Marked by the unknown
Cristina Dinca · Ongoing · 98.9k Words
Introduction
For eighteen years, Luna Blackwood has lived with a secret no one will explain.
Born into one of the most respected Beta families in the pack, Luna should have received her wolf years ago. Instead, she remains human while everyone around her shifts, hunts, and belongs. Her parents love her fiercely, yet they hide the truth behind worried smiles and unanswered questions. The Alpha watches her too closely. The elders avoid her. And the entire pack seems determined to keep her in the dark.
As if that isn’t enough, Noah Nightfang—the Alpha’s son and future leader of the pack—has made her life miserable for as long as she can remember. Arrogant, distant, and impossible to understand, Noah is the last person Luna wants anything to do with.
Then everything changes.
On her eighteenth birthday, Luna begins hearing whispers that no one else can hear. A mysterious presence lurking in the shadows starts calling to something buried deep inside her. Strange visions, impossible feelings, and dangerous secrets begin to surface, forcing her to question everything she thought she knew about herself.
But the deeper Luna digs into the truth, the more she realizes she was never meant to discover it.
Now, with an ancient force watching her every move and a bond she cannot escape drawing her closer to Noah, Luna must decide who she can trust before the truth destroys everything.
Because some secrets were buried for a reason.
And whatever is awakening inside her was never meant to be found.
Chapter 1
The Girl Without a Wolf
The last day of school was supposed to feel important.
For most seniors at Blackwood Academy, it was.
It was the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. The day they stopped being children and stepped into adulthood.
For werewolves, adulthood meant responsibility.
It meant discovering your place in the pack.
Finding your wolf.
Finding your mate.
Finding yourself.
Luna Blackwood sat in the back row of her history class, staring out the window while everyone around her laughed and talked about graduation parties.
The final bell would ring in less than ten minutes.
Everyone seemed excited.
Everyone except her.
“You coming tonight?” her friend Maya whispered.
Luna blinked and turned away from the window.
“Hm?”
“The bonfire.”
“Oh.”
Maya rolled her eyes.
“You weren’t listening.”
“Sorry.”
“You’ve been somewhere else all week.”
Luna forced a smile.
“I’m fine.”
It was the same lie she’d been telling for years.
Maya wasn’t convinced.
“Your birthday is tomorrow.”
There it was.
The subject Luna had been trying desperately to avoid.
Eighteen.
The age every werewolf waited for.
The age their wolf fully awakened.
The age they officially became part of the pack.
Excitement twisted through the classroom as someone mentioned their upcoming shift.
Luna looked away.
She didn’t need another reminder.
At sixteen, most wolves started hearing whispers from their wolf.
At seventeen, they experienced stronger instincts and heightened senses.
By eighteen, the bond was complete.
Luna had experienced none of it.
Nothing.
No voice.
No instincts.
No wolf.
As if part of her simply didn’t exist.
The bell rang.
Everyone jumped to their feet.
Cheers erupted through the classroom.
Books slammed shut.
Chairs scraped against the floor.
The school year was over.
Luna remained seated for a moment longer.
Watching.
Listening.
Feeling more alone than ever.
“Ready?” Maya asked.
Luna stood.
“As I’ll ever be.”
Together they walked into the crowded hallway.
Students hugged.
Teachers wished them luck.
Parents waited outside.
The entire building buzzed with excitement.
Then the crowd suddenly shifted.
Parting.
Moving aside.
Luna didn’t need to look up to know why.
Noah Nightfang had arrived.
Future Alpha.
Golden boy of the pack.
Every conversation seemed to stop whenever he entered a room.
He walked down the hallway surrounded by friends.
Tall.
Confident.
Annoyingly handsome.
Dark hair fell across his forehead while laughter echoed around him.
Girls watched him pass.
Boys respected him.
Teachers adored him.
Luna hated him.
As if sensing her gaze, Noah looked up.
Their eyes met.
For one second neither moved.
Then his expression hardened.
The familiar smirk appeared.
“Still here, Blackwood?”
Luna sighed.
There it was.
Right on schedule.
“What gave me away?” she asked dryly.
His friends chuckled.
Noah crossed his arms.
“I figured maybe you’d finally run away and join the humans.”
Laughter erupted around him.
The joke was old.
Years old.
Yet somehow he never got tired of it.
Because everyone knew what he meant.
Wolf-less.
Broken.
Different.
Luna felt heat rise in her chest.
“Nice to know your creativity hasn’t improved since middle school.”
A few students laughed.
This time at Noah.
His smirk disappeared.
Good.
For a brief moment, satisfaction warmed her.
Then Noah stepped closer.
Close enough that she could see the green flecks in his eyes.
Close enough that she remembered a time when he hadn’t looked at her like an enemy.
“You should be careful tomorrow,” he said quietly.
Luna frowned.
“What?”
But Noah was already walking away.
His friends followed.
Within seconds he disappeared into the crowd.
Maya stared after him.
“What was that about?”
Luna watched the empty hallway.
“I wish I knew.”
The Blackwood home sat near the edge of pack territory.
Unlike the Alpha’s enormous estate, the Beta house felt warm and lived-in.
The scent of fresh bread greeted Luna the second she opened the front door.
“She’s home!” her mother called.
Luna smiled despite herself.
Her family might be strange.
They might hide things.
But they loved her.
Of that she had no doubt.
Her father emerged from his office first.
David Blackwood.
The Beta.
Second-in-command of the entire pack.
Tall and broad-shouldered, he looked intimidating to almost everyone.
Except Luna.
To her, he was simply Dad.
“There’s my graduate.”
Before she could react, he wrapped her in a crushing hug.
“Dad!”
“I’m proud of you.”
She laughed.
“You say that every day.”
“Because it’s true every day.”
Warmth spread through her chest.
For a moment she forgot the uneasiness that constantly followed her.
Forgot the questions.
Forgot the whispers.
Then she noticed it.
A glance.
One shared look between her parents.
Gone almost instantly.
But she caught it.
Again.
The same look.
The one she’d seen her entire life.
Worry.
Fear.
Guilt.
Something.
“What?” Luna asked.
Both parents froze.
“What what?” her mother replied.
“That look.”
“What look?”
“The one you just gave each other.”
Silence.
Too much silence.
Then her father smiled.
“You’ve always had an active imagination.”
There it was.
Deflection.
Again.
Luna’s stomach twisted.
“Right.”
Her mother immediately changed the subject.
“Dinner is almost ready.”
Of course it was.
Whenever Luna got close to a question, someone changed the subject.
Every single time.
That night Luna couldn’t sleep.
Moonlight spilled through her bedroom window.
Silver shadows stretched across the walls.
She stared at the ceiling.
Tomorrow she would be eighteen.
Tomorrow everything was supposed to make sense.
Except she already knew it wouldn’t.
A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.
Her father entered carrying two mugs.
“Couldn’t sleep either?” he asked.
Luna sat up.
He handed her hot chocolate before settling beside her.
For a while neither spoke.
The silence felt comfortable.
Familiar.
Then Luna finally asked the question she’d been carrying for years.
“Dad?”
“Hm?”
“What’s wrong with me?”
His entire body went still.
The reaction lasted less than a second.
But it was enough.
Luna saw it.
Fear.
Real fear.
“Dad.”
“You aren’t broken.”
“Then why don’t I have a wolf?”
Silence.
The kind that hurt.
The kind that answered more than words ever could.
Luna looked away first.
Tears threatened her eyes.
“You see?” she whispered.
“What?”
“You won’t answer.”
Her father stared into his mug.
For the first time in her life, he looked tired.
Older.
As if carrying a burden too heavy to bear.
“I wish I could explain.”
“Then explain.”
Pain flashed across his face.
“You have to trust me.”
Luna laughed bitterly.
“That’s the problem.”
His eyes widened.
She immediately regretted saying it.
Because she loved him.
Loved both of her parents.
But she was tired.
Tired of lies.
Tired of secrets.
Tired of being treated differently.
“What aren’t you telling me?” she asked softly.
Her father closed his eyes.
For a moment she thought he might finally answer.
Finally tell her the truth.
Instead he stood.
“Happy birthday, Luna.”
Then he left.
Leaving her alone with questions.
Again.
Just after midnight, Luna slipped outside.
The forest always calmed her.
The cool air felt good against her skin.
Crickets sang in the darkness.
Leaves rustled overhead.
For the first time all day, she could breathe.
She wandered deeper between the trees.
Past familiar trails.
Past old training grounds.
Past the places she and Noah used to play as children.
A memory surfaced.
She couldn’t stop it.
Eight years old.
Laughing.
Running through the woods.
Noah chasing after her.
“You’re cheating!” he shouted.
“I am not!”
“You got a head start!”
Young Luna laughed so hard she tripped.
Noah immediately stopped.
Instead of teasing her, he offered his hand.
“You okay?”
She nodded.
“I’m fine.”
The boy smiled.
Then he placed a small flower crown on her head.
“I made this.”
Luna blinked.
“For me?”
He shrugged awkwardly.
“Obviously.”
The memory shattered.
Luna stopped walking.
Her chest hurt.
Because that Noah no longer existed.
Somewhere between childhood and now, he’d disappeared.
Replaced by someone cruel.
Someone cold.
Someone she barely recognized.
A sudden pain exploded behind her eyes.
Luna gasped.
The world tilted.
Trees blurred.
A strange ringing filled her ears.
Then—
A scream.
A woman’s scream.
Blood covered stone.
Silver chains.
Golden eyes glowing in the darkness.
A voice whispered:
“Wake up.”
Luna stumbled backward.
The vision vanished instantly.
Silence returned.
Her heart pounded.
“What was that?”
Fear crept through her veins.
Not because of what she’d seen.
Because it felt familiar.
Like something buried deep inside her mind.
Something trying desperately to escape.
Somewhere in the darkness, a wolf howled.
The sound echoed through the forest.
Ancient.
Lonely.
Waiting.
And for the first time in eighteen years, Luna wasn’t sure she was alone inside herself.
Last Chapters
#90 Chapter 90 Epilogue
Last Updated: 7/12/2026#89 Chapter 89 The Beginning of the End Part Two
Last Updated: 7/12/2026#88 Chapter 88 The Beginning of the End
Last Updated: 7/12/2026#87 Chapter 87 The Crimson Awakening part 2
Last Updated: 7/12/2026#86 Chapter 86 The Crimson Awakening
Last Updated: 7/10/2026#85 Chapter 85 The Burden of Truth part 2
Last Updated: 7/10/2026#84 Chapter 84 The Burden of Truth
Last Updated: 7/10/2026#83 Chapter 83 The First Lesson part 2
Last Updated: 7/10/2026#82 Chapter 82 The First Lesson
Last Updated: 7/10/2026#81 Chapter 81 Echoes in the Forest part 2
Last Updated: 7/10/2026
You Might Like 😍
BROKEN TRUST
Neither of them knew she was carrying his child.
Emily’s affair didn’t just end her marriage—it erased the life she thought was guaranteed. Ryan left without looking back, carrying his anger like armor and leaving Emily alone with regret she would never outrun. Three years later, fate drags them back into each other’s world, along with a little girl who has Ryan’s eyes and a truth that shatters everything he thought he knew.
Old wounds reopen, grief masquerades as rage, and love refuses to stay buried. As parenthood binds them together and the past demands accountability, Emily and Ryan must face the question neither of them is ready to answer: is broken trust the end of their story… or the beginning of a love forged through loss, forgiveness, and brutal honesty?
The Billionaire's Surrogate's Secret
“Who said that’s still fucking true? We stopped being just man and surrogate the first time our eyes met.” He walked towards me, boring into my eyes with those eyes of his. “I fucking want you, Vanessa.”
My heart stuttered.
This could not be real.
“But the rules—“
“I made them. I can destroy them. I already destroyed them when I kissed you.” He was dangerously close now, but all I kept getting was danger signals combined with the panic, alarm, lust and above all, the guilt.
It was killing me.
Vanessa Sterling who never liked men because of what her father did to her mother ended up having a drunken one night stand with a stranger and that might end up changing her life forever.
Rodri Darnell who doesn’t want to get married or have kids but is forced to give his father a grand child, decided to use a surrogate.
Vanessa Sterling was supposed to be an ordinary surrogate to Rodri Darnell of the Dolphin Emirates, but he fell in love with her.
Their only problem will be Vanessa's secret.
Real Heiress, Hidden Boss
On the engagement day, my fiancé slipped a ring on her finger. My parents handed me a train ticket to oblivion.
They celebrated their victory while I disappeared.
What they didn't realize was that letting me go was the worst mistake of their lives.
I am the surgical prodigy saving lives that science deems hopeless. I am the muse of the art world. I am the true heir to a dynasty they couldn't even dream of.
Now, I am back.
Not as the girl they abandoned, but as the storm they prayed would never come.
My ex-fiancé kneels in regret. My fake sister chokes on her jealousy. And the CEO who once looked through me? He is now crawling, desperate to taste the success he once threw away.
The joke isn't on me.
It's on them.
My Husband's Secretary Wore My Dress
Those words shattered Vivian's heart.
For three years, she endured her husband's coldness and his secretary's endless provocations.
She never knew that the woman he trusted most had stolen her identity.
Or that the man she loved had secretly loved her all along.
When the truth finally came out, it was already too late.
Vivian had divorced him.
She had disappeared with his unborn child.
And she had no intention of coming back.
Five years later, the former ballerina returned as the sole heiress of a powerful family.
Standing beside her was a little girl with eyes identical to Caden Lux's.
The billionaire who once ignored her had gone mad.
He blocked her in the dressing room, knelt before her, and even accepted the possibility that another man had taken his place.
Because losing his pride was nothing.
Losing Vivian had nearly killed him.
But after everything he had done…
Could she ever forgive the man who chose another woman over his own wife?
The Spy Who Left
"I still can't believe she actually did it. Aria Hart, filing for divorce. Who saw that coming?"
"How long do we think it'll take before she comes crawling back?" Another voice joins the conversation.
"Three days," Victoria declares. "Five at most. She has no money, no skills, no family. Where's she going to go?"
When Aria Chen divorced billionaire Leon Hart, New York's elite sneered, betting she'd crawl back within days. She never did.
Three years later, the world is rocked when Dr. Aria Vale, CEO of a revolutionary cybersecurity empire, steps into the spotlight. The mysterious genius who built a billion-dollar company from nothing is none other than Leon's discarded wife, the woman everyone thought was just a pretty ornament.
Now, every powerful man wants the queen Leon threw away a renowned scientist seeking partnership, a financial titan proposing an empire, and an actor offering devotion. Each sees the brilliance Leon ignored.
Then Leon discovers the truth: Aria's sacrifices, her secret double life, and the daughter she's been raising without him. For the first time, the man who once took her for granted must fight for her love. But can he compete with men who valued her from the beginning?
A story of love, betrayal, and power where the king must kneel before the queen who never needed saving.
Bound by Vengeance
Then there is Xavier Romano. Cold and calculating, he revels in his dominance, finding satisfaction in the terror he instills and the power he wields. But his iron control shatters when he crosses paths with Eloisa. Her unpredictability, her unapologetic desire for vengeance, and her allure are irresistible—and dangerous. As they collide in a world where betrayal is constant and alliances are fragile, passion ignites between them, each step drawing them deeper into a forbidden obsession that neither can control. In a life defined by violence and survival, will their dangerous game be their undoing, or will it make them unstoppable?
Fated to the Lycan
Ashlyn Ambrosia, the daughter of Khalid Ambrosia is a weak hybrid vampire that doesn't act like one. Unable to draw blood from a living soul and unable to kill. She's been mocked for this by her own family too. Her world comes crashing down when she's taken away by her Clutch most hated adversary.....
Lucifer Saunron is a ruthless lycan male alpha of the Nightwing pack known for his bravery, skills in war and an unquenchable taste for women. In the long feud between the lycans and the vampires and the battle that ensued, to his greatest displeasure he's fated to the daughter of the Vampire king.
He takes her in as his mistress opposing what the moon goddess proposes.....
With a life that is filled with secrets and mysteries that Ashlyn would discover, would she be able to withstand his hell as he battles with his inner demon despite his cruelty?
Let Them Kneel
Cast out by her pack. Forgotten by the Lycans.
She lived among humans—quiet, invisible, tucked away in a town no one looked at twice.
But when her first heat comes without warning, everything changes.
Her body ignites. Her instincts scream. And something primal stirs beneath her skin—
summoning a big, bad Alpha who knows exactly how to quench her fire.
When he claims her, it’s ecstasy and ruin.
For the first time, she believes she’s been accepted.
Seen.
Chosen.
Until he leaves her the next morning—
like a secret never to be spoken.
But Kaelani is not what they thought.
Not wolfless. Not weak.
There is something ancient inside her. Something powerful. And it’s waking.
And when it does—
they’ll all remember the girl they tried to erase.
Especially him.
She’ll be the dream he keeps chasing… the one thing that ever made him feel alive.
Because secrets never stay buried.
And neither do dreams.
The First Female Alpha
The man I was meant to marry—the rising Alpha, the pride of the Pack—thrusting into another girl like I didn't exist.
But I didn't cry. I didn't scream. I didn't even flinch.
Because the pain had carved me hollow long before he ever touched her.
He thinks I'm weak. That I'll stand by his side in two days, smile for the ceremony, and hand him my loyalty with the Alpha title.
But he's wrong.
I'm not the broken little Luna they think I am. I'm the storm they never saw coming.
The Pack worships him, but only I know the truth buried beneath his perfect lies. So I'll take everything he wants most—the throne, the title, the crown he was born to wear—and win it out from under him, in front of everyone who ever called me unworthy.
Screw the Pack. Screw the respect. Screw being tame.
I'm fury dressed in skin, madness wearing heels, and heartbreak turned into a goddamn weapon.
They wanted a loyal Luna??
Instead...
They created a monster.
And when the throne is finally mine...
The Pack won't remember the name of the Alpha who betrayed me.
They'll remember the woman who took his crown...
and became the First Female Alpha.
Luna On The Run- I stole The Alpha's Sons
But Axton is more than just a rival, he's her fated mate. And he's been searching for her not for love, but for revenge and a chance to destroy her father's pack. The next morning, Elena rejects him, walking away before he can trap her in his ruthless schemes.
But Axton does not take rejection lightly, and his retaliation is brutal: a leaked video, a ruined reputation, and a family that turns their backs on her drive her to flee the city in disgrace.
But when Elena disappears, she takes something Alpha Axton never planned to lose - his sons. Now, he'll stop at nothing to get them back. He wants his heirs, he wants his mate, and Elena will learn that no one runs from the Alpha.
Legacy Of Dragons, Royal Dragons Book 2
Ria and the Balaur brothers never imagined how far their family would come.
After surviving betrayal, loss, and the lies that nearly destroyed everything they loved, they dedicated themselves to building a future. What began as a training facility for dragons soon grew into something far greater—a place where dragons and other species from around the world could learn, train, and thrive together.
Now the facility is flourishing. Their children have grown, many finding their own mates among dragons, shifters, and other species from distant lands. The family Ria fought so hard to protect has expanded beyond anything she once dreamed possible, bringing new friendships, new adventures, and a growing legacy of grandchildren.
As old secrets continue to surface, long-held beliefs about dragons and mixed-species bloodlines are being challenged. Truths buried for generations are finally coming to light, reshaping everything they thought they knew about their world.
FROZEN HEART BURNING SOUL
Then the festival comes to her town, and with it comes Ryder Callahan a rough, loud, motorcycle-riding wildfire fighter who looks at her like she is not a monster. Like she is just a girl. A girl he really wants to know.
But Bella is hiding more than her powers. Someone dangerous is coming for her. And the closer she lets Ryder get, the more she puts him in danger.
He says he is not afraid of fire. She says she is not afraid of ice. Maybe together, they can survive the storm that is coming for them both if she does not freeze him out first.
