Chapter Three: That Mark that Shouldn’t Be
Faith stood alone in the east wing.
A space meant for high-ranking wolves. Warriors.
Not an omega like her.
The room was too big. The windows too wide.
She felt exposed. Watched.
Even if no one was there, she could feel his presence.
David.
He’d said she was his.
But she hadn’t said yes.
She hadn’t agreed to anything.
Still, something primal inside her responded to his voice, his touch, his scent.
Something that scared her.
The door creaked.
She turned fast, nervous — but it was only a guard placing food on the table.
“You’re to remain here until Alpha says otherwise,” the man muttered, avoiding her eyes.
Faith nodded, clutching her arms.
When the door shut again, silence returned.
And with it, the memory.
His thumb on her chin.
His lips hovering over hers.
The heat.
Her fingers brushed her neck. Nothing was there — no mark, no seal.
But it felt like something had been branded under her skin.
Her wolf was awake now, purring at the thought of him.
It wasn’t right.
She wasn’t his.
She was supposed to belong to Daniel.
At least, that’s what the Moon Priestess said during her first heat.
But the Moon can lie, her wolf whispered.
Suddenly, the door burst open.
David.
He entered without knocking, his black shirt unbuttoned at the collar, hair messy, eyes glowing faintly with power.
And he wasn’t alone. Divine followed closely behind him, looking like a storm ready to break.
“You’ve overstepped,” Divine snapped.
David ignored her. He walked straight to Faith.
“Did they touch you?” he asked, voice low.
Faith blinked. “No…”
He scanned her like he didn’t believe it.
“David,” Divine said, louder this time, stepping between them. “This needs to stop.”
He moved her aside like she was weightless. “Get out.”
“No,” Divine said, arms crossed. “She’s not your mate. The council hasn’t decided. The bond is unsealed.”
“It doesn’t need to be sealed. I felt her.”
David’s eyes didn’t leave Faith.
“Didn’t you?”
Faith’s voice was a whisper. “Yes…”
Divine growled. “She’s lying. She’s a heat-driven omega. She’d melt for anyone with a deep voice.”
David turned slowly, eyes narrowed.
“Say something like that again,” he said coldly, “and I’ll have you removed from this Pack.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“I already dared when I rejected you.”
Divine’s face cracked, just for a second. Then she turned on her heel and left.
The door slammed shut.
Now it was just them.
David stepped closer, his scent filling the space.
“Are you scared of me?” he asked.
Faith didn’t speak.
He reached up, his hand cupping the side of her neck — not to hurt her, just to feel.
Her skin pulsed beneath his touch.
“You’re trembling,” he said.
“I… I don’t know what you want from me.”
His voice dropped. “I want what’s already mine.”
“But you’re supposed to be mated to someone else.”
He scoffed. “Supposed to doesn’t mean anything. My wolf rejected her the moment I saw you.”
Faith’s breath hitched. “And Daniel?”
“My brother will heal.”
David’s fingers moved, gently brushing the curve of her jaw.
Her body betrayed her — leaning in, needing more.
“I didn’t plan this,” he whispered. “But once a wolf finds his mate, nothing else matters.”
She tried to push away, to resist. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“Tell me to leave then,” he murmured, mouth hovering at her ear.
Faith swallowed. “I… I can’t.”
He smiled against her skin.
Suddenly, heat spread across her neck.
Burning.
It wasn’t physical. It was something deeper.
Her body arched, her wolf howled within her.
She gasped. “What’s happening?”
David’s hand tightened. “Your mark is forming.”
“But you haven’t…”
“I don’t need to bite to mark you. The bond is awakening on its own.”
Faith collapsed to her knees, panting.
Something pulsed from deep within her — something old, ancient, and familiar.
David knelt beside her, voice rough. “You feel it, don’t you?”
Tears slipped from her eyes. “Why me?”
He brushed them away. “I don’t know. But I’m not letting you go.”
The air around them shifted.
Faith looked at his face — dark, fierce, and brutal.
Yet something in his gaze was soft. Something only she could see.
And she knew this was only the beginning.
Of a war.
Of a love.
Of a bond that shouldn’t have been… but now couldn’t be undone.