Fated to the Alpha–And His Triplet Brothers

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.

stumbling forward. "No... not you too." Her knees buckled,

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

she lunged toward

her mid-air, my grip iron around her wrists as she thrashed. "NO! YOU CAN’T!" she cried. "You hate her, remember?

with everything she had, but I didn’t let go.

the truth was...

Hazel, I’d sentenced her. Packs would revolt. Elders would question me. Other Alphas would see this as weakness. Mating

This was war.

as two more figures entered the room—Caspian and my father, drawn by the

Hazel’s neck. He saw the bite. He saw my

he choked. "No,

scrub the mark away, frantic hands clawing at her skin like he could undo what was done. But the bite

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

my jaw before

so hard the plaster cracked. Chunks

fists trembling. "She’s human, Cayden! She can’t be Luna. She can’t even survive the trials,

inches from mine. "You hated her! You said she was weak, pathetic, unfit to carry

force her," I whispered

twisted.

not." My voice cracked. "She accepted

toward the staircase. Before I could catch myself,

Then snap.

blinding as my body crumpled

I didn’t fight back.

but because I wouldn’t. Ragnar didn’t help me. My wolf just... watched. Like he approved

me, blow after blow, his voice cracking as he shouted things I couldn’t even process through the

Then something changed.

A sound.

A breath.

Hazel.

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

with something ancient. Caspian bolted up the

like some ethereal being. The sheets fell away from her slowly, and she

Her eyes opened.

Shimmering with gold and silver hues like the moon and