Chapter 2 The Mark Of Fate

• Kaden's POV
• I strode into the grand hall, my broad shoulders finally relaxing after days of tension. The battle was over. My pack had emerged victorious, the enemy vanquished, and the kingdom was safe. The weight of responsibility had lifted... but the gnawing unease in my gut refused to leave. I couldn’t shake the image of my son, his mark glowing faintly under the light. It felt like something was off, something I couldn’t yet understand.
• “Gosh…” I muttered, my voice low with exhaustion. I looked around the room, my gaze landing on Zara, my first mate. She stood off to the side, watching me with a focused intensity.
• Maris, my second mate, was sitting at the table with the other women, her face beaming, holding a glass of wine in her hand. She smiled, and it was clear she was trying to enjoy the moment, but there was something in her smile that felt forced.
• “We’ve waited long enough for this moment. Finally, a son to carry on your name,” Maris said, her eyes flicking to me. Her tone was light, but there was an unspoken question hanging in the air.
• “Yes, finally.” I answered, my eyes shifting to the other side of the room where Kara, my fifth mate, sat beside our newborn son. Her eyes met mine, warm and filled with love, but there was a flicker of worry hiding behind them. She hadn’t fully recovered from the battle earlier; she had barely come out of the coma she’d slipped into during the chaos at the castle. Her hands tightened around our baby, as if guarding him from everything that had happened, and everything that might still come.
• The tension in the room thickened, but no one seemed to notice. Zara’s sharp gaze never left the baby. She glanced over at me and murmured, barely audible, “Have you seen it? The mark... on the child.”
• “I’ve seen it,” Maris replied, leaning in closer. Her voice dropped to a whisper, though the room was quiet enough that I caught every word. “It’s... strange. It’s not like anything we’ve seen before.”
• “I told you there was something wrong with this one,” Zara muttered, her tone laced with suspicion. She cast a glance toward me. “It’s not natural. The Alpha should’ve known.”
• Maris stiffened. “What does it mean?”
• “I don’t know,” Zara answered sharply. Her eyes narrowed as she glanced back at me. “But he doesn’t seem right, does he? Something about the way he’s been looking at the child…”
• “But he hasn’t said anything,” Maris quickly defended, almost too defensively. “He’s been careful with his words.”
• “He knows something.” Zara’s voice was thick with suspicion. “It’s not just the mark. It’s the way the pack is reacting. They can feel it too. Something’s off.”
• Her words cut through the air like a blade. I could feel their gaze on me. Something’s off? They weren’t wrong. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong with my son, something no one could explain.
• I felt my frustration building, the tension inside me growing. My thoughts turned dark as I paced across the room, trying to make sense of it all. What did it mean that my son had this mark? Why now, after so many failed attempts? Anger started to rise in me, my beast clawing at the surface.
• “Kaden…” Kara’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. It was quiet, almost hesitant. “What’s wrong?”
• I snapped my gaze at her, my heart pounding. There she was, holding our son so carefully, her eyes filled with concern. She could see the struggle in my face.
• “You know what’s wrong,” I said, my words sharper than I intended. “How could you not see it? The mark on him... it’s not normal. You’ve seen it, haven’t you?”
• Kara’s hands tightened around the baby. Her voice faltered. “I don’t... I don’t understand it. But I know our son is perfect.”
• “Perfect?” I repeated, my voice dangerously low. “Perfect doesn’t have marks like that. Perfect doesn’t carry signs of something darker.”
• I turned away, my mind spinning. My footsteps echoed on the stone floor, heavy with the weight of everything I had left unsaid. The joy in the room felt fake, like a mask everyone was wearing, pretending everything was fine.
• Zara’s voice cut through my thoughts. “I’m telling you, there’s something wrong, Kaden.” She stepped forward, urgency in her voice. “You’ve been too caught up in the celebration. You need to focus. You need to figure out what’s going on with that boy. You’re the leader. You should know.”
• “I know,” I muttered through clenched teeth. Anger flared inside me again. “I’ve led this pack, I’ve kept us strong. I will not be questioned.”
• But the truth was, the mark was gnawing at me. It wasn’t just the mark, it was everything that surrounded it. Why now? Why my son?
• I stormed across the room to where Kara was sitting, holding our baby in her arms. Her hands trembled slightly as she glanced up at me, her eyes full of uncertainty.
• I looked down at my son, at the dark mark on his neck. It was a stark contrast against his soft skin, and I couldn’t tear my gaze away from it. My hand hovered above him, trembling with an emotion I couldn’t place.
• “Kaden, please,” Kara whispered, her voice full of fear. “He’s just a baby. Don’t let this ruin everything.”
• “I won’t let anything happen to our son,” I muttered, my voice a growl. “But I need to know what this means. I need to know why it’s happening now, why it’s our son.”
• Zara stepped closer, her voice laced with urgency. “We’ve all seen it. We’ve all felt it. The pack knows. There’s unrest. You’ve been the Alpha for so long, but now... now we have this.” She gestured toward the baby. “Something’s not right. The pack needs its Alpha. And the question is, do you still have control over them?”
• The words hit me like a physical blow. “What do you mean?”
• “You think you can lead them forever?” Zara sneered, her gaze unwavering. “You think your son will inherit the throne without consequence?” She shook her head, her voice dripping with contempt. “The pack can feel it too. They don’t trust the mark. They don’t trust you.”
• “Enough!” I roared, my voice echoing through the hall. “I’ve led this pack! I’ve kept us strong! I will not be questioned by you, or anyone.”
• I turned away from her, my chest heaving with rage. But as I looked back at my son, the weight of the truth pressed down on me harder than ever. My pack was uneasy. My son was marked. And my control was slipping.
• The distant sound of howls broke the silence, a warning, a sign that trouble was brewing in the lands. The pack was restless.
• “I need to leave,” I said suddenly, my tone, now cold and distant. “There’s unrest in the lands. I’ll handle it. You stay here with him.” I glanced at Kara one last time before heading for the door.
• But as I reached the door, Zara’s voice followed me. “Remember this, Kaden... your son may be your heir, but that mark might not just be a symbol of power. It might be the beginning of something worse.”
• Her words echoed in my mind as I walked away. I had no answers yet, but I couldn’t ignore the storm that was building, both within my pack and within me.