Chapter 10
“Beep-”
As the final lunar sigil shattered within the Soulseal Monitoring Array, a cold, piercing alarm echoed through the sacrificial sanctuary.
“The Luna Rite is complete. Her moonmark has been severed,” the attending moon–priestess reported in a hushed voice.
The gathered ritualists all exhaled in quiet relief–save for Thorne, whose fingers trembled uncontrollably. A crushing wave of dread swelled in his chest, stealing the air from his lungs.
His gaze drifted instinctively toward the moonstone altar at the heart of the sanctuary.
Selene lay there, perfectly still upon a bed woven of silvervine and moon–thread. Her expression was serene, skin pale as snow, with not the faintest trace of breath. The sigil on her chest had dimmed to ash; the silver soul glow had dissipated entirely.
He had severed her moonmark with his own hands.
Thorne stood frozen until the priestess beside him nudged him gently.
“Alpha, it’s time to guide the new Luna’s imprint.”
He blinked, then nodded slowly, snapping back to the present.
Yes–Marina would live.
Wasn’t that what he had always wanted?
The ritual had taken six full hours. When Thorne finally emerged from the stone sanctum, the moonlit corridor was already brimming with waiting clansfolk. The High Chief and elders stood at the fore, even young Theo and Tiara had come. Every gaze turned toward him, and every voice echoed the same name:
“How is Marina?”
Thorne replied calmly, “The rite was a complete success.
The Chief’s face broke into tears of joy. The elders nodded with relief, Children clapped and danced.
No one asked what had become of Selene.
Marina was escorted to the healing ward by the moon priestesses, the Matriarch following close behind. The Chief remained behind, placing a grateful hand on Thorne’s shoulder.
“Thorne, if it weren’t for you severing Marina’s moonmark in time, she wouldn’t have survived the lunar collapse. You’ve done this pack a great service.”
His eyes brimmed with tears. His voice was thick with emotion.
“We should’ve let you bond with her from the start… Back then, she… well-
He paused, sighing heavily. “Never mind. It’s all in the past.”
“I just want to know… whose soulmark did she receive? I’d like to personally thank the family.
Even as the words fell, the sanctum doors creaked open with the wind.
Two priestesses emerged, wheeling a silver bier draped in a woven shroud of soul–thread. A breeze lifted the edge of the vell, revealing a pale hand marked with an intricate silver crescent.
The Chief faltered mid–step.
“That’s…”
He recognized the birthmark–it had been bestowed on Selene by the Moon Goddess herself the night she was born.
Chapter 10
He moved instinctively to get a closer look, but Thome stepped in front of him, blocking his view.
“Sacrificial rites are sacred. The soul’s origin must remain unknown–this is our law,” Thorne said quietly. “Please, don’t ask.”
The Chief hesitated, then nodded, assuming it was a trick of the light. He turned and left in silence.
At the end of the corridor, Thorne personally wheeled Selene’s body to the Hall of the Departed.
Moonlight streamed down through the crystal dome, illuminating the pure white cloth draped over her form.
He peeled back the shroud and stared at her familiar face. Her chest still bore the faint glow of a silver scar–the sign of the severed
bond, the mark of a soul extracted.
He knew she wasn’t truly gone
And yet, seeing her lie there in such utter stillness–it felt like she had vanished completely. Like a shadow banished from the living world.
His chest twisted.
Thorne took her hand, voice rasping:
“You’ll come back… won’t you?”
“You said you wouldn’t leave me.”
“Even if you hate me–even if you resent me you couldn’t possibly abandon me,”
He leaned down, pressing his forehead gently to hers
“When you return, we’ll start over. Just you and me. Alright?”
If it were the Selene he once knew, she would have smiled. Touched his brow. Whispered “alright.”
But now, the only response was silence–cold, endless, and absolute
He remembered: every time a soul–binding ritual succeeded, Selene’s spirit would return within three days.
She would re–enter the mortal realm with a new name, a new face, a new form.
–
And he was certain no matter how she changed, no matter what vessel she wore
If she ever came near him again, he would know.
He would recognize her.
And he would wait.
days.
Chapter 10
