MARKED BY THE ALPHA'S HATE

Smoke crawled through the hallway like a living thing, curling around Selene's ankles as Neris dragged her through a narrow passage hidden behind the bedroom wall. The walls were tight, damp, and humming with old magic.

You're a seer, Selene gasped, ducking under a beam.

Among other things, Neris muttered. Quiet now. The Blackfangs are inside.

Blackfangs. The name sounded like rot and blood. Selene could hear them feet pounding through the mansion, shouting in clipped, coded language. Syndicate_trained. Efficient. Brutal.

A loud crash echoed behind them glass shattering, claws scraping stone. Someone had broken into the private wing.

"Darius..." Selene twisted to go back, but Neris blocked her.

He can handle himself. You can't. Neris's tone was final.

Selene's throat tightened. It wasn't just fear for Darius. It was… something else. The bond. It buzzed faintly beneath her skin like a thread tugging at her chest. She could feel his pain distant, muffled, but real.

They turned a corner and came to a small iron door. Neris placed a bloodied palm on the frame. Runes glowed briefly, then the door clicked open, revealing a tunnel carved deep into the earth.

As they descended, Selene caught her breath. Why me? What do they want?

They want what you carry, Neris said. The blood that breaks chains. The memory that ends thrones.

Selene frowned. I don't understand.

You will. But first, you survive.

The passage narrowed into cold stone steps that dropped them into an underground path. The air was cooler here, full of dust and distant water. Magic pulsed faintly along the walls, older than the mansion itself.

Selene wiped her eyes. That wasn't just a rescue, was it? You planned this.

Neris didn't answer.

Did Darius know?

He knew the risk, she said. But not the timing.

They emerged in a ravine behind the estate just as fire burst through the third floor. Darius's estate fortress, prison, sanctuary was in flames. Wolves fought shadows in the courtyard. Selene couldn't tell who was winning. One figure a giant black wolf launched into a Syndicate attacker, tearing into him with teeth bared.

Her breath hitched. She felt that snarl. It echoed in her blood.

They'll track us, Selene said, chest heaving.

Not where we're going, Neris said, then tilted her head. Though one might follow.

Who?

Your mate.

Selene opened her mouth to speak, but something shifted behind her ribs a strange tug, sharp and hot. A name whispered at the back of her mind. Not Darius.

Not just Darius.

Back inside...

Darius stood in the middle of the ruined hallway, blood dripping from his claws. His eyes were red, darker than ever. The bodies of three Blackfangs were slumped in twisted heaps around him. Fire lit the walls in an orange blaze, casting long, jagged shadows.

She's gone, Victor said from the stairwell, brushing soot from his jacket. You failed.

Darius didn't look at him.

Victor stepped closer, voice icy. That girl will destroy everything.

Darius's lip curled. Then maybe it needs destroying.

Victor's eyes narrowed. "Careful. That sounds like rebellion."

I call it clarity, Darius said. You taught me to eliminate threats.

Victor's expression shifted, just slightly. And now you think you know better?

"No," Darius growled, his claws twitching. Now I feel it.

A beat of silence passed between them, heavy as steel.

Victor turned away. So be it. Let's see how long your clarity lasts when you're standing alone.

As he disappeared into the smoke, Darius stood still bleeding, burning, and already calculating who needed to die next.