(Aria's POV)
For the past three nights, I hadn't slept.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw him — Lucian — standing in the woods, half-shadow, half-man, eyes glowing gold like embers under the moonlight. Sometimes, he spoke my name. Other times, he didn't speak at all, just stared until the dream ended in a rush of cold air that left me gasping awake.
By the fourth night, I told myself it was just my brain replaying what it didn't understand.
Except… when I rolled up my sleeve that morning, I saw it.
A mark.
Faint, right above my wrist. Not a bruise. Not dirt. Just a thin silver line, curling like smoke under my skin — almost glowing when the light hit it.
I tried scrubbing it off.
It didn't fade.
I didn't tell anyone. Not Tessa, not my dad, not even myself out loud. Because saying it would make it real, and I wasn't ready for real.
The diner felt louder that morning. Every clatter of plates, every hiss from the coffee machine sounded sharper, like the world was turning up its volume. My heart beat faster than usual. My senses buzzed.
"Aria!" Tessa snapped her fingers in front of my face. "Earth to you. Are you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost."
I blinked. "I'm fine. Just… tired."
"Yeah, you and the entire town. You know people are saying the wolves are back?"
I froze. "What?"
"Yeah," she said, lowering her voice. "Two guys from the gas station swore they saw one near the bridge last night. Big, black, glowing eyes. Creepy as hell."
Glowing eyes.
My stomach twisted. "Probably just someone's dog."
Tessa raised a brow. "A dog that growls loud enough to shake trees?"
Before I could answer, the diner door creaked open — and everyone went quiet.
Lucian.
Again.
Dressed in black like always, raindrops glistening on his hair. He scanned the room until his gaze found me. That same invisible thread pulled tight between us, and I forgot how to breathe for a second.
He didn't speak. Didn't smile. Just nodded once toward the door.
Tessa leaned close. "If he's your stalker, at least he's hot."
I shot her a glare but my pulse was already racing. I untied my apron and slipped outside. The air smelled of rain and pine.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
"You didn't stay away," he said softly.
"You said that before."
"This time, I mean it."
His eyes were darker than before — not just gold, but something deeper, edged with danger.
"You think you can just show up and—"
"Aria."
The way he said my name stopped me cold. His voice carried something that didn't belong in the human world — command, power, something ancient.
I swallowed hard. "You're scaring me."
"Good."
He stepped closer, close enough that I could feel the warmth radiating from him despite the chill. "You should be scared."
"Of you?"
"Of what's coming."
The words hung heavy between us. Rain trickled down his jaw, his breath visible in the cold air.
"What do you mean?" I asked, trying to steady my voice.
He hesitated. For a second, I saw conflict flicker in his eyes — like he wanted to tell me everything but couldn't.
Then he reached out, fingers brushing the edge of my sleeve.
His touch lingered just long enough to make my skin hum — and when he pushed the fabric up, his expression hardened.
The mark glowed faintly under the gray sky.
He cursed under his breath. "It's already started."
"What's started?"
"The bond."
I took a step back, heart hammering. "What bond?"
"You were never supposed to be part of this," he said, almost to himself. "You were supposed to live a normal life. Away from me. Away from all of this."
"Lucian, what are you—"
He grabbed my wrist, not roughly but with enough force to make me feel the tremor running through him. His eyes met mine — intense, raw, unguarded.
"That mark means you're tied to me now," he said. "And if anyone from my world finds out before I can fix this—"
He stopped. His jaw tightened, gaze flicking toward the woods.
"What?" I whispered.
"We're not alone."
A low growl echoed from somewhere behind the trees. My breath caught. It wasn't human — it was too deep, too primal.
Lucian turned, stepping in front of me. His voice dropped to a command. "Get inside."
I didn't move. "Lucian—"
"Now."
The tone in his voice left no room for argument.
I stumbled backward toward the diner door, but before I went inside, I looked back — just in time to see something move between the trees. Dark fur. Gleaming eyes. Two of them.
Lucian shifted, his body tensing in a way that didn't seem possible for a human. Then he turned his head slightly, eyes glowing bright gold.
And in that split second, I realized — he wasn't just protecting me.
He was preparing to fight for me.
(A faint shimmer of energy flickers in the air as he growls low, his voice somewhere between man and beast.)
"Stay inside, Aria," he said. "No matter what you hear."
The growl in the woods deepened.
And as I pressed my hand against the glass door, my mark pulsed — once, twice — glowing brighter, like it was answering something inside the forest.
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End of Chapter 5 — The Mark Beneath My Skin