My Mate Replaced Me on Marking Ceremony

Three days before my marking ceremony, someone set fire to the bridal shop while I was inside trying on my ceremonial dress.

Alpha Marcus threw the arsonist into the pack prison, sentencing them to the harshest punishment our laws allowed.

I lay in the hospital bed, my body covered in third-degree burns, refusing to wake fully as the reality of my disfigurement sank in.

In my semi-conscious state, I heard Marcus speaking with the pack's healing witch.

"Alpha, we can still heal her completely with the ancient magic. If we wait any longer, Sarah will bear these scars for life! You just want Miss Rachel to be your Luna at the marking ceremony. This is cruel beyond measure!"

"Let her keep the scars. I'll provide for her for the rest of her life, but if she's healed, she'll definitely cause trouble at the marking ceremony."

"I promised Rachel that her pup would be welcomed into the pack with full honors. Only when Sarah is completely disfigured will she be grateful enough to raise Rachel's child as her own. The scars are necessary - at least this way, she won't dare mistreat the pup."

In the corner of the room, where no one was watching, a tear slid down my burned cheek.

So this was the truth. The marking ceremony I'd dreamed of was nothing but a lie.

The mate bond I longed for would be my death sentence.

If that's how it had to be, I would give him what he wanted.

1

"Don't argue with me. Follow my plan exactly. The silver injection must be precise - make sure it kills her wolf completely. She can't suspect anything." My mate Alpha Marcus's voice was cold and calculating.

"Once she wakes up, I'll take her to meet Rachel's pup. Without her wolf, she'll have no choice but to cherish the child as her own. No Omega has ever challenged an Alpha's decision."

The healing witch wiped sweat from her brow, her conscience clearly troubled.

"Alpha, please reconsider. Sarah will be covered in burn scars, and now you want to kill her wolf too? This is beyond cruel - it's practically a death sentence. How will she face the pack elders as an Omega?"

"And what about Rachel's pup? The child looks exactly like you. What if Sarah notices the resemblance? Everything will fall apart!"

Marcus reached out, methodically applying healing salve to my cracked lips with surprising gentleness.

His voice carried a note of resigned sadness that made my heart ache despite everything.

"She won't notice anything. Once she becomes an omega, she will have to stay in the pack. She cannot afford any risk of leaving the pack. "

"I promised Rachel I would give her a magnificent marking ceremony. That I would watch our pup grow up together. Even though she's married to another Alpha now, I won't let her worry about our child's future."

The healing witch sighed heavily, looking at my pale face on the hospital