Chapter 36

Lucy.

I couldn’t stop pacing.

My bare feet moved soundlessly over the rug in my room, my fingers fidgeting with the edges of my tunic, tugging and twisting until I thought the seams might tear. It had been two days since the King returned. Two days since he pulled me from the edge of exile and dragged the truth into the light like a roaring storm.

But there was still one truth I hadn’t told him.

The mark on my neck still throbbed like it was fresh, as if my skin remembered every second of that terrible night. I hadn’t looked at it since—not directly. I couldn’t bear to. Instead, I kept my hair down, wore high collars, turned away from mirrors. From him.

Because if Ellison saw it… if he knew…

A lump rose in my throat. I pressed my fingers to the spot through the fabric of my sweater, feeling the heat of the scarred bond like a brand.

He would be furious. Not just furious—betrayed.

Even if I hadn’t asked for it. Even if I’d fought and screamed and bled.

But I couldn’t keep hiding.

With trembling fingers, I straightened my tunic, pulled my sleeves down, and forced myself out of the room.

The hallway leading to the King’s study was long, flanked by guards who nodded stiffly as I passed. I ignored their glances. Maybe they were curious. Maybe they knew. Or maybe it was just me, imagining judgment in every pair of eyes.

I reached the double doors of his study and raised a hand to knock—but they were already slightly open. My heart leapt.

Voices.

One of them unmistakably his—Ellison’s deep, steady cadence.

The other…

No.

I froze as I heard Beta Ethan’s voice, calm and measured, discussing border patrols or strategy or gods knew what else. His voice made my skin crawl. My pulse spiked like a warning drum.

Why is he in there? I thought he’d be locked up for what he did to me.

I should’ve turned back. I should’ve waited for another time. But my feet moved on their own, slipping through the narrow opening before I could stop myself.

The moment I entered, both men turned to look at me.

Ellison’s eyes were the first thing I saw—cool steel, locked onto mine. His lips parted, a question forming. “Lucy. Is something wrong?”

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.

Ethan was watching me too, his expression unreadable—calm, almost smug. I didn’t know whether to speak or to run.

Ellison stood, concern flickering in his gaze. “Did you need something?”

I swallowed hard. “I… I need to talk to you. It’s important.”

His brow furrowed slightly. “Can it wait? We’re—”

His phone buzzed on the desk.

With a groan, he reached for it. “One second.”

He answered, muttered a few words, then said, “I’ll be right there.” As he moved toward the door, he glanced back. “Wait here. I’ll only be a moment.”

I nodded, though my stomach was a knot of dread.

The second he stepped out and the door clicked behind him, the room shifted. The temperature dropped. Or maybe it was just me.

Because Ethan moved.

Fast.

He slammed the door shut with a bang that echoed through the room. I jumped, my back straightening, instinct screaming at me to run.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I snapped, stepping back toward the desk. “Stay away from me.”

He took a step forward, eyes hard now. “Why were you here, Lucy?”

“To tell the Alpha the truth,” I said, my voice low but steady. “About the mark.”

His face darkened. “No. You’re not doing that.”

“I am,” I said, planting my feet. “I am going to tell the king just what you are. You think for a second I'm going to let your mark remain on me forever?”

“I did mark you,” he said, stepping closer, “which means you belong to me now. That’s not going to change, no matter how many sob stories you tell.”

My jaw clenched so hard it hurt. “You’re disgusting. I will rather die them be yours.”

I lifted my hand—before I could think twice—and went to slap him across the face.

He caught my wrist mid-air.

In a blink, he twisted it behind me and slammed my back against the door. The impact knocked the breath from my lungs.

Pain lanced through my arm, and I gasped.

“You still don't get it, do you ?” he hissed. “That I’ll let you run to him and ruin everything I’ve worked for?”

“Let me go!” I shouted, struggling.

His body pressed against mine, pinning me. “You’ll learn,” he said in a low, threatening voice, “that fighting me is pointless.”

“Let. Me. GO!”

The door shook as a voice boomed through the room like thunder.

“Let her go.”

Ethan stiffened.

We both turned at the same time.

Derek.

He stood in the far corner, fists clenched at his sides, his jaw tight with rage.

“And who the hell are you to order me around?” Ethan sneered, not loosening his grip. “You wanna make me?”

They stared at each other, the air thick with heat and challenge.

“If you ever lay your hands on her again,” Derek said, stepping forward, “I will break them in pieces.”

Ethan’s nostrils flared. “Big talk, for a second son.”

Derek didn’t blink. Didn’t move. “Try me.”

For a heartbeat, no one moved. Then Ethan’s hold slackened. He released my wrist and stepped back.

I took a shaky breath and rubbed my wrist, glaring at him.

“You’re pathetic,” I spat. “And you’ll pay for everything you’ve done.”

“I already told you,” he said softly, “you’re mine now. You just don’t know it yet.”

I turned my back on him, ignoring the shiver of revulsion that crawled over my spine. Derek stepped aside for me, still holding Ethan’s gaze like he was daring him to try something else.

But just as I passed, Derek’s eyes dropped, just for a flicker of a second to my neck.

To the mark.

He saw it.

I felt it in the stillness that followed, in the way he quickly looked away, his expression unreadable.

And then I opened the door—

Only to find Ellison standing there.

I froze.

He didn’t speak immediately, just stared at me, his gray-blue eyes unreadable. But I knew. I knew he’d heard something.

He stepped forward slightly. “You had a good reason for not telling me?”

My breath caught in my throat.

I nodded, barely.

He studied me for a moment longer, then said, quietly, “Then I want to hear it.”