MARKED FOR PRETEND - Chapter 5: Chapter 5
You are reading MARKED FOR PRETEND, Chapter 5: Chapter 5. Read more chapters of MARKED FOR PRETEND.
The second day of training was worse than the first.
Less grace. More grit.
We were marched through palace courtyards in stiff heeled boots, taught to bow and spar in the same breath. The Matrons said a Luna must be able to charm a crowd and defend herself if the Alpha fell. Whatever fairy tale I thought this was, it clearly wasn’t that.
My arms ached. My legs burned.
By the third round of defense drills, sweat dripped down my back. I barely noticed.
I was too focused on the pressure building inside my chest.
It wasn’t exhaustion. It wasn’t pain.
It was… heat.
A pulse that rose whenever I was pushed. A twitch under my skin, like something shifting—something trying to breathe.
“Chelsea!” Matron Irene barked. “You’re holding back.”
I blinked, stepping back from my partner.
“I’m not.”
“Yes, you are. Again!”
This time, I didn’t hold back.
My palm flew forward in a defensive block—not hard, not deadly, but sharp. The impact sent the other girl stumbling back with a startled yelp.
Gasps followed.
I stepped back, confused. My chest was tight. My heart was loud.
Matron Irene narrowed her eyes.
Then turned away.
We weren’t given a full meal after that. Just a tray of dried meats, dried fruits, and water. “Discipline feeds the strong,” they said.
I sat by the window in my room later that night, legs pulled to my chest.
The palace was too quiet.
Too cold.
Too… watched.
Ever since that ceremony, I felt it eyes that never blinked. A presence always one step behind me.
I wasn’t crazy.
And it wasn’t just paranoia.
I was being watched.
Later that night,I couldn’t sleep.The whispers didn’t stop.
“She wasn’t supposed to be picked.”
“She doesn’t even have a wolf.”
“She’s a witch. What kind of Luna could she be?”
I needed air.
I slipped out of the chamber and took the stone steps down into the lower garden the part of the palace where the stars came closer, and the whispers couldn’t follow.
That’s where I saw him.
Alone.
I rounded a corner and froze.
Alpha Kaden stood by the outer steps, where the moonlight hit the edge of the upper garden. His back was to me. Broad. Sharp. Alone.
He turned and he looked at her like she wasn’t supposed to exist…
And as he walked past,
But then, without looking back, he said in a low, unsettling whisper:
“Whatever it is in you… is starting to wake up.”
And just like that, he was gone.
Less grace. More grit.
We were marched through palace courtyards in stiff heeled boots, taught to bow and spar in the same breath. The Matrons said a Luna must be able to charm a crowd and defend herself if the Alpha fell. Whatever fairy tale I thought this was, it clearly wasn’t that.
My arms ached. My legs burned.
By the third round of defense drills, sweat dripped down my back. I barely noticed.
I was too focused on the pressure building inside my chest.
It wasn’t exhaustion. It wasn’t pain.
It was… heat.
A pulse that rose whenever I was pushed. A twitch under my skin, like something shifting—something trying to breathe.
“Chelsea!” Matron Irene barked. “You’re holding back.”
I blinked, stepping back from my partner.
“I’m not.”
“Yes, you are. Again!”
This time, I didn’t hold back.
My palm flew forward in a defensive block—not hard, not deadly, but sharp. The impact sent the other girl stumbling back with a startled yelp.
Gasps followed.
I stepped back, confused. My chest was tight. My heart was loud.
Matron Irene narrowed her eyes.
Then turned away.
We weren’t given a full meal after that. Just a tray of dried meats, dried fruits, and water. “Discipline feeds the strong,” they said.
I sat by the window in my room later that night, legs pulled to my chest.
The palace was too quiet.
Too cold.
Too… watched.
Ever since that ceremony, I felt it eyes that never blinked. A presence always one step behind me.
I wasn’t crazy.
And it wasn’t just paranoia.
I was being watched.
Later that night,I couldn’t sleep.The whispers didn’t stop.
“She wasn’t supposed to be picked.”
“She doesn’t even have a wolf.”
“She’s a witch. What kind of Luna could she be?”
I needed air.
I slipped out of the chamber and took the stone steps down into the lower garden the part of the palace where the stars came closer, and the whispers couldn’t follow.
That’s where I saw him.
Alone.
I rounded a corner and froze.
Alpha Kaden stood by the outer steps, where the moonlight hit the edge of the upper garden. His back was to me. Broad. Sharp. Alone.
He turned and he looked at her like she wasn’t supposed to exist…
And as he walked past,
But then, without looking back, he said in a low, unsettling whisper:
“Whatever it is in you… is starting to wake up.”
And just like that, he was gone.
End of MARKED FOR PRETEND Chapter 5. Continue reading Chapter 6 or return to MARKED FOR PRETEND book page.