.”

“I decide when we move,” I said, not harshly but firm.She sat up, hair tangled from sleep, eyes narrowing. “And who made you king of everything?”I'm the immortal Alpha wolf. Nobody has to make me king of anything. I'm already king.I gave her a look. “Alice…”

“No. Don’t ‘Alice’ me. You’ve been dragging me through the woods like a damn fugitive. We haven’t eaten anything real in two days. My legs hurt, I can’t feel my toes, and I’m sick of hiding.”

“I’m keeping you alive,” I snapped as if that wasn't obvious already.

Her face flinched like I’d slapped her. My stomach tightened instantly. I try to control my reflexes around her but it seems my body has other ideas.

“I didn’t ask you to,” she muttered, standing.

I sighed, ran a hand through my hair. The flames crackled behind me. “You don’t remember, but they’re coming for you. And if they get their hands on you before you understand who you are…”She glared. “Who I was, Kael. You keep saying I’m not just Alice. That I’m someone else—Selene? But I’m not her. I don’t remember any of that.”

I stood, brushing dirt from my coat. “That doesn’t matter. The bond’s still there.”

No matter how she denies ever being Selene or not having memory of her, she was still connected to her. A different version of herself she must accept if she wants to get far.

Alice folded her arms. “Then maybe it’s broken. Whatever connection you think we have—I don’t feel it.”A lie. Her pulse betrayed her. I could hear it spike. I could feel it in my chest.But I didn’t push. Not yet anyway. This was no place to have this kind of argument.

She turned and walked a few paces away, back rigid. I let her go. She needed space just like I did as well

Later, when she was asleep, I knelt beside her and lifted her shirt just enough to see her back. The mark shimmered faintly under the moonlight—an intricate silver crescent right below her shoulder blade.

The lunar mark. She is truly Selene. I should hate her for betraying me all those years ago.But for some reason I'm still drawn to her like a magnet that is being tugged towards its opposite.

My chest ached.

I had seen it once before. A hundred years ago, to the day. On another back. Under another moon.

Selene.

I closed my eyes and let the memory crash over me like a storm.She’d died in my arms. Blood soaking her dress. Her eyes locked on mine even as the light slipped from them. “I’ll find you again,” she’d whispered. “Even if I forget, you’ll remember.”

And I did. Every night. Every moment.I’d promised I’d find her too. And here she was.If only she had stuck the promise, this wouldn't be happening.

Different name. Different scent. But the soul was the same.Alice twitched in her sleep. I brushed a strand of hair from her face.

“You don’t remember me yet,” I murmured. “But I swear you will.”The trees rustled nearby, and I shot up instantly. My hand went to the dagger at my belt.A figure stepped into the firelight. Grey cloak. Mud-stained boots.

Rian. One of my scouts.

He nodded. “Kael. We’ve got news.”

I motioned for him to keep his voice low. Alice didn’t stir. Good. She needed rest.

“Tell me.”

“The Lunari Sect,” Rian said. “They didn't get a new leader. As it turns out Astrid is still alive and is determined to remain in control of the sect.”

I stiffened. “That’s crazy? I thought the high seers were still debating succession.”

“Not anymore. She came forward and threatened to kill anyone who opposed her authority. She now calls herself Mother of the Moon.”

I cursed under my breath.

“That’s not all,” Rian added. “She’s offered a bounty. High-level. For a marked female.”I didn’t need him to finish.

Alice

She hadn’t even begun to understand what she carried. What she was.If the Sect got to her first, they’d turn her into something unrecognizable. Or worse—kill her to keep her from fulfilling the prophecy.

I still hadn't fully understand what they want with her but I didn't want them anywhere near her.I turned and stared at her sleeping figure. The firelight kissed her skin, painting her in gold and shadow. She looked peaceful.

But peace never lasted long around me.“How much time do we have?” I asked.Rian shrugged. “A day. Maybe two.”

I nodded. “Seems our time here is up. We leave at first light.”

He hesitated. “And her?”I glanced back at her.“She’s mine,” I said. “They’ll have to go through me first.”He didn’t argue. Just disappeared into the trees.I crouched beside her again, watching her breathe.

How was I supposed to explain any of this? That her life wasn’t just her own anymore? That ancient prophecies whispered about her in secret. That she wasn’t safe anywhere, not even with me.

I touched the mark lightly. It pulsed warm under my fingers.She shifted, murmured something I couldn’t catch.I leaned in. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “For dragging you into this. But I won’t lose you again.”She stirred, brow furrowed, and I backed away before she woke. The last thing I needed was going into a banter with her.

The fire spat a final spark. I stood and let the cold bite into me. I deserved it.Behind me, a howl split the air.

Not ours. Not wild but controlled.

It was the Sect.

I swore. We didn’t have a day.

We had minutes. Rian had been wrong or they had acted faster than anticipated.

They’d found her.

And they were already coming.