Marked From Birth

Episode:10

Chapter 10: The Quiet Before the Storm

The Alpha’s private quarters were located at the highest point of the fortress, a sanctuary of dark wood, heavy furs, and a balcony that overlooked the jagged, snow-dusted spine of the mountains. Inside, the air was thick with the scent of Lucas—sandalwood, cold rain, and a primal, masculine musk that made Audrey’s pulse skip a beat.

Lucas closed the heavy oak door, the click of the latch sounding like a finality. The silence that followed was heavy, broken only by the crackle of the hearth.

Audrey stood by the window, her silhouette framed by the moonlight. She looked fragile, her shoulders tense, but the golden glow beneath her skin was pulsing in time with her heartbeat, casting rhythmic amber light against the stone walls.

"You should have told me," she said softly, her back to him. "About the eyes. About what happens to you if I fail the Trial of Purity."

Lucas crossed the room, his footsteps silent on the rug. He didn't stop until he was standing directly behind her. He didn't touch her—not yet—but the heat radiating from him was a physical force.

"If you fail, the world goes dark again," Lucas said, his voice a low vibration that settled in her chest. "But Audrey, I lived in that darkness for years. It was a cold, lonely place. If I have to return to it because I chose to stand by you, then it is a price I will pay a thousand times over."

Audrey turned around, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "But you just got them back. You can see the stars, Lucas. You can see your people. You can see... me."

"That is exactly why the risk doesn't matter," he murmured. He reached out, his large hand cupping her cheek. His thumb traced the line of her jaw, his touch surprisingly gentle for a man who could crush bone with a flick of his wrist. "I saw the world for thirty years, Audrey. But I never truly saw anything until the moment the veil broke and I looked at you. You aren't just a bride or a prophecy. You are my sight."

Audrey leaned into his palm, closing her eyes. The "White Wolf" inside her stirred, a purr of recognition rippling through her soul. "The Elders are right about one thing, though. I don't know how to control this. The light... it comes when I'm angry, or when I'm scared. But the Trial is in seven days. If I can't call upon the White Wolf at will, the Council will see me as a fraud."

Lucas moved closer, his other hand settling on her waist, pulling her flush against him. The height difference was immense; she had to tilt her head back to look into those piercing, silver-flecked eyes.

"Then we practice," Lucas whispered. "The White Wolf isn't a tool you use, Audrey. She is you. Your father tried to suppress her with silver-laced water and beatings. He tried to make you small so you wouldn't eclipse him. But here? In this room? You don't have to be small."

He took her hand and placed it over his heart. Beneath his shirt, his heart was drumming a fierce, steady rhythm.

"Feel that?" he asked. "That’s the moon. Now, find the sun."

Audrey reached deep inside, past the memories of the kitchens and the cold floors of the Moon Shadow pack. She found a spark—a tiny, white-hot ember located just behind her ribs. She breathed into it, and suddenly, the room erupted.

A shockwave of pure, golden-white light flared from her, so bright it turned the shadows of the room to midday. The temperature spiked, the frost on the window melting instantly.

Lucas didn't flinch. Even as the light grew blinding, he kept his eyes on hers. He was the only thing in the world that didn't seem burned by her power.

"There she is," he breathed, his eyes wide with awe.

But the power was too much. Audrey gasped, her knees buckling as the energy drained her. Lucas caught her instantly, sweeping her up into his arms and carrying her toward the massive, fur-covered bed. He laid her down with a tenderness that made her heart ache.

"It's too much," she wheezed, her skin still humming. "It’s like trying to hold a star in a glass jar."

Lucas lay down beside her, pulling the heavy furs over them both. He drew her into the curve of his body, his large frame acting as an anchor. "Then we make the jar stronger. We train your body by day, and your spirit by night."

As Audrey began to drift into a deep, exhausted sleep, Lucas leaned in, his lips brushing the shell of her ear.

"But you should know, Audrey... your father’s Black Guard aren't the only ones who have crossed the border. I smelled a different scent on the wind tonight. Someone else is looking for the White Wolf. Someone who knew your mother."

Audrey’s eyes snapped open for a fraction of a second, the word Mother echoing like a bell in the dark. But sleep claimed her before she could ask.

And outside, hidden in the blizzard that swirled around the fortress, a figure in a white cloak watched the window of the Alpha’s suite, holding a locket that hummed with the exact same golden light that lived inside Audrey’s veins.