Chapter 5 Marked by the Moon

The night was heavy with power. The air thickened as the moon reached its peak, bathing the rogue camp in silver light.

Selene stood in the center of the circle, her heart pounding. Warriors surrounded her and Alaric, their faces shadowed by the flickering firelight. The ritual had begun.

This was no ordinary mating ceremony.

For the Moon Goddess to accept their bond, the old ways had to be honored. Blood, fire, and willpower-only the strong could claim a mate among the rogues.

Selene could feel the weight of their stares, the unspoken challenge in their eyes.

Was she worthy?

Would she survive?

Alaric stepped forward, his golden eyes locking onto hers. He stood tall, strong, and completely fearless.

"Do you accept this bond, Selene?" His voice was deep, commanding.

Selene swallowed hard. There was no hesitation.

"I do."

A warrior stepped forward, holding out a dagger. It gleamed under the moonlight, the blade sharp and deadly.

Selene knew what came next.

She did not flinch.

She extended her hand as Alaric took the blade. Without breaking eye contact, he sliced his palm, dark blood dripping onto the ground.

Then he held the dagger out to her.

A test.

Selene took it, pressing the cold steel to her own palm. A sharp sting. Warm blood spilled, joining his.

A bond forged in pain. In strength.

The warriors began to chant, their voices low and ancient. The flames of the fire pit roared higher, as if the Moon Goddess herself watched.

Alaric reached for her bleeding hand, pressing it against his own. Their mingled blood burned where it touched.

Something deep inside Selene shifted.

Power.

Heat.

A pull unlike anything she had ever felt before.

Alaric leaned closer, his breath warm against her skin. "From this moment, we are bound. By blood. By will. By fate."

Selene's vision blurred as the energy crackled around them. Her wolf stirred, restless, hungry.

The Moon Goddess had accepted them.

The chant faded. The fire calmed. And then-

Heat.

It struck like lightning, burning through Selene's veins. Her breath caught as an uncontrollable fire surged beneath her skin.

The mating heat.

Alaric's grip tightened on her hand. His golden eyes darkened, his muscles tensed. He felt it too.

Selene gasped, her knees almost giving out. The hunger inside her was overwhelming. Every fiber of her being screamed for him.

Alaric didn't hesitate.

He moved, fast and unrelenting, pulling her against him. His scent-wild, dominant, intoxicating-wrapped around her like a spell.

"Mine," he growled, his voice thick with possession.

His fangs extended, his wolf demanding what was his.

Selene tilted her head, exposing her neck, surrendering to the bond.

A sharp bite.

Pain.

Then-pleasure.

A connection so deep it stole her breath.

Alaric's mark burned into her skin, sealing their fate forever.

Selene was no longer just a rogue.

She was his.

Alaric's grip tightened as he pulled back slightly, his tongue sweeping over the fresh mark on her neck, soothing the wound he had created. His golden eyes burned with raw possession as he whispered against her skin.

"Now, you are mine."

The rogue warriors erupted into cheers, howling into the night in approval. The ceremony was complete. The Moon Goddess had accepted their bond.

But the heat between them had not faded.

Selene's entire body pulsed with unbearable need, her wolf howling inside her, demanding more.

Alaric felt it too.

His jaw clenched, his hands gripping her hips with barely restrained control.

"Come," he said, his voice rough and commanding.

Selene didn't hesitate.

Alaric led her away from the firelit clearing, past the watching eyes of the warriors, into the darkness of his den.

The moment they were alone, the tension exploded.

Selene barely had time to breathe before Alaric grabbed her, pressing her against the rough stone wall of the den.

His lips crashed against hers-hot, fierce, claiming.

The need burned between them, stronger than anything she had ever felt. It wasn't just the mating heat. It was the hunger of two warriors, two predators, finally colliding.

Alaric growled low in his throat as he lifted her, his strength effortless.

Selene gasped, her hands gripping his shoulders as his body covered hers, his heat surrounding her.

The moment their bond fully snapped into place, Selene felt something she never had before-completeness.

There was no more loneliness. No more fear.

Only this.

Only him.

Alaric was not gentle, and she did not want him to be.

They were wolves.

They took what was theirs.

And in the depths of that night, beneath the glow of the full moon, Selene gave herself to him completely.

By the time it was over, the air in the den was thick with the scent of their bond.

Selene lay in Alaric's arms, her body exhausted but satisfied. Every part of her ached, but she had never felt more alive.

Alaric's fingers traced slow patterns against her bare skin. He was quiet for a long time, as if lost in thought.

Then, finally, he spoke.

"We will take our revenge together."

Selene's breath hitched. She turned her head to look at him, meeting his piercing golden gaze.

"Darius," she whispered, her voice raw with hatred.

Alaric nodded.

"He took everything from you. He betrayed you. He left your father's body to rot in the wild."

Selene's chest tightened. The memory of her father's lifeless form, discarded like trash, burned in her mind.

Alaric's grip on her waist tightened slightly. "But he made a mistake, Selene."

She swallowed hard. "What mistake?"

His lips curled into a slow, dangerous smirk.

"He didn't kill you when he had the chance."

A shiver ran down Selene's spine.

Alaric leaned closer, his voice a dark promise.

"And now, we will make him regret it."