CHAPTER FOUR : THE MARK I CAN’T DENY

**Dante's POV**

I woke up alone.

The bed beside me was empty, the sheets still warm but cooling fast.

For a second, I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, trying to piece together what had happened.

Then it all came rushing back.

The ball. The drink. The drug burning through my veins. The room. And...

Freya.

I sat up so fast my head spun.

She'd been here. I remembered her face. Her voice. The way she'd looked at me when I told her to leave.

The way she'd stayed anyway.

Fuck.

I ran my hands through my hair, my heart pounding.

What had I done?

I looked down at myself. Dried sweat. Scratches on my chest that I didn't remember getting.

And just below my collarbone, on the left side of my chest.

A mark.

Two small puncture wounds, slightly raised, the skin around them darker than the rest.

My stomach dropped.

"No."

I touched it, and a strange warmth spread through my chest, not really painful. Just... there. Like a thread connecting me to something I couldn't see.

A mate mark.

I'd marked her.

And if there was a mark on me, that meant...

She's my true mate.

I stumbled out of bed, my legs unsteady. I needed to think. I needed to figure out what the hell I was going to do.

I grabbed my pants off the floor and pulled them on, not bothering with a shirt.

Then I left the room.

The palace was quiet. Most people were still asleep, recovering from the ball.

I made my way through the halls, my mind racing.

I had to find her.

I had to explain. Apologize. Something.

But what would I even say?

Sorry I lost control and marked you as my mate while I was drugged out of my mind?

I stopped one of the guards near the main entrance.

"Did you see a woman leave this wing early this morning?"

He nodded. "Yes, Alpha. A young woman with blonde hair. She left a few hours ago. It looked like she was in a hurry."

My jaw tightened. "Did she say anything?"

"No, sir."

I dismissed him and headed back to my chambers.

She'd left.

She'd woken up, seen what I'd done, and run.

I couldn't blame her.

I sat down on the edge of the bed, staring at the mark on my chest.

This changed everything.

If this was a true mate bond, if the mark was on both of us, then by pack law, she was mine.

And I was hers.

But I didn't want this.

I didn't want her.

Freya Grey. The girl everyone said killed my mother.

The girl I was supposed to hate.

I stood up and walked to the mirror, staring at my reflection.

The mark stared back at me.

What am I going to do?

I couldn't just ignore this. Mate bonds didn't work that way.

But I also couldn't accept it.. Not when the entire pack believed she was responsible for my mother's death.

I needed advice.

***

I quickly found William, my uncle in his study, going through reports like he did every morning.

He looked up when I walked in.

"You're up early. I thought you'd still be recovering from whatever happened last night."

I closed the door behind me. "We need to talk."

He set the papers down. "About?"

"I was drugged last night."

His expression darkened immediately. "What?"

"Two women put something in my drink. Feral Root."

He stood up, his hands clenched into fists. "Who?"

"I don't know. I didn't see them clearly." I swallowed hard. "But that's not the only problem."

He waited.

"Freya Grey found me, after the drug started working. She... helped me."

William's eyes narrowed. "Helped you how?"

I didn't answer but he understood immediately.

"You slept with her," he said flatly.

I nodded.

He sat back down slowly. "And?"

I pulled the collar of my shirt aside, showing him the mark.

His eyes widened.

"A mate mark?"

"Yes."

William leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled in front of his face.

"Do you understand what this means?" he asked.

"That I made a mistake."

"No." He stood up and walked around the desk. "It means you have something every Alpha needs. A mate. Since it appeared on you, the male, not just her. Then a true one at that."

I stared at him. "You can't be serious."

"I'm completely serious." He crossed his arms. "You've been pressuring me to hand over the Alpha title for months. I've been refusing because you're not ready. You're too impulsive and reckless."

"What does that have to do with..."

"A Luna stabilizes an Alpha," he interrupted. "She grounds him. She makes him stronger. The pack will respect you more if you have a mate by your side."

"She's Freya Grey," I said through gritted teeth. "Everyone thinks she killed my mother."

"And maybe they're wrong."

I blinked. "What?"

"There was never any proof. Just suspicion. Fear. The girl was eight years old when the fire happened. You really think she's capable of murdering two adults and starting a fire that burned half the Alpha's wing?"

I opened my mouth, then closed it.

I'd never thought about it that way.

"But even if they're not wrong," William continued, "it doesn't matter. She's your mate now. The Moon Goddess chose her for you. That's not something you can just ignore."

"I don't love her," I said flatly.

"Love has nothing to do with it." He walked back to his desk. "This is about power. About securing your place as Alpha."

I clenched my fists. "So what do you want me to do?"

"Bring her here, confirm the bond. If the mark is on both of you, then it's real. And if it's real..." He smiled slightly. "Then you marry her. You make her your Luna. And I give you the Alpha title."

My stomach twisted.

"And if I refuse?"

"Then you don't get the title," he said simply. "I'll find someone else. Someone who understands that being an Alpha means making sacrifices."

I stared at him.

This was a trap.

He knew I wanted the Alpha title more than anything. He knew I'd been working toward it my entire life.

And now he was dangling it in front of me like bait.

All I had to do was marry a girl I didn't want.

A girl I didn't even know.

A girl who might have killed my mother.

"Fine," I relented, my voice cold. "I'll bring her here."

William nodded. "Good. Send guards to her house and bring her in for questioning. We need to confirm the bond before we move forward."

I turned to leave.

"Dante," he called.

I stopped.

"This is a good thing, you'll see."

I didn't answer.

***

I sent the guards within the hour.

Then I went back to my chambers and stared at the mark on my chest.

Freya Grey.

I didn't want this bond.

I didn't want her.

But I wanted the Alpha title.

And if marrying her was the price I had to pay, then so be it.

I'd play the part. I'd pretend to care. I'd make her my Luna.

And the second I had what I needed, the title, the power, the respect, I'd find a way to get rid of her.

Mate bond or not.