The Alpha's Death Mark

Chapter 3

The rain hit like bullets, turning the forest clearing into a muddy trap.

I barely caught my breath from the shared vision when Kael shifted fully back to human, naked and furious in the downpour. His amber eyes burned through the sheets of water as he stalked toward me. The rogues scattered into the trees without a word. Cowards. Or maybe they knew this fight was between us alone.

"You should have kept running," Kael growled, fists clenched at his sides. Water streamed down his chest and arms, highlighting every hard line of muscle.

I backed up a step, fists raised. "And you should have stayed with your precious Council. Why chase me if you hate this bond as much as I do?"

He lunged without answering. Faster than I expected. His fist connected with my jaw and stars exploded behind my eyes. I staggered but the pain doubled back at him through the bond. He grunted and clutched his own face.

"See?" I spat blood into the mud. "Every hit you land comes right back at you. Smart move, Alpha."

Kael circled me, rain plastering his black hair to his forehead. "You were supposed to be my strength. Instead you are my ruin."

I laughed bitterly and charged. My fist grazed his ribs but I followed with a knee that caught him low. He doubled over for a second before slamming an elbow into my shoulder. We both cried out at the same time as the mirrored agony ripped through us.

"Damn you," I gasped, circling wider. Shadows flickered at the edges of my vision. Riven stirred inside me, whispering to use the dark. I let a little slip through. My movements blurred in the rain, slipping sideways like smoke when he swung again.

He missed and roared in frustration. "What are you? No normal wolf moves like that."

I darted in close and slashed my nails across his arm, drawing blood. "Your Goddess made me this way. Ask her why killing me feels like dying too."

Kael grabbed my wrist and yanked me against him. Our bodies collided, wet skin on wet skin. The Deathmark flared hot between us. "Because none of this makes sense," he snarled, voice rough. "I felt your loneliness in that vision. Years of being pushed aside. But I also felt that hunger. It wants my power."

I twisted free and swept his leg. He went down hard in the mud but pulled me with him. We rolled, grappling for control. Every punch I landed made my own bones ache. Every time his grip bruised me, he winced too.

"Stop fighting me and listen," he panted, pinning me momentarily. Rain poured into my eyes. "The rejection ritual failed. It twisted the bond instead. Now I hear your thoughts sometimes. See pieces of you. We share strength when we are close. But it is driving us both mad."

I bucked my hips and flipped us, straddling him for a second. "Then stay away. Go back to your pack and tell them I am dead. Problem solved."

He flipped me again, stronger than I could match. His hand pressed on my shoulder, pushing me into the mud. "You know it does not work like that anymore. I tried to reject you in front of them all. The bond mutated. If I get too far, the weakness hits. Same for you."

I headbutted him. Blood trickled from both our noses. "So what? We just team up and pretend the prophecy does not want one of us dead?"

Kael rolled off me, breathing hard. We both lay in the mud, chests heaving. The shared blood loss made the world spin. My arms felt heavy. His did too. I could feel it through the connection.

"Truce," he said finally, voice low. "For now. We investigate the prophecy together. Find out if there is a way to break it without one of us falling. But the second you turn on me, it ends."

I pushed up on my elbows, rain washing the mud from my face. "Fine. Truce. But do not think this makes us friends. I still feel Riven pushing me to take everything from you."

He sat up slowly, wincing. We were both a mess, covered in cuts and bruises that mirrored perfectly. "Riven? Your wolf has a name now?"

"Yeah. And she likes the idea of draining you dry." I touched the Deathmark through my torn shirt. It pulsed in time with his heartbeat. "This thing between us is poison."

Kael crawled closer, still on his knees in the mud. His hand reached out, hesitating. "Let me see it."

I should have slapped his hand away. Instead I stayed still as his fingers brushed the black crescent above my heart. Electricity crackled across my skin. The constant pain shifted for one dangerous second into something hotter, darker. A pull that made my breath catch and my body lean toward him. His eyes darkened too. For a heartbeat, the rain felt warmer. The hunger in the bond twisted into want.

"This is not right," I whispered, but I did not pull away.

"Nothing about us is right," he replied, voice husky. His thumb traced the edge of the mark. The heat built until I thought I might burn alive.

Then shouts cut through the trees.

"Council hunters! They found us!"

Kael jumped up, pulling me with him. "Stay behind me."

But it was too late. Five hunters burst into the clearing, rifles raised and silver bullets glinting. "Kill the curse bringer! Alpha Voss, step aside!"

Gunfire cracked. A bullet grazed my arm. Pain flared, but I felt Kael take part of it too. Another shot hit his leg. We both stumbled.

"Get down!" he yelled.

I dropped but the weakness from our fight hit hard. My vision blurred. The hunters closed in. One aimed straight at my head.

Panic surged. Riven screamed in my mind to take. To survive. Without thinking, I reached through the bond like grabbing a rope on fire. I pulled Kael's Alpha strength into me. Power flooded my veins, raw and electric. The Deathmark glowed bright.

Kael dropped to one knee with a strangled shout. "Nyra... what are you doing?"

The euphoria hit me like lightning. His power made me feel unstoppable. Shadows exploded from my hands, knocking two hunters off their feet. I moved faster than before, disarming another with a single strike.

"Stop!" Kael gasped, face pale. Blood ran from his nose again as I drained more.

I felt alive. Strong. Terrifyingly good. But I saw him crumbling, his massive frame shaking.

The remaining hunters turned tail and ran, shouting about the Devourer. I released the bond with a gasp. Kael collapsed forward into the mud, breathing ragged.

I stood over him, chest heaving, power still buzzing in my blood. The rain kept pouring but it could not wash away what I had just done. Or the sick thrill I felt from it.

Kael looked up at me, eyes half lidded but not with fear. Something closer to pride mixed with fury. "There it is," he rasped. "The real you."

My hands shook as I stared at him. The truce felt paper thin now. And the hunters would bring back more. Much more.

We were in deeper trouble than ever.