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.

too." Her knees buckled, and she

cracking into madness. "You said

lunged toward Hazel, her grief turning into

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

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

truth was... she

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

This was war.

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

Hazel’s neck. He saw the bite. He saw my bite. The rage that filled his

he choked.

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

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

connected with my jaw

me into the wall so hard the plaster cracked. Chunks broke off

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

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

force her,"

twisted.

My voice cracked. "She accepted

threw me—no, launched me—down the hall and toward the staircase. Before

Then snap.

blinding as my body

I didn’t fight back.

Ragnar didn’t help

fists rained down on me, blow after blow, his voice cracking as he shouted things

Then something changed.

A sound.

A breath.

Hazel.

bloodied on the ground

with something ancient. Caspian bolted up the stairs, and I—broken,

sheets fell away from her slowly, and she was

Her eyes opened.

Terrified. Shimmering with gold and silver hues like the