CHAPTER 3 - THE SIGIL
1293 Words
They say the mark of fate is beautiful.
They never say it burns.
I sat on the cold stone floor, chained like an animal, trying to calm the fire in my blood.
Am i going to be locked up here forever? What if they don’t prove my innocence?
One wolf was dead.
And Alpha Ronan thought it was my fault.
He hadn’t locked the cell again when he left. Maybe he wanted me to try running, to prove I was as dangerous as they feared. Or maybe he just
didn’t care anymore.
Either way, I didn’t move.
It’s best to stay still. Escaping would mean I’m guilty.
I’ve faced things worst than chains and cells. And I would get through this too.
The door creaked.
I didn’t look up.
Didn’t want to face who was coming.
“Eat.”
A tray of food hit the floor just outside the bars, bread, stew, a piece of meat. The scent hit me hard. I hadn’t eaten in almost two days.
Thank goodness for this food. I thought they won’t be kind enough to feed me.
At least they have a heart.
Ronan’s voice followed. “I won’t ask again.”
I crawled forward, fingers trembling slightly, and pulled the tray towards me.
“Poisoned?” I asked.
“If I wanted you dead,” he said, “you’d already be ash.”
Fair point.
He stayed, silent, while I ate.
That unnerved me more than the chains.
Was something on my face? Was I eating like a hungry dog?
“Why, are you looking at me?” I asked, with my mouth full of undigested food.
“Because you fascinate me” He replied coldly.
“Is that another word for ‘terrify?”
“You think I fear you?” He scoffed. “ Darling, you’re no match for me.”
Okay, that was harsh.
“Then stop looking at me like I would run away any seconds from now. Please?”
“The wolf who died,” he said, his voice low, as he stepped closer. “he was young. He’d never shifted before. Barely eighteen. But loyal. Good.
And cheerful.”
My throat tightened. “I didn’t-
”
“I know.”
I blinked. “What? Then why am I being locked up like a fugitive?”
“Am just trying to give the court what they wanted.” He paused “while I search for answers.”
I lowered my gaze.
“So am your perfect scapegoat?” I said.
“For now.” He responded.
“I’ll leave,” I whispered. “Just… let me go. I’ll disappear. I won’t come back. You won’t even notice my absence. I’ll be quick, quicker than
lightning.”
“No.”
I looked up, startled.
“I don’t know what you are yet,” Ronan said. “But I know I can’t let you go until I do.”
A silence passed between us, thick and britle.
Then he stepped forward and crouched at the bars again. His hand lifted slightly, slowly, not touching me, just reaching.
“Do you feel it?” he asked softly.
I didn’t answer.
He knows I felt it.
He moved his hand an inch closer.
My mark began to glow. A sigil on my neck, more like a birthmark.
Ronan’s eyes widened.
And just before the heat became too much to bear, he pulled away.
“I’ve touched witches,” he mutered, voice shaken. “Touched killers. Mates who weren’t mine. But this,” he breathed, “this is different. It’s like
I’m being drawn by a pull to you. Like we are one.”
He bent down, his fingers brushing through my facial skin.
Then he stopped. Stood up and left hurriedly, like he was in shock or something.
My heart was beating fast. Not fear. Not danger. But tension.
I was gonna have a long night tonight.
I could feel the morning sun on my back. Hot and painful.
It’s been three days already. So fast.
When the cell door opened, I didn’t look up. I expected guards. More iron. Maybe a blade.
Instead, it was Beta.
Dressed in black again, like mourning was just part of her aesthetic. Looking at her closely, she was indeed beautiful.
But why should she be the first person I’ll meet this morning.
I guess my day wouldn’t go well today.
She tossed a piece of cloth at me. “Put that on.”
I opened it. A hooded cloak. Torn but warm. Wolf insignia on the shoulder.
I raised a brow. “What is this, fashion week in hell?”
“Pack meeting,” she snapped. “Alpha wants you there.”
“Wow. He invites all his potential killers to family gatherings? Interesting.”
She leaned down, voice like glass. “You think you’re clever. But you’re a spark in a house soaked in oil. One wrong move….”
“And I burn?” I said softly. “Or you do?”
Her eyes narrowed. She didn’t say anything, instead she looked at me for a while and went out.
Vale Courtyard –Later
They brought me out in chains again. I was being dragged and pushed like a criminal.
The courtyard was packed. Wolves lined the stone walls, watching. Judging. Every gaze sharp enough to cut.
They hated me. I could see that.
Not because I was human. Not even because of the death.
Because I had touched him.
And survived.
Because he didn’t kill me at the spot.
Ronan stood in the center of the circle. Arms crossed. Scar running down his forearm like a reminder of a war that never ended.
But somehow, that looked sexy.
He looked up when I was brought out. His eyes paused on my face… then dropped to my wrists, which was chained. Something flickered.
Something sharp. Protective, maybe.
Then gone.
“Step forward,” he commanded.
I didn’t move.
The guard yanked the chain.
I stepped.
“Last night,” Ronan said, “one of ours died. Again. No blade. No poison. No wound.”
He paused.
A growl rumbled through the wolves.
He turned to me. “It started the moment I brought you in.”
I straightened my back. “You think I wanted this?”
“I don’t know what you want.”
“I want to live.”
“Then give me answers.”
“I don’t have any!”
The wind howled through the courtyard.
My chest rose and fell in sharp bursts.
“I don’t know what I am,” I said, softer. “But I didn’t ask to be this. I didn’t ask to be hunted, branded, used like a weapon, and tossed around
like an item. I just wanted to live-
”
My voice broke. I swallowed it down.
The mark on my neck flared. A red light crawled up my veins like fire trying to escape.
This hasn’t happened before. I felt like I was dying. What is going on?
Wolves backed up, growling. Some drew blades. They feared me.
I gasped. “I can’t stop it-
”
Flames licked up my skin, but they weren’t real fire. They left no burn, only light. Like something ancient was waking up under my flesh.
Then.
He touched me.
Ronan stepped through the crowd and grabbed my wrist.
And the fire… vanished. Everything stopped. The fire, the pain, everything.
Silence.
The mark dimmed. I felt weak. My body collapsed forward.
But Ronan caught me.
His arm locked around my waist. His hand pressed to my back.
Everyone was still. Watching. Watching the movie unfold.
He looked down at me. Then up at the pack.
“No one touches her but me.”
- Writer
