MARKED FOR PRETEND - Chapter 6: Chapter 6
You are reading MARKED FOR PRETEND, Chapter 6: Chapter 6. Read more chapters of MARKED FOR PRETEND.
The Girl Who Wasn’t Meant to Stand There
The scent of smoke and lavender hung low in the courtyard, twisted with tension that no silk gown could soften.
Girls stood in rows like offerings. Hair pinned, shoulders back, teeth tucked behind nervous smiles.
And at the farthest end like a forgotten footnote—stood Chelsea.
Her dress scratched her skin like it, too, knew she didn’t belong here.
They all knew.
She heard them before she saw them.
“That’s the witch girl.”
“She shouldn’t even be allowed on sacred grounds.”
“They only brought her to pay off that witch’s debt.”
Chelsea kept her chin high.
The moon above was too bright, too close. She felt like it could see through her skin, down to the mark that pulsed beneath her sleeve like it had a heartbeat of its own.
“Let the Selection commence,” one Elder barked.
A bell tolled.
Girls were called one by one, stepping forward to announce their names, their bloodlines, their rehearsed humility.
Some were “Claimed”
Some were “Dismissed .”
None of it mattered.
Until—
The Elder frowned at his scroll.
“Chelsea Ravenspell.”
The words hit like a slap.
Even the wind paused.
A Matron stiffened. Another whispered something sharp under her breath. Arelle turned her head just slightly, just enough for Chelsea to catch the smirk.
“Ravenspell?”
“They really let her in?”
Chelsea stepped forward anyway.
No bow. No curtsy.
Just presence.
She said nothing. There was no one to speak for her.
But then—he moved.
Alpha Kaden Black.
He hadn’t flinched all evening. He hadn’t smiled, blinked, or spoken.
But as she stood in front of them, he looked up.
And looked at her.
Not like the others did.
Not like she was dirt or danger.
But like she was something old. Something broken. Something he might’ve once held and lost.
Their eyes locked.
Her mark burned.
And for a breathless second—
the silence screamed louder than the crowd.
The Elder cleared his throat.
“Chelsea Ravenspell… has been claimed.”
But it wasn’t the Elder’s voice she remembered.
It was the way Alpha Kaden kept staring, long after she’d stepped back into the shadows.
The scent of smoke and lavender hung low in the courtyard, twisted with tension that no silk gown could soften.
Girls stood in rows like offerings. Hair pinned, shoulders back, teeth tucked behind nervous smiles.
And at the farthest end like a forgotten footnote—stood Chelsea.
Her dress scratched her skin like it, too, knew she didn’t belong here.
They all knew.
She heard them before she saw them.
“That’s the witch girl.”
“She shouldn’t even be allowed on sacred grounds.”
“They only brought her to pay off that witch’s debt.”
Chelsea kept her chin high.
The moon above was too bright, too close. She felt like it could see through her skin, down to the mark that pulsed beneath her sleeve like it had a heartbeat of its own.
“Let the Selection commence,” one Elder barked.
A bell tolled.
Girls were called one by one, stepping forward to announce their names, their bloodlines, their rehearsed humility.
Some were “Claimed”
Some were “Dismissed .”
None of it mattered.
Until—
The Elder frowned at his scroll.
“Chelsea Ravenspell.”
The words hit like a slap.
Even the wind paused.
A Matron stiffened. Another whispered something sharp under her breath. Arelle turned her head just slightly, just enough for Chelsea to catch the smirk.
“Ravenspell?”
“They really let her in?”
Chelsea stepped forward anyway.
No bow. No curtsy.
Just presence.
She said nothing. There was no one to speak for her.
But then—he moved.
Alpha Kaden Black.
He hadn’t flinched all evening. He hadn’t smiled, blinked, or spoken.
But as she stood in front of them, he looked up.
And looked at her.
Not like the others did.
Not like she was dirt or danger.
But like she was something old. Something broken. Something he might’ve once held and lost.
Their eyes locked.
Her mark burned.
And for a breathless second—
the silence screamed louder than the crowd.
The Elder cleared his throat.
“Chelsea Ravenspell… has been claimed.”
But it wasn’t the Elder’s voice she remembered.
It was the way Alpha Kaden kept staring, long after she’d stepped back into the shadows.
End of MARKED FOR PRETEND Chapter 6. Continue reading Chapter 7 or return to MARKED FOR PRETEND book page.