All Chapters of Marked By Two: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

59 Chapters

The taste of betrayal

**Cassian’s POV**The steam was a thick, suffocating shroud that tasted of lavender and the copper tang of my own self-destruction. I knew I should walk out. I knew that every second I spent in this room, breathing in the scent of a woman who wasn't Aria, I was digging a grave for whatever shred of honor I had left."Don't look at the door, Cassian," she whispered, her voice a silk ribbon winding around my neck. "There’s nothing out there for you but ghosts."She stepped closer, the damp towel she’d been wearing slipping to the floor. She was beautiful in a way that felt like a warning—all pale skin and dark, wet hair that clung to her shoulders like vines. She reached out, her fingers trembling slightly as she began to undo the buttons of my shirt.I didn't stop her. I didn't want to. I wanted to drown the noise in my head, the sound of the Grand Luna’s laughter and the beep of Aria’s monitors. When her hands slid inside my shirt, her palms hot against my chest, I let out a low, jagg

Waking to a nightmare

**Aria’s POV**"Aria? Aria, look at me. Breathe."A cold, sharp needle pierced through the dream.I felt a sudden, icy rush through my veins, a liquid fire that chased the violet haze out of my limbs. My lungs opened with a violent gasp, the air of the real world hitting my throat like glass.The voice was deep, a low rumble that vibrated against the base of my skull. I opened my eyes, but the room tilted dangerously. The ceiling of my room blurred, the familiar mahogany beams spinning until I felt a hand—l, warm, large, and trembling, cup the side of my face."That’s it. Stay with me," the voice commanded.My vision finally snapped into focus. Noah was hovering over me. He looked like a man who had crawled out of the wreckage of a collapsed building. His dark hair was disheveled, damp with sweat and rain, and his white dress shirt was torn at the shoulder, stained with soot and something darker.But it was his face that stopped my breath. His jaw was set so tight I thought the bone

The pregnancy test

**Third Person POV**The guest suite had become a cage of silk and paranoia. Elena paced the length of the Persian rug, her footsteps silent, her heart hammeringagainst her ribs. Every time the floorboards creaked in the hallway, she flinched, expecting the door to burst open, expecting the Grand Luna’s guards to drag her into the woods, or Silas’s men to claim her as part of a debt she never signed for.She was alone. Truly alone.The realization had settled in her gut like lead the moment she realized Maeve hadn't come back. Maeve, the girl she had trusted, the girl she had thought was a fellow victim had played her for a fool. Maeve had taken her secrets about the Mark, taken the jewels, and vanished into the night, leaving Elena to face the fallout of moving Aria to that damp, dark cell."Stupid," Elena hissed to her reflection in the mirror. Her face was pale, her eyes shadowed with a desperate exhaustion. "You were so stupid."She stopped pacing as a wave of nausea rolled throu

The bitter truth

**Aria’s POV**Noah had returned with fresh sheets but I knew he just wanted to make sure I was alive. Now he was still standing by the window, his silhouette a dark, immovable edge against the gray morning light. He hadn't looked at me in an hour, and the air between us felt like ice about to crack."You’re hiding something," I said, my voice finally cutting through the quiet. I sat up, the sheets rustling."You saved my life, Noah, but you look like you’re mourning it. Tell me what happened at the office."Noah didn't turn. His hands were clenched at his sides, the dried blood on his knuckles a dark reminder of a violence I hadn't witnessed. "It doesn't matter. You’re awake. That’s all that it is." "I’m not a project, Noah. I’m not a piece of Vaelor property you just had to save. Why are you acting like I’m a stranger?"He spun around then, his eyes flashing with a sudden, uncontrolled fire. "Because you have no idea what it cost!" he roared, the sound vibrating the glass in the wi

The Ash of the empire

**Noah’s POV**"Noah."I looked up. Cassian was standing at the end of the hallway. He looked ravaged, his shirt unbuttoned, his eyes bloodshot. He didn't have to ask. The psychic weight of Aria’s agony was radiating through the walls, a frequency of grief that only a Vaelor could truly feel."She knows," I whispered.Cassian’s face went slack. He walked toward me, his steps heavy. "Knows what? About the office? About the money?""About the village," I said, the words feeling like shards of glass in my throat. I held up the yellowed document Maeve had displayed. "She knows it wasn't rogue wolves. She knows it was Father."Cassian grabbed the paper, his eyes scanning the lines of our father’s cold script. He let out a sound that was half-sob, half-growl. "We were kids, Noah. We didn't order this. We went there to help...""Did we?" I asked, looking him dead in the eye. "Or did we go there because we knew a prize was waiting? We lived a lie for ten years, Cassian. We let her love us whi

Silence

Cassian's pov It's been months since Aria left the estate and the silence became louder than the cries of my wailing heir.Elena stepped in quietly, a bundle wrapped in her arms.I exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through my hair.“Not now,” I muttered.She ignored me.“He needs to see you,” Elena said softly.I turned slowly looking at the image of the mother of my child. I stopped in front of Elena, staring down at the small, fragile thing in her arms. Dark hair. Quiet. Unaware of the mess he'd been born into.Something twisted in my chest.“He has your eyes,” Elena whispered.I didn’t respond.Because all I could think was…Aria should have been here.Not this.Not any of this.I thought time would heal me, maybe help me get rid of this crazy obsession over her. It didn't.I let out a loud sigh and walked away. Later, I found Maeve in the east corridor.Of course I did.She was leaning against the wall like she belonged there, like she hadn’t inserted herself into every crack thi

No turning back

Noah's povPeople don't just disappear. People like Aria don't just disappear without a trace, which means one thing–something happened. A soft knock came at the door. I didn’t look up. “If you have something useful to say, say it.”Her heels clicked softly against the marble as she walked in, slow, deliberate. I could feel her eyes on me, studying.“You’ve been shutting everyone out,” she said lightly. “Even me.”That almost made me laugh.Almost.“I don’t recall inviting you in,” I replied.She ignored that, circling the desk like she belonged there. Like she belonged anywhere near me.“You’re chasing ghosts,” she continued. “She’s gone, Noah. At some point, you have to accept that.”My hand stilled over the file.Slowly, I lifted my gaze.“And you seem very certain of that.” “She's your cousin Maeve."Maeve paused.Just for a second.But I saw it. That resentment.“I’m being realistic,” she said, recovering quickly. “Something happened, yes, but she’s not coming back.”“Tell me

What still burns

Maeve's pov Months had bled into a year. And a year had become two.Time had a way of softening things for most people, but for me, It only made everything more obvious.The vaelor estate had changed.Or maybe it was just us.Cassian’s son was two now. Walking. Talking in broken words. Laughing in a way that echoed too loudly through halls that had never been meant for children.Even Elena had settled into her role as a Luna like she had been born for it. And eventually, Cassian married her.Not out of love, everyone knew that.But duty had a way of dressing itself up as something respectable.I watched it happen with a smile on my face and bitterness sitting heavy in my throat.Because if anyone understood what it meant to live a lie in this place, It was me.Noah, on the other hand, had become something else entirely. He buried himself in work, expanding what was left of the Vaelor name, rebuilding influence piece by piece like control alone could fill whatever emptiness Aria had l

My past

Noah's povThe invitation arrived when I wasn’t expecting it.It sat at the center of my desk, black seal. I hadn’t touched it at first. Most things that came across my desk these days were either requests, demands, or thinly veiled attempts at alliance.None of them interested me. I reached for it slowly, breaking the seal without much thought. My eyes scanned the contents, already half-dismissive.Until they weren’t.A grand opening at Ravaryn City.The name alone was enough to hold my attention a second longer than necessary. Ravaryn wasn’t just another territory, it was an influence. Power. The kind that didn’t need to prove itself loudly.I continued reading.Hosted by Alpha Max Cooper.My old friend. We've had our fights, but he was someone I could always count on. A smile tugged at my lips, probably the most I've done in a long time.A knock sounded at the door before I could think too much into it.“Come in.”Cassian didn’t wait.He stepped inside like he always did, unboth

No one's Omega

Aria's pov“Then walk away.”The man across from me blinked.“You heard me,” I continued calmly. “If you’re not willing to meet the terms, walk away.”A murmur rippled through the room. Deals like this didn’t usually stall. Not at this level. Not with this much money sitting on the table.But I didn’t move. I didn’t negotiate with desperation. The Alpha across from me leaned back in his chair, studying me like he was trying to figure out where the weakness was.He wouldn’t find it.“You’re asking for control over distribution,” he said slowly. “That’s not a small concession.”“No,” I agreed. “It isn’t.”“Then why should I give it to you?”“Because you need me more than I need you.”There was a long pause. Then…He exhaled slowly, fingers tapping once against the table before going still. “You’ve built quite a reputation for someone who arrived here with nothing.”That almost made me smile.Almost.“Not nothing,” I corrected. “Just… less than I have now.” His eyes narrowed slightly,

1 2 3 4 5 6

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP