Fated To Ruin My Mate

Marked by Fire and Rage

"You’re cursed," Ryder growled, his voice a low, dangerous rumble that seemed to reverberate through my chest.

The words hit me like a physical blow. The heat didn't fade from my stomach. Instead, it coiled tighter with every shallow breath I drew, the mark burning against my skin. I could feel the unnatural pull of the Moon's curse rippling through my veins. My breath caught in short, jagged gasps while the crowd parted around us, their hushed whispers filling the cold mountain air of Ashmere. Some of them looked away, too fearful to meet my eyes, while others watched from the shadows.

A cold sweat broke across my collarbone, competing with the raw heat spreading from my sternum. The three men stepped toward me. Their eyes held a predatory, wild intensity that made my vision blur at the edges.

Ryder stood at the edge of the circle, his massive frame resembling a solid wall of dark rage. His jaw remained locked tight, his knuckles twitching as if he were holding back a flood of violence. I could feel the invisible tether of the connection snapping into place between our bodies like an electric shock, pulling us together despite the history between us.

He didn't want me. He hated me. He wanted to destroy me. Yet, my gaze remained locked on him, my body urging me to close the gap between us.

"Ryder, stay back," Kael's voice cut through the heavy tension. The priest moved forward, his dark eyes glinting. "Don't let the rage blind you."

Ryder snarled in response, his shoulders bunching beneath his shirt as he fought to keep his wolf under control. His teeth bared, catching the orange light of the fire.

The air around me seemed to crackle. My mark pulsed violently, sending a sharp throb of heat straight to my core. I wanted to scream, to push the sensation away, but the curse had already taken deep root.

Lucien stood near the edge of the firelight, completely still. His eyes narrowed as he watched the scene unfold. His quiet composure made my skin prickle, a sudden chill running down my spine at the sheer focus of his gaze.

But Ryder was the one who drew my focus back.

He took a slow step forward, his heavy boots grinding against the stone. The sheer weight of his presence and the raw anger radiating from him pressed against me, fueled by the relentless pull of the bond. The heat grew so intense that I balled my hands into fists to keep from reaching out to him. My body begged for his touch, to lose itself in his fury, even as my mind screamed at me to resist.

"Why do you hate me so much?" I whispered, my voice barely carrying over the crackle of the flames.

His eyes locked onto mine, burning with a dark, twisted intensity.

"Because you are a curse, Aylin," he hissed, his hand lifting slightly as if he wanted to reach out and tear the mark straight from my chest. "You ruin everything you touch. You"

The words cut short as a sudden wave of heat flared from my sternum. I gasped, my knees buckling as I hit the stone floor. The pain was sharp and deep, a primal force that made my chest heave. I could feel the mark reaching out for him, pulsing in rhythm with his proximity, as if it had been waiting for him all this time.

I ground my teeth together, my body trembling from the strain. I hated him. I hated everything he stood for. But the mark did not care about my hatred. The Moon had its own plans for us.

"Stop." Lucien's voice broke through the haze, calm, cool, and deadly. He stepped out of the shadows, his eyes locking onto mine. "You can’t fight the bond, Aylin."

"Leave me alone, I won’t let it control me." I forced myself back onto my feet, my muscles straining. I refused to break down in front of them, especially not in front of Ryder.

"when you returned, you should have known what you signed for, allow it, it's your destiny." Kael's voice was quiet, but it held a heavy authority that made the hairs on my arms stand up. He moved closer, the warmth of his body brushing against mine as his fingers lightly touched my shoulder. "Resisting only makes the curse worse."

"I don’t care about the curse." I turned sharply toward him, my shoulder slipping from his touch. "I won’t let it ruin me mostly for him."

"Too late for that," Ryder spat, his eyes flashing in the firelight. He stepped closer, closing the distance until the air between us felt entirely charged.

"You think you're the only one cursed here, Omega?" Ryder's voice was dark, raw with unspent fury. "You think I wanted this pull? You think I wanted to feel this way? About you?"

My chest tightened. The bitterness of his words should have cut me, but they only fed the fire burning under my skin.

"I thought you despise me," I whispered, my voice shaking as I stared up at him. "You hate the vibe I bring, you hate our bond... but you still feel it, don’t you?, I know you can't resist it"

He didn't answer.

But his gaze darkened, and he took another step closer, obliterating the remaining space between us.