NovelEnglishChapter 3: Chapter 03: The Mark That Shattered Me
Selene’s POV
The sound of fire crackled louder than my heartbeat.
| could hear it. It was sharp and alive, spitting sparks into the air as the silver brand was lifted from the flames. It
glowed an angry, pulsing red, shaped like a collar of thorns. Hooked edges. An open center. A symbol of slavery.
Of ownership. Of being nothing.
It shimmered like molten blood.
And it was meant for me.
| screamed. My scream was loud and desperate. The kind of sound that didn’t even feel like it cfrom me.
"NO—PLEASE—PLEASE DON'T—!"
My body flailed. My legs kicked at the stone floor. My arms fought the chains, rattling with every movement. My
lungs burned from screaming but | didn’t stop—I couldn't stop. I'd take death. I'd take anything but that mark.
Then hands grabbed me.
In a strong, firm hold.
Lucian Duskdraven was the first to move. He crouched beside me, calm as still water, and seized my left arm.
His grip was like steel. No matter how much | thrashed or twisted, he didn’t move.
"Don’t move," he said gently. "It'll hurt more if you do."
His voice was soft. But it wasn’t kindness. It was mockery. There was amusement in his eyes—like he was
watching a play, not holding down a terrified girl.
| trembled. Shook so hard my teeth rattled. But Lucian didn’t blink.
Then Luca stepped forward.
His eyes were ice. Unfeeling. Focused like a blade honed to perfection. He knelt besideand grabbed my jaw
again, forcing my chin up so | had to look at him—so | couldn’t look away from what was coming.
Our eyes locked.
"You killed our people," he whispered.
| wanted to scream that | didn’t. That | didn’t even remember that day. But my voice had collapsed somewhere in
the pit of my terror. My mouth moved, but nothing cout.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtBehind them, Kael stood motionless. His arms were folded tight across his chest. His body radiated fury, like his
silence was the only thing stopping him from tearingapart. | didn’t know what scaredmore—his rage or
the fact that he kept it buried so well.
And then cAeron.
He didn’t speak to me. Didn't even look directly at me. He just gave the slightest nod.
"Do it."
The guard moved forward with the brand in hand.
The metal hissed in the open air, steam curling around it. | struggled harder. | screamed until my throat tore.
Lucian’s fingers crushed into my wrist. My bones felt like they would snap.
"No—PLEASE—I'M STILL ALPHA BLOOD—PLEASE DON'T—!"
Luca’s grip on my face tightened.
"You're not."
And then the metal touched my skin.
I didn’t scream at first.
I howled.
It was a sound torn from the deepest part of me. Not human. Not wolf. Just pain. Pure, soul-ripping pain that tore
throughlike lightning. The brand sank into the soft flesh of my forearm. | could feel it blister, sizzle, melt.
The stench of burning skin filled the air. It made the wolves in the crowd flinch, turn away. But no one stepped
forward. No one stopped it.
Lucian didn’t flinch. He helddown while | thrashed, his fingers digging into my wrist like he was anchoring
And Luca—he never even looked away.
He watchedsuffer. Watched every twitch, every tear, every muffled sob | couldn't hold in.
| begged the world to stop.
Please, Moon Goddess, please—letpass out, letdie...anything but this.
The pain blurred my vision. My body convulsed. | couldn't breathe.
And then, finally, the brand was lifted.
My arm dropped limp onto the stone. Skin blackened around the edges of the burn. The mark was
there...shining, raw and ugly. It would never fade and would never heal.
| wasn’t Selene Moonveil anymore.
I was a slave.
| collapsed onto the ground, too weak to sob. My chest heaved. My heartbeat pounded like a war drum in my
ears. My vision was fading in and out, my arm still twitching from the shock.
| looked up—just once.
At the brothers who had ordered this.
Aeron stood perfectly still, unreadable, like none of it mattered.
Luca eyes were filled with disdain. He looked atlike | was nothing more than dirt on his boots.
Kael turned his back and spit on the stone beside him.
And Lucian... he simply let go of my wrist, stood, and smiled like it had all been fun.
They had more warmth for the wolves they hunted.
| had once been the daughter of Alpha Eirik Moonveil. A nthat made entire packs kneel.
And now... | was a branded animal.
Lower than the lowest omega. At least they had names, Freedom and Dignity.
I had none.
| turned my head and looked toward the noble girls who had marched besidein chains. The ones who had
once calledsister, friend, Alpha-born. But they wouldn't meet my eyes.
Even they fearednow. Like | carried a curse.
Like this brand could infect them too.
My lips trembled. My hair clung to my
wet face, slick with sweat, blood, and
tears. Every stra nd felt heaty(indtted
tgmy skinGike Sshroud. My body
shook violently on the cold stone
floor, too weak to lift myself, too
broken to even scream anymore. The
content is on novelenglish.net! Read
the latest chapter there!
My breathing cin shallow gasps,
each one more painful than the last.
My arms trembled Yedlossly beneath
Te Bndtora moment, | thought |
might die right there in front of them
all. The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
Then | remembered falling.
The stone had met my face with a
dull crack, the kind of sound that
made the wolves watching
flinch—even f just sig. Marts
[EC .
hed grubgiéd beneath me, too limp
to break the fall. The fresh burn on
my skin throbbed with every
heartbeat, still raw with the silver’s
cruel kiss. My vision dimmed to a
hazy blur of shadows and colorless
outlines. The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
And then—nothing.
Darkness swallowedwhole. No pain. No sound. Just silence, as if the world had finally shutout.
Visit our social media platform to read fascinating stories every day and connect with the community!
