Chapter 5: I'm going to uncover the truth

Taylor's P.O.V

I'm home. Lights off. Shoes kicked away. Still annoyed. Still rattled by that guy—his arrogance, his eyes, his strength.

I head to the bathroom and pull off my top to wash off the club grime. That’s when I see it:

A faint silver mark on my shoulder. It’s shaped like a crescent surrounded by runes—elegant, ancient-looking.

I lean in, confused. It pulses slightly. Just once.

Then it fades.Gone. I rub the spot. Nothing.

'What the hell…?'

I walk into the hallway and find my aunt in the kitchen sipping tea, like I knew she'd be up.

“Hey,” I say cautiously. “Do you know anything about… birthmarks that glow?”

My aunt stiffens for a second. A fraction of a second.

Then smiles.

“Probably a heat rash. Or your perfume reacting with the club lights. You know your skin’s sensitive, sweetheart.”

“It looked like… symbols or something.”

“You’ve been drinking. Or dreaming. Get some sleep.”

No questions. No curiosity. Just that same perfect, too-calm tone.

I narrow my eyes. “You’re lying.” My aunt raises a brow.

“And you’ve always had an overactive imagination.” she's shutting me down again.

“Good night.” Was her last words before she got up and left me there.

She walks off. But I just stand there, hand still on my shoulder, heart racing.

'She knows something. And I’m going to find out what.'

Aiden's P.O.V

She left me.

Stormed off like I hadn’t just felt the universe tilt when her eyes met mine—like her soul didn’t just brush against mine and light my damn wolf on fire.

I stood outside the club door, chest rising and falling too fast. My fists clenched at my sides, jaw tight, heart still hammering.

Her scent lingered in the air.

Warm. Wild. Unclaimed.

But she was something else entirely. Not just a mate. Not just a wolf.

There was power buried in her—and I've seen it in the flicker of her eyes. That sharp flash of gold. That moment when her skin vibrated with energy, not even she understood.

And then she walked away.

Of course she did.

My wolf snarled low inside me, furious, wanting to chase her down again and make her listen. But I forced himself to stay rooted.Barely. I later watched her leave the club hastily with her friends, wanting to follow her but I had to stay put.

I turned and re-entered the club, my eyes scanning the crowd for Jax and Casper.

I found them seated in one of the VIP sections near the back.

My gaze narrowed. Something was... off.

Casper looked like he’d just walked out of a trance. Jax wasn’t even trying to hide the way he was daydreaming jaw clenched like he was trying not to move too fast.

I approached the table.

“You two good?” I said flatly, sliding into the seat across from them.

Casper looked up, dazed. “Uh. That depends.”

Jax’s voice was hoarse. “Something happened.”

“Yeah,” I growled. “Me too.”

Casper leaned forward. “I touched her hand. Stacey, the brunette. It was like getting punched in the soul.”

My brow furrowed.

“I smelled her scent, and my chest tightened. My wolf just... stilled. Like he’d found something.” Casper finished.

I glanced at Jax, “She’s mine,” he said simply. “The other one. Malia. I didn’t believe in the whole mate thing, not really, but when I looked at her, it was like my bones remembered her.”

I exhaled slowly, my fingers curling against the table.

Three mates. In one night.

But only two of them made sense.

Because Taylor... she didn’t. Not in any way that fit the laws of their world.

“She’s not like the others,” I said finally, voice low.

Casper blinked. “Taylor?” I nodded.

“She doesn’t smell like an unmated wolf. Or a human, either. Her scent is... wrong.”

Jax narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, when I was outside with her, her eyes flashed gold. For a second. And it wasn’t a reflection. It was her wolf.”

“But she doesn’t know?”

“No,” I said. “Not even a little.”

Casper leaned back, whistling. “Damn.”

“She’s sealed,” I murmured. “That’s the only thing that makes sense. Her wolf is buried under something. Magic, maybe. Old magic.”

I didn’t say the other word burning in the back of my throat.

Royal.

“She’s dangerous,” I added.

But even as I said it, my wolf growled in protest.

Because dangerous didn’t mean run.

It meant protect.

It meant mine.

“She’s not just my mate,” I muttered, eyes locked on the club entrance.

Jax glanced at him. “Then what is she?”

My voice came low and hard.

“She’s the reason everything’s about to change.”