Chapter Four

Sable

"Done," he whispered, pressing a soft kiss to the claiming mark. "You are completely mine now."

The reality of those words crashed over me like ice water. I scrambled backward as I ripped myself out of his hold.

What had I just done?

My hand flew to my neck. The skin was hot, throbbing with the undeniable pulse of a claiming mark. I had let him do it. Out of pure, blinding anger. Out of a desperate, toxic need to get back at Rhett.

"Don't look at me like that," he warned, his voice was low. His dark eyes flashed gold in the moonlight, wild and dangerously possessive. "You asked for this."

"I made a mistake," I choked out, taking another step back.

He let out a dark, humorless laugh, taking a slow step toward me. "There are no mistakes when it comes to a bond, little wolf. You can run back into that ballroom, but every alpha in there is going to smell me on your skin."

I didn't stay to listen to the rest. I turned and ran.

I just needed to get inside. I needed to find a bathroom, fix my dress, and figure out how the hell I was going to survive the rest of this night.

I was almost to the side entrance, my hand reaching for the brass handle, when someone grabbed a fistful of my hair.

A sharp cry tore from my throat as I was yanked backward into the archway. Before I could even catch my balance, a stinging slap cracked across my cheek. The force of it snapped my head to the side.

"Did you really think we wouldn't see you sneaking around?"

I tasted copper on my lip. Slowly, I looked up. Celeste stood there, flanked by two of her lapdogs, her eyes narrowed into a vicious glare.

"What is your problem, Celeste?" I spat, holding my stinging cheek.

"My problem?" She stepped closer, jabbing a finger into my shoulder. "You are my problem. Consider this your final warning. Know your place, you pathetic stray."

"I don't know what you're talking about," I muttered, trying to push past her.

She shoved me back hard against the wall. "Stop playing dumb. I saw you looking at Rhett earlier. I see the way you trail after him like a desperate little bitch."

"I don't trail after anyone," I shot back, my heart pounding.

"Rhett doesn't love you," Celeste snarled, her face inches from mine. "He never did. You were a pitiful little wolf. A temporary distraction. Stop forcing yourself on him. You're an embarrassment to the entire pack."

"He wouldn't even look twice at you if you were the last she-wolf on earth," one of her friends sneered from the darkness.

"Stay away from my future mate," Celeste hissed. "Or next time, I'll do a lot more than slap you."

She gave me one last shove of disgust before turning on her heel, her friends giggling as they followed her back into the bright lights of the ceremony.

I stood there in the cold for a long moment, my chest heaving. The old me would have cried. The old me would have run out to the parking lot and hidden in my room for three days.

But I wasn't the same. The throbbing mark on my neck hummed with a dark, furious energy. I could feel his power simmering beneath my skin, demanding I fight back.

I wiped the drop of blood from my lip. I smoothed down my dress, dusted off my body, and lifted my chin.

I pulled open the door and walked in.

The music was loud, the ballroom packed with the most elite members of our world. The second I stepped into the light, several heads turned. Whispers started almost instantly. I knew what they were reacting to—the overwhelming, territorial scent of the alpha who had just claimed me.

My eyes scanned the room and instantly locked onto Rhett.

He was standing near the champagne tower, a drink in his hand. The moment his eyes met mine, his entire body went rigid. The glass in his hand trembled. His nostrils flared, taking in my scent, his gaze dropping instantly to the fresh, bruised bite mark on the crook of my neck.

He looked sick. Good.

Celeste appeared at his side a second later. She noticed his distraction, followed his gaze, and glared at me. Without missing a beat, she grabbed Rhett by the lapels of his tuxedo, pulled him down, and kissed him fiercely in front of everyone.

A hollow ache hit my chest, but before I could even process the sting, a large, warm hand slipped into mine.

Long fingers intertwined with my own, calloused and familiar. A rush of heat shot up my arm, settling the anxiety in my blood instantly.

"Dance with me," his deep voice murmured right by my ear.

I flinched, my head snapping up to meet his dark, unreadable eyes. "What!?"

"You heard me," he said, his thumb lazily tracing the back of my hand. "Unless you want to stand here looking like a heartbroken victim while your ex makes out with that harpy."

I looked back across the room. Rhett had pulled back from Celeste's kiss, but his eyes were still locked onto me. Only now, he wasn't just looking at my mark. He was staring at the man standing beside me. His hands were clenched into tight fists at his sides, his jaw ticking so hard I thought it might shatter.

I looked up into the eyes of the monster who had just marked me as his.

"Fine," I whispered.

His lips curved into a wicked, triumphant smirk. He didn't ask again. He simply pulled me toward the center of the dance floor.

When his arm wrapped around my waist, he pulled me flush against his chest. There was zero space between us. It was a blatant display of ownership.

"You're shaking," he murmured, steering us effortlessly to the slow rhythm of the music.

"Because I'm angry," I snorted.

"At me, or at him?"

"Both of you," I snapped.

He chuckled.

"You used me to make him jealous. I'd say we're even, little wolf."

"I didn't use you."

"Liar," he taunted softly, leaning in so his lips brushed my ear. "But I don't care why you came to me. The only thing that matters is that you did."

I tried to pull back to glare at him, but his grip on my waist tightened to the point of bruising, keeping me pinned against him. The heat radiating off his body was intoxicating.

"Let go of her."

The music seemed to completely fade out.

I jumped as Rhett suddenly materialized beside us, his chest heaving, his eyes entirely black. His wolf was right at the surface, furious and entirely out of control.

"Excuse me?" Kael asked, stopping our dance but refusing to let go of my waist. He looked at Rhett with absolute, infuriating boredom.

"I said," Rhett growled, stepping so close they were almost chest to chest, "take your hands off her."

"Rhett, stop," I said, panic flaring in my chest. "Don't cause a scene."

"He marked you." Rhett ignored me entirely, his voice vibrating with rage as he stared down at the man holding me. "You put your teeth in her."

"She tasted incredible, if you were wondering," he replied smoothly, a deadly smirk playing on his lips.

Rhett suddenly pulled back his arm and drove his fist straight into his face.

A collective, deafening gasp ripped through the entire ballroom as Kael stumbled back, blood instantly spilling from his split lip.