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

madness. "You said I would be Luna! You said

lunged toward Hazel, her grief

"You hate her, remember? You said she

everything she had, but I didn’t let

truth was... she

moment I marked Hazel, I’d sentenced her. Packs would revolt. Elders would question me. Other Alphas would

This was war.

the

bite. He saw

he choked. "No, you

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

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

fist connected with my

so hard the plaster cracked. Chunks broke off and rained around me, dust rising

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

mine. "You hated her! You said

force her," I

twisted.

My voice cracked. "She accepted me. She wanted

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

Then snap.

blinding as my body crumpled like a

I didn’t fight back.

didn’t help me. My wolf just... watched.

like a storm. His fists rained down on me, blow after blow, his voice cracking

Then something changed.

A sound.

A breath.

Hazel.

upstairs and we were bloodied on

was steady, powerful, pulsing with something ancient. Caspian bolted up the stairs, and

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

Her eyes opened.

Shimmering with gold and silver hues like the moon and sun had