Chapter 3 The Stranger’s Mark

The storm raged through Eldridge, hammering rain against the windows like fists. Aria tightened her coat around her shoulders, her breath clouding in the chill night air as she stepped onto the porch. The door swung behind her, creaking in the wind. The words still burned in her mind "Find me"etched in dirt and claw marks.

Her wolf pressed against her chest, restless, urging her to run into the woods, to follow the scent trail still lingering in the rain. But Aria clenched her fists. A year of hiding had taught her caution. Charging into the dark could mean death or worse.

She froze. A figure moved at the edge of the trees, barely more than a shadow.

“Kael?” Her voice cracked, carried away by the wind.

No answer. Just that low growl again, vibrating through the storm.

Before she could react, a hand clamped on her shoulder. Aria spun, ready to strike, only to meet familiar golden eyes.

“Easy,” Ronan murmured, his damp auburn hair plastered to his forehead. He released her slowly, scanning the treeline. “I told you I’d stay close.”

Her pulse thundered. “He’s gone. Kael. One moment he was on the couch, the next” She gestured to the threshold. “That.”

Ronan crouched, brushing his fingers across the smeared words. His jaw tightened. “Not his handwriting. And these claw marks…” He traced them with sharp eyes. “Too long. Too deep. Whatever left this isn’t a wolf."

Aria’s stomach knotted. “Then who?”

“Not who,” Ronan said grimly, standing. “What.”

Lightning split the sky, casting the clearing in white light. For an instant, Aria swore she saw a massive figure lurking just beyond the tree line something tall, too broad to be human, its eyes glinting with unnatural fire. Then the darkness swallowed it again.

Aria staggered back, clutching the doorframe. “No. That’s impossible.”

Ronan caught her elbow. “Get inside. Now.”

But her wolf rebelled, howling inside her chest. Kael. He’s out there.

“I can’t just sit here,” Aria snapped. “If he’s in danger”

Ronan’s voice hardened. “If you run into that forest now, you won’t find Kael. You’ll find death.”

“Don’t tell me what to do!” Her eyes flashed with amber as her wolf clawed closer to the surface. “You don’t know what the bond feels like. I can’t ignore it.”

His golden gaze softened, but his tone stayed firm. “You’re right. I don’t know what the bond feels like.” His hand brushed hers, deliberate, grounding. “But I know what losing someone feels like. And I’m not about to lose you.”

The words stilled her, if only for a heartbeat.

“Then what do we do?” she whispered.

Ronan’s jaw tightened. “We wait until first light. Whatever that thing was, it won’t linger once the sun rises. I’ll track it. But we need to be smart.”

Reluctantly, Aria nodded, though her chest ached with every passing second Kael was gone.

They sat in the dim glow of the apothecary shop, a single lantern flickering on the counter. Rain drummed steadily outside. Ronan leaned against the wall, arms folded, eyes closed as though listening to the storm itself. Aria paced the length of the room, her nerves frayed.

Finally, she broke the silence. “Why are you helping me, Ronan?”

His eyes opened, glinting gold in the lantern light. “Because you deserve better than what they gave you. Because I know what it’s like to be hunted. Alone.”

“That’s not an answer.”

He hesitated, then sighed. “The truth? I don’t trust him. Kael. Alpha or not, something’s wrong with him. Wolves don’t just… forget their mates.”

Aria’s throat tightened. “I felt it, though. The bond. When he said my name, it was like fire in my veins again. If someone stole his memories…” She trailed off, struggling to reconcile the boy who had left flowers by her door with the Alpha who’d spat rejection in front of the pack.

Ronan’s expression darkened. “Memory theft is old magic. Dangerous. It doesn’t just erase it reshapes. Whoever did this to him, they wanted you gone.”

Her pulse quickened. “Why me? I’m no one. An orphan. A stray.”

Ronan stepped closer, his voice low. “Or maybe you’re the key to something bigger.”

Before she could respond, the lantern flickered violently. The shop’s shelves rattled, jars of herbs clinking like teeth. A gust of wind howled through the cracks in the walls, carrying with it a stench sulfur and rot.

Aria’s wolf bristled. “It’s here.”

Ronan bared his teeth, his wolf flashing in his eyes. “Stay behind me.”

The door creaked open.

But it wasn’t the monstrous figure from the woods. It was Kael.

Soaked, bruised, blood streaking his temple, he stumbled into the room, collapsing to his knees. “Aria…” His voice was hoarse, desperate. “Don’t… trust…” He convulsed, clutching his head as if something inside him was tearing him apart.

“Kael!” Aria darted forward, dropping to her knees beside him. She tried to touch his arm, but he jerked back, a strangled growl escaping his throat.

Ronan crouched low, golden eyes blazing. “He’s not himself. Look at him.”

Kael’s gaze snapped up, and for the first time Aria saw it the flicker of something alien burning in his blue eyes. A red shimmer, pulsing like fire beneath ice.

“Get out,” he rasped, his voice layered with something not his own. “Before it” He cut off, body wracked with spasms.

Aria clutched his face, tears stinging her eyes. “Kael, fight it. Whatever this is, fight it!”

For a heartbeat, his true eyes broke through, pleading. “Aria… they’re coming for you.”

The lantern shattered. Darkness swallowed the room.

And in the pitch black, something snarled. Not Kael. Not Ronan. Something else.