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There was an intense hunger in his dark blue eyes. His pupils dilated and his nostrils flared. Markus’s hands curled into fists at his side, opening and closing as he struggled to maintain control of his wolf. His chest rose and fell rapidly as his breathing increased.
The air changed. A twinge of electricity shot through me, and my sister tightened her grasp on my arm, holding me closer to her. As soon as I realized what the sensation was, I felt the color drain from my face.
“Mine,” he rumbled loudly, taking a step toward me.
The surrounding crowd hushed, turning their attention toward us. Everyone had heard it. There was no escaping it. No running off and trying not to be seen as the night passed on. We were here, and this was happening.
My stomach roiled in pure disgust, and Nova whined softly next to me. She knew this was out of our control. Adora gasped, whispering, “No fucking way.”
“You’re mine,” Markus said again, grabbing my arm and pulling me from Adora’s hold. My body was in shock. My mind was numb. I stumbled beside him, not fully functioning as I tried to process what was happening.
A bond tickled the back of my consciousness, but everything deep inside me revolted against the very notion.
Not him. Not Markus.
My tormentor.
My bully.
The living, breathing example of everything I hated in this world.
It felt like a mob began to develop around us, their whispers and murmurs traveling through the air, reaching me.
“Markus has found his mate.”
“He’s going to claim her tonight.”
“Can she even be someone’s mate?”
“Dannika’s mated to the next Alpha Supreme.”
“Wasn’t she the heir before the Great Sacrifice? Looks like she’ll get to be on top after all.”
No, no, no, no . . .
The crowds parted as Markus’s father came through. “You have found your mate, my boy!” he said, boasting loudly. “I knew tonight would be?—”
Mathis halted, complete shock coloring his features. His mouth dropped open as he looked me up and down, turning to his son as though there had to be a way to explain what was actually happening.
What was actually happening?
A sick joke.
The universe. The mate bond concept. This House. Everything. All of it.
That cursed moon. My father’s death. My orphaned sister. My widowed mother. Ostracized my entire life by Markus and all his little followers.
Nova’s warm tongue gently caressed my hand as it hung limply at my side. Her presence grounded me. I began to get feeling back in my limbs and refocus my eyes on the scene unfolding before me.
“She is mine, Father. It’s undeniable.” The grip he had on me tightened.
“If you’re certain?—”
“The mate bond snapped into place,” Markus said, his voice stern.
“No,” I choked out.
Mathis’s eyes widened, bulging in anger. “What did you say?”
