Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Lisa

The moment Klaus left the room, I immediately jumped down from the bed and hurried to the clinic once more. I just couldn't sit aside while Mark was busy fighting for his life. With the help of some guards, I was able to find my way to the clinic. And the moment I arrived, I raced straight to Mark's room without asking for the nurse's permission.

Mark was awake when I arrived, and unlike before, he wasn't coated in bandages and syringes. His healing speed had regained its output, and most of the injuries were already gone. I had a bright smile on my face as I approached his bed, but the same couldn't be said for Mark. At first he pretended like he hadn't seen me enter the room, and when he could no longer ignore my presence, he turned his face away from me.

"Don't do that Mark, we both know I didn't have a choice." I pleaded with him, but he wasn't exactly listening.

"What are you doing here then, if you didn't have a choice? You shut me down for him! You've clearly made your choice. And why? Because he's rich and I'm not? Because he's prettier than me?" Mark accused me with hurt in his voice. He wasn't aware of anything that had happened between me and Klaus so I really couldn't blame him, all I could do was explain things to him and hopefully, he would understand my situation.

I moved closer, and when he was within arm's reach, I rested my hand on his lap. "He would have killed you if I didn't play along to his games. You think I'd be doing all of this for nothing? If I had chosen him, then I wouldn't be here crying for you. I'd rather be his slave than live a life without you."

Slowly Mark turned towards me, there were tears in his eyes as he stared at me. But when he inched closer to kiss me, I immediately pulled away from his approach. He raised a brow in confusion before attempting to kiss me a second time. And just like the first time, I retreated from his approach.

"What is it Lisa? Do I not look good enough for you to kiss, or is it because you're now used to the lifestyle of the wealthy?" Mark threw at me in a furious tone. He was curious to hear my reply, and at the same time infuriated by my response to his approaches.

"We can't—"

"Why?! I'm the man you love! Why can't we share a kiss?" He thundered ignorantly. I would have shushed him if the rooms weren't sound proof, but since they were, all I could was sit still and take all the yelling Mark could give. We were in a public space, and it would cause major issues if the Alpha's newly wedded bride was caught kissing a traitor. Anybody could see us, and I honestly didn't want that to happen. These people didn't respect me yet, and wouldn't keep their mouths shut even if I threatened them. I was doing it to protect him, but Mark wasn't ready to listen.

If we were caught, Klaus wouldn't kill me because I was of importance to him. However, with Mark, it was a completely different story. He was very disposable, and I was certain Klaus wouldn't bat a brow while passing his execution order.

"Stop screaming and just listen to me!" I finally managed to scream out, and only then did Mark finally tame his temper. "We can't be intimate within these walls, we'll be killed if caught. I'm his wife now and nobody will tolerate a cheating wife—"

"Wait, you're his wife?" Mark asked with a mouth agape. He probably wasn't aware of the concluded mating ceremony, and this news had taken him off guard. I couldn't blame him, Klaus wasted no time in making me his bride, and I had no say in the matter.

"Yes, I am." I answered in a low tone before lowering my head in disappointment. My tears began to fall, and all Mark could do was stare at me in horror and pain.

"Has he...have you..?"

"No, he hasn't. I wouldn't let him touch me, I swear it." I replied. And although that answer didn't completely satisfy Mark, it was enough to get him fired up with energy once more.

"Then come with me right now, together we'll run away to another pack and start over. You don't have to be stuck here with him." Mark suggested as he hastily got down from the bed.

"Now?" I inquired out of shock and genuine curiosity. Surely he wasn't being serious, was what I thought until I saw the look in his eyes.

"You can pretend to be my sister. You're the queen now, nobody would stop you if you decided to take me away." Mark strategized, but I wasn't exactly onboard with the plan. Not only was it risky for the both of us, it was a dumb one as well. I had already made a promise to be loyal to Klaus in exchange for Mark's life, throwing that promise away was equivalent to throwing Mark's life away as well. The two of us stood no chance of escaping Klaus, especially not when I wasn't trusted.

"We can't do that, I can't run away from here." I argued, and once again Mark flashed me a look of doubt and distrust.

"Are you sure you're still the Lisa I used to know?" He inquired with doubt written all over his face. With his hand outstretched towards me, he continued. "If you're still Lisa Thornberry then take my hand, and let's run away from here."

I stared at his demanding hands, but after a minute of contemplating, backed away from the thought.

"We can't do it, I'm sorry." I replied as my tears continued to flow endlessly. I wanted to run away with him more than anything, but I knew that we wouldn't win. If we left, Klaus would definitely come after us, and things wouldn't be good after that. I wished to spend the rest of my life with him, but I didn't want to spend that life running and living in fear, it wasn't the future I had envisioned for the both of us.

"Please try to understand that—"

"There's nothing to understand Lisa, you've made your choice, and I can't judge you for that." Mark said conclusively before retracting his hand. "Please leave, I'd love to be left alone."

"Mark, I'm sorry—"

"Leave!" He yelled with his finger pointed towards the exit. Wiping my flowing tears away, I did my best to gather my composure before running out of the room with a broken heart. Mark was being far too desperate, and that had caused him to be blind to reason. He wasn't thinking straight, and I couldn't blame him for that.

Every eye was on me as I strolled away from the clinic, and it made me severely uncomfortable, but at the same time it was all my fault. I had raced in like a frenzied animal, and now I was leaving with tears streaming down from my eyes, it wasn't a familiar sight in these parts of the kingdom.

I managed to get my tears under control before I reached the room, but the bag under my eyes remained. I intended to rush into the bathroom and wash my face, but the moment I pushed open the door to my room, I connected eyes with Klaus who immediately noticed that I had been crying.

Defensively, he shot up from where he sat and immediately closed the distance between us. Encompassing me in his warmth, he wiped away the blurs of mascara that stained my face before questioning me.

"Who hurt you?"