Claimed by Fate

Dedication To that one person who thought I should write newspaper articles, because writing books would never be anything more than a hobby at best... thanks for the motivation to keep going, if for nothing else than to prove you wrong. Copyright Claimed By Fate, The Alpha Territories #3 Copyright © 2023 by Shannon Mayer All rights reserved. Published by Hijinks Ink Publishing www.shannonmayer.com All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserve above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a database and retrieval system or transmitted in any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the owner of the copyright and the above publishers. Please do not participate in or encourage the piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions. Contents 1. Sienna 2. Dominic 3. Sienna 4. Dominic 5. Sienna 6. Dominic 7. Sienna 8. Sienna 9. Sienna 10. Dominic 11. Sienna 12. Dominic 13. Sienna 14. Dominic 15. Sienna 16. Dominic 17. Sienna 18. Dominic 19. Sienna 20. Dominic 21. Sienna 22. Dominic 23. Sienna 24. Dominic 25. Sienna Epilogue Chapter one SiennaGrief flowed in and out of me, like the edge of the ocean that pulled at the sand of the beach, drawing my feet forward with each brush of the icy water against my ankles. There were no tears, though my heart had cracked in half. There had been no time for anything. The last two days had been a blur. Dominic had a plan, one that should have been foolproof. The plan? His captain of the guard, Scarlett, had secretly arranged for the Vanators to take out Edmund the Vile.Scarlett was to have brought Edmund out to the North Fort, where the Vanators—human vampire hunters—would ambush him, take his head and end his reign. William, Dominic’s younger brother, would then sweep in and ‘drive out’ the Vanators, and take his place as king of the Vampire Territory.Nothing had gone right.Scarlett had turned on Dominic.Edmund had killed the one insider Dominic had in Frank Eleazar.The Vanators had been scattered, and worst of all…Jordan had been killed.My Jordan.The boy I’d come to rescue, the boy who was like a brother to me, had been shot down by Scarlett herself.Eyes closed, I could see Jordan clearly as he took his last breath in my arms, the light from his eyes gone so quickly there was no chance of healing him.Goodbye, CeeCee.I swallowed hard and drew in a slow breath, unable to cry. There were so many fractures in my heart that if I started, there would be no stopping the flood. The funeral would begin shortly, but I needed…something. Maybe just a moment to think. The fog of pain was wrapped so tightly around me, I just knew that I couldn’t face anyone else. Not yet.A thin, light blue tentacle slid out of the water, the tip of it touching my bare calf.The kraken's own grief added to mine, but still the dam of tears didn’t break, the pressure building in my chest until it felt like I was wrapped in metal bands, tightening with each breath.I had come all this way for Jordan, fought to get to him, schemed my way to get close, only to have him ripped away.Would he ever have agreed to come with you?Did you even truly want to leave?My own thoughts were traitorous, driving wedges between what was true and what I wanted to be true. The fantasy of saving Jordan and us going home to the mainland. Home to a place where at least I fully understood the dangers and could navigate them.But would he have been happy? He died here, a hero. With a family that loved him.A horn blew softly behind me, a mournful bugle call signaling the beginning of the funeral and cutting off my thoughts.I bent and touched the kraken’s tentacle briefly before heading back up the beach. In a numb haze, I dusted off my feet and tugged my socks and boots on.Lochlin was about thirty feet away from me, giving me space, but also shadowing me. After the attacks on me—two now, in case anyone was counting—Diana was not taking any chances. I refused to think that Dominic had anything to do with me being watched over.He’d been leading the army that Jordan had joined. He should’ve known. He should have done… something.Rational? Nope, not one bit. But grief knew no sense when it filled every cell of your body and mind.The clouds above us dusted the sky, hiding the stars and the swelling moon. Not full yet, but we were close. I turned my face to the heavens, wishing for rain, and thunder, and lightning. Wishing for the weather to reflect my pain.I made my way to where the funeral was set to take place. The burial mounds were set to the north of the keep, the entrance of it planted with a tree I didn’t know, and that I had to step through. The trees most similarly matched a weeping willow, only the trunks, leaves, and branches were inky black. Dark, and yet shimmering with iridescence across every part, even by the dim light of the stars. The trees looked as if they had burned to a crisp and then somehow still lived on and grew. I watched them move and sway gently in the wind.Only there was no wind.I lifted a hand to part the black leaf curtain and gasped. The trees were moving on their own. The whip-slim branches slid over me, the leaves brushing across my face like velvet fingers, stroking my cheeks. If I’d been crying, they would have brushed the tears away.This place could be so cruel—so terrible at times, and then something magical…miraculous, even, would happen, making my head spin.I moved past the trees, reluctantly leaving their embrace, and stared at the scene that spilled out in front of me. The black willows had given way