The clearing reeked of blood from the broken bodies of the rogues littered in the dirt. Their snarls silenced, their eyes glassy in death. Yet more shadows prowled at the edges of the trees, their growls vibrating in the night air like a drumbeat of doom.
Mia's heart thudded painfully in her chest, but something else coursed through her veins now—a silver heat that wasn't fear. It was alive, pulsing and whispering. The crescent mark on her collarbone burned brighter with each passing second, spilling faint threads of light across her skin as if the moon itself had branded her.
She clutched Leon's head in her lap, her free hand trembling against his bloodied cheek. His breath came in shallow broken rasps. His golden eyes fluttered open, catching hers for the briefest heartbeat before sliding shut again.
"Stay with me," Mia whispered fiercely, her throat raw. "Don't you dare leave me."
A guttural growl snapped her attention up. Three rogues had crept closer, their lips peeled back over fangs with saliva dripping. They were bigger than the others, thicker with scars and hungrier. They didn't look like Rachel's pets. These wolves were wild feral things that answered to no one.
Rachel herself stumbled to her feet a few yards away, her hair tangled, her face pale as chalk. She looked between the rogues and Mia, confusion and horror clashing in her eyes. "No… this wasn't part of the deal," she whispered, backing away. "This isn't mine…"
The rogues ignored her. Their eyes were locked on Mia. Or rather, on the glow that now rolled beneath her skin, the strange silver aura that bled into the darkness. Their growls deepened, uneasy, as though torn between hunger and fear.
Mia swallowed hard, her knees trembling. She had no claws. No wolf. Nothing. The fear and sadness inside her stirred when the rogues stepped forward. The heat unfurled in her chest, climbing her throat, humming in her veins. Her fear sharpened into steel.
She rose to her feet slowly, placing herself between Leon's unconscious body and the predators. Her hands shook, but she raised them anyway, palms out.
"Stay back," she whispered.
The words carried no threat, but the moment they left her lips, the crescent mark flared, spilling silver fire across her collarbone. The glow spread in delicate veins down her arms, a map of moonlight carved into her skin.
The rogues froze, hackles raised. One whined softly, uncertain.
Rachel's eyes widened. "What… what are you?" Her voice trembled, her bravado cracking for the first time.
Mia didn't know. She couldn't answer. All she knew was that something inside her wanted out.
The largest rogue lunged.
Time slowed.
The heat inside Mia erupted, bursting through her chest in a wave of light. Silver energy flared from her palms, striking the rogue mid-air. Its body twisted violently, flung backward as though the moon itself had smitten it. It hit the ground with a sickening crack and did not rise again.
The clearing went silent, even the crickets pausing.
Mia's breath came fast and shallow, her vision blurring at the edges. She stared at her hands, still glowing faintly. "What… what is happening to me?"
The other rogues snarled, furious now. They circled, lips curling, no longer cautious. One darted forward, faster than her eyes could follow.
But instinct moved her body before thought could. Her arm shot out, a stream of silver flame pouring from her fingertips. It struck the wolf in the chest. The beast howled, writhing as its fur sizzled, then collapsed into stillness.
The last rogue faltered. Its ears flattened. It backed away slowly, its growl breaking into a fearful whine. For a moment, Mia thought it might flee.
But then its eyes darted to Leon, bleeding in the dirt. Hunger overpowered fear. With a final roar, it lunged toward him.
"No!" Mia screamed.
The mark on her chest blazed brighter than ever. Power surged from her in all directions, a wave of moonlight that shook the trees and split the ground. The rogue hit the wave mid-leap, its body wracked with light, and dissolved into ash before it ever touched Leon.
Silence fell.
This terrified the Rougues as they disappeared into the woods.The night air quivered with the echo of her power. The glow dimmed, fading back into her skin, leaving only the faint crescent mark burning gently on her collarbone.
Mia swayed on her feet, drained and trembling. Her chest heaved, her vision swimming. But she forced herself to stay upright, because Leon still lay unconscious behind her.
Rachel stood frozen with her face ghost-pale and her lips parted in shock. Her eyes darted from the ash of the rogue to the glowing mark on Mia's skin. For once, there was no venom in her voice—only fear.
"You're not human," she whispered. Her hands shook. "You… you're something else."
Mia turned to her, her voice hoarse but steady. "Why did you do this? Rachel!"
For the first time, Rachel was speechless. She stumbled backward, shaking her head in disbelief, and then turned and ran, crashing through the trees until her footsteps vanished.
Mia dropped to her knees beside Leon again. His chest still rose and fell, but weakly. His blood stained her hands, warm and terrifying.
She pressed her forehead to his. "I don't know what's happening to me… but I'm not letting you die. Not for me."
Summoning the last of her strength, she hooked her arms under his and struggled to pull him up. He was heavy—too heavy—but she didn't stop. Step by step, dragging and stumbling, she carried him out of the clearing, away from the carnage, back toward the distant glow of the academy lights.
The journey felt endless. Her muscles screamed. Her lungs burned. But every time she thought she couldn't go on, she looked down at his face, pale and still, and forced her body forward.
By the time the academy walls loomed into view, her vision was a haze of tears and exhaustion. Her knees buckled on the steps to the dorm entrance. She nearly collapsed—until a familiar voice cried out.
"Mia!"
Laura.
Her mother raced across the courtyard, her apron still on, her hair messy as though she'd run straight from home. She dropped to her knees beside them, her hands trembling as they hovered over Leon's bloodied chest, then Mia's tear-streaked face.
"What happened? Oh, moon above—what happened to you?"
Mia broke. The tears she'd held back all night poured freely as she clutched at her mother. "Mom… I didn't know what to do. He—he almost died—I…"
Laura pulled her close, wrapping her arms tight around her daughter. "You're safe. You're here. That's all that matters." Her voice was soothing, but her eyes—her eyes caught something else.
The faint glow on Mia's collarbone that has not completely faded yet.
Her breath caught and her hand froze against Mia's shoulder. For an instant, the world seemed to tilt.
"No! No Please, not now!"
Her heart thundered as fear gripped her chest. She had spent years hiding Mia, keeping her secret buried beneath ordinary human skin. And now… the mark was awake.
Laura forced her arms to stay steady, hugging her daughter even as her mind spiraled. If anyone else had seen—if word spread—Mia would be hunted before she even understood the blood that ran in her veins.
She closed her eyes, a prayer of dread slipping from her lips.
"This is a bad timing. The world cannot know who you are, Mia… not yet. They will kill you!" She cried.