MOONBOUND HEARTS
Chapter Nine — The Shadow Pact
Dawn crept over the forest like a bruise fading from night's skin. The world was still, but Mara could sense the change beneath it—something old stirring, restless, waiting.
She stood in the center of the ruined clearing, ash clinging to her boots, smoke rising from the ground where the monolith had been. Luca was nowhere to be found. The silence was suffocating.
"Luca?" she called softly. No reply. Only the sighing of trees.
Her mark was still glowing faintly, a soft silver pulse beneath her skin. Every beat of it whispered a direction, tugging her deeper into the woods. Against every instinct, she followed.
As she walked, shadows gathered along the path—not threatening, but watchful. Wolves moved silently between the trees, their eyes reflecting the weak dawn light. None attacked. None growled. They only watched her pass.
She reached a ravine where a waterfall tumbled into a black pool. There, on the moss-covered rocks, symbols were carved—spirals and crescents intertwined. She traced one with her fingers, and the mark on her wrist flared in response.
The air shimmered.
From the reflection in the pool, a shape rose—a wolf formed of mist and moonlight. Its eyes were not cruel but ancient, filled with something close to sorrow.
"You are not of us," the voice said, echoing without sound. "Yet you bear our bond."
Mara swallowed hard. "Who are you?"
"A remnant," it replied. "The memory of the first hunt. The exile you faced was once my brother."
The world seemed to tilt. "Your brother?"
"He was the first Alpha. The Moon bound him to protect balance between shadow and flame. But power devoured him. He turned against the Moon and sought to claim her light for himself. We cast him into darkness."
Mara took a step closer, her heart pounding. "He said my Alpha made a promise. What did he mean?"
The mist-wolf lowered its head. "Your Alpha's line is bound by blood to ours. Every generation, the Moon chooses one to carry the mark and keep the worlds apart. Your arrival was no accident."
She looked down at her glowing wrist, feeling the weight of its truth. "So I'm supposed to fix what he broke?"
"Not fix—end it," the wolf said. "When the eclipse rises, the exile will return with the strength of both realms. Only one bound by the Moon can stop him. That is the Shadow Pact."
Before she could ask more, the mist shuddered violently. A ripple of darkness swept through it, and the reflection in the water warped—turning red.
"He knows you now," the wolf whispered. "He hunts you."
The shape dissolved, leaving only her reflection in the trembling pool.
Behind her, a faint rustle. She turned sharply. A figure emerged from the fog—Luca. He looked exhausted, blood on his hands, but alive.
"You're safe," he said, relief breaking through the weariness in his voice.
Mara nodded slowly. "For now."
The forest moaned around them as if alive, branches bending toward the rising sun.
Because somewhere far beyond the horizon, another howl answered—low, ancient, and full of promise.
The exile had found her scent.
The ground trembled beneath their feet, the forest echoing with a thousand whispers. Mara and Luca broke into a run, branches whipping at their faces as the sound of pursuit grew louder—howls weaving through the trees like a storm closing in.
"Where are we going?" she shouted.
"North ridge," Luca called back. "There's an old settlement—Moon Hunters. If anyone's left, they'll know how to fight him."
The forest seemed determined to stop them. Roots rose from the earth, tangling their boots. Black mist coiled between the trees, reaching for them like living smoke. Mara's mark glowed brighter, scattering the darkness in silver sparks, but the energy drained her strength with every pulse.
Luca grabbed her wrist, pulling her along. "Don't fight it. Let it guide you."
They burst through the treeline and stumbled into open air—the ridge rising before them, a jagged wall of rock. At its base, half-buried in vines, stood the entrance to an ancient tunnel. Symbols were etched into the stone—spirals, crescents, and the same silver roots that wound across Mara's skin.
She hesitated. "How do you know this place?"
Luca didn't answer right away. He pressed his hand against the carvings. "Because my father was a Hunter."
The symbols flared, and the stone door slid open with a low rumble. A rush of cold, dry air spilled out. They stepped inside. The door sealed behind them, plunging the tunnel into dim, silver light that seemed to come from nowhere.
The passage descended deep into the mountain. Along the walls, murals told a story—wolves and humans standing side by side under twin moons, their blood mingling in ritual circles.
"This is where it began," Mara murmured.
Luca nodded. "Where the pact was made."
When they reached the end of the passage, the space widened into a cavern so vast it could have held a village. And perhaps once it had—remnants of huts carved into the rock, rusted weapons, and ancient banners still hanging from stone pillars.
Mara knelt beside a broken shield, tracing its emblem—a wolf's head split by a crescent. "Moon Hunters," she said softly.
Footsteps echoed. They weren't alone.
Figures emerged from the shadows—five of them, cloaked in gray, their eyes reflecting the silver light. One stepped forward, lowering her hood to reveal white hair braided with bone charms.
"You carry the Moon's mark," she said. Her voice was calm, but her gaze was sharp. "And the scent of the exile follows you."
Mara rose slowly. "We need your help."
The woman studied her for a long moment, then turned to the others. "Prepare the wards. The Hunt begins anew."
As the others moved into action, torches igniting one by one around the cavern, Luca leaned close to Mara. "You trust them?"
She glanced at the glowing symbols, at the way the air itself seemed to hum with old power. "I don't think we have a choice."
Above them, hidden behind stone and shadow, the mountain groaned. And far beyond, in the black heart of the forest, the exile howled again—closer this time, his rage shaking the trees.
The Hunt had begun.
To be continued....