Chapter 7 Marked By Shadows

• The courtyard was still stained with blood the next morning.
• The academy guards had cleaned up most of the mess, but the smell of iron still lingered in the air, clinging to the stone walls like a memory that refused to fade.
• No one spoke to me. Not even Vanessa.
• Maybe it was fear… or curiosity. Either way, their stares followed me everywhere.
• Lucien had been summoned by the council before dawn. I hadn’t seen him since the attack.
• And now, it was my turn.
• Two guards escorted me through the main hall toward the Council Chamber — a grand room lined with black banners and silver wolf emblems. The air was thick with tension, every step echoing like a warning.
• When the doors opened, I froze.
• Inside sat five figures — the Mooncrest High Council. Old, powerful, and merciless.
• And beside them… stood Lucien.
• His shirt was clean, but his shoulder still bore a faint bandage. He didn’t look at me.
• “Scarlet Wren,” said the woman in the center, her silver eyes sharp as daggers. “You unleashed an energy during yesterday’s attack. A force capable of repelling six rogues at once. Explain.”
• My throat tightened. “I—I can’t. It just happened.”
• “You expect us to believe that?” another councilman snapped. “No training, no control, and yet you produced a wave strong enough to send rogues fleeing?”
• Lucien’s voice cut through the air. “She saved lives. Without her, more students would be dead.”
• The woman turned to him. “And without your interference, perhaps we’d know what she truly is.”
• Lucien stiffened. “She’s one of us.”
• “Is she?”
• The words struck like knives.
• I clenched my fists. “What are you saying?”
• The councilwoman leaned forward. “That mark on your skin — the one you’ve been hiding — isn’t a curse. It’s a bond mark. A rare connection between wolves… and something older.”
• I swallowed hard. “Older?”
• Lucien finally looked at me, his expression unreadable. “It’s the mark of a blood-bound wolf.”
• My heart skipped. “What does that mean?”
• “It means,” the woman said, “your bloodline carries something ancient — a magic that predates the first packs. Power that can destroy or unite entire clans. And that mark binds you… to him.”
• She nodded toward Lucien.
• The room spun. “What?”
• Lucien’s jaw clenched. “I didn’t know until now.”
• The councilwoman’s voice lowered. “The mark appeared because fate chose him. You’re tied to the Alpha Prince — body, mind, and spirit.”
• Whispers filled the chamber.
• Lucien looked at me, guilt and confusion flashing in his eyes.
• “I didn’t ask for this,” I said quietly.
• “Neither did he,” the woman replied. “But destiny rarely asks for permission.”
• She rose from her seat, the torchlight casting long shadows behind her. “Until we understand the full extent of your power, you are both to remain under watch. No leaving the grounds. No unsupervised contact.”
• Lucien’s growl rumbled low in his chest. “You can’t cage fate.”
• “Watch us,” the woman hissed. “We can.”
• The guards approached.
• Lucien grabbed my wrist for a fleeting moment before they pulled him away. His voice was low, fierce — meant only for me.
• “Don’t trust them,” he whispered. “There’s more to your blood than they’re telling you.”
• And as the door closed behind him, the mark on my skin pulsed again—bright, alive, burning with the same rhythm as his heartbeat.