Marked By Two

The unholy alliance

​Third Person POV

​The luxury of the guest wing had become a tomb for Elena. The walls were covered in silk and adorned with gold leaf, felt as though they were closing in on her with every breath she took. She paced the length of the room, her fingers knotting together so tightly her knuckles were white.

​"I’m pregnant," she whispered to the empty room, her voice cracking. "I’m really pregnant."

​She had spent years playing the part Julian had scripted for her, but the irony was a blade in her gut—now that she finally had the one thing that could bind her to the Vaelor line, no one believed her. She was a liar who had finally told a truth that had come too late.

​A soft, metallic click echoed through the room.

​Elena froze, her eyes moving to the heavy oak door. It hadn't been unlocked from the outside by a guard. Instead, the handle turned slowly, and the door slipped open just enough for a slim figure to come in through the shadows.

​It was Maeve.

​She wasn't wearing the hospital gown anymore. She was dressed in a simple, dark slip-dress that made her look like a ghost moving through the moonlight. She closed the door silently behind her, her expression unreadable.

​"Maeve?" Elena gasped, taking a step back. "How did you get past the guards? Did Cassian send you?"

​Maeve didn't answer immediately. She walked toward the table, her fingers trailing over Elena’s expensive perfumes. She picked up a crystal bottle, turning it over in the light. "The guards are easily distracted by a woman who looks like she’s about to faint. Men are so predictable in their heroics."

​She looked at Elena then, and there was no warmth in her eyes, none of the victimhood she had displayed in the medical wing.

​"You're hysterical, Elena. It's making you loud," Maeve said softly.

​"I have to get out of here," Elena sobbed, moving toward her. "You have to help me. I have to talk to the Grand Luna. She’ll understand. If I’m carrying the heir, she won't let her sons cast me out."

​Maeve let out a soft, chilling laugh. She set the perfume bottle down and stepped into Elena’s space. "You think the Grand Luna is your savior? You poor, deluded girl. If you really are carrying a Vaelor child, you’re more of a threat to her now than you ever were as Julian’s puppet."

​Elena blinked, her chest heaving. "What are you talking about?"

​"The Grand Luna doesn't want an heir she can't control," Maeve whispered, her voice like a velvet noose. "If that baby is real, She’ll wait until you’re far enough along to confirm it, and then she’ll find a way to make sure the mother disappears so she can raise the child herself. You aren't a fiancé anymore, Elena. You're an incubator. And once the debt with the North is settled, you'll be a loose end."

​Elena’s face went pale. She collapsed onto the edge of the bed, her hand instinctively shielding her stomach. "She... she wouldn't."

​"She would. She’s already done it once tonight with Aria," Maeve said, leaning over her. "But I can help you. I can get you out of this estate before the Grand Luna’s men come for you in the morning. I know the forest paths better than anyone. I know where Julian’s old contacts are hiding."

​Elena looked up, a glimmer of hope appearing in her eyes. "Why? Why would you help me?"

​Maeve reached out, tucking a loose strand of blonde hair behind Elena’s ear. The gesture was almost sisterly, but the look in her eyes was cold and transactional.

​"Because you know things I need to know," Maeve said. "The Mark on Aria’s neck. Julian did something to her back in the village, something that made it come up. He told you how he did it, didn't he? He told you why it’s draining her."

​Elena swallowed hard. "He... he said it was a trigger. A way to make her feel like she was dying so she’d cling to whoever saved her. He wanted her to be dependent on him."

​Maeve’s eyes sharpened. It wasn't about magic; it was about control. About breaking a woman down until she was nothing but a vessel. "Tell me exactly what he did. Every word he whispered to her. Everything he used. You give me the key to Aria’s condition, and I’ll give you your freedom."

​Elena looked at the door, then back at Maeve. She was choosing between two predators, but Maeve offered a way out of the cage.

​"Fine," Elena whispered, her voice trembling. "I'll tell you. But we leave tonight."

​Maeve smiled, a sharp, thin expression that never reached her eyes. "Tonight, Elena. By the time the brothers realize Aria isn't waking up, we’ll be long gone.”