#5. Marked

Rachael POV

His teeth sank into my neck before I could even move.

A sharp, burning pain shot through me, and I screamed, my hands pushing against his chest. But the Alpha held me still, his grip iron, his breath hot against my skin as he bit down harder, sealing his mark on me.

When he finally pulled away, my knees nearly gave out.

“Now you know who you belong to,” he growled, voice rough and full of possession.

“You bastard!” I screamed, fury and fear twisting inside me.

But he didn’t even flinch. Instead, he stood and grabbed my arm, yanking me up like I weighed nothing. My body slammed into his, and his eyes, cold, dark, dangerous locked on mine.

“I am your Alpha,” he said, voice low and dominant. “And you will show me the respect I deserve.”

That voice… it crawled down my spine and forced a reaction out of me, a reaction I hated. My anger raged even hotter, burning through the fear but the way he looked at me like he owned me made me want to tear his eyes out.

Before I could speak, the door burst open with a loud crash.

Another man stormed in. For a second, I thought the Alpha had duplicated himself. The newcomer looked so much like him, same height, almost the same build, same piercing eyes but something in his expression was wilder, unhinged.

His gaze landed on me.

Everything inside him snapped.

His eyes widened. His wolf surged. His chest heaved as he inhaled deeply scenting me. Then a deep feral growl ripped from him.

“A female…” he snarled, stepping closer. “A female.”

Panic rushed through me. I stumbled back but the Alpha moved faster. He lunged, shoving the man backward.

“Control yourself!” the Alpha barked.

But the other man wasn’t listening. His eyes were locked on me like I was prey he’d been starving for.

“I want her,” he snarled. “I need her.”

Something inside me froze. The way he looked at me—hungry, crazed, made my skin crawl.

“She’s mine,” the Alpha growled back, stepping in front of me like a shield. “She’s my mate. And no one—no one—touches what’s mine.”

The man’s face twisted, rage and something darker flashing through his eyes. His stare slid to the fresh mark on my neck, swollen and burning. He bared his teeth.

“You can’t have her to yourself,” he hissed. “Never. We’ll share.”

The room tilted.

Share?

I didn’t even have time to react. The Alpha grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against the wall with terrifying strength. The whole wall shook.

“This female is my mate,” the Alpha said, voice deep and deadly. “If anyone—especially you—comes near her, or even breathes next to her, I’ll kill you.”

Something in his voice shifted. It wasn’t just dominance. It was a command that pressed on the air so hard my knees buckled.

The man finally bowed his head, forced down by the Alpha’s dominance.

“And no one must hear about my female,” the Alpha said again.

The man lifted his head slightly. “Even if I don’t say anything, they will know soon. Words will spread. Every king. Every alpha. They will all want her. They will all send for her.”

The Alpha paced, jaw tightly clenched. “Let them come. And let them see why they call me the greatest man alive.”

His voice filled the room like thunder.

“Leave,” he commanded.

The man turned but not before shooting me a look filled with fury, desire and something unhinged. Then he marched out but the Alpha’s voice cut through the air once more.

“And… Eran?”

The man stopped.

“Don’t ever call me your brother,” the Alpha said coldly. “I am your king.”

Eran stiffened, then stormed away, slamming the door behind him.

The Alpha turned back to me, his eyes still burning with anger and something else, something that made my stomach twist.

“That’s the bathroom,” he said, pointing. “Go wash. Stay in this room. Do not try to escape. You won’t make it out.”

My chest tightened.

“If you run and my men catch you,” he continued quietly, “you’re done for.”

He didn’t yell. He didn’t need to. His voice alone made the threat real.

“I’ll bring you something to eat soon.”

Then he stormed out, locking the door behind him.

The click of the lock echoed through the room.

I ran to the window, heart pounding. Men were everywhere, standing guard, watching everywhere .Their eyes were cold and predatory.

If they caught me…

A shiver ran through me. I closed the window quickly, then locked it from inside. My hands trembled.

I don’t want to stay here but i couldn’t run. I couldn’t fight. I was trapped.

My clothes clung to my skin, dirty and soaked with sweat. I stripped and walked into the bathroom. It was big, too big. Clean and wrongly peaceful.

A bar of soap sat by the sink. I grabbed it and scrubbed myself hard, my skin burning as I tried to wash away the touch of the Alpha, the eyes of the other man, the mark on my neck.

But when I lifted my head and looked in the mirror…

I froze.

I didn’t look like the girl I was yesterday. There was something different in my eyes. I look different, totally different.

I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around myself. The wardrobe had only his clothes. I grabbed a shirt, it hung past my thighs and pulled on a pair of his trousers, tying them tightly at the waist.

Then I sat on the bed.

“My stupidity has cost me,” I whispered, rubbing my forehead.

My chest felt tight. My throat burned.

“Now I’m trapped here,” I muttered. “Damn it”

Then the truth hit me like a punch.

The mark.

The Alpha had marked me.

And I knew exactly what that meant.

My heat. My heat is going to come.

“Oh no…”