The Eternal Marking
The storm raged outside like the world itself was tearing apart. Thunder shook the pack house, and lightning illuminated the room in harsh white flashes. But inside, time slowed to nothing.
Kaelan's breath was hot against Elena's neck. His body pressed against hers, solid and unyielding, yet trembling with restraint.
"Are you sure?" he whispered, voice rough with need and fear. "Once I mark you, there's no going back. You'll feel everything I feel. My shadows will live in you forever."
Elena's fingers tightened in his hair. The whispers of the Void still echoed faintly in her mind, but his closeness drowned them out.
"I'm sure," she said, her voice steady for the first time in days. "I don't want to fight this alone anymore."
Kaelan pulled back just enough to look into her eyes. Shadows danced in his irises, wild and beautiful.
"You were never alone," he said. "Not from the moment I found you."
He kissed her then—slow, deep, claiming. Not possessive this time, but reverent. Like she was something sacred.
Elena melted into him. The mate bond flared white-hot, pulling them closer until there was no space left between their souls.
Kaelan trailed kisses down her jaw, her throat, pausing at the sensitive spot where neck met shoulder. His canines elongated, sharp and deadly.
"This will hurt," he warned, voice strained. "But only for a moment."
Elena nodded, arching into him. "Do it."
His arms tightened around her. Then his teeth sank into her flesh.
Pain exploded—sharp, burning, exquisite. Elena cried out, nails digging into his back. But almost instantly, pleasure followed. Waves of it. Warm, golden, overwhelming.
Kaelan's shadows poured into her like liquid night, merging with her own darkness. She felt him—his strength, his loneliness, his fierce protectiveness. Centuries of carrying the curse alone. The weight of being Alpha. The terror of losing her before he'd even had her.
And he felt her—years of running, of guilt, of believing she was a monster.
Their shadows twisted together, no longer fighting. Becoming one.
Elena gasped as the bond snapped fully into place. Power surged through her veins—his power, her power, something new and stronger than both.
Kaelan licked the wound gently, sealing it. A beautiful mark now bloomed on her skin—swirling shadows shaped like a crescent moon.
"Mine," he growled against her neck, voice thick with emotion.
"And you're mine," Elena whispered back, surprising herself with the possessiveness in her own voice.
They collapsed together onto the bed, tangled in each other and the sheets. The storm outside quieted, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
Elena felt different. Stronger. The Void's whispers were gone—replaced by Kaelan's steady presence in her mind, in her heart.
But then she felt something else.
Deep in the mountains, the seal shattered.
A pulse of pure darkness rippled through the earth, strong enough to rattle the windows.
Kaelan stiffened, lifting his head.
"It's free," he said grimly.
Elena sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest. The new bond hummed with shared power.
"Then we face it together," she said, meeting his eyes. "Like you promised."
Kaelan smiled—small, fierce, proud.
"Together."
He stood, pulling her up with him. Shadows cloaked them both now, moving as one entity.
Outside, the full moon broke through the clouds, bathing the world in silver light.
The Void was coming.
But for the first time, Elena wasn't afraid.
She had her mate.
She had her power.
And she was ready to fight.