CHAPTER 7: MARKED BY THE ALPHA, ENGAGED TO ANOTHER

Katarina

I gather myself and find the strength to walk to the café to meet Francis. I spot him sitting near the window, waiting. Trying to compose myself, I force a smile as I sit next to him.

“Hey, Katty,” he greets me, clearly happy to see me. “It took you a while. I wasn’t sure you’d make it.”

“Yeah, I got… sidetracked,” I say, unable to tell him the truth. How could I? How do I tell my boyfriend that another man is claiming me as his? Or worse—that I carry his mark as proof? It would be a disaster. Francis can never know.

“No worries.” He smiles, reaching into his pocket to pull out the same box he proposed with. Here we go again. My nerves spike, but I try to stay calm.

“Katty, I know last night was tough after what happened with the Alpha. But that monster can’t steal our moment,” he says with determination. He opens the box, revealing the same beautiful silver ring with a shiny stone—expensive from the looks of it. “Wear it. It’s yours,” he urges, holding the box out toward me.

What? Just like that? Is he serious?

“Don’t you think, with everything going on, we should slow down? I mean, we haven’t seen each other in a while. Marriage feels like… a big step,” I say, trying to reason with him.

He chuckles, brushing off my hesitation. “There’s no better time than now. Let’s get our marriage done and move on to more serious stuff.”

More serious stuff? What could be more serious than marriage? I stare at him, feeling uneasy. Marriage isn’t something to just rush through.

“Come on, we’ve always known we’d end up together. We talked all the time while you were away, and now you’re back. We’re practically made for this. We’ve known each other our whole lives,” he says confidently.

He’s not wrong. We’ve had this long-distance thing going for years. “I know, Francis, but…”

“Na-ah, no buts. You know what? Let’s not waste any more time.” He pulls the ring out of the box and takes my left hand, slipping the ring onto my finger. “There. It fits perfectly.”

I’m stunned. He just placed a ring on my finger without me agreeing to marry him. I open my mouth to protest, but he cuts me off before I can speak.

“It’s really not up to you, Katarina,” he says firmly. “I was just trying to be the nice guy who gets down on one knee, asking you to say yes. But this is what’s best for our families. Your dad knows that too.”

I lean back in the chair, feeling defeated. Francis might as well have said, ‘Take it up with your dad.’ He knows I’m not brave enough to stand up to Dad. If Dad wants this marriage, then I guess it’s happening. Besides, Francis isn’t a bad guy. We had great phone conversations. He visited me a few times last year, and during one of those visits, he asked me to be his girlfriend. Marriage to him couldn’t be that awful, right? Maybe I could even be happy.

Francis kisses my hand, the one with the ring, and beams. “Congratulations to us on our engagement. You’re a lucky woman,” he says, flashing his bright smile.

I force a smile in return. “We’re both lucky, I guess.”

He signals for the waiter, ordering a bottle of wine. “Let’s celebrate,” he says enthusiastically. I nod, hoping the drink will distract me from the thoughts swirling in my head—thoughts of him, Alpha Zane.

After dinner, Francis drops me off at home. I wave him goodbye and head straight to my room. But Dad doesn’t waste any time coming in after me.

“Katarina, good, you’re back. Let’s finish our discussion.”

“Francis gave me his ring,” I blurt out, showing it to Dad in a weak attempt to avoid the conversation.

“As expected. Congratulations to you both,” he says curtly. But he’s not letting me off that easily. “Now, back to what’s important. It’s just you and me now, Katty. Tell me what really happened. The Alpha isn’t known for mercy. If he knew who you were, why didn’t he kill you?” Dad’s voice is tense, straight to the point.

My stomach churns. Do I tell him the truth? He’ll find out sooner or later, and lying will only make him angrier.

“He didn’t kill me, Dad. But he… he did something else.” I hesitate, unsure how to explain.

“What did he do?” Dad demands sharply, his eyes narrowing in concern.

“He… he…” I stutter, terrified to say the words. What will Dad do when he finds out? He’s spent his life hunting werewolves, hating them with every fiber of his being. What will he think of me now? Will he hate me too?

“Out with it, Katarina!” he barks, his patience snapping.

I take a deep breath, my hands trembling as I force myself to speak. “He bit me, Dad,” I whisper, barely able to say it out loud.

Dad freezes, his face paling as the shock sinks in. He didn’t see that coming. Neither did I. His hand shoots out, gripping my chin, turning my head side to side, looking for the mark. And then he sees it—Alpha Zane’s mark, clear as day.

The disappointment floods his face, along with sadness. He stares at me as though I’ve become one of those creatures he’s spent his life hunting. His hand drops from my chin, and his gaze falls to the ground.

Tears well in my eyes. “Say something, Dad… please… anything,” I plead, my voice cracking with desperation.

“How could you let this happen?” Dad fumes, his voice booming with anger. “That damn Alpha put his bloody mark on you.” He grabs me, shaking me roughly, his anger barely contained. “Why did you let him do this to you?” he asks, furious.

“I don’t know, Dad. I’m sorry,” I sob, the guilt crushing me. “You were right. I hesitated for just a moment, and he did this. I didn’t mean to get bitten.” Tears stream down my face as I see the look of disgust in Dad’s eyes. He’s seeing me differently now, like I’m already turning into one of them. Am I? I don’t even know. That cruel Alpha—I’ll never forgive him for this.

Dad’s face contorts with rage as he steps closer, pointing a finger at me. “What you are is a failure,” he spits out, his voice harsh and cold. “I should never have sent you to him. You incompetent daughter of mine!” His words wound me deeply. “I’ll fix this myself,” he snarls, turning his back on me and storming out of the room.

Fear grips me. “What are you going to do, Dad?” I cry, chasing after him, feeling nervous. He heads straight to the basement and grabs a gun, loading it with silver bullets.

No. He isn’t about to do what I think. Or is he?

“Dad, what are you doing?” I ask, afraid of what he will do next.

He glares at me, his eyes burning with anger. “What does it look like I’m doing, Katarina?” he shouts. “Because of your incompetence, I’m going to finish this myself!” He grabs another gun, loading it with the same deadly intent.

“What?” I gasp, the reality hitting me.

He gets right in my face, his voice deadly. “I’m going after Alpha Zane, and I’m going to put a bullet in his heart. No one messes with me and gets away with it, no matter how powerful he is.” His words, full of vengeance as he storms out of the basement, carrying the guns.

I follow him, panic rising in my chest. He groans softly, clutching his stomach in pain, still determined to pursue the Alpha. He’s still recovering, but he hates hospitals—they ask too many questions. What if his injuries get worse?

“Dad, please! You can’t go after Alpha Zane, not like this, not now. Your wounds haven’t healed. You’re not strong enough,” I plead, desperately trying to get through to him. I grab his arm to stop him, but he yanks it away so hard I stumble to the ground.

I scramble to my feet. I have to stop him. Dad is in no condition to fight the Alpha—Zane would kill him in seconds. But Dad won’t listen. He’s too blinded by his hatred.

I rush after him, ready to save him from that dangerous Alpha’s wrath or die trying. I’ll face Zane again if I have to. Whatever it takes, I have to protect Dad. Even if it means surrendering to Alpha Zane.