Marked Twice by the Alpha King Chapter 100

**Ava's POV**

I slumped onto a rock by the lake, holding my throbbing cheek as I tried to steady my breathing. Each inhale felt like a knife to my chest, though I couldn't tell if the pain was physical or emotional.

Steven's fingerprints still burned on my face like a silent brand of shame. An hour ago, I'd been standing in the center of the Moon Festival in this beautiful silver dress, finally feeling like I belonged somewhere. Now I was back to square one—hurt, alone, an outsider nobody wanted.

I stared at my reflection in the lake's surface, taking in the swelling on my cheek and the blood at the corner of my mouth. A bitter laugh escaped me.

*How fucking ironic. Me, Ava Rivers, Shadow Creek's best fighter, taken down by one angry slap from an Alpha heir. What would my father think? What would the Academy say if they could see their champion now?*

I tried to stand, but dizziness forced me back down. 

"Damn, he hit hard," I muttered to myself, gingerly touching my cheek. "Is this what Alphas are really like? They show their true colors the second someone tells them no?"

My fingers unconsciously drifted to the mark on my neck, feeling the unnatural heat radiating from it—a stark contrast to the sharp pain in my face. I remembered what they'd taught us at Warrior Academy: a fated mate's mark was permanent unless the marker died or willingly released their claim. 

But Jackson was very much alive. He hadn't released me—he'd just... abandoned me.

*So why is his mark fading? And why can Blake sense my emotions, my pain?*

There was a connection I'd never experienced before, like an invisible thread linking me to Blake, growing stronger by the day. I could almost physically feel it pulling me toward Blackwood Manor.

"Maybe I'm imagining this whole thing," I whispered to the night air. "Maybe this is just my way of refusing to accept being dumped. Maybe I'm just... desperate to matter to someone."

My thoughts drifted back to that night at Blackwood Manor—Blake's touch, his kiss, that undeniable magnetism between us that defied explanation.

*But this breaks every rule in the book. He's the Alpha King, and I'm just a girl abandoned by her fated mate, a traitor's daughter. The gap between us is wider than this entire lake.*

I replayed Blake's kiss on the terrace earlier tonight. Did he understand the consequences? Had he considered what this meant for Sophia, for Lucas, for his rule?

"Maybe Steven's right," I said bitterly, watching ripples spread across the lake. "Maybe I'm just the Alpha King's passing fancy. Maybe I've built this whole thing up in my head, and I'll end up discarded just like Jackson left me."

I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth and smoothed my rumpled dress, trying to reclaim some dignity.

"Either way, I can't stay here," I decided, pushing myself to my feet. "I need to go back to Shadow Creek. Back where I belong."

This time I stood steadier, taking a deep breath as I prepared to leave.

"Goodbye, Blake," I whispered, taking one last look at the moonlit lake. "Maybe in another life, in another world, we might have had a chance."

A single tear fell into the water, creating ripples that spread outward. The sense of loss was overwhelming, but there was something else there too—relief at finally making a decision.

As I turned to leave, a sudden, searing pain shot from my neck through my entire body, nearly driving me to my knees. The sensation was unlike anything I'd ever felt—like someone had ignited a fire inside me, pulling me backward toward the lake.

"What the hell?" I gasped, my hand flying to the mark. 

Then I felt it—a presence. Approaching fast. And with absolute certainty, I knew who it was.

*Blake. He's coming. I can feel his anger, his worry... this isn't my imagination. This connection is real.*

My wolf stirred restlessly beneath my skin, yearning toward that approaching Alpha energy, craving the completeness I only felt in his presence.

I heard movement in the trees—powerful footsteps approaching rapidly. My warrior instincts kicked in as I braced myself, though the mark told me exactly who was coming.

Blake burst into the clearing by the lake, his eyes glowing gold in the darkness. His Alpha presence was so powerful it made the air around us heavy, like gravity had suddenly doubled. 

When his gaze fixed on my injured face, his expression transformed from concern to pure, terrifying rage. Not the explosive kind that manifests in shouting and wild gestures—no, this was something far more dangerous. A cold, deadly fury that promised retribution.

I'd never seen Blake lose control like this. His body began a partial shift—nails extending into claws, teeth elongating into fangs, waves of Alpha energy pulsing from him in a suffocating rhythm.

"He touched you." His voice was barely recognizable, each word dragged from the throat of the beast within him. It wasn't a question.

I stood frozen, shocked by the intensity of his reaction. I'd seen alphas angry before, but nothing like this raw, primal rage.

"Blake... you need to calm down. I'm fine." My voice sounded steadier than I felt.

He moved toward me, his movements fluid despite his partial shift. Yet when he reached for my face, his touch was unexpectedly gentle. His fingers lightly traced the bruise forming on my cheek, and I couldn't help flinching slightly.

"He will pay for this," Blake growled, his eyes flashing brighter. "No one hurts you. No one."

I could feel a subtle warmth flowing from his fingertips where they touched my injury—the healing energy all Alphas possessed. The throbbing pain began to subside under his touch.

"It's not worth starting a conflict with Steven over," I said quietly. "The political fallout would be complicated."

"You think I care about politics?" His voice dropped even lower. "Look what he did to you!"

The fierce protectiveness in his voice sent a wave of warmth through me that had nothing to do with his healing touch. "You really do care about me."