Zara

"Not yet," Marcus murmured, his voice even and confident. "You’ve spent a lot of time with Alpha. These feelings are understandable, given your... relationship with him."

He said "Alpha" as if it were a curse, an insult to his essence. The disgust that filled his eyes vanished, giving way to his usual lustful, calculating gaze.

Marcus closed the distance between us, wrapping his arms around my waist and pressing his lips to mine. My first reactions were disgust and confusion, but he held me tightly by the waist.

His touch terrified me. His strong body entwined with mine, muscles pressing against my soft skin.

I pressed my hands to his chest, pushing him roughly, and pressed my lips together. Marcus held me tightly, as if he didn’t feel the force of my touch. His hands slid gently down my shirt, teasingly stroking the underside of my breast.

An angry growl escaped my lips as I tried to thrust into his chest a second time. I resisted the sensations he evoked in me, resisted the tingling sensation that arose between my legs.

Marcus’s large hand roughly grabbed my breast, his thumb pressing against my nipple. I jerked my head back, my face flushed, my lips parted in indignation. He took advantage without hesitation, thrusting his tongue into my mouth. While his tongue danced over mine, his fingers played with the sensitive flesh of my nipple.

Despite all my willpower, I couldn’t hold back a moan. It was as quiet as a whisper in a hurricane, but he could hear it. The Alpha Kane felt like an explosion of passion and heat, wild lust and desire that stripped away all inhibitions. Marcus’s kiss was like thick, dark chocolate, rich and seductive.

As soon as I regained my composure, I pushed him in the chest for the third time, gathering all my strength. He stepped back from me, his lips flushed and his eyes shining. For a second, I thought I had enough strength to push him away, but then there was an impatient knock on the door.

Marcus’s full lips curved into a sly smile, and he pressed a finger to them, silencing me. Without further explanation, he turned and opened the door.

Standing at the door was the curly-haired wolf I recognized from the night by the pool.

"I have news for you," he grumbled, his eyes darkening as he frowned at Marcus. With one last lustful glance at me, Marcus muttered something quietly to the wolf. While I tried to catch their conversation, I could only make out fragments.

"...she ran away..." curly hair wolf muttered, his expression grim.

Happiness washed over me as I realized they were talking about me. I’d escaped the club, managing to save my brother and keep my friends alive. They’d lost a lot of companion, but we hadn’t lost a single werewolf.

Marcus turned his face slightly to meet my gaze, and his sly smile widened. "She ran away? Good. She’ll be back."

I wanted to rush at him and pounce, wiping that sly smile from his face. The confidence in his eyes made me blush. How could he be so sure I’d return to him? He knew how I felt about Alpha Kane.

"Kane." I thought, almost smiling at the sound of his name. Looking away from Marcus, I thought of Alpha Kane and how his dark eyes and charming smile made me feel. I remembered how silky my hands felt in his hair, and how he looked at me as if I were the moon in the dark sky.

As soon as the door closed, leaving me alone with Marcus again, my stomach sank. Like a long rope pulling me toward Marcus, I felt it snap, plunging the room into darkness.

My eyes snapped open, glistening painfully in the sunlight. A thin layer of sweat covered my skin, and a headache was already starting to throb in my temples. Nova’s thoughts swirled in a whirlwind of anger and disgust as I recalled where I had been.

Dark eyes stared at me from the corner of the room, and I visibly flinched as I met Alpha Kane’s gaze.

Seated in one of the chairs, Alpha Kane watched me intently.

"Good morning." I cleared my throat, wincing at the weakness of my voice.

"You said his name in your sleep," Alpha Kane remarked, his calm voice concealing his rage. "I tried to wake you, but you were practically dead to the world."

I wanted to deny that anything had happened, to deny it. It was dream or reality. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Marcus touched me with his hands and lips. More than anything, I wanted to deny that some part of me had blossomed under his touch.

Alpha Kane’s eyes narrowed, peering into my flushed face and damp skin. I clutched the blanket around my naked chest.

Using it as a crutch for what she was about to say next.

"Why did you scream his name, Zara?" Alpha Kane’s voice remained harsh, his anger unwavering. However, I wasn’t sure his anger was directed at me. Judging by the hatred on his face, he was angry at himself.

"Looks like Marcus doesn’t need consent." My voice darkened as I noticed the murderous glint in Alpha Kane’s eyes.

My own voice was laced with disgust as I tried to calm the anger seething within Alpha Kane. "I tried to resist, but I was weak without Nova. He only managed to kiss me before someone knocked on his door."

I decided to skip the part where his hand slid under my shirt, and how a tiny part of me enjoyed it. I knew Alpha Kane was close to exploding, and I wanted to minimize the damage while I could.

"He kissed you?" Alpha Kane’s voice was thick with emotion, but it was instead eclipsed by his darkened eyes. "I’ve had enough. We need to get his damn mark off your skin."

"Wait." I trailed off, remembering curly-haired wolf and Marcus’s conversation. "I was still there when someone knocked on his door. It was that other wolf from the pool. I barely heard anything, but it might be useful."