Marked by The Rogue

Thalia’s POV The flames were everywhere. Smoke curled around the trees like ghostly fingers, and the sky burned blood-red beneath the full moon. My lungs tightened. My legs wouldn’t move. I was frozen, rooted to the earth as I stared at the scene unraveling before me. Alpha Raze—my mate, my heart—lay crumpled in a pool of blood. His blood. Over him crouched a shadowy figure with glowing silver eyes. Kaedin. The rogue leader. The monster. His silver eyes glowed in the darkness, feral and unnatural. I tried to scream, tried to run, to reach Raze’s side. But my body was paralyzed. I could only watch as Kaedin crouched down, one hand cradling Raze’s broken body like it was something precious. Then he looked up. Right at me. “You’re mine now,” he said, voice rough and low—like a curse and a promise. And then his lips brushed my neck. I screamed. My body shot upright, drenched in sweat, my chest heaving as I gasped for air. The fire was gone. The woods were gone. The sterile white ceiling of the Silvermist infirmary blinked back at me. I was safe. But the nightmare still clung to me like smoke. And Raze… was still dead. The nightmare was real. “Thalia!” Warm arms wrapped around me, grounding me, keeping me from slipping back into the dark. Vanilla. Honey. “Nyra…” I choked out, my voice hoarse. She was here. She’d been here the whole time. The only one who knew. The only one who stayed while the rest of the pack mourned their Alpha, unaware of what had truly happened the night everything burned. “He was there again, wasn’t he?” Nyra asked softly, pulling back just enough to meet my eyes. I nodded. I couldn’t speak. My throat burned with the scream that never quite made it out. It was always the same. The same fire. The same blood. The same voice. I reached up, my fingers brushing the side of my neck, over the now-faint scar. No one else noticed it. Not really. But I felt it. Felt him pulsing beneath my skin like a brand. “I still feel him,” I whispered. “Even when I’m awake… it’s like he’s—” “In your head?” Nyra finished for me, her voice laced with sadness. “That’s the bond, Thalia. Even if it was forced… it’s there. I’m so sorry.” “I want it gone,” I rasped. “I want him gone.” Before Nyra could answer, the infirmary doors slammed open. “Luna Thalia.” I stiffened. I didn’t need to look to know who it was. Gamma Liam. Loyal to Raze until the end. And now, one of the wolves helping carry what was left of him. He stepped inside, shoulders squared, eyes dark with grief and duty. “It’s time.” Nyra stood, her hand still resting on my shoulder. “Is everything ready?” Liam gave a small nod. “The pack is gathered in the sacred clearing. The pyres are built. Alpha Raze and Beta Rowan will be honored tonight.” My breath caught in my throat. The fire purification. The final rite for the highest-ranking wolves. Tonight, their ashes would be scattered along Silvermist’s borders… returning to the land they protected in life. Raze would never see his Luna take her place beside him. Rowan would never meet the pup his mate carried. And me? I’d never get to say goodbye. “Give us a minute,” Nyra told Liam. He hesitated, then gave a brief nod before stepping outside. As the door closed behind him, I finally let go. My shoulders sagged, my fingers curling tightly into the blanket around me. “He doesn’t know, does he?” I asked quietly. Nyra shook her head. “Liam thinks you were found unconscious. That the rogue leader escaped before anyone saw his face.” I swallowed. The guilt was back, thick in my chest. “And Raze?” My voice trembled. “They believe he died fighting?” “They think he died a hero,” Nyra said gently. “Protecting you. Protecting the pack.” I looked away, blinking hard. That’s what I told them. That I didn’t see the rogue’s face. That I blacked out. That when I came to, Raze was already gone. But the truth? I saw everything. I watched him die. I saw the monster who took his last breath… and then marked me as his own. “I lied,” I said, voice raw. “I stood in front of them and lied. I said I didn’t remember. That I didn’t see who did it.” “You protected yourself,” Nyra said, kneeling in front of me. “And you protected Raze. If they knew what really happened—that Kaedin marked you while Raze was still breathing—” “They’d hate me.” My voice cracked. “They’d think I let it happen.” “They’d never let you lead.” I met her eyes. She wasn’t wrong. And yet… they were all looking to me now. Me, the Luna. The one left behind. Raze had no family left. No heirs. Only me. “I don’t feel strong enough,” I whispered. “I feel like I’m drowning.” Nyra took my hands, steady and warm. “Then I’ll help you breathe. I’ll help you float until you can stand. And when the time comes—when they call on you to lead—you rise, Thalia. For Raze. For the pack.” I held her gaze. And I nodded. I’d bury the truth with Raze’s ashes. Let them believe he died a hero. Let them believe I was saved. Outside, the ceremonial flames waited to rise. And I… I would rise with them. Not as a broken woman. But as their Luna.