All Chapters of Too Late to Mark Me, Alpha: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

“Enough!”Mason had never spoken to Sadie like that before.She flinched, the rest of her sentence dying on her lips.“Audrey misunderstood what was happening between us.”He grabbed his car keys.“I have to find her and explain.”Sadie’s nails dug into her palms.She had waited too long for Audrey to leave. She couldn’t stand here and watch Mason chase after her now that the house was finally empty.But before she could decide what to say, he was gone.Mason called Brooke as he drove toward her building.No answer.He called again.And again.By the time he stopped outside her home, his hand ached from gripping the phone.At last, she answered.“Where did she go?”He didn’t bother with a greeting.“I’m downstairs. If you won’t tell me, I’ll wait here.”Brooke was quiet for a moment.“New York.”The word hit him with the force of something he should have guessed.“Audrey never asked me to hide it from you. You were going to find out eventually.”Her voice remained calm.“But since you

During my first few days home, my mother gave me almost all of her time.We went through the gown, the guests, and the music for the ceremony one detail at a time.“An alliance doesn’t make this a formality performed for two families’ benefit,” she told me.“This is still your day.”When the Sterlings visited, they brought several beautifully wrapped boxes.Vivian opened one herself and lifted out a platinum bracelet set with moonstones.“This belonged to my mother. It isn’t a symbol of office, and accepting it doesn’t place any obligation on you.”She fastened it around my wrist and held my hand warmly.“I’m simply happy you’re willing to become part of our family.”I thanked her quietly.She glanced at Alexander and smiled.“Perhaps someone will finally persuade him to leave his work once in a while. He can be as unyielding as a stone.”My cheeks warmed.Without thinking, I looked toward him.He sat beside me, perfectly composed, as though no one was discussing him at all.“Vivian, a

I stopped walking.The sweet smell of hot chocolate seemed to draw the memory closer.Autumn leaves scattered across the pavement outside a school.A boy sat beside a low wall, mud on the cuffs of his sweater. His eyes were red, but he held himself stiffly, determined not to cry.I had pressed the milk chocolate my mother had just given me into his hand.“Have something sweet. Maybe you’ll feel better.”Slowly, I turned toward Alexander.“That was you?”He nodded.Under the streetlight, his smile opened in a way I hadn’t seen before.“I’d argued with my grandfather. I ran off and fell. By then, I’d decided the entire world was against me.”He glanced down at his cup.“Then someone gave me her chocolate and told me to finish it before deciding how miserable to be.”I felt a little embarrassed.“I probably said it without thinking.”“I know.”He looked at me.“But I remembered.”My fingers tightened around the cup.For me, it had been an almost forgotten act of kindness from more than a

That evening, Alexander accompanied me to my final gown fitting.White lace spread across the fitting platform, and tiny crystals caught the overhead light.As an attendant fastened the buttons down my back, she smiled.“Mr. Sterling asked us to add a very light cashmere lining to your wrap. He said you get cold easily.”She adjusted the skirt.“We also changed the hem after watching your stride at the last fitting. We left it two centimeters less fitted, so you’ll have more room to walk.”I touched the wrap resting over my arm.I hadn’t remembered either detail clearly enough to ask for a change.Alexander had.When I stepped out of the fitting room, he was waiting on the couch.He raised his head.His gaze stopped.For a moment, he simply looked at me. Then he stood and came closer.“You look beautiful.”His voice was quiet, but there was nothing absent or automatic about it.The attendant checked the fall of the skirt one last time before moving to the other side of the room.Alexan

We walked slowly toward the back of the hall.Alexander pointed out a window that had been restored and a row of benches bearing the names of family members from the territory’s earliest years.He didn’t turn the walk into a formal history lesson.The details came naturally, attached to places he knew well.Near the ceremony platform, a door led into a private inner room.He stopped beside it.“Tomorrow, the public part is only the vows and the registration.”I looked at him.“I know.”“The marking is separate.”His voice remained calm.“After the ceremony, if you still want to wait, we’ll wait. Having a room full of guests doesn’t mean you have to agree to anything you aren’t ready for.”I held his gaze.Something in my chest slowly settled.“Thank you for telling me.”He gave my hand a gentle squeeze.By the time I got home, flower baskets crowded the courtyard.My mother was having the attached cards collected and kept together. When she saw us, she waved us over.“Vivian just calle