They incinerated the body before sunrise.
I watched from behind soundproof glass as Rowan's security crew zipped the crescent-branded corpse into a bag and lowered it into a cremation unit beneath the apartment. The stench of burnt fur and blood clung to the air like a warning.
"This wasn't random," Rowan mumbled. "That was a message."
"No kidding," I answered, still stunned. "They used a body with my mark carved into it. What type of crazy does that?"
"The Council," he responded ominously. "Or someone working for them."
I turned aside, massaging my arms. I hadn't slept. My mark still throbbed, and the weight of the contract folder pressed on my thoughts like a ticking bomb. I hadn't signed it. Not yet.
But I was still here.
Still breathing.
And maybe, despite everything, that meant I wasn't ready to move away.
Rowan moved beside me. His shirt was undone at the throat, displaying more of the crescent scar across his collarbone. Even battered and fatigued, he moved like he ruled the skies.
"This changes things," he remarked. "You're not safe in the city anymore—not even here."
I blinked. "I thought this building was untouchable."
"It was. Until someone killed a guard and got it to my front door."
I looked at him. "Then what happens now?"
He exhaled. "Now you meet the pack."
Perfect.
________________________________________
Rowan's estate was thirty miles outside Blackridge—secluded, closely guarded, and surrounded by miles of old woodland.
The moment I stepped out of the SUV, I felt it: a charge in the air. Magic. Bloodlines. Territory.
Wolves.
They stood in tiny groups near the training fields, their eyes flicking toward me like I was prey. Some whispered. Some smirked. No one grinned.
Rowan walked beside me, his energy cold and commanding. The moment they sensed him, most backed down. But not all.
A tall woman with short black hair and a scar running across her jaw walked forward, arms folded.
"Elena," Rowan said. "Second in command."
She didn't bow. Didn't even nod.
"This is her?" Elena asked. "The human with the brand?"
I opened my mouth, but Rowan beat me to it.
"She's not human anymore. And she's under my protection."
Elena moved forward, circling me slowly like a vulture.
"She doesn't smell like one of us."
"She will," Rowan responded. "The mark hasn't fully awakened."
Elena snorted. "Or maybe she's just a mistake."
My hand tightened at my side.
Rowan didn't move. "She's your future Luna. You will respect her."
I flinched.
Luna?
This wasn't just a contract to him. He'd just dropped that term in front of everyone. Loud. Public. Binding.
Several of the wolves started murmuring, some with shock, others with contempt. A stocky male Beta sank to one knee quickly. A few followed.
Elena didn't budge.
"You bring her here unclaimed, unsigned, and unshifted, and expect us to fall in line?" she hissed. "You think branding makes her a wolf? That mark might be faked."
"It's not," Rowan answered coldly.
"Then let her prove it."
A circle gathered before I could speak. Rowan looked at me, then at Elena.
"Absolutely not," he answered.
"She's not weak," Elena argued. "Let her show it."
"Enough."
Rowan's voice was quiet—but the pack stilled quickly.
He gazed at me again, something unfathomable in his eyes.
"She'll prove herself in time. But for now, she's mine. That's all that matters."
The silence was thick, rigid with strain. Then Rowan turned his back and started walking.
"Come," he said without looking.
I followed, my pulse still racing.
________________________________________
Inside the estate, the main house was erected like a fortress: steel doors, glass walls, ancient stone fireplaces. It was cooler than the penthouse—less polished, more raw.
Rowan led me to a sitting room and closed the door behind us.
"I didn't ask for that title," I said.
"You didn't have to," he said. "They needed to hear it."
"They hate me."
"They don't know you."
"And what if I fail to impress them?"
He stepped closer. "Then they'll fear you instead."
I looked aside. "I'm not like you. I don't command rooms. I don't have claws that can kill with one swipe."
"Not yet," he responded softly. "But you will."
A knock interrupted us.
One of the guards arrived, bearing a silver tray with two glasses and a sealed black packet.
Rowan frowned. "What's this?"
The guard handed it to him and stepped out.
Rowan pulled the wax seal and unfolded the letter. His eyes examined it once. Then again. His jaw stiffened.
"What?" I asked.
He handed it to me.
The parchment was crisp, the ink blood-red.
Summons issued by the Council of Elders.
Subject: Maris Hayes.
You are hereby commanded to appear before the Circle to establish your blood legitimacy. Should you refuse, your death will be permitted, and the mark will be forcibly removed.
Time: 48 hours.
I gazed at the signature at the bottom.
Charles Blackwood.
My blood turned to ice.
"He's alive," I whispered.
Rowan's voice was scratchy. "Impossible. I watched him fall."
"He survived," I murmured, my fingers trembling. "And now he wants the whole Council to see me as a fraud."
Rowan paced the room, his energy coiled like a storm.
"We can't let them summon you unprepared. If they rule you're illegitimate, they'll have justification to detain or execute you."
"Then what do we do?"
He stared up at me, something fierce swelling behind his eyes.
"We fight fire with fire."
________________________________________
That night, Rowan called for a gathering in the great hall. Every wolf in his territory stood in the shadows, watching, waiting.
He stepped forward, eyes flaming.
"She's not here as a guest," he remarked. "She's here as my Luna. And the Council's lies won't judge her worth."
His voice fell to a snarl.
"We'll decide that. With blood. With truth. With loyalty."
Behind him, I stood silent.
Trying not to let my knees buckle.
Trying not to let them see how afraid I felt.
Then Elena went forward.
Held out a silver chalice filled with what looked like moonshine and iron.
"A tradition," she responded, smirking. "Drink it, and prove you're one of us."
I took it with both hands.
Raised it.
And drank.
The room went silent.
Then— My body seized.
My mark burnt like a flame.
I collapsed.
Rowan shouted.
And I saw nothing except light