MARK OF THE FORSAKEN

 Liana sat alone by the small fire inside her cabin, the crackling of the firewood breaking the silence that filled her world. Night had settled over the forest, and it was pitch dark. Liana didn't feel right in the darkness, even though she knew no one else was there.

She looked down at her arm admiring and touching the dark birthmark that covered her skin from her shoulder to her wrist. The mark was unlike anything she had ever seen on anyone else. It looked almost alive, like swirling smoke trapped beneath her skin, forming strange patterns that seemed to change when she wasn't looking directly at them. Some called it The Mark of the Forsaken, a sign of something dark and cursed. But to Liana, it was just a part of her. She didn't understand why it made others so afraid.

For as long as she could remember, Liana had been different. She was born into a pack, like every werewolf, but her life hadn't been like the others. As a child, she was feared and separated because of her mark and that didn't make her childhood fun. Initially, it was just whispers and uncomfortable looks from other wolves, but as she grew older, the whispers became louder, and it all turned into avoidance. The mark made her different, making her someone to be avoided and feared.

When she was young, she didn't understand why her family and pack treated her this way. She would ask her mother why people looked at her with those cold, distant eyes. Her mother would only shake her head, unable to find the words. As time passed, Liana began to understand that her mark was not just something unusual but something that terrified everyone around her.

And then, the worst happened. Her pack forced her into exile

When Liana was told to leave, she couldn't believe it because She was only a teenager, she wasn't old enough to survive on her own, but no one cared. The pack elders gathered and declared that her mark was a curse. They said it would bring misfortune to the pack, and that it was too dangerous to let her stay. She was left with a small bag of supplies and her heart full of betrayal.

Year after year, Liana learned to survive on her own. She found a small, abandoned cabin at the edge of the forest, far from the pack's territory. It became her new home. She taught herself everything from gathering of food, hunting of small animals, and protecting herself from the dangers in the woods.

Liana always held onto a glimmer of hope despite the wickedness and the harshness of the pack's decisions on her. She dreamt of one day proving that her mark was not a curse, that she was not something to be feared. She imagined a future where she could return to the pack, where they would see her as someone valuable.

As she sat by the fire that night, her mind drifted to the rumors she heard recently. Hearing the outside world news was rare and hard for her but sometimes passing wolves would wander close enough for her to catch some of their conversations. She had overheard something strange, something that unsettled her.

There was talk of a cursed Alpha in a nearby pack. His name was Ryker, a strong and respected leader, but his pack had fallen under a terrible curse. The wolves said that the land itself was rejecting Ryker's pack. Crops had withered, their hunting had turned fruitless, and even their strongest wolves were falling ill. Some whispered that Ryker's curse was tied to something dark and ancient, a power beyond any ordinary curse.

The idea of a cursed Alpha caught Liana's attention. She wondered if her mark could somehow be connected to whatever dark magic plagued him. It was an impossible thought, and yet she was having the feeling that there was a link. She felt a strange feeling that her lonely life in the forest might be leading her to something greater.

Liana knew better than to get involved in pack matters. She had been cast out, forgotten, and unwanted. Why should she care about the troubles of an Alpha or the fate of a pack that wasn't hers? And yet, she couldn't help but feel curious If there was truly a curse, perhaps it was something like her own mark.

She sat there, lost in thought, staring into the flames. The warmness of the fire was cool enough for her but it didn't chase the coldness of the mark from her heart. She felt within herself that her mark wasn't a curse but a sign of something evil.

A small voice inside her whispered that there might be a different truth, one that no one had yet discovered. Maybe her mark wasn't a curse or maybe it was something else entirely. She had no proof, no way of knowing, but the thought lingered.

As the fire began to die down, Liana felt a sudden chill. She wrapped her arms around herself, staring into the forest beyond her cabin. The tree's leaf moved with the night breeze, she shivered, feeling as if something, or someone was watching her. It was just her imagination, she told herself. She was alone, as she had always been.

But that night, she felt that something was about to change. She lay down on her small bed, pulled her blanket over her shoulders, and closed her eyes. She decided to sleep even though she felt restless, still haunted by dreams of curses, shadows, and the destiny she couldn't yet understand.

Liana didn't know, that this night was only the beginning of many changes in her life, her lonely life was about to be disturbed by the arrival of a stranger who would turn her world upside down. A stranger who would force her to confront the painful truth of her mark, and the role she was destined to play.