Marked Twice by the Alpha King Chapter 21

**Ava's POV**

I strode into Lucas's room, ignoring Wilson's shocked protests behind me. The air inside was thick with magic—ancient power that smelled like ozone and earth and blood. It made my nose itch and my wolf stir uneasily.

Lucas sat cross-legged in the center of his bed, a yellowed parchment spread before him. Silver symbols glowed faintly on the surface, casting eerie shadows across his small face. His eyes flickered between normal gray and wolf gold, the change happening faster than it should be possible.

"How dare you break my door!" he growled, his voice carrying an echo that wasn't entirely his own.

"Fancy light show you've got going on there," I said casually. "Where'd you get the scroll?"

Lucas blinked, clearly not expecting this reaction. "None of your business."

"Your dad hired me to teach you control, not watch you fry your wolf brain with ancient magic."

His eyes flashed fully gold now, the scroll's symbols pulsing in time with his anger. "I don't need control! I need power!"

I took a step closer, carefully gauging the distance between us. "Your wolf is still developing. Push it too hard now, and you could damage it forever."

"You don't know anything!" he snapped, but uncertainty flickered across his face.

I inched closer. "I know that scroll is feeding off your energy, not the other way around. Look at your hands, Lucas."

He glanced down at his trembling fingers, the claws extending and retracting randomly as he lost control of the partial shift.

"This is supposed to happen," he insisted, but fear crept into his voice. "The scroll says the power comes with—with transformations."

"And headaches?" I asked, noticing how he squinted against the light. "Muscle spasms?"

Lucas's bottom lip quivered slightly before he caught himself. "Leave me alone!"

"Why? What's so important that you'd risk hurting yourself?"

His eyes dropped, the gold fading momentarily. "Everyone thinks I'm just a stupid kid."

"Lucas," I said softly, "your dad hired me specifically because he wants what's best for you."

"Liar!" he snarled, the gold flaring back in his eyes. "He just wants me out of the way!"

The scroll's symbols brightened as his emotions spiked. I knew I had seconds before the situation escalated. Time for a different approach.

"That scroll's pretty advanced," I said casually. "Bet you can't even understand half of what it says."

Lucas's head snapped up, indignation overriding his anger. "I can too! It's about channeling your inner wolf's strength through the phases of the moon!"

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow. "And you're doing that how exactly?"

"By—by focusing on the symbols and reciting the words," he stuttered, suddenly less confident.

I crossed my arms. "And how's that working out for you? Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you're letting the scroll control you instead of the other way around."

His face crumpled slightly. "I'm trying! It's harder than it looks!"

I softened my voice. "Of course it is. Because it's not meant for cubs."

"I'm not a cub!" he protested.

"Prove it," I challenged. "A real wolf knows when to walk away from a fight they're not ready for. It takes more strength to admit you need help than to stubbornly keep trying something dangerous."

Lucas looked down at the scroll, then at his trembling hands. The claws were receding, but he looked exhausted.

"If I give it to you," he muttered, "will you tell my dad?"

"Eventually, yes. He needs to know his security's been compromised. But I'll make sure he understands you weren't trying to cause trouble."

Lucas bit his lip, looking so young and vulnerable it hurt my heart. "He'll be mad."

"Probably," I agreed. "But he'll also be relieved you're okay."

After a long moment, Lucas carefully rolled up the scroll, his small hands still shaking slightly. The symbols dimmed as it closed, and the oppressive energy in the room began to dissipate.

He held it out to me. "You won't tell him today?"

I took the scroll, feeling ancient power tingle against my fingertips. "Not today. First, we've got training to do."

Some of the tension left his shoulders. "Yeah. You said you'd teach me the real stuff."

I glanced back to find Wilson still hovering in the doorway, his expression oscillating between disapproval and amazement.

"Mr. Wilson," I called over my shoulder, "could you have someone repair this door? I'll cover the cost."

"That won't be necessary," he replied stiffly. "I'll have it seen to immediately."

I tucked the scroll safely into my training bag and turned back to Lucas. "Now, why don't we head to the training grounds and start our actual lesson?"

"Can we do something cool? Like claw techniques?"

"First, I need to make sure that scroll didn't do any lasting damage." I held out my hands. "Come here."

He approached cautiously. I could still see faint gold flickering in his eyes—residual energy from the scroll.

"Sit," I instructed, pointing to the floor. When he complied, I sat cross-legged across from him. "Give me your hands."

Lucas hesitated, eyeing my outstretched hands with suspicion. "What are you going to do?"

"The scroll's energy is still affecting you. I can help your system process it."

After a moment's hesitation, he placed his small hands in mine. The contact was like touching a live wire—residual energy from the scroll zapped between us, making my mark tingle strangely.

"Close your eyes," I said, keeping my voice steady despite the uncomfortable sensation, "and imagine pushing that buzzing feeling out through your palms."

Lucas squeezed his eyes shut, his face scrunching with concentration. For several long moments, nothing happened. Then I felt it—a pulse of wild energy traveling from his hands to mine. It stung, but I absorbed it, grounding it through my connection to the earth beneath us.

"That's it," I encouraged, watching the gold fade from his irises behind his closed lids. "Keep going."

We sat like that for nearly ten minutes, Lucas gradually relaxing as the scroll's influence drained from his system. When he finally opened his eyes, they were their normal stormy gray—just like his father's.

"Feel better?" I asked, gently withdrawing my hands.

He blinked, looking surprised. "Yeah. The buzzing stopped." He flexed his fingers, examining his now-normal nails. "How did you do that?"

"I didn't," I smiled. "You did. You controlled the energy flow."

Pride bloomed across his face. "Really? I did that?"

"Yep. Your first real lesson—control."

Wilson cleared his throat from the doorway. "Perhaps you should continue this in the proper training area, Miss Rivers."

I nodded. "Good idea. Ready for some real training, Lucas?"

Lucas jumped to his feet, suddenly energized. "Yes! Let's go!"

As we followed Wilson down the corridor, Lucas stayed close to my side, watching me with newfound respect. The scroll weighed heavy in my bag, but at least for now, its danger had been contained. Whatever Lucas had been looking for in that ancient magic, I was determined to help him find it through proper training instead.

The real challenge would be explaining the broken door to Blake. But that was a problem for later. Right now, I had a young wolf to teach.