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Chapter 11 - Chapter 11 — Marked by Fate

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Lucian's POV

I could still smell her.

Her scent clung to my skin like a curse — wild honey and rain-soaked pine. Every step I took away from her only made it stronger.

The forest was silent except for my own labored breathing. The wolf inside me — the monster — was restless, pacing, growling in the back of my mind.

You shouldn't have left her.

"Shut up," I muttered, dragging a hand through my hair. My body still ached from the shift. My knuckles were torn, my ribs bruised. But it wasn't the pain that haunted me.

It was her face.

The way she'd looked at me.

Not with fear — but pity.

I'd rather she'd screamed.

I'd rather she'd run.

That would've been easier than remembering the way her voice trembled when she said my name.

"Lucian."

I swore under my breath, pressing a hand against a tree to steady myself. My claws had nearly torn through her throat — one wrong move, one slip of control, and she would've been gone.

And still she stayed.

No human had ever done that.

Not after seeing what I really was.

I reached the edge of the clearing where my cabin stood — old, isolated, surrounded by the heavy scent of pine and the ghosts I'd chosen to live with. The night was cold, but my blood was hotter than ever, my veins pulsing with something that wasn't entirely rage.

She'd seen everything.

The shift. The blood. The fight.

And instead of running, she touched me.

That was the problem.

That single moment — her fingers brushing against my skin, soft and trembling — burned more than the transformation ever could.

I slammed the door shut behind me and sank to the floor.

"Get it together," I growled to myself. "She's human. You're—"

A monster.

The words never needed finishing. I'd lived them my entire life.

I dragged my gaze toward the mirror across the room — cracked, streaked with dust. My reflection stared back, eyes faintly glowing under the moonlight. Not fully human. Not fully beast.

The Alpha's curse had seen to that.

I clenched my jaw as flashes of the past tore through me — the pack, the betrayal, the night everything burned. The moment I swore I'd never lose control again.

And then… her.

Aria.

Of all people, it had to be her — the one who shouldn't exist in my world. The one who made the wolf stir every time she breathed near me.

I closed my eyes, trying to block it out. But instead, I saw her again — her wide eyes, her shaking hands, the faint scent of fear laced with something else.

Desire.

I cursed under my breath and slammed my fist into the wall. The wood splintered, but the ache in my chest stayed.

If she kept coming around me, if she kept looking at me like that, I didn't know how long I could keep the beast contained.

I needed to stay away.

But fate had other ideas.

Because the moment I turned toward the window, I saw movement in the shadows. A figure — tall, lean, and all too familiar — watching me from the treeline.

The black wolf.

I was on my feet in seconds, a snarl already on my lips. "Come out," I growled.

A dark laugh echoed through the woods — human this time. Then he stepped into the moonlight, shifting mid-stride. His smirk was cruel. His eyes gleamed red.

"Still playing protector, Lucian?" he sneered. "How noble."

"Kade." I said his name like a curse. My brother. My rival. My enemy.

He tilted his head, mockery in every gesture. "You think you can keep her safe? You can barely control what's inside you."

My jaw tightened. "If you touch her—"

He chuckled, low and dangerous. "You'll what? Shift again? Lose control? Kill her yourself?"

Rage flared, but underneath it was fear. Because he wasn't wrong.

Kade's smirk widened. "You can't protect her, brother. She's already marked."

Before I could move, he vanished into the darkness, his laughter fading with the wind.

Marked.

The word echoed in my head like thunder.

I didn't know what he meant, but the wolf inside me howled at the sound — a sound that wasn't anger… but recognition.

And somewhere deep inside, a terrifying truth began to settle.

Whatever bond had sparked between Aria and me — it wasn't chance. It wasn't choice.

It was fate.

And fate never played fair.

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End of Chapter 11.

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