Marked From Birth

Twenty-one years ago, the heavens had torn themselves apart. While the Moon Shadow Pack was mourning the death of their Luna, the Silver Pack-the most ancient and formidable lineage of wolves-was trembling for a different reason. In the high, jagged peaks of the Northern Mountains, the Silver Citadel had been battered by a storm that felt like the end of the world. Lightning had split the sky, illuminating the obsidian walls of the Alpha's fortress. Inside, the screams of the Luna were drowned out by the thunder, until finally, a new sound pierced the night: the sharp, clear cry of a newborn. "It's a boy!" the mid-wives had shouted, their voices echoing through the halls. "An heir! A King!" The warriors outside had howled, their voices joining the wind in a symphony of celebration. But inside the birthing chamber, the joy died an abrupt death. As the Alpha King held his son for the first time, he realized the infant's eyes weren't the deep, predatory brown of his lineage. They were a milky, clouded silver. The Prince was born into a world he could not see. The silence that followed was broken by the rhythmic thump-thump-thump of a wooden staff against the stone floor. An old woman, her skin as wrinkled as a dried riverbed and her hair as white as a mountain peak, shuffled into the room. She was the High Priestess, a woman who had seen a thousand years of history through eyes that were as blind as the newborn Prince's. "Do not weep for the boy," she whispered, her voice like the rustle of dry leaves. "He is not broken. He is chosen. This child will be the greatest Alpha the Silver Pack has ever known. He will push us to greatness that will make the stars tremble." "But he cannot see his enemies," the King groaned, his heart heavy. "The solution is written in the moon," the Priestess countered, her sightless gaze fixed on the baby. "On his twenty-first year, he must take a bride. Not just any woman, but the Marked Princess of the Moon Shadow Pack. When the bond is sealed and the Alpha claims his mate, the darkness will lift. The sight of the King will be restored, and the true power of the Silver Pack will awaken." She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a chilling warning. "But heed this: the bond is sacred. If he dares to bite a woman who is not the Marked One, the false bride will perish instantly. Her blood will boil, and her heart will shatter. Only the True Princess can survive the Silver King." As the years passed, Lucas grew into a man who defied his disability. He was a masterpiece of masculine strength-tall, broad-shouldered, with a jawline that looked as if it had been carved from the very mountain stone. His black hair fell over a brow that was perpetually furrowed in concentration, and though his eyes remained silver and clouded, he moved with the grace of a stalking panther. He was every woman's dream and every enemy's nightmare. But he remained untouched. He was waiting for his twenty-one years to be complete. A few days before the deadline, a royal envoy from the Silver Pack arrived at the Moon Shadow Manor. They came to claim the "Marked Princess." Alpha Terren had stood before them, his chest puffed out with pride. Without a second thought, he presented Samantha. In his mind, it couldn't be Audrey. Audrey was a "nothing." She was a human mistake. Samantha was the one with the aura, the beauty, and the wolf. To him, the choice was obvious. But Samantha was far from pleased. "I won't do it!" she hissed, pacing her bedroom later that evening. She looked at her mother, Luna Selene, with eyes full of fire. "He's an Alpha, fine. He's rich, fine. But he's blind, Mother! I am a goddess. I deserve a man who can actually see me when I walk into a room. I won't spend my life leading a cripple around by the hand." Selene watched her daughter, a slow, predatory smile spreading across her face. She stood up and pulled Samantha into the shadows of the store room, checking the hallway for any eavesdropping servants. "Calm your nerves, my precious girl," Selene whispered, her eyes glinting with a dark, wicked light. "I have a plan. A plan that will give you everything you want and rid us of that... stain... once and for all." Samantha frowned. "What do you mean?" "We will switch them," Selene murmured, rubbing her hands together in a gesture of pure malice. "We will dress Audrey in your bridal silks. We will veil her so the Silver Pack cannot see her face. She will marry the blind Alpha in your place." Samantha's eyes widened. "But the prophecy... the Priestess said a false bride would die." "Exactly," Selene giggled, a sound that made the air feel cold. "The moment Lucas bites her to seal the bond, Audrey will drop dead. The Silver Pack will be in a panic, the 'human' mistake will finally be buried, and then... then you can step in as the 'rightful' bride to 'comfort' the grieving Alpha. You get the crown, and Audrey gets a grave. It's perfect." Samantha began to laugh, a high, sharp sound that joined her mother's. They tilted their heads together, two vipers plotting in the dark. "Yes," Samantha whispered, her eyes lit with a cruel joy. "This is perfect. Let her have her wedding night. It will be the last thing she ever does."