Chapter 3 The Mark Of Fate Unveiled

• Kaden's POV
• “Kaden, are you sure about this?” My guard's voice broke the stillness as we stepped out of the palace gates. The moonlight cast a silver hue on the streets, and the night was eerily quiet, the only sound being the distant howl of a lone wolf.
• “Yes, we go now,” I replied, my voice hard with resolve. I moved with purpose, flanked by my two most trusted warriors. Their presence behind me was a steady reassurance, but the unease that gnawed at me wouldn’t relent. “The seer must have answers. There’s too much uncertainty.”
• The guard nodded, falling in line behind me. My mind was clouded with thoughts of the day’s events, the mark on my son, the strange power now running through his blood. My heart pounded in my chest as we moved deeper into the night, each step pulling me further from the palace and closer to something I wasn’t ready to face.
• “Do you think the mark means something bad?” the second guard asked, his voice tight, as if unsure of his own question.
• “I don’t know,” I answered sharply, my tone colder than I intended. The words seemed to hang in the air, heavy with uncertainty. “But I need to find out. I must know what I’m dealing with.”
• We walked on in silence, the only sound of the crunch of gravel beneath our boots. My thoughts circled back to my son, Hilda, his name still unfamiliar to my tongue. His birth should have been a moment of pure joy. But that mark... that dark, unnatural mark, it filled my mind with doubt.
• Then, without warning, the stillness was shattered.
• “Ambush!” One of the guards shouted, just as figures erupted from the shadows, leaping toward us.
• I spun, my senses kicking into overdrive, but I was too late. A blow to my side sent me crashing to the ground. I barely lifted my head in time to see one of my guards fall, blood pouring from his neck.
• “No!” the second guard screamed, rushing to defend me, but he was cut down with a single swipe of a clawed sword.
• My vision blurred, but my wolf instincts roared to life. The anger surged within me, hot and wild, as I pushed myself to my feet. My fists clenched, and my heart raced. *I can’t let this happen, *not now.
• With a guttural growl that shook the air, I tore into the attackers. My claws sliced through flesh, my teeth sank into their skin. Speed, power, and raw fury drove me, and the attackers fell one by one. But even as I ripped through them, something felt off. The dread in the pit of my stomach never left.
• When the last of the attackers collapsed to the ground, I stood panting heavily, my eyes scanning the field, glowing with fury. I didn’t know who these men were, but I could feel it, someone, somewhere, had betrayed me.
• At the palace...
• Zara's POV
• I couldn’t believe it was finally happening. The weight of the moment pressed down on me, but I couldn’t let myself falter. I watched the guard from the shadows, my eyes narrowing in disdain as his every movement grew more predictable. How pathetic.
• “You’ll make sure it’s done, right?” I whispered, my voice dripping with venom, the words cutting through the air like a blade.
• The guard’s face remained unreadable, but his eyes held something colder. “It will be done, Zara. The baby will be gone by dawn.”
• Good. I allowed the satisfaction of curling my lips into a cruel smile. This was it. The child was the only thing standing in my way. His very existence threatened everything I had worked for, everything I had fought for. I had no intention of letting him live.
• “The Throne will be mine,” I muttered under my breath, my heart burning with ambition. “I’ll be the one to rule.”
• The guard didn’t respond, but his presence was enough to make me feel more powerful. Soon, I thought. Soon, everything will be mine.
• “What about the others?” the guard asked, glancing toward the room where Kara and the newborn were resting.
• I let out a sharp, almost dismissive laugh. “Don’t worry about them. It’s the baby that matters. No one can stand in my way. Not even Kaden!”
• My eyes lingered on the room, knowing full well the consequences of what we were about to do. But there was no going back. I would become alpha, and everything would fall into place.
• But then, just as the final threads of my plan came together, the door opened behind me.
• I turned sharply, my gaze hardening as Lira, the fourth wife, entered the room. She froze, her eyes wide with panic as if she overheard the conversation.
• “Zara!” she hissed, rushing toward me, her breath quickening. “What are you doing? You can’t go through with this!”
• I didn’t flinch. “You heard nothing,” I snapped, my voice sharp and cold. My patience was thinning, and I had no room for weakness. “You’re too weak to understand. The pack needs strength, not a bastard child born from Kara’s blood.”
• “But the Alpha... he’ll never forgive you,” Lira’s voice trembled with fear, and I could see the uncertainty in her eyes. “If you harm the child, everything will fall apart. The kingdom won’t survive.”
• I felt my lips curl into a sneer, contempt dripping from every word. “It’s too late for that now,” I said, my voice full of disdain. “You’re just jealous, Lira. Step aside. I’ll make sure the Alpha understands that I’m the one who should be by his side. Not Kara.”
• I could feel the tension in the room, the weight of Lira’s hesitation pressing down on me. But nothing would stop me now.
• This was my moment. The Alpha would be mine, and the rest of them would fall in line.
• Kaden's POV
• The Seer
• I arrived at the seer’s dwelling, battered but determined. My body ached, but my mind had a singular focus, answers. I pushed open the door, my breath coming in ragged gasps.
• “Seer!” I barked, my voice full of urgency.
• The old woman, her eyes piercing and ageless, looked up from her corner. She didn’t flinch, her expression steady as she regarded me.
• “You’ve come for answers,” she said simply. “And I have them. But be warned, Alpha, what you seek may not be what you want to hear.”
• “Tell me about the mark on my son,” I growled, my patience thinning with each passing second.
• The seer closed her eyes, her face contorting as though she could feel the weight of the question in the air. “The mark is not just a mark, Kaden,” she said slowly, her voice steady but filled with ancient wisdom. “It is a sign of power and immense power. But it is also a curse. A curse that will change the future of your pack, your kingdom, and your bloodline.”
• “A curse?” I repeated, my voice rough with disbelief. “Explain.”
• “Your son, Hilda, will be the key to your downfall… or your rise,” the seer whispered, her voice a mix of warning and sorrow. “He is bound to a power greater than any werewolf, greater than your bloodline.
• That power is tied to the deepest secrets of your pack. The truth is buried in blood, Kaden. And you must decide whether to accept it… or destroy it all.”
• “The mark is a warning, not just to you, but to the future, if you harm him, you will awaken the storm that has been waiting for centuries.”
• My heart skipped. “What kind of power is this?”