đ Chapter 3 â The Mark Beneath the Moon
The moon rose higher that night, veiled in clouds that pulsed with an otherworldly shimmer.
Seren stood barefoot in the clearing beyond the ruins, the earth still damp with the blood of battle.
She could feel it â the power Lucen spoke of â sleeping inside her veins, waiting to wake.
Lucen circled her slowly, his steps soundless.
His voice was quiet but carried through the air like a spell.
> "Power born from grief is wild, Luna. It doesn't serve. It consumes. Until you command it."
Seren's gaze followed him, her breath unsteady. "Then teach me to command it."
He smiled faintly, eyes gleaming. "You don't command it by force. You command it by surrender."
The word surrender coiled through her like a forbidden touch.
Lucen stopped before her, raising a hand â not to touch, but to hover inches from her chest, where her heart beat too fast.
"Close your eyes," he murmured. "Listen."
She obeyed.
The world faded â the whispers of her pack, the rustle of the wind â until all that remained was the echo of her heartbeat.
And beneath it, another rhythm â slow, ancient, endless.
> "The shadow isn't your enemy," Lucen's voice whispered inside her mind. "It's the other half of your light."
Darkness brushed her skin, cool and soft as silk. She didn't flinch.
It sank into her, filled her lungs, threaded through her blood.
For a moment, she felt weightless.
Power surged beneath her skin â silver and black intertwining, moonlight bleeding into shadow.
Her eyes flew open â glowing now with a shifting hue, both light and dark.
Lucen watched, something like awe flickering in his expression. "Do you feel it?"
Seren's voice trembled. "It's⌠alive."
He stepped closer, his hand finally touching hers. "No