Marked by the unknown

The Girl Without a Wolf

The last day of school was supposed to feel important.

For most seniors at Blackwood Academy, it was.

It was the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. The day they stopped being children and stepped into adulthood.

For werewolves, adulthood meant responsibility.

It meant discovering your place in the pack.

Finding your wolf.

Finding your mate.

Finding yourself.

Luna Blackwood sat in the back row of her history class, staring out the window while everyone around her laughed and talked about graduation parties.

The final bell would ring in less than ten minutes.

Everyone seemed excited.

Everyone except her.

“You coming tonight?” her friend Maya whispered.

Luna blinked and turned away from the window.

“Hm?”

“The bonfire.”

“Oh.”

Maya rolled her eyes.

“You weren’t listening.”

“Sorry.”

“You’ve been somewhere else all week.”

Luna forced a smile.

“I’m fine.”

It was the same lie she’d been telling for years.

Maya wasn’t convinced.

“Your birthday is tomorrow.”

There it was.

The subject Luna had been trying desperately to avoid.

Eighteen.

The age every werewolf waited for.

The age their wolf fully awakened.

The age they officially became part of the pack.

Excitement twisted through the classroom as someone mentioned their upcoming shift.

Luna looked away.

She didn’t need another reminder.

At sixteen, most wolves started hearing whispers from their wolf.

At seventeen, they experienced stronger instincts and heightened senses.

By eighteen, the bond was complete.

Luna had experienced none of it.

Nothing.

No voice.

No instincts.

No wolf.

As if part of her simply didn’t exist.

The bell rang.

Everyone jumped to their feet.

Cheers erupted through the classroom.

Books slammed shut.

Chairs scraped against the floor.

The school year was over.

Luna remained seated for a moment longer.

Watching.

Listening.

Feeling more alone than ever.

“Ready?” Maya asked.

Luna stood.

“As I’ll ever be.”

Together they walked into the crowded hallway.

Students hugged.

Teachers wished them luck.

Parents waited outside.

The entire building buzzed with excitement.

Then the crowd suddenly shifted.

Parting.

Moving aside.

Luna didn’t need to look up to know why.

Noah Nightfang had arrived.

Future Alpha.

Golden boy of the pack.

Every conversation seemed to stop whenever he entered a room.

He walked down the hallway surrounded by friends.

Tall.

Confident.

Annoyingly handsome.

Dark hair fell across his forehead while laughter echoed around him.

Girls watched him pass.

Boys respected him.

Teachers adored him.

Luna hated him.

As if sensing her gaze, Noah looked up.

Their eyes met.

For one second neither moved.

Then his expression hardened.

The familiar smirk appeared.

“Still here, Blackwood?”

Luna sighed.

There it was.

Right on schedule.

“What gave me away?” she asked dryly.

His friends chuckled.

Noah crossed his arms.

“I figured maybe you’d finally run away and join the humans.”

Laughter erupted around him.

The joke was old.

Years old.

Yet somehow he never got tired of it.

Because everyone knew what he meant.

Wolf-less.

Broken.

Different.

Luna felt heat rise in her chest.

“Nice to know your creativity hasn’t improved since middle school.”

A few students laughed.

This time at Noah.

His smirk disappeared.

Good.

For a brief moment, satisfaction warmed her.

Then Noah stepped closer.

Close enough that she could see the green flecks in his eyes.

Close enough that she remembered a time when he hadn’t looked at her like an enemy.

“You should be careful tomorrow,” he said quietly.

Luna frowned.

“What?”

But Noah was already walking away.

His friends followed.

Within seconds he disappeared into the crowd.

Maya stared after him.

“What was that about?”

Luna watched the empty hallway.

“I wish I knew.”

The Blackwood home sat near the edge of pack territory.

Unlike the Alpha’s enormous estate, the Beta house felt warm and lived-in.

The scent of fresh bread greeted Luna the second she opened the front door.

“She’s home!” her mother called.

Luna smiled despite herself.

Her family might be strange.

They might hide things.

But they loved her.

Of that she had no doubt.

Her father emerged from his office first.

David Blackwood.

The Beta.

Second-in-command of the entire pack.

Tall and broad-shouldered, he looked intimidating to almost everyone.

Except Luna.

To her, he was simply Dad.

“There’s my graduate.”

Before she could react, he wrapped her in a crushing hug.

“Dad!”

“I’m proud of you.”

She laughed.

“You say that every day.”

“Because it’s true every day.”

Warmth spread through her chest.

For a moment she forgot the uneasiness that constantly followed her.

Forgot the questions.

Forgot the whispers.

Then she noticed it.

A glance.

One shared look between her parents.

Gone almost instantly.

But she caught it.

Again.

The same look.

The one she’d seen her entire life.

Worry.

Fear.

Guilt.

Something.

“What?” Luna asked.

Both parents froze.

“What what?” her mother replied.

“That look.”

“What look?”

“The one you just gave each other.”

Silence.

Too much silence.

Then her father smiled.

“You’ve always had an active imagination.”

There it was.

Deflection.

Again.

Luna’s stomach twisted.

“Right.”

Her mother immediately changed the subject.

“Dinner is almost ready.”

Of course it was.

Whenever Luna got close to a question, someone changed the subject.

Every single time.

That night Luna couldn’t sleep.

Moonlight spilled through her bedroom window.

Silver shadows stretched across the walls.

She stared at the ceiling.

Tomorrow she would be eighteen.

Tomorrow everything was supposed to make sense.

Except she already knew it wouldn’t.

A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.

Her father entered carrying two mugs.

“Couldn’t sleep either?” he asked.

Luna sat up.

He handed her hot chocolate before settling beside her.

For a while neither spoke.

The silence felt comfortable.

Familiar.

Then Luna finally asked the question she’d been carrying for years.

“Dad?”

“Hm?”

“What’s wrong with me?”

His entire body went still.

The reaction lasted less than a second.

But it was enough.

Luna saw it.

Fear.

Real fear.

“Dad.”

“You aren’t broken.”

“Then why don’t I have a wolf?”

Silence.

The kind that hurt.

The kind that answered more than words ever could.

Luna looked away first.

Tears threatened her eyes.

“You see?” she whispered.

“What?”

“You won’t answer.”

Her father stared into his mug.

For the first time in her life, he looked tired.

Older.

As if carrying a burden too heavy to bear.

“I wish I could explain.”

“Then explain.”

Pain flashed across his face.

“You have to trust me.”

Luna laughed bitterly.

“That’s the problem.”

His eyes widened.

She immediately regretted saying it.

Because she loved him.

Loved both of her parents.

But she was tired.

Tired of lies.

Tired of secrets.

Tired of being treated differently.

“What aren’t you telling me?” she asked softly.

Her father closed his eyes.

For a moment she thought he might finally answer.

Finally tell her the truth.

Instead he stood.

“Happy birthday, Luna.”

Then he left.

Leaving her alone with questions.

Again.

Just after midnight, Luna slipped outside.

The forest always calmed her.

The cool air felt good against her skin.

Crickets sang in the darkness.

Leaves rustled overhead.

For the first time all day, she could breathe.

She wandered deeper between the trees.

Past familiar trails.

Past old training grounds.

Past the places she and Noah used to play as children.

A memory surfaced.

She couldn’t stop it.

Eight years old.

Laughing.

Running through the woods.

Noah chasing after her.

“You’re cheating!” he shouted.

“I am not!”

“You got a head start!”

Young Luna laughed so hard she tripped.

Noah immediately stopped.

Instead of teasing her, he offered his hand.

“You okay?”

She nodded.

“I’m fine.”

The boy smiled.

Then he placed a small flower crown on her head.

“I made this.”

Luna blinked.

“For me?”

He shrugged awkwardly.

“Obviously.”

The memory shattered.

Luna stopped walking.

Her chest hurt.

Because that Noah no longer existed.

Somewhere between childhood and now, he’d disappeared.

Replaced by someone cruel.

Someone cold.

Someone she barely recognized.

A sudden pain exploded behind her eyes.

Luna gasped.

The world tilted.

Trees blurred.

A strange ringing filled her ears.

Then—

A scream.

A woman’s scream.

Blood covered stone.

Silver chains.

Golden eyes glowing in the darkness.

A voice whispered:

“Wake up.”

Luna stumbled backward.

The vision vanished instantly.

Silence returned.

Her heart pounded.

“What was that?”

Fear crept through her veins.

Not because of what she’d seen.

Because it felt familiar.

Like something buried deep inside her mind.

Something trying desperately to escape.

Somewhere in the darkness, a wolf howled.

The sound echoed through the forest.

Ancient.

Lonely.

Waiting.

And for the first time in eighteen years, Luna wasn’t sure she was alone inside herself.