The Scarred Mate

Prologue Nineteen years ago, witches guarded the werewolf throne, binding the crown to prophecy and protection. Then Ravenna, the king’s most trusted witch, stole the treasure that carried the royal bloodline’s fate and vanished. The coven was cast out. Witches became exiles, and any bond between their kind and wolves was forbidden. That same year, a child destined to change everything was born. **** 19 years later Lupa’s POV “You can sit up, Lupa,” Dr. Kaplan said, pressing a cold cloth against the scar on my chest. The pain had been there ever since I got my wolf, Alina, and lately it had been getting worse. My mom sat close, watching. She tried to smile, but I could see the worry in her eyes. When the doctor stepped back, she squeezed my hand. “Go to the vending machine,” she said. “Bring us some bottles of water.” I shook my head. “No. Please. I need…” “Lupa, please. We need water for the ride and for your training.” Her voice was firmer this time. I wanted to argue, but her face stopped me. With a reluctant nod, I slid off the bed and walked to the door. I stepped into the hallway, but I didn’t leave. Instead, I leaned against the wall just outside. My hearing had been sharp since Alina woke in me. Voices blurred at first, then sorted themselves into words. “...shows we might lose her,” the doctor was saying. The single word, lose, hit like a cold slap. I blinked against the wall. My brain stalled on it. I heard my mother repeat the word. “What do you mean?” she asked. “From what I’ve seen,” Dr. Kaplan said, “Lupa may not live for long.” I pressed my palm flat over my scar as if that could stop the sound. Alina was quiet. The whisper that lived in my head most nights did not come now. My mother’s voice shook. “No. You must be wrong.” “I’m not sure how to explain it,” he said. “She was mauled by a bear when she was young. The scar healed years ago. But since the wolf bond, the tissue shows activation. It has caused lesions. The injury reaches the heart. It looks irreversible.” My mother let out a sharp laugh that was more scream than sound. “There has to be something. Can you… can you make it right? Quietly? We cannot…” “Medically, I can try interventions,” he said. “But I have to be honest. The scans are not good.” She grabbed at the last thread of hope. “Then find a way. Make her live longer. Please.” There was a pause, heavy and full of things I could not name. Then I heard the soft shuffle of shoes against the floor. They were coming for the door. I slipped away before it opened. My legs felt unsteady in the bright corridor. I walked to the vending machines and took my time, fingers hovering over the bottles like I had never seen water before. I grabbed two and headed back. My mother met me halfway down the hall. Her face was wet. Tears tracked clean lines through the makeup she refused to touch. She wrapped her arms around me without saying a word. Her hug squeezed the breath out of me, and I tasted salt. “Are you okay?” I asked. She pulled back and forced a small, silly smile. “I’m fine. I’m just… emotional, that’s all.” She did not tell me what the doctor had said. She did not look me in the eye. I put the water in the crook of her arm and we walked to the car. On the drive to training I kept hearing the word, like a stuck record. I had not lived fully. I had not loved. I sat slouched against the window, arms crossed, the ache in my chest flaring with every bump. “Is it hurting?” My mother asked softly, her eyes flicking toward me before returning to the road. I forced a shrug. “No. I’m fine.” It was a lie. Not just about the pain, but about everything twisting inside me. The words I’d overheard in the doctor’s office burned hotter than the scar itself. I tried to stay quiet. “I heard you,” I said, my voice sharper than I meant. “I heard what the doctor said.” My mother’s hands tightened around the wheel. For a moment, she said nothing. Then she sighed, her shoulders sagging. “I knew you would. Your hearing has been different since Alina came to you. I should’ve expected this.” My throat went dry. “Then stop hiding it. Tell me what’s going on. I’m not a kid, Mom. I deserve to know what’s wrong with me.” Her eyes glistened, but she kept her gaze forward. “What’s wrong doesn’t matter. What matters is finding a way to fix it. You’ll have your life, Lupa. You’ll find your mates. You’ll give me beautiful grandchildren, and you’ll live the life every wolf deserves.” “But what if I don’t?” I asked, my voice breaking. “I read that if a wolf dies, their mates can become weak. Some even die. Is that true?” Her lips pressed tight before she whispered, “Sometimes.” The answer hung in the air like smoke, suffocating me. I pressed my forehead to the glass, fighting back the sting in my eyes. My mother’s tone softened, almost pleading. “Don’t dwell on that. You have training today, remember?” “I don’t want training,” I snapped. “I want to go home. It’s dad’s birthday...” Her hand reached across the console, brushing mine. “Lupa, please. Obey me on this.” I bit down on the words fighting to escape, and silence filled the car again. Minutes later, the tires crunched over gravel, and the car rolled to a stop. I lifted my head, blinking at the house tucked deep within the woods. I frowned after my mom said her goodbyes. Her voice carried something more than love. Fear she didn’t want me to see. I stepped out of the car and watched her drive off, disappearing between the trees. “What’s wrong with her?” “Be brave,” Alina’s voice whispered inside me. Before I could answer him, the front door swung open. Nelson came out grinning, his arms wide like he had been waiting for me. “About time,” he teased, pulling me into a hug. I melted into it, if only for a moment. Nelson had been my best friend since childhood, the one person I could always lean on. He was strong, fast, the best warrior in the pack, and everyone said he’d be the next Beta if nothing got in his way. But even with him, I couldn’t share everything. The scar was my secret. My mother had made sure of that. Nelson pulled back, studying me. “We could skip training today, you know. I’m starving. You could whip up one of your fancy desserts instead. I’d pick that over getting my ass kicked any day.” I shook my head. “No. Mom’s going to test me soon. I need to show her I’ve improved.” “Fine, fine.” He raised his hands in surrender, but there was a spark in his eyes. “But don’t blame me if you end up flat on your back again.” We moved into the clearing, the usual spot where we sparred. At first, it was just us but then Nelson lunged, but before I could react, he was yanked back so hard he hit the ground with a grunt. I froze. A tall man stood over him, his presence sharp and suffocating. “How dare you strike a female?”