All Chapters of Marked and forgotten by the Alpha : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONEAria's POVThe forest was darker than usual.No moonlight or sounds of animals just silence and shadows of the trees.I walked deeper, following the path Miriam had shown me weeks ago. My heart pounded but I kept my breathing steady.Stay centered. Remember your training.After what felt like an hour, I reached a clearing I'd never seen before. In the center stood Miriam, but she wasn't alone.Three figures surrounded her,cloaked in darkness,their faces hidden."Aria," Miriam said calmly. "Welcome to your final test.""What is this?""A trial. To prove you can control your power under pressure,to prove you understand what it means to be a Light Bearer."The three figures stepped forward. As they moved, the darkness around them grew thicker."Shadow wielders," I breathed."Yes. Not corrupted like Ethan was. These are trained practitioners. They've agreed to test you." Miriam's expression was serious. "You must defend yourself using only light magic no physical combat

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREELucas's POVSomething was wrong.I felt it in my bones, in the mate bond I'd been trying to ignore. A sudden pain I couldn't explain."Alpha?" One of my warriors approached. "Are you okay?""Fine. Keep moving."We'd been tracking the Sunstone for four days following Miriam's map through the rogue territory. So far we'd avoided major conflict but I couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible had happened,to Aria.I pulled out the communication stone and pessed it. "Aria, report."I tried again. "Aria. Come in."Nothing came out.My chest tightened."Try Kira," I told my Beta.He did. After a moment, his face went pale. "Alpha. Kira's responding but she's... she's panicking."He handed me the stone."—gone! They took her! Lucas, they took Aria!"My world stopped moving. "What happened?""They surrounded us and—" Her voice broke. "She traded herself for the artifact. We have the Eternal Flame but they have Aria."Rage flooded through me."Where?""The Ruins bu

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVEAria's POVTwo weeks passed with preparation and all that and training resumed and patrols doubled. Warriors drilled constantly but life continued.I spent my mornings with Miriam, pushing my abilities further. Afternoons with Kira, maintaining my physical skills. Evenings with Lucas, planning and strategizing.And slowly, the nightmares faded.Some nights I still woke gasping, feeling Laura hands on my temples but Lucas was always there pulling me back reminding me I was safe."You're getting stronger," Miriam observed one morning. "Your control has improved significantly."We were in the forest working on advanced techniques and projecting light over long distances maintaining multiple shields simultaneously."Doesn't feel like enough.""It never does but you're ready for the next step.""Which is?"She pulled out an old leather journal pages yellowed and worn. "Teaching you about the ancient bonds and The connections between Light Bearers and their anchors.""An

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVENAria's POVTraining twenty recruits was harder than I expected.They were eager but inexperienced some had raw talent. Others struggled to even feel their inner light but they all showed up every morning, ready to learn.Sarah helped me. She'd progressed faster than the others and now served as my assistant demonstrating techniques and encouraging those who struggled."You're a natural at this," I told her after one particularly difficult session."I learned from the best," she said simply.Two weeks passed. The recruits improved,small shields became stronger and the healing touches became more effective. They weren't ready for battle but they were getting there.Lucas spent his days reaching out to other packs sending messengers.Some packs agreed immediately while others hesitated. A few refused outright, too afraid of drawing the bad ones attention."We have commitments from five packs," Lucas reported at dinner one evening. "That's seventy additional warriors

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINEAria's POVI woke before dawn and immediately got out of bed.Lucas was still asleep, his arm stretched across the empty space where I'd been. I dressed quietly and slipped out of the room.The pack house was silent. Only a few guards on night duty nodded as I passed. I headed straight for the medical wing.Kira's room was at the end of the hall. A healer sat outside, keeping watch. She stood when she saw me."Light Bearer," she said respectfully. "She's sleeping but stable. You can go in.""Thank you."I pushed the door open quietly. The room was dim, lit only by a single candle on the bedside table.Kira lay motionless on the bed. Her face was pale, too pale bandages covered her torso where the shadow magic had struck. But her chest rose and fell steadily.She was alive.I sat in the chair beside her bed and took her hand. It was cold. I channeled a tiny bit of warmth into her, just enough to help without depleting myself."Hey," I said softly. "I don't know if y