Fated to the Alpha–And His Triplet Brothers
Chapter 16: Marked by two

Chapter 16: Marked by two

~Cayden’s POV~

Fuck. Damn it.

What just happened?

My breaths came in harsh, uneven bursts as I stared down at her—Hazel. Her lips were parted slightly, her breathing soft and peaceful as if she wasn’t lying in the wreckage of every choice I had ever made. Her bare shoulder peeked from the twisted sheets, and right there on her neck was my mark. Crimson, raw, and permanent.

Ragnar, my wolf, purred in satisfaction like a beast that had devoured his feast. But I? I was spiraling.

I mated her.

I. Mated. A human.

My gaze was glued to the spot where I’d claimed her, my own handiwork taunting me. The sharp bite was obvious, unmistakable—a public declaration to every pack member. She was mine. But Caspian’s mark was already there, faded but still visible underneath.

She was no longer the rejected Omega.

She was the Beta’s claimed mate.

And now... the Alpha’s too.

She was going to be Luna. My Luna.

My breath caught in my throat, and I felt bile rise. Not because of her—no, she was never the problem. It was me. The years I spent building my strength, my power, my image of the perfect leader... all shattered with a single mistake. A single day

A single bite.

I covered her with the blanket as gently as I could, though I left the bite mark exposed. Maybe part of me wanted to keep staring at it, to remind myself what I’d done. Maybe I wanted to remind the world.

Then—

A scream. A raw, broken sound that sliced through the thick silence like a blade.

I jerked around.

Natasha.

Her face crumbled, eyes wide with betrayal, heartbreak crashing over her in waves. And behind her stood my mother, her trembling hand covering her mouth, disbelief stamped across her face like an open wound.

"No..." she whispered, stumbling forward. "No... not you too." Her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the floor in despair.

"YOU PROMISED ME!" Natasha screamed, her voice cracking into madness. "You said I would be Luna! You said you’d marry me!"

Her fingers clenched, and suddenly she lunged toward Hazel, her grief turning into violence.

But I was faster. I caught her mid-air, my grip iron around her wrists as she thrashed. "NO! YOU CAN’T!" she cried. "You hate her, remember? You said she was filth! Why does she keep taking everything from me? My life, my father... and now you?!" View the correct content at NovelFire

She fought me with everything she had, but I didn’t let go. I couldn’t.

Because the truth was... she wasn’t wrong.

The moment I marked Hazel, I’d sentenced her. Packs would revolt. Elders would question me. Other Alphas would see this as weakness. Mating a human?

This was war.

I stiffened as two more figures entered the room—Caspian and my father, drawn by the screaming.

Caspian’s eyes locked on Hazel’s neck. He saw the bite. He saw my bite. The rage that filled his eyes was instant, volcanic.

"No," he choked. "No, you didn’t."

He bolted forward and tried to scrub the mark away, frantic hands clawing at her skin like he could undo what was done. But the bite wouldn’t fade. It was sealed by the bond.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

His fist connected with my jaw before I could answer.

The force flung me back, slamming me into the wall so hard the plaster cracked. Chunks broke off and rained around me, dust rising in clouds as I hit the floor.

"You weren’t supposed to touch her!" Caspian roared, standing over me, fists trembling. "She’s human, Cayden! She can’t be Luna. She can’t even survive the trials, the council, the ceremony. You doomed her!"

He yanked me up by my collar, his face inches from mine. "You hated her! You said she was weak, pathetic, unfit to carry your heir—why would you mate her?!"

"I didn’t force her," I whispered hoarsely.

His face twisted. "You’re lying."

"I’m not." My voice cracked. "She accepted me. She wanted it."

Rage flashed in his eyes again, and he threw me—no, launched me—down the hall and toward the staircase. Before I could catch myself, he was on me again, grabbing me by the back of my shirt.

Then snap.

My neck twisted unnaturally, pain blinding as my body crumpled like a ragdoll.

I didn’t fight back.

Not because I couldn’t but because I wouldn’t. Ragnar didn’t help me. My wolf just... watched. Like he approved of the punishment.

Caspian descended like a storm. His fists rained down on me, blow after blow, his voice cracking as he shouted things I couldn’t even process through the pain.

Then something changed.

A sound.

A breath.

Hazel.

Though she was upstairs and we were bloodied on the ground floor... we heard her.

Her breath was steady, powerful, pulsing with something ancient. Caspian bolted up the stairs, and I—broken, bleeding—dragged myself after him.

She stood by the bed, sunlight casting across her like some ethereal being. The sheets fell away from her slowly, and she was standing there, marked by both of us.

Her eyes opened.

Wide. Terrified. Shimmering with gold and silver hues like the moon and sun had collided in her irises.

She saw me. She saw him. Then her gaze dropped to her neck our marks and she pressed her trembling hand to her mouth.

"Oh my God."

Her voice broke.

"You..." Natasha choked out, stepping forward. "Why do you keep taking everything from me?" My voice was low, guttural, filled with something I couldn’t name grief, confusion, shame.

She didn’t reply. She couldn’t. She was in shock.

Then something whizzed through the air. A stone.

My mother had thrown it.

"Whore!" she hissed.

But Caspian caught it just in time.

"It’s not her fault!" he yelled. "It’s his! This shouldn’t have happened! She’s human! She’s not supposed to carry this bond. And you!" He turned to me. "You never even wanted her. So why now?!"

Father’s voice cut through the chaos.

"Enough."

We all turned.

He stepped forward, his voice calm but commanding.

"Fate has made its decision. She bears the marks of both Alpha and Beta. The council will convene. After their verdict, she will be married."

"To whom?" Caspian whispered, voice broken.

Father looked at both of us.

"To both of you."

Silence fell like a curse.

"She now holds the highest rank among us. She will be Luna and Beta-Female. She belongs to the two of you. And in three days, the mating ceremony will make it law."

I stared at Hazel.

Her lips parted. She looked like she couldn’t breathe.

Neither could I.

Because now the whole pack would burn for what I had done.