All Chapters of FATED BY FIRE: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Cara’s POVLucian filled the doorway as though the room belonged to him alone. His presence was too large, too commanding, as if the hall had been built only to frame his shadow. My father straightened beside me, his expression calm, but I saw the subtle tightening of his jaw.“Alpha,” he greeted.Lucian’s eyes swept over the training hall before landing on me. Heat rolled down my spine at the weight of his gaze. It wasn’t casual, it wasn’t detached it was sharp, intrusive, and far too knowing. His irises glowed faintly, betraying the wolf lurking just under the surface.“Training her hard,” he remarked, though his tone made the statement sound less like observation and more like accusation.“She’ll be ready,” my father replied evenly. “She already is.”Lucian’s lips curved in the faintest mockery of a smile. “We’ll see.”The silence was thick, heavy enough to choke me. I gripped the staff in my hand, my knuckles whitening as I fought the instinct to fidget under his stare.Then he sa

Cara's povThe week before the party felt like a tightrope. Every step I took pulled me closer to a decision I had not chosen. Every glance from Lucian tightened the rope. Every smile from Kieran made it wobble.I slept poorly. Training scraped my bones raw. Homework blurred into practice drills. My life narrowed to two things. Fight. Decide.Dad watched me more closely. He did not ask many questions. He did not have to. I could see worry play across his face in small lines, in the way he lingered in doorways and pressed his palm to the table when he thought I was not looking.One evening he pulled me into his office. The lights were low. His chair creaked when he sat. He looked older than he should. I knew the wound on his back still hurt him every day. I knew he lived with ghosts. He did not carry them like armor. He carried them as knowledge.“Cara,” he said, and his voice was careful. “He is an Alpha who takes what he wants.”“You already told me that,” I said. My jaw was tight.“

Cara’s POVThe rest of the night passed in a blur I could hardly piece together.The music returned, wolves began to laugh too loudly, to talk too quickly, trying to bury what had just happened under celebration. But no one could erase it. The tension still clung to the walls of the hall like smoke after a fire. Everyone had seen Lucian’s hand extended toward me. Everyone had seen me hesitate.And everyone knew what that hesitation meant.Kieran’s grip around me hadn’t loosened all evening. He kept me tucked close against him, his arm a shield, his eyes never leaving Lucian. When wolves came to greet us, to distract us with meaningless chatter, Kieran would answer with sharp nods and short words. His wolf was still bristling under his skin. Mine was no better.Selene paced inside me, restless, furious, hungry. She didn’t want Kieran’s hand on me. She wanted Lucian’s.I spent the entire evening trying to cage her.By the time the feast ended and the hall began to empty, I felt like I h

Cara’s POVThe training grounds buzzed with movement long before the sun rose. Warriors sparred in pairs, steel clashing against steel, claws striking against shields. The air was thick with sweat, smoke from the fire pits, and the crackle of energy that always came before battle.I adjusted the leather straps of my armor, my fingers trembling despite my determination. This was not the first time I had trained with the pack, nor the first time I had fought. But everything about today felt heavier, more final. The scouts had confirmed it the rival pack had gathered in numbers we hadn’t seen in decades. War wasn’t coming. War was already here.I caught sight of Lucian across the field, issuing commands with a sharp authority that left no room for doubt. His voice carried, strong and commanding, and every warrior moved with a precision that came from loyalty, not fear. That was the thing about Lucian. He didn’t have to demand respect. He earned it, even when his temper was sharp and his

Cara’s POVSleep was impossible.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Lucian’s bloodied hands on my face, his eyes blazing with something I couldn’t name. My body still hummed from the bond, my wolf restless under my skin. I rolled onto my side, burying my face in the pillow, but his voice echoed in my head.One week. Until I claim what’s already mine.Arrogant bastard.My fingers clenched the blanket. He couldn’t just decide that. Mates or not, I still had a choice. Didn’t I?I dragged myself out of bed at dawn, my muscles screaming in protest. My father was already waiting in the training hall, his chair positioned by the obstacle course. He gave me one long look, his sharp eyes narrowing as if he saw right through me.“You look like hell,” he said bluntly.“Thanks, Dad,” I muttered, pulling my hair into a messy braid. “Way to boost morale.”He snorted. “Morale isn’t my job. Survival is.”The next three hours were brutal. Weighted runs, knife drills, sparring until my arms felt like l