The castle was unusually calm that night.
Moonlight slipped through the curtains, touching Kael and Liana where they lay together.
Kael slept with his arm draped around her waist, his breathing deep and steady.
Liana smiled softly and brushed a stray lock of hair from his forehead.
He looked peaceful—almost boyish—nothing like the fierce heir the wizard kingdom feared.
She tried to sit up quietly.
That was when she felt it.
A sharp burn shot across her shoulder.
She gasped, grabbing the spot—
And her heart stopped.
A glowing mark was forming on her skin, shaped like a wolf's jaw with two streaks—
silver and deep crimson, swirling like living fire.
Her mark.
Kael had marked her in his sleep.
"Kael…?" she whispered, touching her shoulder in disbelief.
But Kael didn't respond.
Instead, he suddenly stiffened.
His entire body trembled, and his hand on her waist tightened before he jolted awake with a strangled breath.
"Lia—"
Before he could finish, he pressed a hand to his chest—
And coughed out blood.
"Kael!" Liana grabbed him, panic flashing through her eyes.
The mark on her shoulder flared, a bright light shooting out and wrapping around Kael like a protective cocoon.
His eyes widened, stunned.
"Your…your power…" he whispered weakly.
"This mark…it reacted…too strongly."
Liana's heart raced.
"Did I hurt you? Kael, talk to me!"
He wiped the blood from his lips, shaking his head slowly.
"No," he whispered.
"You didn't hurt me. It's…because your power is stronger than any wolf I've ever known.
My body wasn't ready."
He collapsed back against the pillow, breathing heavily, while the mark on her shoulder pulsed with soft light.
Liana touched it gently.
"So I'm…really your Luna now?"
Kael managed a faint smile.
"You were always my Luna," he murmured.
"The mark just made it real."
She held him as his breathing steadied, but her heart pounded with something else—
A warning.
Because the mark didn't just bind them.
It awakened something ancient inside her.
Something the wizard kingdom had already sense .
The moment Liana closed her eyes, sleep pulled her under faster than usual.
But instead of darkness, she found herself standing in a dim corridor…
one she had never seen before.
A soft cry echoed.
Liana turned—and froze.
A little girl no older than four was clutching a wooden toy, her tiny legs struggling to keep up with the woman dragging her forward. The woman's long gown was torn, her hair scattered, her breathing harsh as if something was chasing them.
"Momma… you're hurting my hand…" the girl whispered.
"Hush, baby… just a little more," the woman said, voice trembling.
They reached a heavy wooden door.
Another figure—blurred and unrecognizable—stood there waiting.
The woman grabbed the person's shoulders desperately.
Her voice broke.
"Please… make sure he's safe."
The words stabbed through Liana's chest even though she didn't understand why.
The woman lifted the little girl into her arms, holding her tight, her tears falling onto the child's hair.
Then—
ROARS echoed from the distance. Something was coming.
The woman spun around and ran toward the thick dark bush, clutching the little girl to her chest. Branches tore her gown as she pushed deeper into the darkness.
"Momma!" the child cried.
"Don't look back!" the woman whispered, breathless. "Don't look back…"
The vision blurred—
the trees twisted—
the ground cracked—
And the little girl's eyes turned to meet Liana's.
It was her.
Liana jolted awake, gasping, sweat running down her temples.
Her heart pounded violently—
not from fear…
…but from the feeling that it wasn't a dream.
It was a memory
A piece of a past she didn't know she had.