Lahat ng Kabanata ng I Stole His Mark: Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

The Hollow's ancient temple loomed high on the cliffs, an open-air arena carved from obsidian and bone, encircled by ivy-covered stone and runes etched by generations long dead. Every pack elder, noble family, and enforcer lined the crescent-shaped steps, shoulder to shoulder, murmuring in tense anticipation.At the heart of the dais stood the Moonstone pedestal—black as the void, with a jagged crystal blooming from its core, glowing faintly with a silver pulse. The stone pulsed like it breathed.Ilia stood just beyond the ceremonial boundary, her body clothed in silver ceremonial linen that clung to her figure, damp from the bath and from the nerves prickling under her skin. Her long dark hair was braided and crowned with twisted vines—traditional for one about to undergo the Rite. Her hands trembled, though her face remained still.Caelan stood to her right, dressed in black formal armor, the Alpha crest stitched into his chest. His hand rested on the hilt of his ceremonial blade. T

The fog hadn’t fully lifted from the chamber before it began to thicken again, curling around Ilia’s bare ankles like fingers. Her body ached from the last test, but her spine was straight, her jaw set.She was not the same girl who had walked into the Rite.A shift in the air told her something was coming."Ilia..."She turned.Caelan stood just inside the fog’s edge, shirtless, every inch of his muscled chest and arms slicked with mist. His eyes were heavy-lidded, his voice a deep, familiar growl."You’ve been so strong," he said, stepping closer. "Let me take care of you."Ilia blinked. Her heart jumped. "Caelan?"He closed the distance slowly, one hand brushing the curve of her hip through the thin linen fabric. Her breath hitched. Her mind screamed to move, but her body—gods, her body responded."You don't need to fight anymore," he murmured, his lips grazing her ear. "Just let go."She pressed her palm to his chest. It was warm. Real. But something about his touch..."This isn’t

Ilia stepped through the archway of stone and mist, her bare feet silent against the sacred marble. The crowd parted slowly, murmurs rippling through them like a wind stirred the surface of a still lake. Her body still shimmered faintly with the afterglow of the Rite, silver and crimson weaving down her limbs, the moon’s kiss still pulsing in the center of her chest.Caelan’s eyes locked on her instantly. His chest rose with a sharp inhale, relief flooding his features before his expression shifted into something harder to read.“She survived,” someone whispered.“She’s still standing.”“The Rite didn’t kill her.”Ilia paused at the top of the ceremonial steps, staring down at the Hollow below her. The silence was palpable.Then, slowly, deliberately, she let go.A gasp tore through the gathered wolves as her body erupted with the shimmer of change, bones twisting and fur ripping through skin in a graceful, powerful transformation. In mere seconds, the massive black wolf with crimson

Caelan sat in the war room, a half-finished glass of whiskey clutched in his hand, his eyes staring blankly at the hearth. The fire crackled, flames throwing shadows across the stone walls, but his mind was somewhere else—caught in the tangled web of feelings he couldn’t control. The bond. The betrayal. The ache of sharing something he thought would be his alone.Footsteps echoed down the corridor, deliberate and heavy. Caelan didn’t have to turn around."You’re late," he muttered.Derrin stepped inside and shut the door behind him. "Didn’t know we had a meeting."Caelan took a sip. "We don’t. Just figured you’d come."Silence stretched between them."You’re angry," Derrin said finally.Caelan’s jaw ticked. "Are you surprised?"Derrin crossed the room, but stayed standing. "No. I’m not."Caelan slammed the glass down. "You were supposed to have my back. Not... not this.""I didn’t choose this, Caelan. Neither did she. The Moon Goddess did.""You expect me to believe that it’s all fate

The moon hovered low over the lake, casting a silver shimmer across the water’s surface as Ilia stepped into the shallows again. Her soaked shift clung to her body like a second skin, its transparency leaving little to the imagination. Every dip and curve of her siren-born form gleamed in the soft light, the lake seeming to worship her presence.Behind her, Caelan and Derrin stood still at the water’s edge, watching. They weren’t just looking at her—they were entranced by her. The lake pulsed with her energy, glowing in rhythmic waves that mirrored the beat of their hearts."She’s glowing again," Derrin murmured, half to himself, eyes darkening with something primal.Caelan let out a quiet breath. "She’s not just glowing. She’s calling."Ilia turned slowly, the water licking at her thighs as she moved. Her hair clung wet and wild down her back, her lips parted slightly as her chest rose and fell. "You feel it, don’t you?""We feel everything," Caelan said, stepping into the water witho