All Chapters of Fated Vengeance: A Mate's Reckoning : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Dawn came too soon. The stars were fading into the promise of morning as I stood in the training grounds, surrounded by the pack that wouldn’t make the decision whether I lived or died today. The cold slashed my skin but I hardly felt it, my body thrumming with adrenaline, my mind sharp, ready to do this. The atmosphere was charged with expectation and the weight of all the expectation pressing down on me like a physical thing. They wanted a fight, wanted to see what sort of Luna I’d make, whether I’d be worthy enough to stand at Lucian’s side, to survive.Lucian lingered at the perimeter of the circle, arms folded, the same inscrutable gaze fixed on me, as if he were wondering whether I might rise or fall. His presence felt like a tempest gathering on the outskirts, powerful, inescapable and entirely too familiar. He had set up this moment, had allowed me to demonstrate my worth, but it was also a test, and one I couldn’t afford to fail.Valeria was standing next to him, arms crossed

The following morning arrived with a rap on my door. I had hardly slept, my mind knotted up with thoughts I didn’t want to have, my body getting used to the bond that I could no longer ignore. For hours, I had tossed and turned, cursing Lucian, cursing the mate bond, cursing myself for even daring to think what it would mean if I stopped fighting it.Then came the knock, this time more insistent.I sucked in my breath and dragged myself out of bed. “What?”Valeria’s cool voice penetrated the door. “Training in ten minutes. Don’t be late.”Training. Right.I rubbed a hand across my face, willing myself to shake off the feeling of tiredness. This was what I’d wanted, right? A chance to prove myself? To prove myself, to demonstrate I wasn’t just some Luna by name only?I threw on my training gear, tied my hair back and pushed open the door. Valeria stood there with crossed arms, her silver eyes taking me in with the same suspicion she had from the moment we met. She had never hidden that

The air beyond Lucian’s chambers was chillier than it would be otherwise, or perhaps that was simply the impact of the storm raging inside me. My heart was still hammering from that last moment, from the way his fingers had skimmed my skin, from the way his words had clung to me as if they belonged. I hated how quickly he unraveled me.I trudged down the dark hall, warding away the heaviness of our exchange, but it clung to me stubbornly and tenaciously. And he had stood there, completely still, completely unfazed, as though he knew I would return.That arrogance. That confidence.It made me want to scream.Or worse—turn back around.No. I needed space. I needed air.The halls were quiet, the majority of the pack already tucked in for the night. But I wasn’t ready for sleep. Not with the way my thoughts were spinning, crashing, won’t calm down. I found myself heading toward the training grounds, following the pull of muscle memory and a desperate need to move my body without thinking

The morning arrived too soon.I had barely slept, the weight of Lucian’s words pressing down on me like a vice. You know this is bigger than just you and me. The worst part was that I did. I knew it. But that didn’t mean I had to like it.The thought of being marked in front of everyone, of becoming his in a way that was irreversible, sent a whirlwind of conflicting emotions spiraling inside me.And yet, there was a part of me that wasn’t just resisting out of principle. A part of me that was terrified—because once it happened, there would be no more denying what I already felt.I sat on the edge of the massive bed, staring at my hands. They were shaking.A knock at the door made me jump.I inhaled sharply before forcing my voice to remain steady. “Come in.”The door opened, and Killian stepped inside, his expression unreadable. He wasn’t in his usual uniform. Instead, he looked more relaxed—well, as relaxed as someone like Killian could ever look."You look like hell," he said, closi

The growls multiplied, rippling through the trees like a wave of menace. My grip tightened on the blade, the cold steel grounding me as the shadows took shape—hulking figures, eyes glinting in the pre-dawn gloom. Bloodfangs. At least a dozen, maybe more. My stomach lurched, but I shoved the fear down. I’d faced worse odds in the training circle. This was just… bigger.Lucian stepped forward, his presence a wall of barely contained fury. “Get ready,” he muttered, his voice low and steady. The trackers fanned out, forming a loose semicircle around us, their own weapons drawn or claws extended. The air crackled with tension, every breath sharp and deliberate.A figure emerged from the pack—a tall, wiry man with a scar slashing across his left cheek. His eyes were a pale, unsettling yellow, and the smirk on his face made my skin crawl. “Lucian,” he drawled, his voice dripping with mockery. “Didn’t expect you to come running so soon. Thought you’d send your dogs first.”“Ragnar,” Lucian sa