Page 3 of Marked By the Alphas

With a burst of speed, I sprinted down the stairs, my feet barely registering the coolness of the marble. The heavy oak doors at the bottom stood ajar, a sliver of moonlit forest visible beyond.

My heart hammered a frantic rhythm against my ribs, urging me onward. I lunged for the opening, but a hand clamped down on my shoulder like a vise.

“Going somewhere, little dove?”

A guttural voice sent a tremor through me. Bruiser, Silas' most feared guard, stood behind me, his hulking form blocking the moonlight. His face, permanently marred by a jagged scar that ran from his temple to his jaw, was twisted in a cruel smile.

“I-I just needed some fresh air,” I stammered, my voice barely a whimper. Bruiser's grip tightened, sending a jolt of pain through my arm. His breath reeked of something stale and foul that made my stomach churn.

“Fresh air, is it?” he sneered. “Silas wouldn't appreciate you wandering outside after dark. Especially not alone.”

His words were laced with a sickening sweetness, a constant reminder of Silas' twisted affection. He kept us, clothed, fed, safe within these walls. But that safety came at a terrible cost—our freedom, our very lives.

Bruiser leaned impossibly closer, his voice a low growl. “Don't think about running, pet. There's nowhere you can go. These woods are teeming with dangers. And besides,” he gestured toward the crescent moon mark that sat at the very base of my neck, a reminder of Silas' control, “you wouldn't want to get too far, would you?”

Panic clawed at my throat. I needed to act fast. Taking a deep breath, I locked eyes with him. My voice, barely above a whisper, was laced with a melody only he could hear. There were usually more guards here, but between the massive preparations for thegala and the commotion that was happening with the Siren, the majority of them were away. I knew this would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Tonight, the moon was high, its glow a silent accomplice. The necklace that bound me to Silas’ magic had also thankfully been left in the room and so I tried the one thing I knew I was good at.

“It's a beautiful night, wouldn't you agree? The moon is calling, urging you to take a break, to enjoy its calming light.” The words flowed off my tongue, each syllable dripping with the seductive power I possessed.

The guard's face slackened. His gaze, once sharp, glazed over. His rigid posture softened, “The moon...yes, the moon,” he mumbled, his voice thick with a trance-like stupor.

Seeing my advantage, I pushed my power further. “Go on,” I whispered, my voice a caress. “Let the moonlight wash away your worries. Breathe in its serenity.”

Bruiser lumbered past me, his heavy boots thudding on the marble floor. He reached the doors, his hand fumbling with the handle before pushing it open and stepping out into the moonlight.

This really was my chance.

Bursting through the doors, I plunged into the night, the cool air stealing my breath. The moment I moved out of the door, I felt my bond to Silas hum before cutting off. Behind me, I heard the enraged bellow of Silas, a sound that sent shivers down my spine. A memory flashed through my mind.

I remembered the last time he'd been displeased, the blood-curdling screams of the girl who hadn't been able to completeher mission. There was no mercy with Silas, only pain and a slow, agonizing death. I began running as fast as I could. Tree branches clawed at my skin, thorns ripped at my clothes, but I didn't dare stop, not until I couldn't run anymore.

Chapter 2

Kai

Sunlight streamed through the arched windows, casting long shadows across the polished oak table where I sat flanked by my officials as they murmured amongst themselves. As Alpha king, this was the part of my job that I enjoyed the least. The long hours of sitting and deliberating in a room full of pheromone-packed Alpha officials often felt stifling. I cleared my throat to bring the room to a silence as I prepared to address the assembled pack leaders and officials.

“Rowan, what’s the report on security?” I asked my head of security and the second unit of the pack leaders.

“The scouting patrols haven’t reported any unusual activity near the borders. We can proceed with the negotiations for the upcoming hunting.” Rowan said, and a murmur of acknowledgment rippled through the room. I gave a curt nod, satisfied with the news.

“Rhys, any reservations about the rest of the plans?” I asked once more, and Rhys, the head of strategy and final member of our pack leadership, shook his head.

He was about to speak when a sudden clatter shattered the peaceful meeting. I heard the voice of my assistant as she called for whoever it was not to interrupt the meeting. The heavy oak doors slammed open and the doors opened to reveal a young warrior. His face was pale with dread, and it immediately made me spring to my feet. Before he could stammer out a single word,a foreign scent, sweet and intoxicating, like blooming night jasmine, slithered into the room. It was unlike anything I had ever encountered, yet a primal recognition flared within me.

In an instant, I was a blur of motion. I crossed the vast distance separating me from the warrior in a heartbeat. A growl, raw and primal, erupted from my chest. “What is it? Speak!” I roared. The warrior, gasping for breath, managed to croak out, “An Omega, Alpha. We found her unconscious at the border.”

The revelation seemed to knock the air out of me and I reeled back as if I had been hit. It seemed I wasn’t the only one affected by the news, because all the other people in the room looked like they had been hit with a physical blow as well.

The Golden Moon pack hadn’t experienced an Omega in decades. Many of us sitting in the room had never even met an Omega, courtesy of the curse that had been placed on our lands many years ago. With the curse also came an ancient prophecy, a whisper that was passed down through generations. “Beware the Moonstruck Omega, for she shall bring about a new order, along with chaos, and claim the hearts of the three that lead.”

To this day, I still wasn’t sure who the Moonstruck Omega would be. It was hard to imagine the kind of chaos that the prophecy described.

The weight of the prophecy settled heavily on me as I heard this news. I knew that it was far-fetched that this Omega was the one who would bear the mark of the prophecy. Still, the news unearthed a deep-seated fear within me. It was incredible that any Omega had been discovered on our land at all. It was hard not to assume that this was the Omega the legends spoke of.

“Are you sure it’s an Omega?” Rhys’ voice brought me out of reverie, and I looked up to find him standing in front of the warrior with a primal look in his eyes.

“Her scent alone should confirm that it is. There’s no mistaking it. The real question should be where has she come from?” Rowan replied from his seat, his voice steady but his eyes betraying a mixture of awe and apprehension. He was usually the calmest in situations like this, but I could see the uncertainty flickering in his gaze.

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