Marked

A long, shrilling howl ripped through the chilled air, shattering the afternoon quiet.

My panicked breath bit into the soft tissue down my throat as I raced across the dirt road on my bike. My muscles burned like a blazing inferno, begging me to take a break, but I couldn’t stop.

Wolves rarely roamed this area of the forest. It had been years since I’d heard a howl so close to home.

I pulled into our driveway, sweat pouring down my neck. With a thrashing heart, I tumbled off the bike, staggered across the gravel, and clumsily climbed the stairs to our porch.

Another howl startled a flock of birds resting on the slanted top of our roof. Fuuuuck, that was close.

I scrambled for my keys. “Come on, come on, come on, Rieka,” I muttered, struggling to hit the hole properly.

Finally, the damned thing seemed to give. I ripped the door open, rushed inside, and slammed it shut behind me.

I exhaled, allowing my cramping lungs to finally relax.

It wasn’t uncommon for predators to roam the surrounding forest—bears, mountain lions, coyotes—but none of them terrified me quite as much as the wolf. Ours were alarmingly clever, and their coordinated pack hunting made their jaws effectively inescapable once the doomed prey had been caught in their trap.

I held my strained breath, suddenly alarmingly aware of the deafening silence slithering through the house.

It was never quiet in this house.

“Mom?” I called, wriggling out of my too-thick jacket and battered helmet. “Hello?”

No answer.

Adrenaline spiked through my veins again. I kicked off my muddy boots and grabbed the long shoe horn from the closet. “Mom?”

I stopped in my tracks when I spotted a scrap of paper on the counter.

Thank fucking God.

I wasn’t sure what I’d been thinking—that a wolf broke into our house, leaving no trace of its rampage.

This pounding migraine must be messing with my head worse than I thought.

As if summoned on command, another twinge of pain tore through my brain. I groaned, massaging my sore temples. It felt as if the squishy muscle had grown too big for the cramped space behind my skull.

I’d suffered from mild migraines for a little less than two years, but they’d become progressively worse and more frequent over the past months.

Usually, I’d ravage a few painkillers and hide in the comforting darkness of my duvet until the next morning. That was just not an option today, so I had to settle for grabbing an aspirin from the bathroom cabinet before skipping upstairs.

I lazily dropped my bag next to my desk and tossed myself into the comforting sheets of my bed. The pillows felt cool against my flushed cheeks, and the scent of home weaved a calming sense of relief into my tensed body.

What a day… I was downright exhausted. Maybe a short nap wouldn’t be—

Shock rippled through me when a loud buzzing roared from the front pocket of my bag, jerking me out of the daze.

I groaned and turned the other way. I’d received dozens of birthday greetings already and didn’t particularly feel like dealing with another one.

Groaning, I dragged my feckless body out of my bed and sauntered back to the desk.

“I know, I know,” I muttered when it buzzed for the fifth time.

I plucked the phone from beneath a few papers and tapped the screen to wake it from its slumber.

Warmth filled my chest, tingling across my skin. I shifted nervously.

Mom’s note to crunch loudly in my pocket, leaving a frigid wave to extinguish the flickering flame and wrapping me in a crushing cloak of guilt.

I’d never seen the darkened night with my own eyes, never witnessed a shooting star race across the dotted sky, or relished the special kind of quiet only found in those late hours.

Mom had always had this strange obsession with the night—as if she feared the Moon would burn my skin or the stars would fall the moment I dared venture outside once the sun had set beyond the horizon.

Not once had I been allowed to spend the past twilight elsewhere, always forced to sleep within reach of Mom’s sharp eyes and ears.

To this day, I still lack a decent answer to explain her delusions. I was born in this fucking forest, heaved my first breath of life between the soaring trees where the brightest of moons had blessed my arrival—a careless result of poor planning and an unreliable car.

Mom even used to tell me that the Moon adored my first laugh so much she’d blessed me with hair as white as her light.

I belonged out there. But even though I believe that fact to the marrow of my bones, the thought of rebelling terrified me.

I’d tried sneaking out once on a summer evening when I was fourteen, but Mom had caught me before I’d even made it to the foot of the staircase. The anger written across her face had been devilish, and she’d grounded me for three months. I’d never dared to defy that rule again until today.

Besides, it was no secret that our forest housed a variety of predators. The night was far from harmless—I knew that.

Tonight, however, would be different. The moon would be full and much brighter than usual. With a light like that, I could cross the woodland without worrying about the shadows. Plus, I wouldn’t be doing it alone. Everly and Archer—my best friends—would be right there with me.

My mind was set, but my guilty conscience still plagued me like the sun during my migraines.

Mom loved us more than anything, and aside from the unreasonable curfew, I wouldn’t choose any other family for all the riches in the world. I just couldn’t enter adulthood content with the thought of never having experienced the night through a child’s eyes—never having properly rebelled.

It had to be tonight.

My phone buzzed again. I looked to find another message from Archer.

My fingers raced across the screen to compose an answer when a message from Everly caught my attention.

I snorted quietly. Everly, whom I’d known since kindergarten, had always had an uncanny ability to express whatever lousy thought was on her mind without regard for the consequences. It made her company rather… entertaining.

Archer had joined our tightly knit duo shortly after we’d started primary school. However, I’d always hoped to see our relationship transform into something more, even back then.

Everly was painfully aware of my burning crush on Archer, and she always went out of her way to support me in her own twisted way—tonight would probably be no different.

A low hum seeped through the window to my room, followed by tires rolling over gravel.

I stepped closer to the windowpane and saw Luca out of a blue sedan, clutching a grocery bag in his tiny arms.

“We’re home!” Mom shouted from downstairs a few moments later. “Why is your bike lying in the middle of the driveway?”

I quietly took another deep breath before heading downstairs.

Luca—my 10-year-old younger brother—raced past me without so much as a hello, as if today was just another regular day in the long year.

“Welcome home, Darling,” Dad said, approaching me with wide arms. I embraced his hug, relishing his familiar warmth. “How was school?”

I chuckled, recalling the busy morning. “Archer and Everly greeted me with a loud birthday song in front of the entire school.”

Dad laughed. “I’ll bet my right arm that it was Everly’s idea.”

Undoubtedly true.

“Happy birthday, Honey,” Mom said, wrapping her arms around me from behind. “Are you ready for your birthday surprise?”

I squeezed her arm as she kissed my cheek. “Am I entitled to a choice?”

“Cheeky brat,” Mom said, chuckling as she grabbed a paper bag from the counter. “Close your eyes.”

She hadn’t sounded this excited since my twelfth birthday when she’d bought me the star-spotted bike I’d been nagging her about for years. I apprehensively closed my eyes and presented my hands.

“Open.”

My heart swelled as I saw the present weighing in my palms.

“Eighteen is a big milestone,” Mom said, leaning into Dad’s embrace. “You’re becoming a woman, and you’ll soon be making your own decisions without our constant meddling. So, we thought starting small would be a good idea.”

I stared at the hair dye with wide eyes. “Y-you’re letting me dye my hair?”

Mom nodded; distinct crow’s feet carved grooves around the corners of her eyes. “It’ll only last about four weeks before it washes out, in case you don’t like it. If you like it, I’ll buy another box of permanent dye.”

I’d considered shaving it countless times, but I’d never been brave enough to go through with it. So, I’d let it grow and endured the snide comments, but no longer.

“Thank you,” I whispered, squeezing the bottle.

Mom chuckled. “Don’t look so horrifyingly surprised, Rieka.” She pressed her icy palm against my heated cheek. “It’s just temporary hair dye—not a tattoo.”

But it wasn’t just hair dye. After so long, I could finally blend with the ordinary crowd and not stand out like a lighthouse in a storm.

“Come on,” Mom added, grabbing the box from my hands. “Staring at it like that won’t make it magically color your hair.”

A sharp pain shot through my head again. That morbid headache gnawed deeper, and I was starting to believe it was a result of that unbearable guilt.

My parents merely wanted me to be safe. They wanted me to be happy. They’d given me such a wonderful gift, and how did I repay them? By breaking their most sacred rule. By lying so I could sneak out and celebrate my birthday with my friends.

However, I couldn’t back out now. I’d promised Archer and Everly I’d be there.

“Rieka,” Mom called from the bathroom.

I took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, and exhaled.Reluctantly, I forced my feet to move toward the bathroom.

Eighteen… A new phase of life—a new beginning.

The blaring alarm pierced my ears like the voice of a furious siren.

I ripped out the earpiece and frantically reached for my phone to turn it off. I didn’t move, attentively listening to notice if anyone had heard it, but the house remained dead silent.

It was almost 11pm. I quietly moved out of bed, dressed, and tucked a can of bear spray into my belt, just in case. Then I waited.

Finally, my phone buzzed. Archer had sent an image of the familiar stone formation at our usual meeting place. They were ready.

I took a deep breath and shook the spiking nerves from my skin. I couldn’t escape through my bedroom window with the exterior roller blinds and the alarm, so I was forced to move past my parents’ bedroom.

I swallowed my worry, grabbed my shoes, and tossed my jacket across my shoulder. It was now or never.

Our house was old, but I’d spent years mapping the place, learning which wooden planks creaked and which didn’t.

I moved gracefully across the floor barefoot until I reached our front door. With trembling hands, I disarmed the alarm and winced when the lock pulled back.

My breath lodged in my throat as I listened for signs of life. Mom had, fortunately, been getting less alert over the years, so I opened the door and let myself out.

The sky was clear, and the mild air slightly chilled against my cheeks. For the first time in eighteen years, I breathed in the night, and it was wonderful.

Adrenaline pumped through my veins as I grabbed my bike from where I’d dropped it. I lifted the frame onto my shoulder to keep it off the ground and followed the gravel tracks away from our lonely house.

The early fall breeze made my eyes water, but I didn’t slow down. The moon illuminated my path so clearly that it might as well have been the sun.

Excitement radiated from my invincible smile when another distant howl ripped it from my face.

I whirled around to look behind me but found only trees and sky. Fuck no… No, no, no. Not tonight. Any other night. Please.

It would be foolish to return to my house. Archer and Everly were waiting for me just around the next corner.

I turned again to hastily continue down the path when I glimpsed a shadow shift between the trees beside me. Shock ripped through my limbs.

“Shit!” I hissed, losing grip on my bike.

A tall, sturdy frame stepped onto the trail before me, ebony hair gently brushing his brow as a gust of wind caught his curls.

The town’s famed playboy—always surrounded by a hoard of ravenous women vying for his attention as if he were some paramount heir to a giant empire. Even some adults seemed to act like obedient dogs around him.

“You startled me,” I muttered, still heaving to catch my breath. I tore my eyes away from his handsome face. “Sorry. I didn’t think anyone would be out here at this time of night, or I would’ve been more careful. Again, sorry for disturbing you. Have a good evening.”

With shaky hands, I picked up my bike from the ground and stepped forth to continue past him.

Dread climbed up my spine when Shay grabbed my bike, preventing me from passing.

“What the hell are you—”

My voice caught in my throat when I lifted my chin and caught his glacial eyes staring straight at me, resolve burning like a blue flame.

He leaned a little closer. “It’s awfully late for you to be out here alone, Rieka Cooper.”