Chapter 005

Camilla’s POV

The moment Luciano disappeared, the weight of what had just happened crashed down on me.

My fingers trembled as I pressed them against the fresh bite on my neck. The wound throbbed with a strange heat that had nothing to do with pain.

He marked me.

That bastard marked me.

A sharp gasp left my lips as I stumbled backward, gripping the nearest table for support. My heart pounded loudly in my chest, drowning out every other sound in the empty hall.

I wanted to scream.

I wanted to rip my own skin open if that was what it took to erase his claim on me.

The bastard thought he could own me?

No.

I wasn’t some weak little omega that could be tossed around like a toy. I had spent years training—years hardening myself so that no man would ever control me again.

“Lady Camilla!”

Maxwell’s voice broke through my thoughts.

I turned and saw him rushing toward me. His sharp eyes immediately locked onto my neck, and the slight widening of them told me everything I needed to know.

He saw it.

The mark.

“Are you hurt?” he asked, concern filling his voice.

I swallowed down my fury.

“No.” My voice came out clipped and cold. “The party is over. Leave.”

“Camilla—”

“I said leave!”

Maxwell hesitated. His jaw tightened like he wanted to argue, but in the end he gave a curt nod and stepped back.

“Yes, Lady Camilla.”

I didn’t wait for anything else.

I turned on my heels and stormed toward the exit.

The moment I stepped outside, the cool night air hit my skin, but it did nothing to soothe the fire raging inside me.

I needed to leave.

I needed to think.

By the time I reached home, my thoughts were still spiraling.

I barely shut the door behind me before ripping off my dress and throwing it across the room like it was poisoned.

I walked straight to the bathroom.

Leaning over the sink, I looked up at my reflection in the mirror.

My breath caught.

The mark stood out clearly against my skin—a deep red imprint where Luciano’s fangs had pierced me.

My stomach twisted.

No matter how much I tried to fight it, my body was already reacting to the bond. The connection he had forced between us pulsed beneath my skin like a living thing.

My hand slowly rose, fingers hovering over the mark.

The moment I touched it, a sudden wave of heat rushed through my body.

I sucked in a breath and quickly pulled my hand away.

“No,” I whispered.

I refused to accept this.

I would not be bound to him.

I would find a way to break the bond—to reject him completely—even if it meant tearing the mark off my own skin.

A knock suddenly echoed through my apartment.

I stiffened.

Who the hell would come here this late?

Another knock followed, louder this time.

“Camilla, open the door.”

I froze.

That voice.

Dane.

My jaw clenched in irritation.

Of all the people who could show up tonight, it had to be him.

“Go away,” I shouted.

“Not until you open the door.”

I rolled my eyes and walked out of the bathroom, grabbing a robe and wrapping it tightly around myself before heading to the door.

When I opened it, Dane stood there with his arms crossed, his expression dark.

His eyes scanned my face before narrowing slightly.

“You look terrible,” he said bluntly.

“Thank you for the concern,” I replied dryly. “Now leave.”

He didn’t move.

Instead, his gaze shifted slightly downward.

Then he saw it.

The mark.

For a moment, the world seemed to stop.

Dane’s entire body went rigid.

“What… is that?” he asked quietly.

I leaned against the doorframe, pretending not to care.

“What does it look like?”

His jaw tightened.

“That bastard marked you.”

I shrugged, even though my chest burned with anger.

“Seems like it.”

Dane ran a hand through his hair, clearly trying to control his temper.

“Do you understand what that means?”

“Yes,” I snapped. “I’m not stupid.”

His eyes burned into mine.

“Then why are you standing here like it doesn’t matter?”

“Because it doesn’t!” I shot back.

The words echoed through the hallway.

Silence fell between us.

Finally, Dane exhaled slowly.

“That man…” he muttered. “He’s dangerous, Camilla.”

I laughed bitterly.

“You think I don’t know that?”

Dane looked like he wanted to say something else, but he stopped himself.

Instead, his expression hardened.

“If he marked you, he won’t stay away.”

A cold feeling settled in my stomach.

I knew that already.

Luciano was not the kind of man who did something halfway.

Marking me meant he had every intention of coming back.

But that didn’t mean I would accept it.

I straightened my shoulders.

“Let him come,” I said coldly.

Dane frowned.

“I’m serious.”

My eyes burned with determination.

“Mate bond or not… I will never belong to Luciano.”

Somewhere deep inside me, the mark on my neck pulsed again.

As if mocking my words.