The morning after the attack was quiet—but heavy. Like the forest itself was holding its breath.
Sera stood near the cabin's edge, watching steam rise from the wet earth. Her thoughts were a storm. Lucien had called her a storm, but what kind? Power lived inside her… and she had no idea where it came from.
Lucien joined her quietly, dressed in black, his eyes unreadable.
"You didn't sleep," she said.
"I don't sleep when danger comes near what's mine."
Sera turned toward him. "And I'm yours now?"
"You've always been mine," he said. "But tonight… you'll choose it."
She frowned. "What's tonight?"
Lucien stepped closer, his voice low.
"The Ritual of the Moon."
The Marking
Lucien led her through the woods as twilight fell, deeper into Nightfang territory until they reached a circle of stone carved with ancient symbols. A fire burned in the center. Around it, wolves stood in human form—warriors of the pack. Some eyed her with suspicion. Others with awe.
Ronan stood near the fire, arms crossed. "You really think she's ready?"
Lucien didn't look at him. "She doesn't need to be ready. She is."
Sera stepped forward.
"Ready for what?" she asked.
Lucien turned to her, lifting her hand and placing it against his chest—bare, warm, thrumming with life.
"For the mark. For the bond."
The firelight shimmered across his skin. His voice dropped to a growl.
"When I bite you, it won't just be physical. It'll be spiritual. You'll feel me—inside you, around you, binding us. Once it's done, no wolf will challenge you. No pack will dare take you. You'll be mine. Forever."
Sera's pulse roared in her ears. She wanted him. She ached for him.
But she hesitated.
"Will it change me?" she whispered.
Lucien didn't lie.
"Yes."
Sera looked at him. At the fire. At the stone altar behind them.
Then she took his hand.
"Then change me."
The Bite
Lucien pulled her to him, one hand at the back of her neck, the other gripping her waist. Their lips crashed. She tasted fire. Need. Destiny. Then, slowly, his mouth trailed to her throat.
She gasped.
His teeth grazed her skin—then sank in.
Pain flared. Pleasure followed.
Sera's knees buckled, her body arching into his. The fire pulsed around them. Her vision blurred. She wasn't falling—
She was becoming.
Light burst inside her. Power like heat and thunder surged through her chest. The forest trembled.
And then—
Silence.
Lucien pulled back, blood staining his lips.
But Sera didn't look weak. She looked… reborn.
The mark burned gold on her skin.
Lucien touched it, reverent. "You're mine now."
She met his gaze.
"No. We're each other's."