Marked Twice by the Alpha King novel Chapter 149

Chapter 149

Blake’s POV

I spun away from the window, caught off guard by the fire in his eyes. Even against the stark white sheets, his defiance burned brighter than his pale face.

“Know what?”

Lucas pushed himself up on his elbows. “Why Ava hasn’t shown up. Not once. His fingers twisted in the sheets. “Can’t pick up her scent anywhere. She hasn’t set foot in this room, has she?”

I sank down beside his bed, the plastic chair creaking under my weight. ‘Kid, you just survived a dangerous shift gone wrong. You need to rest, not worry about-

‘She’s my trainer!” Lucas cut me off, his voice cracking. “Since when does Ava bail on me? Never. Not once. His chin jutted out. “You kicked her cut, didn’t you?

I shouldn’t have been surprised. The boy spent more hours with Ava than anyone–her scent probably felt as familiar as mine by now. What caught me off guard wasn’t that he noticed her absence, but how much it clearly gutted him.

“Look, I had to think about your safety first,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “That catalyst-”

“Wasn’t her fault!” Lucas jerked upright, his eyes flashing wolf–gold. “You never even let her explain! I saw your face, Dad. Right before everything went black… His voice dropped. “You’d already made up your mind.”

Bull’s–eye. The kid might as well have stabbed me. He wasn’t wrong–I hadn’t given Ava a chance to defend herself, too busy playing protective Alpha dad.

I rubbed my jaw, suddenly feeling the stubble of sleepless nights. “It’s not that simple. That adult catalyst could’ve killed you. I couldn’t risk-

“You made the wrong call,” Lucas said flatly. “Ava would never hurt me. Ever.” His fingers dug into the blanket. “The other trainers just shuffle through exercises because they’re terrified of you. Ava’s the only one who actually sees me. And now she’s gone because you threw her under the bus.”

Each word landed like a sucker punch. I’d been trapped between impossible choices: my son’s safety versus the nagging feeling I’d royally screwed up with

Ava.

Lucas, when my kid nearly dies, I don’t have the luxury of—*

“I took the catalyst myself!” The words exploded from him, bouncing off the sterile walls.

I froze, sure I’d misheard. “You what?”

His chin trembled, but his gaze never wavered. “Wanted to feel what a real shift was like. Prove I wasn’t just some baby wolf.” He swallowed hard. “Swiped your office key while you were on a call. I’m the one who brought that bottle to training.”

My brain short–circuited. “Do you have any idea-” My voice cracked. “Lucas, you could’ve died.”

“I know I screwed up!” His eyes welled up. “But it’s on me, not Ava. She didn’t have a clue.” He swiped angrily at a tear. “You can’t punish her because I was stupid!”

I stared at my son’s face–a perfect mirror of his mother’s stubborn chin and my temper–and felt my chest crack open. I’d wronged Ava. Stripped her position. Frozen her out without a single question. All because I panicked.

‘Why keep this to yourself all week?” I asked, the words scraping my throat raw.

Lucas dropped his gaze to his hands. “Didn’t want you to look at me like that. His voice went small. “But losing Ava hurts worse than disappointing you. She’s the only one who… gets me.”

The silence between us felt heavier than Alpha command. I reached for his hand, his pulse fluttering against my fingers like a trapped bird. The kid was willing to take the fall for Ava–a courage that twisted my heart with both pride and pain.

1/3

Chapter 149

Third Person POV

Blake stalked to the window, hackles raised beneath his skin. His Alpha senses screamed that Lucas was hiding something–but his son never lied. Not once in seven years.

“Alpha King… Tyler’s mindlink buzzed in his head like an angry hornet.

‘We’ve got something on the catalyst situation.”

“What is it?” Blake replied mentally, shooting a sideways glance at Lucas, who hunched over, knuckles white against the sheets.

Tyler’s voice carried a hard edge. “We caught the real culprit. That warrior who first reported Lucas’s accident? Found the adult catalyst stash in her quarters. She cracked under questioning–admitted slipping it into his drink. Wanted to ‘save‘ him and get promoted.”

Blake’s pulse hammered in his throat. “That’s impossible…”

“Got her confession, sir, Cold, hard evidence.”

Blake’s fist clenched involuntarily, veins standing out against his skin. “Bring her to judgment. I’ll handle this personally.”

“On it.”

The mindlink snapped shut, and Blake turned slowly toward his son, feeling like the floor had shifted beneath him. Lucas’s lie suddenly clicked into place like the final tumbler in a lock.

‘Care to explain why you lied to me?” Blake asked, his voice deliberately gentle.

Lucas glanced up, a muscle twitching in his jaw. “Didn’t lie.”