MATED TO THREE: BOUND BY BLOOD

Maya's Pov There are some doors you shouldn’t open twice. Block Seven is one of them. The last time I came here, I barely walked away. My hands were trembling, my bond with Marcus screaming in agony, and I made a silent promise: Never again. But here I am, midnight, hoodie pulled low, fake ID card tucked into my jacket, walking back into the belly of the monster. The guards don’t look twice. The badge works. A bribe helps. Paranormal clearance is harder to get than an audience with the Alpha Council, but I’ve learned that desperation will make a rebel out of anyone. And I’m desperate. For him. The corridor leading to Marcus’s cell is cold, suffocating, heavy with the scent of silver and forgotten things. Every step I take feels like a betrayal of the normal life I pretend to live, lattes with almond milk, conference calls, Sunday brunch with my sister. But Marcus doesn’t live in the normal. Not anymore. The lights flicker. Block Seven is always half-alive, like it knows it’s home to creatures who were never meant to be caged. I pause outside Cell 9. His cell. And then I see him. Marcus sits against the far wall, chains coiled around his wrists like metal serpents, his skin ashen, but those eyes, those dark, storm-filled eyes, find mine the moment I step into view. My breath catches. The bond between us ignites like dry tinder. My wolf stirs, claws dragging lightly against my chest. He moves slowly, as if every breath hurts. “You shouldn’t have come.” I press my palm to the bulletproof glass, aching to touch him. “I had to see you. I needed to know if you’re still…” Alive. Still mine. “I’m not,” he replies. His voice is hoarse, like it’s been torn through screams and silence. “Not really.” The silver has eaten into him. I can feel it....like a second heartbeat between us. Fading. Flickering. But even poisoned, Marcus is power wrapped in chains. My mate. The one who took the blame for something I can’t speak of, not even to myself. “I feel him on you,” he says suddenly. I blink. “What?” His gaze sharpens. “Another wolf. His scent’s on your skin. Subtle. But I know it.” I flinch. Not because he’s wrong... But because he’s right. Alpha Rhain. He’s not just a name whispered in fear anymore. He’s watching me. Pulling at me. And I don’t know why, or what it means. Marcus pushes himself to his feet, slow and trembling, but there’s a rage in him I recognize. “You’re being followed, Maya. Hunted.” I can’t breathe. “By who?” He shakes his head. “Someone old. Skilled. Not just a wolf. Something more.” “I—Marcus, I don’t know what to do.” And I hate how weak I sound, but the world is shifting beneath me, and I’m losing track of where I begin and the past ends. He steps closer to the glass, hands flat against it. His wrists are raw. The chains are glowing faintly now. “Listen to me. The bond between us...it’s still real. But something’s changed. Something else is connecting you now.” I swallow hard. Because I know what he’s talking about. The mark. It appeared three months ago...crescent moon, crowned. Burned onto my left shoulder blade after the night everything shattered. The same night Marcus was arrested. The same night Vincent… died. And I’ve never told Marcus. Never shown him. He studies me now like he already knows. “There’s magic in your blood, Maya. Old magic. They’re coming for it.” My hands curl into fists. “I won’t let them take you.” “You may not have a choice,” he says quietly. “And you won’t be able to save me if you don’t save yourself first.” Before I can answer, the corridor alarms start wailing...sharp, high-pitched, violent. Motion. Sensors. Unauthorized visitor. Me. Marcus’s voice turns fierce. “Go. Now!” But I can’t move. I’m frozen by fear, by guilt, by everything we’ve never said. His tone softens, pleading. “Don’t let my sacrifice be for nothing.” And that breaks me. I run. Not because I want to. But because I have to. By the time I reach the parking lot, my chest is burning, my hands shaking. The guards are distracted, the emergency protocols giving me just enough time to slip past the gate. I collapse behind the wheel of my car, heart jackhammering. Marcus is dying. Someone is hunting me. And worst of all? The moment I touched the glass, I felt another bond. Not Marcus’s. Not Vincent’s. Rhain’s. Something dark. Ancient. Icy hot and unrelenting. He’s claiming something I didn’t give him. And when I look down at my shoulder in the rearview mirror, the mark there is glowing faintly through my hoodie. The Council will know. The Alphas will come. And the truth...the truth about that night...is clawing its way out of the grave we buried it in.