Chapter 4 A Mark Beneath the Moon

The figure's voice was cold, ancient, and venom-laced.

"Elara Voss," it repeated, stepping from the shadows. "Child of the Eclipse. Blood of the traitor Alpha."

The moonlight in the chamber dimmed, as if the air itself had been laced with dread. I instinctively took a step back, but Kieran moved in front of me, his stance protective, aggressive.

"Who the hell are you?" he growled, claws halfway shifted, teeth flashing.

The figure chuckled darkly. "Your shadow, your past... your inevitable ruin."

Then it attacked.

Battle of Wills

It moved faster than any creature I'd ever seen. One moment, it was cloaked in the corner; the next, its claws were slicing through the air at Kieran's throat.

He blocked with a snarl, and the impact sent shockwaves through the stone floor.

I stood frozen, watching Kieran trade brutal blows with the figure. I wasn't just watching a fight, this was a challenge of dominance. Of survival.

Kieran was strong, but the figure moved like it had no substance, all shadow and hate.

Then its eyes found mine.

I staggered back as an unseen force wrapped around my limbs, slamming me into the ground.

"Elara," Kieran shouted, distracted. The shadow's claws ripped into his shoulder, blood spraying.

"No!" I screamed.

My fear unlocked something deep within me. Power surged from my core, colder than frost, sharper than steel. The shadows around us twisted and obeyed.

They surged toward the cloaked attacker, yanking it off Kieran with invisible chains. For a heartbeat, the chamber turned silent.

Then I stood. The figure writhed in the grip of my shadows.

"You don't get to speak my name," I said, voice low, trembling with power.

The figure laughed, then vanished in a swirl of smoke.

The Mark Revealed

Kieran collapsed against the wall, breathing hard, blood still dripping from his shoulder.

"You okay?" I asked, stepping toward him.

He looked at me with something unreadable. "You did that."

"I think so," I whispered.

My hands were still glowing faintly, streaked with black veins of shadowlight. My Eclipse Wolf powers were growing, and no amount of denial could suppress them anymore.

Kieran's gaze dropped to my wrist. "You're marked."

"What?"

He reached out and tilted my wrist. There, on the skin, was a strange crescent-shaped sigil. It hadn't been there before.

"The Moon's Mark," he murmured. "It only appears when your wolf accepts the bond... or when you're being hunted by the Moonless."

"The who?"

He pushed himself upright, groaning. "Old enemies. They live in the dark. Feed on cursed bloodlines."

I blinked. "So that thing back there?"

"Was one of them." He touched my wrist gently. "This mark means you're awakening. Which also means... they'll come in greater numbers."

I looked up at him, heart racing. "And you? You still think I'm weak?"

He didn't smile, but his eyes softened. "I think you scare the hell out of me."

Shadows Between Us

We continued through the maze in silence.

The bond between us pulsed like a second heartbeat. Now that it had been touched by shadow magic, I could feel everything more vividly: his tension, his pain, the quiet way he looked at me when he thought I wasn't watching.

We reached the edge of the Gauntlet's fourth tria, a massive obsidian door, etched with runes that shimmered under the moonlight.

Kieran muttered, "One more room, then we're done."

I touched the door. It creaked open.

Inside was a long, mirrored corridor. And on the other side, waiting for us, were... ourselves.

Reflections. Perfect replicas of me and Kieran, standing motionless until they moved.

They stepped forward, weapons drawn.

"Oh, come on," I muttered.

"They're not illusions," Kieran said grimly. "They're Shadow Echoes. They'll use our memories, our worst thoughts, against us."

"Perfect."

The battle began instantly.

My echo was faster, crueler. It whispered all my fears that I'd always be the outsider, that Kieran would never truly want me, that my power would destroy everything I loved.

But I fought harder.

I slammed her into the mirror, yelling, "I am not my fear!"

The mirror shattered.

Across the hall, Kieran took down his echo with a guttural roar, his claws soaked in blood.

We stood there, panting, bloodied, surrounded by broken glass.

He looked at me, something raw in his eyes.

"You're not just strong," he said. "You're... terrifying."

I smiled weakly. "Thanks, I guess?"

His lips twitched. "Come on. One last door."

The Bond Tightens

The final chamber was circular, filled with glowing crystal pillars. In the center floated a silver orb the Moon Core. The final Gauntlet token.

Kieran reached for it, but before he could touch it, a blinding pulse of light threw him backward.

I caught him.

Literally. My arms wrapped around his back as his weight slammed into me. We stumbled, landed hard, and tangled together.

The orb floated between us. A voice echoed in our heads:

"Only one may claim the prize. The one whose heart bleeds for the other."

Kieran stared at me.

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It's a bond test," I whispered. "It's asking who would sacrifice for the other."

He stood slowly. "You shouldn't trust it."

"Then let me try."

I stepped toward the orb, but Kieran grabbed my wrist.

"Don't," he said hoarsely.

"Why not?"

He didn't answer with words.

He kissed me.

Not gently. Not softly.

It was heat and frustration and everything we hadn't said. His hands framed my face, and his lips claimed mine like he was drowning and I was his last breath.

When we broke apart, he whispered, "I'd bleed for you."

Then he turned and touched the orb.

It flared with light then dimmed, accepting him.

The trial was complete.

What Comes Next

We exited the Gauntlet, weary and bruised, but triumphant. Outside, the other teams stared some with disbelief, others with grudging respect.

Kieran didn't acknowledge them. He walked beside me, close, silent.

That night, back in our dorm, I stood on the balcony, the moonlight painting silver ribbons across the floor.

Kieran joined me.

"I meant it," he said.

I looked at him. "Meant what?"

"I'd bleed for you." His voice was low, but honest. "Even if I still don't understand why you were chosen. Even if I still don't want a Luna."

I turned toward him. "I never asked to be one."

"But you are," he said. "And whether I like it or not... you're mine."

I didn't flinch at the possessiveness. Instead, I said, "Then prove it."

His eyes darkened.

"Tomorrow," he said. "There's a summit. The Alphas are gathering. And they want to challenge your bloodline. They know who you are now, Elara."

I stiffened.

"Let them," I whispered. "Because I'm done hiding."

He reached out, fingers brushing mine.

"Then I'll be by your side."