Phoebe's POV
My mind went blank—everything happened so fast. I wasn't ready for the searing agony that shot through the mark on my neck.
My scream rang through the main hall as I fought to break free from the king's iron grip, but he held me trapped in this torment. He marked me right here, in front of everyone.
The king marked me in front of alpha Kevin, during his own ceremony, and Kevin could only watch helplessly.
People would remember today as the day the king found his fated mate, not as Kevin's day to become alpha.
The pain overwhelmed me until my voice gave out and my body went limp. I felt the king catch me, lifting me into his arms.
——
Vince grabbed Kevin's arm with bruising force as the alpha started forward. "Don't. You can't. Get a grip."
"I don't want a grip," Kevin snarled under his breath, every instinct screaming at him to rip the king's throat out.
If he'd been thinking clearly, he would've known it was impossible. Attacking royalty meant death.
