Marked By The Rogue King

Marked By The Rogue King

Liam Sterling

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Celina Vale was born into nobility, but she has only known pain. After her brother, the crowned Alpha of Emberlight, was murdered in a rogue ambush, her life was shattered. Convinced the infamous Rogue King, Maddox Grey, is responsible, she enters the forbidden Shadowlands with one goal: to assassinate him. Instead, she wakes up as his mate. Maddox marks her to save her life after a cursed wound nearly kills her, binding them in a forbidden soul bond neither of them wants. Trapped in his territory, Celina finds herself torn between her thirst for vengeance and the growing emotional connection she cannot deny. As secrets unravel and her brother's death appears to be part of a darker conspiracy, Celina begins to wonder if Maddox is truly the villain... or just another pawn in a bloody power game. He's the beast who ruined her life. She's the girl who could destroy his kingdom. But fate may have chosen them to save each other.

Chapter 1 THE FIRE BEFORE THE FALL

I remember the flames first.

Not the smell or the heat, but the silence that came before. That impossible stillness right before the world shattered.

My brother's voice echoed in the dark. "Stay here, Celina. Do not follow me."

Then he was gone.

I crouched behind the frost-laced boulders, my fists clenched, breath catching in my throat. The northern border was quiet, too quiet. My wolf paced just beneath my skin, agitated and alert, but I was too young, too slow to understand the truth in time.

It wasn't a border skirmish.

It was a trap.

The fire leapt from the treetops like it had been waiting for permission to devour everything we'd ever loved. Screams cut through the air, sharp and fast, followed by a howl, his howl, so full of pain I felt it slice through my ribs like claws.

I ran anyway. As fast as I could.

By the time I reached him, it was too late. My brother, Thorne Vale, crown prince of Emberlight, was already on his knees. His chest heaved, and blood gushed from his side. Standing above him was a beast of a man, his face shadowed, his eyes glowing a terrible gold. Smoke curled around his boots like a serpent, like it answered only to him.

He didn't speak. Not even a word.

He just stared at Thorne, then turned...

And vanished.

I lunged forward, screaming his name...

"Thorne!"

But my brother's head lolled to the side. His last breath curled into the smoke.

And I woke up, drowning in the memory.

My eyes snapped open to a grey morning mist, soaked in sweat and breathless. I bolted upright in the tent, reaching for the blade I kept under my pillow. My heart thudded against my ribs, a sound louder than the wind clawing at the canvas.

Not real. Not again.

But it always felt real.

I wiped my face with trembling fingers and pushed myself to my feet. The guilt never left. It never dulled. No matter how many years passed, I still saw his blood on my hands.

"Leaving without saying goodbye?"

The voice was casual, too casual.

I turned sharply. Lorin, our stealth scout, leaned against the flap of my tent, arms folded, hood half-down over his dirt-smudged face.

"You're late," I muttered, sheathing the dagger at my hip.

"I was giving you space. You scream when you dream."

I didn't respond.

Instead, I buckled the final strap on my chest plate and reached for the rolled parchment on the table. The mission map. Every line etched into it pointed toward the Shadowlands,the ungoverned wilderness that belonged to only one name now:

Maddox Grey.

The Rogue King.

He'd grown into a legend. A beast born of exile, betrayal, and war. The one wolf no kingdom could tame. And the one I would kill.

"Sure you want to go through with this?" Lorin asked, lowering his voice. "There's no returning from the Shadowlands, Celina."

"That's the point," I whispered.

We rode under moonlight, just past midnight. Five of us total, enough to act like a hunting party, small enough not to be noticed by border patrols. I didn't speak the whole ride. The rage had begun to churn beneath my skin again, rising like a second heartbeat.

He killed Thorne.

He burned our legacy to ash.

This wasn't justice. It was retribution.

And I would deliver it if it were the last thing I do on earth.

The border of the Shadowlands wasn't marked on any map. You only knew you'd crossed it when the air changed, when the wind fell silent, and even the trees felt like they were listening.

The moon had climbed high when we reached the ridge overlooking the wild expanse. Below us, dense forest stretched endlessly. Mist crawled between gnarled trunks like it was alive.

I dismounted first.

Lorin glanced at me. "This is your last chance to say this is mad."

"It is mad," I said. "But I'm still going."

No one argued.

I stepped forward, and with a single breath, I crossed the line into rogue territory.

The shift was instant. My skin prickled. The bond to my wolf recoiled. Something ancient stirred beneath the soil, like the Shadowlands had teeth.

The second my boot hit rogue soil, something sharp prickled at the back of my neck.

Branches snapped. My head jerked up.

I turned...too late.

From the mist, figures emerged. Not one or two. Dozens. Silent. Masked. Eyes glowing faintly in the dark.

I reached for my blade, every instinct screaming.

They had us surrounded.

"Scatter!" Lorin shouted. "IT'S THE ROGUES!"

I drew my blades and spun, catching one rogue by the shoulder. Another tackled me from behind. My spine slammed into the ground. A boot pinned my arm. I screamed, thrashing, biting, blood flooding my mouth as someone drove a blade across my ribs.

I rolled, using the momentum to knock the attacker off balance. I jammed my elbow into his throat and staggered to my feet, gasping through the pain. Another rogue lunged at me, slashing downward. I blocked with both blades, barely holding the weight. The force rattled my bones.

Screams echoed behind me. One of our riders was dragged into the trees.

A rogue grabbed my braid and yanked hard. I drove my heel into his knee, spun, and buried my dagger into his side. He didn't even flinch.

Too many. Too fast. They were trained, organised; this wasn't a feral ambush.

Lorin was shouting my name somewhere, but I couldn't see him. The fog was too thick now, the air charged with something unnatural.

I ducked, just in time to avoid a blow that would have taken my head. Another rogue appeared in front of me, face hidden, two curved axes gleaming.

I backed up. Blood soaked through my tunic. My breath came ragged. I could feel my strength slipping.

Then, everything stopped.

He walked into the clearing like a storm.

Towering. Silent. His hair was black as night, jaw shadowed, eyes molten gold. I didn't need a name. I knew him.

Maddox.

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Chapters
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Marked By The Rogue King
1

Chapter 1 THE FIRE BEFORE THE FALL

22/06/2025

2

Chapter 2 CAUGHT IN THE WOLF'S DEN

22/06/2025

3

Chapter 3 MARKED

22/06/2025

4

Chapter 4 CHAINS OF FLESH AND FATE

22/06/2025

5

Chapter 5 THE KING BLEEDS

22/06/2025

6

Chapter 6 THE HEALER'S PRICE

22/06/2025

7

Chapter 7 THROUGH HIS EYES

22/06/2025

8

Chapter 8 SHADOWS IN THE WALLS

22/06/2025

9

Chapter 9 GHOSTS THAT STILL BLEED

22/06/2025

10

Chapter 10 BOUND IN BLOOD AND SHADOW

22/06/2025

11

Chapter 11 THE BEAST BELOW

04/07/2025

12

Chapter 12 WHAT SHOULD NEVER WAKE

05/07/2025

13

Chapter 13 THE BEAST'S VOICE

07/07/2025

14

Chapter 14 THE COUNCIL CALLS

07/07/2025

15

Chapter 15 MARKED IN DEATH

07/07/2025

16

Chapter 16 FRACTURE OF TRUST

07/07/2025

17

Chapter 17 THE BROKEN GATE

08/07/2025

18

Chapter 18 BLOOD ON THE BORDER

09/07/2025

19

Chapter 19 TRIAL BY MOONLIGHT

10/07/2025

20

Chapter 20 THE SHIFT

11/07/2025

21

Chapter 21 THE FAR END OF CHAINS

11/07/2025

22

Chapter 22 WHERE QUEENS ARE FORGED

13/07/2025

23

Chapter 23 THE PATH OF FLAME

14/07/2025

24

Chapter 24 WHISPERS

15/07/2025

25

Chapter 25 THE NIGHT OF RETURN

15/07/2025

26

Chapter 26 THE QUIET STING

17/07/2025

27

Chapter 27 THE FEAST OF MASKS

18/07/2025

28

Chapter 28 THE RISE OF THE ALLEGIANCE

19/07/2025

29

Chapter 29 THE FLAME RECLAIMED

20/07/2025

30

Chapter 30 ASHES WILL RISE

21/07/2025

31

Chapter 31 THE BLOOD WE INHERIT

22/07/2025

32

Chapter 32 THE CHAINS THAT HOLD

23/07/2025

33

Chapter 33 THE AMBUSH

23/07/2025

34

Chapter 34 THE PATH OF LIGHT

24/07/2025

35

Chapter 35 BARGAIN

25/07/2025

36

Chapter 36 THE SERPENT'S GATE

26/07/2025

37

Chapter 37 WHAT WAITS BELOW

27/07/2025

38

Chapter 38 THE REMAINS WITHIN

27/07/2025

39

Chapter 39 THE BEAST AND THE BOND

28/07/2025

40

Chapter 40 WAR ANNOUNCED

28/07/2025