Mira's POV.

The woman had one eye and moved like death had worn her skin. "You're the Alpha who forgot what mattered." Raven didn't look at Kael when she said it. She was watching me instead, circling slowly. "And you're the one who carries marks she doesn't understand."

"I don't know what you're talking about." But my shoulder blade burned where she'd stared at it. "Remove your jacket."

"Excuse me?"

Kael stepped forward. "Raven, we need information, not." "You need more than information." Raven's single eye fixed on me with unsettling intensity. "You need to understand what you are before you walk into that camp. Remove. Your. Jacket."

Something in her voice made me obey. I shrugged out of the worn leather jacket, letting it fall.

Raven moved behind me, her fingers tracing my shoulder blade without touching. "There. The crescent. And here," she moved to my other shoulder, "the second mark. They've been there your whole life, haven't they?"

"They're birthmarks."

"They're bloodline markers." Raven came back around to face me. "You're Crescent descended. Thought your line was extinct, but here you stand." Kael had gone very still. "I've seen those marks. I thought they were just."

"Just what I wanted you to think." Raven pulled out a worn map and spread it across a table. "Three hours north. There's a camp built on old Crescent territory. They've been waiting for someone like you."

My skin prickled. "I've never been here before."

"Your blood has." Raven tapped the map. "The Crescent bloodline was hunted to extinction two generations ago. They bred wolves of extraordinary power. Children who could command without Alpha authority." She looked at Kael. "Children who could reshape pack hierarchy just by existing."

"Lyra." The name fell from my lips. "Your daughter isn't just a child, Luna. She's a weapon they've been forging for years."

The forest was watching us as we traveled. Kael walked ahead, but I felt him constantly monitoring me through the bond. It had been singing between us since that kiss at the border, a constant pull I couldn't ignore.

"Tell me about the marks," he said quietly. "What's there to tell? I've had them since birth. My mother said they were good luck." "Your mother," Raven spoke from behind us. "What happened to her?"

"She died when I was seven. Sickness, they said." But even as I spoke, doubt crept in. "She used to paint symbols during full moons. I thought it was tradition."

"It was survival." Raven pushed past us to take the lead. "Crescent wolves marked themselves to recognize each other after the purge. Your mother was hiding you both in plain sight."

My chest tightened. "Hiding from what?" "From people who'd use you as breeding stock for their war." Kael's hand found my elbow, steadying. I wanted to shake him off. Wanted to lean into him. Did neither. Movement ahead made us all freeze.

Through the trees: young wolves, maybe fifteen of them, escorted by armed guards. They moved with eerie synchronization. One had my eyes. Same unusual amber, same slight tilt. I started forward. Kael's arm barred my way. "Wait," he breathed against my ear.

The young wolf turned and looked directly at where we hid. Smiled slightly. Then kept walking. "She sensed you." Raven's voice was grim. "Bloodline recognition. They're all related to you somehow."

"That's impossible." "Nothing's impossible when you're rebuilding a genocide." We crested the ridge at dusk, and I stopped breathing.

The valley below held a city. Not a camp, a city. Hundreds of structures carved into the valley walls, training grounds, and communal spaces. And everywhere, carved into every surface, painted on every banner.

The marks from my skin. "This isn't real." But I could smell it. Smoke and stone and something else. Something that called to my bones. Kael's hand slipped into mine without asking. "What do you feel?"

"Like I've been here before. Like I'm supposed to be here." I pulled my hand away. "Like I'm losing my mind." Raven pointed to the valley. "That altar. See the writing?" I squinted. The script was old, barely legible. Except.

"From ash, we rise. From blood, we reclaim." The words came automatically. "How do I know that?" "Because it's written in your DNA." Raven started down the slope. "Come on. We need to see what they're really doing here."

The service entrance smelled like fresh game and wood smoke. We slipped in behind a hunting party, three wolves carrying deer carcasses and laughing about something.

Inside was worse than outside. The organization, the purpose in every wolf's movement, this wasn't chaos. It was resurrection. "Ceremony starting." Kael nodded toward the central altar where wolves were gathering.

We pushed through the crowd, using the press of bodies for cover. My heart hammered. Every wolf we passed could be family. Could be an enemy. Could be both.

A young wolf, maybe thirteen, stood before the altar. An elder examined her arms, her neck, searching. Then found something on her collarbone, traced it with reverent fingers.

The crowd erupted in cheers. "Another daughter of the Crescent," the elder announced. "Welcome home." The girl wept with relief. Another youth stepped forward. Same examination. But this time, the elder shook his head.

The disappointment on the boy's face was crushing. He was escorted away, past the cheering crowd, into the shadows.

"They're sorting them." My voice shook. "Like livestock." "Like soldiers," Kael corrected quietly. "The marked ones stay. Train. Become part of something." "Become part of an army." Raven tugged my sleeve. Records building. Northeast corner. Move."

We broke in through a side window. Inside, the walls were covered in family trees, bloodline charts, and genetic maps. I found mine by accident. Looked up and there it was: seven generations of names spiraling back to a woman marked "First Crescent."

My mother's name had a red circle. Notation beside it: "Survived the purge. Location unknown. Priority target." "She was hunted." My fingers traced her name. "That's why she hid me. Why did she die?" Kael was across the room, studying another chart. "Mira. You need to see this."