All Chapters of MARKED BY THE ALPHA CEO: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

Aeron's point of view The night did not feel like night when I returned to the pack. It felt like a battlefield waiting for the first strike—silent, stretched thin, and suffocating in its own anticipation. Even the wind carried tension, brushing past the stone walls like a warning I refused to ignore.I did not rest because the moment I did, I knew my thoughts would go back to Elara, and that was a distraction I could not afford tonight.“Lucien,” I called, my voice slicing through the stillness before the guards could even announce him.He appeared anyway, as if he had been waiting for the summons. “You look like you’re about to start a war.”“I am,” I replied flatly. “I just don’t know who I’m fighting yet.”A flicker of amusement crossed his face, but it vanished just as quickly. “Then let me make it easier for you. I’ve already placed someone outside Emily’s apartment.”My gaze snapped to him. “You did what?”“She’s not just someone anymore,” he said, tone sharpening. “She’s a po

Aeron's point of view I knew the moment I walked out of that council hall that nothing was contained.Not the argument.Not the tension.And definitely not me.The elders’ voices still echoed in my head, but none of them mattered—not the traditions, not their warnings, not even the quiet threats wrapped in formal words. The only voice that stayed was hers.Ciara BlackwoodBecause unlike the others, she didn’t argue to advise.She argued to win.“You are not thinking like an Alpha,” she had said, standing at the far end of the hall, her presence colder than the marble beneath our feet. “You are thinking like a man blinded by instinct.”“And you are thinking like someone who fears losing control,” I had replied, my tone just as steady, just as sharp. “Let’s not pretend this is about the pack’s safety.”Her lips curved, but there was no warmth in it. “Everything I do is for the pack.”“No,” I said quietly. “Everything you do is to decide who gets to stand beside me.”That was when the r

Elara's point of view I knew something was wrong the moment I saw him.Not because he said anything.Not because there was chaos around.But because of who he was.Lucian never appeared without a reason.And the fact that he was standing there—outside, alert, silent, watching the forest like it might breathe wrong at any second—made something inside me twist in a way I couldn’t explain.Fear came first.Then understanding.Then something worse.I stepped closer, my heartbeat already out of rhythm. “Lucian…?”He turned immediately, his expression shifting the moment his eyes landed on me. For a second, it softened—like he was relieved to see me unharmed. But it didn’t last.It never lasted with him.“You shouldn’t be outside,” he said quickly, his tone firm, controlled, like he was already expecting me to argue.“I could say the same thing about you,” I replied, trying to keep my voice steady, but it didn’t quite work. “You don’t just show up like this for no reason. What’s going on?”

Aeron's point of view I remember the exact moment I lost control.And the exact moment I got it back.It wasn’t strength that brought me back.It wasn’t training, or discipline, or the years I spent learning how to cage the monster inside me.It was pain.Sharp. Blinding. Brutal.Right through my chest.My wolf faltered.A broken, strangled growl tore out of me as my body jerked, the world snapping into focus in fragments—blood, breath, her scent, fear—everything colliding at once.Elara.The realization hit harder than the wound.She had stabbed me.And for the first time in those few terrifying moments, I was grateful.Because if she hadn’t—I would have killed her.A shaky breath left me as I forced my wolf back, shoving him into the darkest corner of my mind where he belonged. He resisted, clawing, furious, still driven by the ritual, by instinct, by the pull that demanded completion.Not like this.Never like this.“I said no,” I growled under my breath, more to him than anyone

Elara's point of view It felt like drowing when I woke up suddenly. A sharp gasp tore out of my chest as I shot upright, my hands clutching the bedsheet, my lungs dragging in air like I had been buried alive. For a moment, everything blurred. The walls, the ceiling, the faint morning light slipping through the curtains and all I could hear was that echo of my own scream.“Elara!” Emily’s voice cut through the haze. Her hands were suddenly on my shoulders, gripping me as if I might disappear again. “Hey, hey! look at me. You’re okay. You’re fine.”I kept blinking until i regained my focus. “How…” My voice came out dry. I swallowed, forcing the words out again. “How did I get here?”Emily frowned, like the question itself annoyed her.“That Lucian guy brought you,” she said quickly, her tone shifting from worry to irritation in a second. “You were unconscious, Elara. Completely out. And he just handed you over like it was nothing.”Lucian brought me here, safely. Relief flushed.“I even