Chapter 11 – Marked by Fate

Jasmine's POV

Celeste's expression turned grim.

And then—she whispered:

"You've been touched by a werewolf."

My breath caught in my throat.

I felt Mira stiffen beside me.

Celeste let go of my wrist, her hands trembling slightly. And when she looked at me again, her eyes were darker than I had ever seen them.

"You don't understand what you've done," she whispered.

Neither did I.

But something in my chest tightened painfully.

Something in my gut told me my life had just changed.

And I had no idea why.

I shook my head. "Celeste, you're scaring me. What does that mean?"

Celeste exhaled, her gaze flickering with something uncertain, something desperate. "Jasmine, listen to me—"

The door burst open.

A cold gust of wind blew through the shop, making the lights flicker and dim.

And standing there, framed by the darkness outside, was him.

Draven.

The moment our eyes met, something invisible snapped between us—a pull, a force, a thread tying us together in a way I didn't understand.

The air grew thick, tense, charged with something electric.

I stumbled back.

Draven took one step forward.

Then another.

Each movement was slow, deliberate, possessive.

Mira squeaked and grabbed my arm. "Uh, Jasmine…?"

I couldn't move.

His gaze burned into me, dark and unreadable, as if he could see straight through me—straight into something buried deep inside me.

Something I wasn't ready to acknowledge.

"Jasmine," he murmured, his voice like velvet-wrapped steel.

My breath hitched.

I turned to Celeste, expecting her to stop him, to fight him, to do something.

She didn't move.

Didn't speak.

Didn't even look surprised.

I felt cold dread curl through my stomach. "Celeste," I whispered, my voice barely audible.

She finally looked at me.

And in her eyes, I saw it.

Resignation.

Acceptance.

And something else—pain.

"Do something," I whispered.

Celeste closed her eyes for a moment, as if trying to steady herself.

And then, she said the words that made my blood run cold.

"It has begun."

A sharp breath escaped me.

Draven's expression darkened.

He moved.

Fast.

Before I could react, before I could process what was happening, his hand was around my wrist, fingers like iron shackles against my skin.

"Let me go!" I gasped, trying to yank free.

He didn't.

He just exhaled, his grip unrelenting, his voice low and unshakable.

"No."

Panic coiled around my ribs. "Celeste, do something!"

Celeste stood still.

She didn't fight him.

She didn't even try.

She just stared at me with the weight of a thousand unspoken words.

Draven's fingers tightened around me.

I fought—but it was useless.

He was too strong.

And worst of all?

Celeste was letting him take me.

"Celeste!" I screamed this time, but she just shook her head.

"You were never meant to stay hidden forever, Jasmine," she whispered.

My chest tightened painfully.

"She doesn't know about the bond yet," Celeste said to Draven, her voice tight.

Draven's jaw clenched. "I know."

Celeste inhaled, her fingers twitching at her sides. "Then don't force it. Not yet."

He said nothing.

Then—he turned and walked out the door, taking me with him.

The last thing I saw was Celeste's solemn expression, her hands clasped in front of her, unmoving, unyielding.

Like she knew this was always going to happen.

Like she knew this was fate.

And worst of all?

Like she knew there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Celeste's POV

The moment Draven walked in, I knew.

I had felt the shift the second Jasmine returned home—the spell I had placed on her, the protection, the suppression of her true self… it had started to crack.

And now, it was too late.

The prophecy had begun.

The moment she and Draven met, there was no stopping it.

I had known this day would come, but nothing could prepare me for watching her be taken from me.

Her fate had caught up to her.

And Draven—he knew it too.

He had claimed her the moment he saw her.

He would take her away, pull her into his world, drag her into a destiny she wasn't ready for.

I wanted to fight.

I wanted to stop him.

But I couldn't.

I wasn't strong enough to change what was written in blood.

I clenched my fists as Jasmine struggled against him, her fear stabbing through me like a blade.

"Celeste, do something!"

I couldn't.

I met Draven's gaze. "She doesn't know about the bond yet."

His silver eyes darkened. "I know."

"Then don't force it," I murmured. "Not yet."

He said nothing.

But his grip on her didn't loosen.

Jasmine screamed my name again, but I just stood there, my heart breaking.

"You were never meant to stay hidden forever, Jasmine."

She didn't understand.

Not yet.

But she would.

And when she did…

She would have to choose.

Between him.

Between herself.

Between the fate she was born for—and the fate she would have to create.

Draven pulled her through the door.

Jasmine's terrified gaze was the last thing I saw before she was swallowed into the night.

And I whispered into the empty room—

"Forgive me, Jasmine."