## 📖 **CHAPTER 13 — The Price of the Mark**
774 Words
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Aria woke up screaming.
Her body jerked upright, lungs burning as if she had been running for miles. The room was dark, lit only by the faint blue glow of moonlight slipping through the tall windows. For a moment, she didn’t know where she was—only that her skin felt too tight, too warm, and her heart was pounding like it wanted to escape her chest.
Then the scent hit her.
Smoke. Pine. Blood.
ShadowFang.
Her gaze dropped to her wrist.
The mark was glowing.
Not faintly like before—this time it burned bright silver, pulsing with a slow, dangerous rhythm, as if it had its own heartbeat. Pain shot through her arm, sharp and sudden, forcing a gasp from her lips.
“No…” she whispered.
The memories came crashing back.
The council chamber.
The snarls.
The Alpha standing between her and death.
Kael.
Before she could move, the door burst open.
Kael stormed inside, shirtless, his chest marked with glowing runes identical to the ones burning on her skin. His eyes—those terrifying, beautiful eyes—were no longer just silver.
They were black.
Pure Alpha black.
“You felt it,” he said, voice rough, strained, like he was holding something back with brute force alone.
Aria swallowed. “I thought I was dying.”
“You almost were.”
His jaw tightened as he stepped closer. Every instinct in her screamed danger, yet her body leaned toward him without permission. The bond hummed between them—alive, demanding.
“What did you do to me?” she asked, her voice trembling.
Kael stopped an arm’s length away.
“I saved you.”
“That’s not an answer.”
A low growl vibrated in his chest. “I marked you in front of the council.”
Her breath caught. “You said it was temporary.”
“I lied.”
The word hit harder than any slap.
Aria pushed herself off the bed, ignoring the way the room spun. “You promised me a choice.”
“You didn’t have time for one,” Kael snapped. “They were going to execute you before sunrise.”
“So you bound me to a monster instead?” Her eyes burned.
Kael’s hands curled into fists. “I bound you to *me*.”
Silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating.
Finally, Aria whispered, “What does the mark really mean?”
Kael exhaled slowly, as if preparing for a war. “It means my enemies can feel you. My pack can sense you. And if I die—”
He stopped.
“If you die, what?” she demanded.
“…you die with me.”
The room went still.
Aria staggered back, horror flooding her veins. “You tied my life to yours?”
“Yes.”
“You had no right!”
“I had every right!” His voice thundered, the walls trembling. Then he lowered it, raw and broken. “You are my mate.”
The word echoed in her skull.
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m human.”
“You were human,” Kael corrected quietly. “The mark is changing you.”
Her stomach twisted. “Into what?”
“Into someone who can survive this world.”
Tears spilled down her cheeks. “I never asked for this life.”
Kael reached out, stopping just before touching her face. His hand trembled. “Neither did I.”
For the first time since she met him, the Alpha looked afraid.
A sharp howl cut through the night.
Kael froze.
“That wasn’t from my pack,” he muttered.
Another howl followed—closer this time.
Aria felt it too now. A cold presence pressing against her spine. The mark burned hotter, screaming danger.
“Who is it?” she whispered.
Kael’s eyes snapped to the window.
“The Blood Moon Syndicate,” he said grimly. “And they know exactly who you are.”
He turned back to her, urgency blazing in his gaze. “You need to decide right now, Aria.”
“Decide what?”
“Whether you stand beside me—”
The castle shook as an explosion rocked the outer gates.
“—or whether I lock you away to keep you alive.”
Aria clenched her burning fist.
She lifted her chin.
“I’m done being protected,” she said. “If your enemies are coming for me… then let them.”
A slow, dangerous smile curved Kael’s lips.
“That,” he said softly, “is exactly why the mark chose you.”
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- Writer
