All Chapters of Marked by The Alpha Mated to His Brother : Chapter 51 - Chapter 57

Keon’s POV Rowan does not wait. The moment he says, “We need to talk,” he turns and starts walking like he already knows I will follow. I do. Of course I do. Winter stays where she is, and I can feel her hesitation through the bond even as I move away. It pulls at me slightly, like something trying to keep me anchored in place, but I don’t stop. I can’t. Not with Rowan looking like that. Not with the way his eyes sharpened the second he saw us together. We walk in silence at first. Down the corridor. Past the open arches where morning light spills in. The palace is awake now, guards moving in shifts, servants crossing quietly with lowered heads, but no one speaks as we pass. They notice. Of course they notice. They always do. Rowan doesn’t stop until we reach one of the outer balconies, far enough from the main halls that no one lingers. The wind is cooler here, brushing against the stone and carrying the faint scent of the forest below. He turns then. Fac

Winter’s POV The door closes behind me, and the quiet that follows settles into the room in a way that does not feel right. It is not the soft kind of quiet that lets you relax. It feels stretched, almost like something is listening along with me. I remain by the door for a moment longer than necessary, my hand still resting against it as my breathing slowly steadies. Keon’s reaction stays in my head. The way his body went still in the hallway. The way his voice dropped when he told me to be quiet. The way he pulled me behind him without even thinking about it. He did not hesitate. He did not ask. He just moved. At first I thought it was just control. Just Alpha instinct. But the more I think about it, the more that explanation feels incomplete. There was something else there. Something tighter. Sharper. He was not just in control. He was on edge. The realization makes my chest feel strange, like something inside it is shifting into place whether I want it to or

Keon’s POVThe creature struggles once more.Weak.Fading.My grip does not loosen.Not even slightly.The room is still now except for Winter’s breathing behind me. It comes uneven at first, then slowly steadies, but I can still feel the tremor in it through the bond.Fear.Shock.And something else layered under it.She is trying to understand what she just saw.I do not turn to look at her.Not yet.If I look at her now, even for a second, my control will slip in a way I do not intend to allow.So I focus on what is in front of me.The intruder.“You chose the wrong place,” I say quietly.My voice is calm.Too calm.The creature’s form flickers again under my grip, the outline unstable, like it cannot fully decide what it is supposed to be. The concealment is breaking, but not completely. Whoever sent it knew what they were doing.That alone tells me this is not random.My fingers tighten.“Look at me.”For a second, nothing happens.Then slowly, its form shifts just enough that I