Chapter 4 – The Mark Appears

The Writing on the Wall

Blood dripped from the message on the wall, thick and fresh.

SHE BELONGS TO ME.

The words stood out, clear and cutting. Even in the silence, they felt loud, like they were still hanging in the cold air.1

Caspian stood next to me, his fists tight at his sides, his face was cold and unreadable. Cian shifted on his feet, and tension was rippling through his stance.

Ronan hadn't looked away once, his steady gaze was still pressing into me, quiet and unshakable.

Out of them Kieran was the only one who moved,he walked closer to the wall that had blood on it. He runs his fingers along the surface, tracing the smeared letters like they could tell him something he didn't know already. His jaw tensed, shoulders squared, but his expression stayed unreadable.Not like me.

"This wasn’t just a warning," Kieran said at last. His voice was quiet, but it carried. "This was a claim."

Caspian exhaled through his nose, barely more than a breath. "A challenge." He quickly glanced in my direction, his expression was unreadable. "Someone thinks you belong to them."

I straightened, forcing myself to meet his stare. "I don’t belong to anyone." The words tasted sharp,yet bitter.

Cian’s laugh was humorless. "Yeah? Tell that to whoever’s leaving bodies at our doorstep." His hands flexed at his sides like he wanted to hit something. "They walked into this estate like it was nothing. "No alarms, no sign of a break-in. Either someone let them in"—he turned to Kieran—"or they were already here."

A muscle in Kieran’s jaw tightened, but he gave nothing away.. "I’m handling it."

Cian scoffed, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah? Not fast enough."

"Enough," Caspian cut in, his voice sharper than usual. His gaze moved between me and the others. "We need to figure out why they think they own her before another body drops."

Something inside me tightened.

I swallowed. "I don’t have that answer."

Ronan spoke then, his voice low. "Not yet."

I turned to him, scanning his face for something,or anything that could make this make sense. "You recognized that writing," I said. "Didn’t you?"

His expression didn’t shift, but his silence was enough answer.

Kieran narrowed his eyes. "Who is it?"

Ronan hesitated. It was brief, but I saw it.

"Someone I thought was dead," he admitted at last.

The air in the room grew heavy.

Cian let out a short, sharp laugh—one that held no humor. "Fantastic. Anyone else coming back from the grave, or are we sticking to just one psycho at a time?"

Kieran ignored him. "We need to move. No one leaves this estate alone. No one moves without my say." His tone was pure command, allowing no room for argument.

Cian’s expression darkened. "You think locking this place down will change anything? They walked in once, they’ll do it again."

Kieran’s gaze flicked toward him, dangerous. "Not if I kill them first."

I should have been reassured. I wasn’t.

I forced myself to breathe. "You think they’ll stop with one body?" My voice felt thin. "They’re just getting started."

Caspian’s jaw tightened. "Then we need to stop them before they take another step closer." His gaze landed on me. "And we need to figure out why they think they own you."

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

Because for the first time, I wasn’t sure if there was an answer.

A Marked Wolf

The first sting hit when I reached my room.

A slow burn, like embers catching beneath my skin. Then—heat. Sharp. Spreading.

I sucked in a breath and shoved up my sleeve.

And there it was.

A mark.

Thin, black lines curled along my forearm, intricate and precise. The edges pulsed faintly, as if they were alive.

A knock at the door.

Ronan.

I didn't have a chance at that moment to respond before he entered the room, closing the door behind him, his eyes looked down at my arm,and for the first time, I saw something like concern flickering across his face.

"Shit," he muttered, moving closer. "When did this happen?"

"Just now," I managed, voice tight. The warmth beneath my skin hadn’t faded.

His expression hardened. "It’s a claim mark."

My stomach twisted. "Explain."

His gaze met mine. "It means they’ve started the ritual." His voice was grim. "And if we don’t stop it, you might be the next to be taken."

My fingers curled into fists. "Over my dead body."

Ronan’s eyes didn’t move from mine. "That’s exactly what they want."

Caged Instincts

The estate felt smaller that night.

The wolves on patrol barely met my gaze. Some wouldn’t even look at me at all.

Cian caught up with me in the corridor, his energy restless, vibrating beneath his skin. "You’re avoiding everyone."

I kept walking. "Observant of you."

"Stop." His hand shot out, catching my arm. Not hard, but enough to hold me there. "We need to talk."

I sighed. "About what? The fact that I’ve apparently been marked like some kind of prize? Or that one of your wolves might be working with whoever did this?"

His jaw flexed. "You think I don’t care?" His voice was quieter now. "That this doesn’t piss me off?"

I studied him. "Then act like it."

He drew in a sharp breath. 'What do you think I’m doing?' His voice was tight yet edged with frustration.

Neither of us spoke for a moment,and the silence remained stretching between us. Then he let out a slow breath, shaking his head. 'Look, just don’t shut us out, okay? His voice had lost its edge.

I didn’t answer. But I didn’t pull away, either.

Kieran’s Ultimatum

I found Kieran in his office, standing at the window, watching the treeline. His body was too still.

"You should be resting," he said without turning.

I crossed my arms. "You should be worried."

He finally looked at me. "I am."

Something in my chest clenched. I exhaled. "Then what’s your plan?"

His lips pressed together. "We cut the head off the snake." His eyes darkened. "And we burn the body."

I swallowed. "That’s not a plan. That’s a death sentence."

His expression didn’t change. "Not yours."

The weight of those words settled like a stone in my ribs.

"Seraphina." His voice was quieter now. "I will protect you."

I let out a slow breath. "You keep saying that."

"And I mean it."

I met his eyes. "Then start proving it."

The Final Warning

I woke to the scent of blood.

Not mine.

Not from outside.

It's from Inside.

The door to my room was unlocked.

And on the floor laid another body.

But this time, it wasn’t a wolf.

It was a human.

"His vacant eyes stared ahead, frozen open. His mouth hung slightly open, like his last breath had caught in his throat.

His fingers were still curled around a torn piece of my clothing.My breath hitched.

And carved into his chest, deep and jagged—

SHE’S ALREADY MINE.

I staggered back,and my heart was hammering.

Because for the first time—

This wasn’t just about me.

It was about whoever was coming next.