ALPHA REID: MARKED BY MY BROTHER'D ENEMY

“Sage, you need to run. Now.”

I barely looked up from the herbs I was grinding when Mira burst through my door, her face drained of color.

The mortar and pestle slipped from my hands, clattering against the wooden table.

“What are you talking about? What’s going on?”

“They have Lucien.” Her voice cracked. “Alpha Reid—he’s calling for an execution.”

The world tilted. I gripped the table edge, splinters biting into my palms. “What?”

“The trial starts in an hour.” Mira grabbed my shoulders, her nails digging through my worn tunic. “They’re saying he led the rogue attack. That he’s responsible for Luna Lyra’s death. You need to run - now. Because they will come for you once they discover he has a sister.”

“No.” The word scraped raw from my throat. My brother might be reckless, might drink too much and pick fights he couldn’t win, but he’d never betray the pack. Never.

I shoved past Mira, my bare feet slapping against the cold stone as I ran through the village. Pack members scattered from my path, their eyes filled with disgust and something worse—pity.

The execution grounds were packed. Hundreds of wolves formed a writhing circle around the raised platform where my brother knelt, silver shackles burning welts into his wrists.

His dark hair hung in matted strings, blood trickling from a split lip.

“Lucien!”

I pushed through the crowd, elbows jabbing into ribs, ignoring the snarls and curses thrown my way. A guard’s meaty hand clamped down on my arm, jerking me backward.

“Let me through! He’s my brother!”

“Your brother’s a dead man,” the guard spat, his grip tightening until I felt my bones grind together.

Alpha Reid Blackthorn stood on the platform like a monument to vengeance. Six feet of pure muscle wrapped in black leather, his amber eyes burning with a fury that made grown wolves whimper.

When he spoke, his voice carried the weight of absolute authority.

“Lucien Ashborne.” The name fell from his lips like a curse. “You stand accused of treason, of leading rogues to our sacred lands, of orchestrating the murder of my mate.”

“I didn’t—” Lucien’s voice was hoarse, broken.

“Silence.” Reid’s hand moved to the silver blade at his belt. “Luna Lyra wasn’t just my mate. She carried my heir. You didn’t just kill her—you murdered the future of this pack.”

The crowd erupted. Howls of rage pierced the air, calls for blood echoing off the surrounding trees. My knees buckled. Lyra had been pregnant?

“Please!” I tore free from the guard’s grip, stumbling forward. “Alpha Reid, please listen to me!”

His gaze snapped to mine, and I felt the full weight of his attention—predatory, devastating. “The traitor’s sister speaks.”

“He’s innocent! Lucien would never hurt Lyra. He loved this pack!”

A bitter laugh escaped Reid’s throat. “Love? Your brother sold us out for rogue gold. He confessed to watching my pregnant mate die and feeling nothing but satisfaction.”

“Then it’s a lie!” Tears streamed down my face, but I didn’t care. “Torture someone long enough and they’ll confess to anything!”

“Sage, don’t.” Lucien lifted his head, his gray eyes—so like mine—filled with defeat. “It’s over.”

“No, it’s not!” I lunged toward the platform, but strong arms hauled me back. “You can’t do this! You can’t just murder him without real proof!”

Reid raised the silver blade, its edge gleaming in the torchlight. “This is for Lyra. For my son who will never draw breath.”

“Lucien!” My scream tore through the night air.

The blade swept down in a perfect arc. Blood sprayed across the platform. My brother’s head hit the wooden boards with a wet thud, his eyes still open, still staring at me.

The world went silent. No howls. No cheers. Just the sound of my heart shattering into a thousand pieces.

I fell to my knees, bile rising in my throat. Lucien. My Lucien, who used to sneak me sweets when I was sick, who taught me to climb trees and catch fireflies. Gone.

“Guards.” Reid’s voice cut through my grief like another blade. “Bring me the traitor’s sister.”

Heavy hands seized my arms, dragging me forward. I couldn’t fight. Couldn’t breathe. Could only stare at the pool of blood spreading across the platform.

“You want to mourn him?” Reid descended the steps, the bloodied blade still in his grip. “How about you Join him.”

“Please,” I whispered, finally finding my voice. “I didn’t do anything. I’m not him.”

“You’re Ashborne blood.” He stopped in front of me, close enough that drops of my brother’s blood fell from his blade onto my dress. “That’s crime enough.”

“The children of traitors don’t deserve mercy,” someone shouted from the crowd.

“Kill her too!” another voice joined in.

Reid’s free hand wrapped around my throat, tilting my face up to meet his burning gaze. “I should have killed you first. Made him watch.”

His thumb pressed against my pulse point, and suddenly the world exploded into sensation.

Sweet jasmine and wild honey flooded the air, drowning out the metallic tang of blood. My skin burned where he touched me, every nerve ending screaming with recognition.

Reid’s grip loosened, his amber eyes widening in horror.

“No.” The word escaped him like a prayer. “Impossible!”

The mate bond crashed into me with devastating force. This man—this monster who had just murdered my brother—was mine.

The other half of my soul. My fated mate.

I stared up into Reid’s face, seeing my own revulsion reflected in his eyes.

The crowd fell silent, sensing the shift in the air.

Reid’s expression twisted into something cruel and calculating. His grip tightened again, but now it felt different. Possessive rather than threatening.

“Well,” he said, his voice dropping to a deadly whisper that only I could hear. “It seems the goddess has a sense of humor after all.”