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.

"No... not you too." Her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the floor

into madness. "You said I would be Luna!

and suddenly she lunged toward Hazel, her grief

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

everything she had, but I didn’t

was... she wasn’t

revolt. Elders would question me. Other Alphas would

This was war.

entered the room—Caspian and my father, drawn by

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

he choked. "No, you

skin like he could undo

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

with my

Chunks broke

roared, standing over me, fists trembling. "She’s human, Cayden! She can’t be Luna. She can’t even survive the

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

her,"

face twisted.

cracked. "She

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

Then snap.

blinding as my body crumpled like

I didn’t fight back.

wouldn’t. Ragnar didn’t help me. My wolf just...

down on me, blow after blow, his voice cracking as he shouted things I couldn’t even

Then something changed.

A sound.

A breath.

Hazel.

bloodied on the ground floor...

Caspian

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

Her eyes opened.

with gold and silver hues like the moon and sun had collided in her