Marked By Two

The poisoned table

​Aria’s POV

​The silence that followed Silas’s jab was more violent than the scream Elena had let out. I watched Cassian’s jaw set and tighten, his eyes turning dark to a shade of amber that promised nothing but c*****e. Silas was playing a dangerous game, mocking a Vaelor about his mate in his own house while it was already burning down from the inside.

​"My mate," Cassian said, the words coming out as a low edge. He didn't look at Elena. He looked at Silas, his hands gripping the back of his chair so hard the mahogany groaned. "Is none of your concern. Perhaps in the North, you treat your women like show ponies, but here, we value... discretion."

​"Discretion?" the Grand Luna snapped, her voice like a whip. She stood up, her emerald gown shining under the dying candlelight. "There is nothing discreet about a woman who comes out of her room looking tattered to babble nonsense in front of our most important business partners."

​She turned her gaze toward the guards at the door, her eyes flashing. "Get her out of here. Now."

​"Don't you touch me!" Elena shrieked as the guards stepped forward. She scrambled back, her heels skidding on the marble. She looked frantic, the 'faint' from earlier replaced by a desperate, jagged energy. "If I go back in that room, the truth goes with me! Silas, isn't it? You want the Mark? You want the breeder?" She pointed a trembling finger at me, her eyes wild. "Ask the Grand Luna why Julian was really here. Ask her why the Mark only appeared after he made contact with the estate!"

​Silas tilted his head, his interest finally piqued. He looked from Elena to the Grand Luna, a slow, predatory smile spreading across his face. "Now, that is an interesting thought. I was under the impression the Mark was a divine lineage trait. Are you suggesting there’s... foul play involved?"

​"I'm suggesting," Elena gasped, clutching her stomach as she leaned against the doorframe, "that the Mark isn't a blessing. It’s a curse. And Julian wasn't trying to steal it, he was trying to use it for himself."

"Like we don't know that already.” Cassian said as he kept his rage in check.

​"Silence!" the Grand Luna roared.

​Noah stepped forward then, his presence changing from protector to interrogator. He looked at Elena, ignoring his mother’s command. "What do you mean,"

​"The Syndicate in the West," Elena whispered, her voice barely audible. "Julian wasn't working for the North. He was a double agent. He told me that the Mark would act as a tool for him. Once it’s fully realized, the person who holds the contract for her first-born doesn't just get a child. The bearer may also die."

​The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. I felt a chill run down my spine. It wasn't about me. It wasn't even about a child. It was about money. It was always about the empire.

​The Grand Luna’s face went pale, not with fear, but with a cold fury. She looked at Silas, who was now standing up, his casual demeanor replaced by a sharp, business-like focus.

​"Is this true, Luna?" Silas asked, his voice no longer oily, but cold as the tundra he came from. "Are you selling us a key that belongs to someone else?"

​"She is a delusional, heartbroken girl who has lost her mind!" the Grand Luna shouted. "Guards! Drag her out!"

​Before the guards could reach her, Cassian moved. But he didn't go for Elena. He lunged across the table, grabbing the manila envelope Silas had brought and ripping it in half.

​"The deal is dead," Cassian growled, the paper scraps fluttering to the floor like snow. "Get out of our house, Silas. Before I decide to see if Northern blood smells the same as Julian’s."

​Noah didn't stop him. In fact, he stepped into the gap, his shoulder brushing mine as he faced the room. "The dinner is over. My mother might have signed a paper, but I hold the keys to this estate. And I say the merchandise is no longer for sale."

​Silas looked at the two brothers, then at the livid Grand Luna, and finally at me. He didn't look angry. He looked like a man who was counting the cost of a war.

​"You've made a very expensive mistake, Alphas," Silas said, adjusting his coat. He looked at the Grand Luna. "I expect my deposit back by morning. Along with interest for this insult...and also, try to fix the mess in your house."

​He turned on his heel and walked out, his men following in a tight, silent formation.

​The doors slammed shut, leaving the four of us, and a shivering Elena, in the wreckage of the dining room.

​The Grand Luna turned to us, her face a mask of pure, unadulterated hatred. "You have destroyed us," she whispered, her voice shaking. "You have bankrupted this family for an Omega and a madwoman’s lies."

​"We saved ourselves, even if I don't know what's true or not, one thing is for sure." Noah said, his voice firm as he turned to look at me.

“No harm will come to Aria."

​But as I looked at Elena, who was now sobbing on the floor, and then at the Grand Luna, I realized the war hadn't ended. It had just changed fronts.

​"Tell us everything, Elena," Noah commanded, stepping toward her. "Or I’ll let my mother deal with you after all.”