CHAPTER 5:MARKED FOR DEATH
933 Words
Chapter 5 – Marked for Death
Blood soaked through the fabric of Amara’s gown as her body hit the cold marble floor. Her vision blurred, breath catching in her throat as the pain radiated from the deep s***h at her side.
The cloaked figure took a step forward, blade gleaming.
“The Council doesn’t trust you,” the assassin said coldly. “They say the Luna will doom the Alpha.”
Amara’s fingers trembled as she pressed against the wound. Her voice came out hoarse but fierce. “I would rather die than betray him.”
“You don’t understand,” the figure growled. “It’s not about betrayal. It’s about fate. The curse demands a price. And it’s always the heart.”
With one swift move, the figure lunged again.
But before the blade could reach her, a blur of black and silver crashed into the attacker, sending them flying into the far wall.
Cian.
He moved fast—too fast for a human. His fangs bared, his eyes dark as pitch.
“You dare touch her under this roof?” he snarled, fists clenched.
The assassin recovered quickly and vanished into the shadows, disappearing as if swallowed by smoke.
Cian dropped to Amara’s side, catching her before she collapsed fully.
“Stay with me, Amara,” he ordered, voice tight.
She blinked at him, the pain pulling her consciousness toward the edge. “He’s in danger, Cian… They’re after him too.”
“I know,” he said. “And now they’re after you.”
---
Lucian stormed through the dense woods, each step driven by fury and desperation. The scent trail was weak, but the energy was unmistakable—the witch who had bound the curse to his bloodline was near.
She had to be.
He couldn’t afford to wait.
Not after what he saw in Cian’s eyes.
Not after what he felt inside himself.
The curse was growing stronger.
And it wasn’t just affecting his body anymore.
It was trying to take his soul.
He dropped to his knees, clutching his head as a wave of darkness washed over him.
A voice whispered through the trees, smooth and mocking.
“Still running from yourself, Alpha?”
Lucian snapped his head up.
There she was.
The witch.
Tall. Ethereal. Wrapped in a flowing black gown, her eyes glowing silver under the moonlight.
“Endora,” he spat.
She smiled. “Ah, so you remember my name.”
He stood, fists clenched. “Break the curse.”
She tilted her head, amused. “And if I don’t?”
“I’ll tear your heart out,” he growled, taking a step forward.
Endora laughed. “You’re welcome to try. But you should know something before you do…”
Lucian froze.
She leaned closer, voice dropping.
“You’re not the only cursed one anymore.”
---
Amara gasped as she jolted awake, sweat slicking her skin. The wound had been wrapped, but it still burned.
Cian stood at the window, shirtless, body bruised from the earlier fight.
“You saved me,” she whispered.
He didn’t turn. “I’m not letting you die for him.”
Her brows furrowed. “You think I’m weak?”
He turned then, eyes blazing. “No. I think you’re the only reason he’s still holding on.”
Silence fell.
Amara stood slowly, wincing from the pain. “Then help me get to him.”
Cian walked toward her. “Even if that means facing Endora?”
“Yes.”
Even if it means walking into hell.
Even if it means bleeding for him.
Cian looked at her for a long moment, then finally gave a sharp nod. “Then we leave at dawn.”
---
Hours later, as the sun broke through the horizon, Amara mounted the black horse Cian had brought. Her side ached, but determination burned hotter than the pain.
They rode hard, through the forest, over rivers, across hills cloaked in morning mist.
She could feel him.
Lucian.
She didn’t need a bond to know he was in danger.
---
Lucian dropped to his knees again as Endora circled him like a vulture.
“You still don’t get it, do you?” she whispered. “The curse isn’t just a punishment. It’s a test. One that no Alpha before you has passed.”
Lucian’s breath came in ragged gasps. “What do you want from me?”
Endora stopped in front of him. “Your heart.”
He looked up.
She smiled cruelly. “Not literally, darling. But the curse is tied to your love. Break that... and the curse breaks.”
Lucian’s eyes widened. “You want me to give up Amara.”
She nodded. “End it. Cast her out. Prove to the curse that she means nothing.”
He shook his head, fury rising. “Never.”
“Then you’ll die.”
He stood slowly, defiantly. “So be it.”
A rumble shook the trees around them.
Lucian’s power surged—raw, unstable, unfiltered.
Endora’s smile faltered.
“You don’t understand,” she whispered. “If you don’t break it… she will die instead.”
---
Just then—
A howl shattered the stillness.
Lucian’s head snapped up.
Amara.
He turned to run—but a barrier of fire exploded in front of him, cutting him off.
“No,” Endora hissed. “She dies tonight.”
And across the clearing, Amara and Cian burst through the trees, just in time to see Lucian surrounded in flames, the witch’s laughter echoing into the air.
Amara screamed—
“Lucian!!”
- Writer
