Fated to the Alpha–And His Triplet Brothers

Chapter 12: Marked, But Not Chosen

~Hazel’s POV~

The kettle stopped vibrating. The silence that followed was heavier than the noise had been. Tense. Suffocating. I could feel Caspian’s hand twitch slightly in mine, his breath hot and uneven against my cheek. He had been holding it in probably since the moment the kettle started reacting to me. Then, finally, he exhaled slowly, like a man walking through fire who had made it to the other side. f r\eeNovelFire.c(o)(m)

"See that, Mother?" Caspian said, his voice low but filled with an unshakable authority. "My mate isn’t a witch. She’s a human. And now—she’s the Beta’s mate. And she will be treated as such."

He didn’t just growl the words to his mother—he growled it at the entire room. Every elder, every pack member, every last soul holding their breath. But even his declaration didn’t last a second before it was ripped apart.

"Impossible!" Cayden’s voice rang out like a thunderclap. "Never! She’s a witch!"

Before anyone could react, he stormed forward and shoved Caspian with such force that his body crashed into the massive tables lining the ceremonial hall. The wood shattered on impact, the sound echoing like bones snapping.

I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t even move.

Then he turned toward me.

Cayden towered over me, all majestic power and brutal grace. His red eyes were glowing no, burning. There was something untamed in them, something feral, something ancient. It hit me then just how different we were. Me, a trembling human girl marked by fate, and him, a beast kissed by the moon.

He grabbed my chin, rough and forceful, and slammed me against the stone wall. My back arched from the impact, air rushing out of my lungs as our bodies collided. He was close—so close his breath fogged my skin.

"Admit it," he growled, his lips almost brushing mine, the rage in his voice barely contained. "Admit it—you are a witch."

I squeezed my eyes shut, shaking uncontrollably. My body was hot and cold all at once. I could feel the sweat sticking strands of hair to my face.

Then—he switched like he was hypnotized.

His grip faltered. Slowly, like he was waking from a spell, his hand softened, and his fingers brushed across my cheek, gently pushing back my soaked hair. His touch lingered too long. His eyes dimmed just slightly as if reality was returning to him. I swallowed hard, my body still trembling beneath his.

Before he could say another word or touch me further, Caspian came charging back like a storm unleashed. He tackled Cayden to the floor, fists flying with a fury I had never seen before. "You don’t touch her!" Caspian roared.

Cayden retaliated fast—brutal and precise. He flung Caspian across the floor like he weighed nothing. Caspian landed with a hard thud but sprang back up, panting. Then Cayden grabbed a broken piece of wood from the shattered table and aimed it straight at Caspian’s chest.

"Come on," he dared, voice low, eyes dark. "Kill me, brother. Since you’re so good at killing siblings."

The air went still.

voice cut through the madness like a

turning toward my father. "Take your daughter home. She will

just nodded. The Gilbert family stood with him, and we turned

a voice stopped

Caspian.

threatening. Whatever it was, it made my father shiver, and

Selene usually sat. She and her daughters were silent in the backseat, stiff with tension. I

we got home, all hell broke

screamed as she stormed into the sitting room. She swept her arm across the coffee

gasping, eyes wide,

voice shrill, broken. "I was supposed to be the one! Not

I

her, then Sophia. Or Lillian. Someone born with status. Not me. Not their pathetic, quiet, scorned sister with

had the

it—the new mark on my neck, still pulsing faintly from Caspian’s bite. The symbol

I had been chosen.

seen my pain. My struggle. My worth, even

do, Hazel?" Natasha spat.

didn’t do anything," I replied

to head toward my

Sharp,

father moved before I even registered the danger. He caught the cup mid-air—his speed reminding everyone he was once an elite warrior. "Natasha!" he bellowed. "Are you out

Natasha gasped. "You’re

her world

wasn’t the

my face, not protect me. But he did. And

down, Natasha," he said,