Bound by Secrets

Marked!

ELENA’S POV:

I stood frozen, my hand pressed to my neck, my pulse racing. Rachael's eyes were wide with disbelief, and for a moment, neither of us moved.

"Marked?" I whispered, my voice barely a sound.

Rachael’s gaze darted to my neck, her lips parting in shock. Her breath hitched, and I followed her stare, panic gripping my chest.

I stumbled toward the mirror, and that's when I saw it—a mark, dark and intricate, like a tattoo but with an energy I could feel pulsing beneath my skin. I recoiled, my fingers trembling as they grazed the design. It was warm to the touch.

The weight of it hit me all at once. *No, no, no...*

I turned to Rachael, my heart hammering. "How? Why?"

Rachael’s face had gone pale, her mouth dry. "Lena," she whispered, barely able to get the words out. "That's a mate mark. You've found your true mate."

I staggered back, the room spinning. My breath hitched in my throat. *A mate mark?* The word echoed in my mind, but it didn’t feel real. My heart clenched thoughts of Alex flooding my mind.

"How could this... I—I thought Alex was—" My voice cracked, my mind reeling.

Rachael grabbed my arm, her grip firm. "Elena, stop pacing. You need to tell me exactly what happened last night."

I took a shaky breath, trying to calm myself. My thoughts were scattered, my head a whirlwind. "I don’t know," I said slowly, my voice trembling. "I woke up in a strange house, and there was this... this stranger. We... we..." I couldn’t finish the sentence. The shame rose again, a thick knot in my throat.

Rachael’s eyes widened, but she remained quiet, urging me to continue. I didn’t know where to start, but I told her everything—the sensations, the touch, the shame that followed, and the overwhelming confusion.

When I finished, Rachael let out a loud gasp, and I pressed my hand over her mouth. "Rachael, please!" I whispered urgently. "They’ll hear us."

She nodded, her eyes wide with shock. "Sorry," she mouthed.

"Did you get his name?" Rachael asked after a moment, her voice a little steadier.

I shook my head, guilt and regret flooding me. *If only I had known about the mark... I would’ve at least asked for his name.*

Rachael’s face fell. "Elena, how could you...?"

I threw my hands up in frustration. "I didn’t know! I wasn’t thinking, okay? I was in *heat*. I couldn't control my body. It just... happened."

Rachael sighed, her expression softening. "I’m not blaming you, but this is serious. It's not the end of the world, though. At least we know you’re not mateless."

I bit my lip. *I was never mateless.* "But Alex is my mate, Rachael. I *felt it. We both felt it."

Rachael raised an eyebrow. "Elena, if that mark wasn't from your true mate, you’d be feeling sick by now. You’d have symptoms—nausea, dizziness... it’s been hours, and you’re fine."

The realization hit me like a blow to the chest. *What is she saying?*

I could barely form words. "Are you saying... Alex isn't my true mate?"

Rachael's expression turned serious. "Let's forget about Alex for now we need to find this man, Lena. If the pack finds out you’ve been marked without a mate to show for it, you could be ostracized, or worse—you could be branded the pack's whore."

The word *w***e* twisted my stomach. I shuddered, the thought of being cast aside like that sending a cold wave through me. Being an outcast was already hard enough; I didn’t want to be *that*.

Rachael stood up, her face hardening with determination. "Let’s go. We need to find this stranger before it’s too late."

I nodded, a new sense of purpose filling me. I would find him. I would get answers. And then... I would reject him. I would live my life with Alex like I always intended.

Downstairs, my mom and Elaine were in the kitchen. My mother glanced at me, her eyes soft with concern. "Where are you going?"

I shrugged, my heart racing. "Out," I said, as I held my scarf tightly around my neck.

Elaine’s gaze narrowed, but I ignored her, turning toward the door with Rachael at my side.

The sun was relentless as we made our way toward the house. My stomach churned with every step, but I couldn’t turn back now.

When we reached the abandoned house, the door was locked. Rachael groaned, looking around with unease. "This place gives me the creeps. You sure this is where you...?"

I didn’t answer. We had to search it, even if the place felt like it had bad energy.

Inside, the house was eerily quiet. The air was thick with dust and abandonment. After an hour of searching, we found nothing. No trace of the man, no clues.

I felt my chest tighten. This wasn’t supposed to be how it went. "He’s gone," I whispered, a lump in my throat. "We’ve lost him."

Rachael pulled me into a hug. "We’ll keep looking, okay? Don’t give up yet."

But the weight of defeat pressed down on me. How could I ever face Alex now?

As we walked back to the house, Rachael suggested something that made my stomach churn. "You need to break up with Alex," she said, voice soft but firm. "You can’t be with him when you have this... mark."

I felt sick. Living a lie. Lying to Alex...

When we parted ways, I went straight to my room, ignoring Elaine’s prying eyes. I collapsed onto the bed, exhausted, tears already threatening.

I fell asleep in the quiet of my room, the world spinning out of control.

---

When I woke, it was dark outside. I groggily got up, trying to shake off the remnants of my nightmares.

The cool air in my room made me shiver, and as I stripped to shower, I felt a chill against my skin. My heart stuttered when I turned around.

He was there. The stranger. Leaning against the doorframe, his eyes fixed on me like he’d been watching for hours.

"I heard you’ve been looking for me," he said, his voice like silk—dangerous and smooth.

I froze, every muscle in my body locking. The words I wanted to say caught in my throat.