All Chapters of Marked For Ruin: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The lie tasted like metal and mint, a flavor Kara swallowed down every morning with her herbs. From the veranda of the great lodge, she watched the mist curl off the rushing Clearwater River, a living thing twisting through the giant ferns below. Her voice remained even, cutting through the damp air and the grumbling of the two warriors before her. "You both patrol the northern ridge," she declared, her authority unquestioned. "Torvin, the high path; Bael, the low. Settle your squabble by seeing who scents a rogue first."As they grumbled their assent and departed into the dense forest, her thumb brushed over the cold, heavy diamond on her finger. It was a beautiful cage, a symbol of a promise Kael had spun about a bond of choice, not savage instinct. But a cage it was, and with her next heat only a week away, she could feel the wildness the ring could never hope to contain beginning to stir.Staring out towards Mount Rainer, the ice glinting even in the distance, she couldn't help bu

The heavy wooden door slammed shut, plunging her into absolute darkness. The finality of the sound, the heavy thud of the bar locking into place from the outside, echoed in the small space, sealing her in.For a long moment, she didn't move from the spot on the hard-packed dirt floor where the guards had thrown her. The air was thick with the smell of damp earth and the faint, sweet scent of rot. It was cold. A deep, seeping cold that had nothing to do with the lack of sunlight and everything to do with the utter, soul-crushing loneliness that was now her entire world.As her eyes slowly adjusted to the sliver of light coming from under the door, the shapes of bulging burlap sacks surrounding her looked like silent, slumped figures—sacks of potatoes and winter vegetables, her only company in the dark.Lying on the cold ground, a bitter, hysterical thought bubbled up through her grief. She had planned for this, in a way. She always knew he might find his fated mate. But her foolish, na

The powerful engine of the black sedan was a low growl in the otherwise silent night. Lucian drove with one hand on the wheel, the lonely stretch of asphalt a familiar boundary marker. To his left lay his own territory, cloaked in ancient shadows and undisputed law. To his right, the chaotic, mismanaged lands of the Clearwater Pack.He let out a low sigh, his thoughts on the young, arrogant Alpha, Kael, and his new alliance with the Redding pack. A political headache was brewing, one that stank of desperation and weakness. He was contemplating the best way to contain the inevitable fallout when a pale shape darted from the trees directly into his path.There was no time to think. Instinct took over. He slammed on the brakes, the tires screaming in protest on the pavement, but it was too late. The sickening, soft thud of body meeting metal was unmistakable. The car skidded to a halt, and the world was plunged back into a deafening silence, broken only by the ticking of

Milo watched her carefully, giving her space to process his words. He saw it then—a tiny, fragile flicker of something other than fear in her guarded eyes. It was more than he had hoped for so soon.He'd seen the work of cruel Alphas before, but the state Lucian had brought her in—broken, terrified, and on the edge of a forced heat—had stoked a cold fury in him. The Clearwater pack was a blight, a festering wound on their borders, and this woman, Kara, was a direct result of their poison. Her spirit was so heavily shielded, it was a miracle she hadn't shattered completely.He thought of Lucian's face when he'd carried her in. The King had been controlled, as always, but Milo, who had known him for two centuries, had seen it—a flare of ancient, possessive instinct that he hadn't seen in living memory. This omega was different. She was important.His job now was to offer her the one thing Kael's pack never would have: a genuine choice.Milo saw the conflict warring in her eyes and offer

Hope and fear waged a silent war within her, leaving her paralyzed. The survivor in her screamed that this was a lie, while the Omega yearned for it to be true. She didn't know these people. She didn't know this powerful man who stood before her, offering the world when she had just been left with nothing. Trust was a currency she no longer possessed.But she had to know. She had to understand the reason behind this elaborate, gentle trap—or this impossible, life-altering kindness.She finally met his intense gaze, her own eyes shimmering with unshed tears and fierce, guarded suspicion. Her voice, when it finally came, was a raw, broken whisper, holding all the weight of her confusion and fragile hope."Why?"Lucian’s ancient eyes held hers, and for the first time, she saw a flicker of something beyond calm authority—a deep, unwavering conviction. He didn't offer her platitudes or complicated explanations. His answer was simple, direct,