AllFreeNovel
Share Us
God, I want to.
I want to be there when he returns. I want to kiss him and help him look after the pack. I want to take him into my bed and let him see every part of me, and I want to taste every part of him. I want to make this place a home by his side. More than anything in the world, more than I've ever wanted anything in my entire life, I want to be with him.
But I can't do any of that without answers.
There's too much I don't know. This mysterious man, the cursed mark on my chest, the madness that killed my mother, the color of my eyes, my suppressed wolf, the pain that consumes me when I try to get close to my mate... these aren't things I can just walk away from.
I cannot build a future with Tristan without understanding my past.
And this stranger, with his crimson gaze, looks so unnatural and ethereal and yet painfully familiar. I recognize that slender, rounded nose and long neck, those high cheekbones and diamond-shaped jaw.
I've seen those features staring back at me in the mirror my whole life.
The realization creeps up on me slowly. It does not hit me like a wall or suddenly become clear like a light switching on. It's slow and gradual, like spilled ink soaking into parchment, his worlds scratching at the back of my mind.
'I see you, child, and I know you at last. Come home to me…. blood of my blood.'
"How did you know my mother?" I ask, but there is nothing curious behind the question. It's a demand, and I can't help but feel a flicker of pride at the command in my voice and the steadiness in my gaze as I look back at the shadowy stranger. Finally. I'm holding my ground. "No more games and half-answers. Tell me who you are."
"Little girl, you already know," he says, and deep down, I know he's right, but I still feel my eyes widen in disbelief when I hear the words spoken aloud. "My name is Marco Silas, child, and I am your father."
He extends his hand to me, not in greeting but as if offering to lead me away into the night.
Before I can even consider taking it or even process what he's saying, the shadows behind him shift again. Quick as lightning, he moves, and I swear I catch a glimpse of glistening fangs hiding behind his smile. But then suddenly, I can't see the man anymore, and instead, I find myself surrounded by a swarm of bats. A velvety blackness envelops me, accompanied by the fluttering of leathery wings, and a bone-chilling sort of cold consumes me and drags me into the dark.
Chapter Six
Tristan
As I walk up the front steps of the Villa du Lac, I can hear Nico and Lucy chatting happily on the patio, and in spite of my concern, I smile to myself. It’s been wonderful to see my inner circle open up to the girl with violet eyes. Well, except for Mark. But then again, he’s always been a stubborn bastard.
The last time I saw the girl, she had passed out from training, and I can’t help the nervousness that’s been gnawing at my insides from the moment I felt her go limp in my arms. I keep replaying the image of her pale face, her body crumpling on top of mine, her gasp shallow in the back of my mind. It had been a relief to see some color return to her cheeks, her breathing steadying as she slept in my bed.
I know I shouldn’t worry too much. Goddess knows I have enough trouble on my plate leading a pack of rogue wolves, but there’s something about this girl that draws me in like a siren song, and her recent symptoms have been a thorn in the back of my thoughts. I can’t shake the feeling that there’s something more sinister at play, something greater than exhaustion or even overexertion while sparing.
The mysterious crescent-shaped scar over her heart has been haunting me. The way it glowed as if there were moonlight trapped under her skin was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, and if that power was draining her... as if it were sucking the strength out of her somehow and causing her pain.
I didn’t know what I could do. This was not a foe I could fight or even face, and the notion of her suffering twisted my insides in a way that made me feel feral and helpless all at once.
It was fucking miserable.
I quicken my pace through the villa, making my way to my bedroom. I left the little flower sleeping on my bed, and I don’t want to wake her if she’s still resting. On the other hand, she’s been sleeping all day, and I need to make sure her condition did not worsen. It was hard enough to leave her alone to speak to the healer, but I had to try. I needed to see if there was anything he might know, or if Sophie had any new visions that might be of help.
But no such luck.
I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to ease the tension that’s been building up inside me for hours.
It’s strange to think that the girl has such an effect on me. She’s grown on me more than I expected, becoming important to me in a way I could have never foreseen. There are moments when it unsettles me how much I’ve come to care for her in such a short period of time, but then I think of her scars and her smile, and something inside me simply shatters. Her quiet resilience in the face of such suffering is astonishing, and there is something so gentle and optimistic about her like she could see the best in even the worst of situations. It makes me want to be better, to give her something truly good to see when she looks at me.
Mating bond be damned; I want to make her happy. I want to keep her safe and care for her, and perhaps it’s time I stopped acting like that’s such a bad thing.
I take a deep breath and push open the door, my eyes immediately searching for my little flower. But the bed is empty.
The first thing that hits me is fear. The sun has since set, and darkness has enveloped my kingdom. I know she’s not familiar with the territory yet, and if she wasn’t feeling well when she wandered out, she could be hurt.
I make my way methodically through the villa, checking every room and corner, hoping to find some trace of her. But there’s no sign of her, and my worry sharpens into something more dangerous.
Panic.
