The Princess' Mark

CHAPTER FIVE: A Dangerous Proposal

"You can’t stay here," Rome said, still seething as he paced back and forth.

I sat there, not saying anything, my hands clenched into fists. I was afraid of what he was going to say next.

"If Luca wants you this badly, that makes you a liability to my pack and I can’t have a liability in my pack."

My heart sank so hard it felt as if my heart had been ripped right out of my chest.

I had fought so hard to escape. And now, was I being cast out again? I thought he wanted me to say that, but maybe he had just said that out of sympathy for me before he finally understood the gravity of the entire situation.

"So what?" I asked bitterly. "You’re going to throw me back to him after you just told me I wasn’t going anywhere?"

Rome exhaled, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"No," he said finally. "I’m going to marry you."

Silence.

I blinked once.

Twice.

"What?" The word finally left my lips.

"You need protection. This ensures it. If you belong to Silverfang, Luca can’t touch you," Rome explained, as if it was that easy.

I stared at him, not sure what kind of twisted joke he was playing at.

One prison to another. One Alpha to another.

Was I some piece of prize that could easily be possessed by someone that everyone around thought. I would just agree to everything they said.

I had just escaped Luca.

Now Rome wanted to claim me too?

“Is this a joke?” I asked, my hands still clenched into fists. I am now pissed off at myself for letting this play out the way it was playing out right now. “Tell me you are just pulling my f*****g leg or something.”

“Anything but that.”

Rome stared at me, then sighed and moved over to his desk where he casually sat down and picked up a piece of paper.

“Do I look like I’m joking with you?” he asked flatly.

I huffed, and flared my hands in exasperation. “How would I bloody know that? I don’t even know you and the last I remember I was your prisoner before any of this s**t happened, so excuse me for asking.”

“I already have the contract drafted up. Just sign it, and we can move on to the other preparations,” Rome said, ignoring my little outburst.

“You have got to be kidding me right now,” I cried in exasperation. If I had known that escaping Luca would only land me in another prison, then I would have stayed with him. At least he was f*****g subtle about his controlling.”

Rome stared at me and slowly leaned back, folding his hands over his chest. “I’m only trying to help you out and offer you protection,” he said. “But if you think I’m such a terrible person, then by all means you can go back to Luca for all I f*****g care.”

Ouch, that was like a slap to my face, but wasn’t that what I wanted to hear?

“Go, what the hell are you still doing here?”

I bit my lip, the anger and hurt burning a hole inside my chest. I didn't have anywhere to go, and I did not want to go back to Luca. He was the last person I wanted to be around.

Balling my hands into fists, I stood up and walked towards the door, not sure whether I had been fully let go or whether I was going back to the chains that had become my new companion.

“Quinn will take you back,” Rome said without looking up from his laptop screen, which now seemed more interesting than talking to me.

“I’m going back, aren’t I?”

The words tasted like poison in my mouth. I didn’t want to be a prisoner anymore. I wanted to be free.

I opened the door and just stood there before turning and saying what had been eating me up.

“And if I accept your proposal, what then?”

Silence filled the room, and I was wondering what was going to happen.

“Then you become my Luna and I protect you.”

I closed the door behind me without another word. I didn’t trust myself to make my sound decision after what I had just seen.

“You okay?”

I turned to the side where Quinn pushed off the wall and approached me, a worried yet familiar smile on his face.

“It’s a lot, all of it.”

Quinn sighed as he tucked his hands in his pockets and tilted his head slightly, making his silver hair cover part of his face.

“Let me show you something,” he finally said, and turned in the opposite direction we had come from.

I followed him, not sure where he was taking me or what was going to happen. We walked in silence for what felt like hours, but it was only a few minutes.

Quinn kept walking, away from the pack and through a thicket of trees until we finally stopped in a large clearing where a large building stood.

“What are we doing here?”

“I wanted to show you something,” Quinn replied and moved closer to the building, opening it. “Come on.”

Hesitantly, I walked over and entered the room. It was dimly lit by candles.

“Where are we?” I spun around to face Quinn who was standing right behind me.

“This is where Rome’s parents and my parents are buried.”

My mouth opened and closed a few times but no words came out.

“I know Rome comes off as this inconsiderate arsehole most times, but he has a good heart,” Quinn added, breaking the silence that had filled the room. We both lost our parents at such a young age and had to grow up. But Rome, he had the worst because he had to take care of over a thousand wolves at such a young age.”

“Why are you telling me all this?”

Quinn shrugged, “I want you to understand where he is coming from and why sometimes his actions don’t match his words.”

Taking a deep breath, I finally allowed myself to unclench my hands. “This is a lot for me. I went from being a prisoner to one Alpha and finding myself a prisoner to another. There is only so much energy I have left.”

“I know, but if you stay with us then we can protect you.”

I wasn’t sure what Quinn knew so far about my past and about Luca, and I wasn’t sure whether this was a great idea or not but I went for it.

“I have to run away. That is my only way out.”