Marks and Lies
1677 Words
The kiss lasted exactly three seconds.
Three catastrophic, life-ruining seconds.
Then Lily did what any rational woman would do after being ambushed by a six-foot-four Alpha werewolf with terrible communication skills and dangerously good lips.
She slapped him.
Hard.
The crack echoed through the warehouse.
Silence followed.
Marcus slowly turned his head back toward her.
His golden eyes blinked once.
Lily's palm stung.
Worth it.
Absolutely worth it.
Jace looked delighted.
Her mother looked horrified.
Marcus looked...
Confused.
Which somehow annoyed her even more.
"What was that for?" he asked.
Lily stared.
Actually stared.
"Did you seriously just ask me that?"
"You kissed me back."
"I was having a psychological breakdown!"
Marcus considered this.
Apparently deciding whether it was a valid excuse.
Lily wanted to throw something at him again.
Instead she pointed dramatically toward the warehouse exit.
"You."
Point.
"Alpha psychopath."
Point.
"Outside."
Marcus crossed his arms.
"No."
Of course.
Why did every werewolf treat the word no like a personal challenge?
Before Lily could continue the argument, her mother suddenly cleared her throat.
Both wolves immediately looked away from each other.
Interesting.
Apparently even supernatural apex predators feared awkward family situations.
Good to know.
She would weaponize that later.
Unfortunately, Marcus ruined her plans by announcing:
"You're coming with me."
Lily laughed.
Nobody else did.
The laughter slowly died.
"Oh God. You're serious."
"Very."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"Stop that."
"Then stop arguing."
Lily hated him.
Possibly.
Mostly.
Probably.
An hour later she found herself sitting inside a black luxury SUV worth more than her entire college education.
Marcus drove.
Because naturally Alpha Kings apparently didn't believe in chauffeurs.
Her mother sat beside her in the back seat.
Sleeping.
Exhaustion had finally won.
Lily envied her.
She hadn't stopped thinking since the warehouse.
Especially about the kiss.
Which was extremely annoying.
Because she should have been thinking about werewolf conspiracies.
Not Marcus's mouth.
Stupid mouth.
Stupid Alpha.
Stupid hormones.
The SUV eventually left the city.
Forests swallowed the road.
Massive iron gates appeared.
The gates opened automatically.
Beyond them stood a mansion.
Not a house.
Not an estate.
A freaking mansion.
The place looked like Batman and a medieval king had collaborated on architecture.
Stone walls.
Towering windows.
Private forests.
Enough land to start a small country.
Lily stared.
"Compensating for something?"
Marcus didn't even glance at her.
"No."
"That wasn't a denial."
His mouth twitched.
Victory.
Small victory.
Still victory.
The mansion doors opened before they reached them.
Several wolves waited inside.
Real wolves.
Human wolves.
Whatever.
Pack members.
The moment Marcus entered, every single person lowered their head.
Immediately.
No hesitation.
No delay.
Pure instinctive submission.
The sheer authority rolling off him was unsettling.
One woman stepped forward.
Elegant.
Beautiful.
Older.
Dangerously composed.
"Alpha."
Marcus nodded once.
"Prepare the Luna Suite."
Lily stopped walking.
The what?
The woman froze too.
Just briefly.
But Lily noticed.
Everyone noticed.
Marcus kept walking.
As if he hadn't just dropped a nuclear bomb into the conversation.
"The Luna Suite?" Lily repeated.
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"Marcus."
He stopped.
Slowly turned.
The expression in his eyes suggested he was already tired.
Impressive.
Considering she'd only known him three days.
"You're staying there."
"Why?"
"Because it's the safest room in the territory."
Reasonable.
Unfortunately—
"No."
Marcus closed his eyes.
Taking a deep breath.
The universal sign of someone questioning their life choices.
"Why?"
"Because it's called the Luna Suite."
"And?"
"I'm not your Luna."
The entire entrance hall went silent.
Pack members suddenly became fascinated by walls.
Floors.
Air.
Anything except looking at their Alpha.
Marcus stared at her.
Then calmly said:
"You will be."
Lily nearly choked.
"No. Absolutely not."
Marcus walked away.
Conversation apparently over.
Infuriating man.
—
The Luna Suite was worse than she expected.
Much worse.
Because it wasn't empty.
It was preserved.
Frozen.
Like someone had simply stepped out and never returned.
The bedroom was enormous.
Elegant furniture.
Silver decorations.
Moon symbols carved into woodwork.
Fresh flowers.
Expensive perfume lingering faintly in the air.
A woman's presence remained everywhere.
Watching.
Waiting.
Haunting.
Lily immediately hated it.
"This isn't creepy at all."
Nobody answered.
Because she was alone.
Which somehow made it creepier.
She wandered through the suite.
Bedroom.
Sitting room.
Private library.
Dressing room bigger than her apartment.
Normal rich-people nonsense.
Then she found the photographs.
A beautiful blonde woman smiled from a silver frame.
Confident.
Elegant.
Possessive.
Standing beside Marcus.
His arm wrapped around her waist.
His expression softer than Lily had ever seen.
A painful sensation unexpectedly twisted in her chest.
Weird.
Very weird.
She ignored it.
Because she was definitely not jealous of a dead woman she'd never met.
That would be insane.
Completely insane.
She set the frame down.
Then noticed something tucked inside a drawer.
A journal.
Leather-bound.
Worn.
Private.
Lily hesitated.
For approximately two seconds.
Then opened it.
Curiosity was a disease.
The handwriting belonged to the woman in the photographs.
The former Luna.
Most entries seemed normal.
Pack matters.
Events.
Meetings.
Marcus.
Lots of Marcus.
Then the tone changed.
The entries became darker.
Obsessive.
Fearful.
Lily turned another page.
And froze.
One sentence filled the center.
Written so hard the pen had nearly torn through the paper.
The girl who bleeds moonlight will take everything from me.
A chill raced down her spine.
Another page.
She's real.
Another.
Marcus won't listen.
Another.
He protects her.
Another.
If she dies now, everything can still be saved.
Lily's pulse thundered.
The pages suddenly felt cold in her hands.
What girl?
What moonlight?
What was this?
A floorboard creaked behind her.
Lily spun.
Marcus stood in the doorway.
Watching.
His expression instantly hardened when he saw the journal.
Neither spoke.
The silence stretched.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
Finally Lily held up the book.
"Who was she talking about?"
Marcus already knew.
His jaw tightened.
"Lily."
"Who was she talking about?"
He didn't answer.
Which was answer enough.
Her stomach dropped.
"Me."
Still silence.
Confirmation.
The realization hit like a truck.
The journal slipped from her fingers.
"She knew about me?"
"Yes."
"When?"
"Years ago."
The room suddenly felt too small.
Too hot.
Too full of secrets.
Lily stepped toward him.
Anger replacing fear.
"Start talking."
"No."
She blinked.
"No?"
Marcus crossed his arms.
"You don't need that story."
"I absolutely do."
"No."
"Marcus!"
His eyes flashed.
Alpha authority exploded through the room.
The pressure was almost physical.
"Enough."
For one terrifying second, Lily understood why entire packs obeyed him.
Then she remembered she was stubborn.
Possibly terminally stubborn.
"No."
The pressure vanished.
Marcus stared.
Half irritated.
Half impressed.
Eventually he sighed.
"One week."
"What?"
"The Full Moon Ceremony."
Every instinct screamed warning.
"What ceremony?"
"You'll stand beside me."
Lily's stomach sank.
"No."
"You'll become my Luna."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
She grabbed a pillow.
Threw it.
Marcus caught it effortlessly.
Of course.
"I am not becoming anything."
His gaze remained steady.
"You don't understand what's coming."
"Then explain it."
"I can't."
"Why?"
A shadow crossed his face.
Pain.
Regret.
Something darker.
Before he could answer, the lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then darkness swallowed the room.
Lily froze.
A familiar voice emerged from the shadows.
"Because he's a coward."
Marcus growled instantly.
"Jace."
Silver eyes appeared near the balcony.
Jace stepped forward.
Like a ghost walking through moonlight.
"Oh good."
Lily threw up her hands.
"The stalker is back."
Jace smirked.
"Missed you too."
Marcus moved between them.
Protective.
Possessive.
Threatening.
Jace ignored him.
His gaze settled on Lily.
"You want answers?"
"Yes."
"Then listen carefully."
Marcus's voice dropped.
"Dangerous choice."
Jace smiled.
"She's already living with your choices."
The words hit harder than they should.
Because Marcus didn't argue.
Jace stepped closer.
"The former Luna wasn't murdered because Marcus got bored."
Lily's heart pounded.
"What happened?"
For the first time, Jace looked completely serious.
"She discovered you."
Silence.
"Years ago."
Lily couldn't breathe.
"She learned a Lunar Blood child existed."
Another pause.
"Then she tried to kill you."
The room spun.
No.
No way.
That couldn't be—
"She found where you were hiding."
Jace's silver eyes never left hers.
"She intended to murder you before your powers awakened."
Marcus remained silent.
Which terrified her.
Because it meant Jace was telling the truth.
"What happened next?" Lily whispered.
Jace's expression darkened.
"Marcus executed her."
The words landed like a bomb.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Lily stared at Marcus.
The Alpha stood perfectly still.
Not denying it.
Not defending it.
Just accepting it.
The silence confirmed everything.
He had killed her.
To save Lily.
Years before they'd ever met.
Or at least before she'd remembered meeting him.
Questions exploded through her mind.
Too many.
Far too many.
One finally rose above the rest.
The biggest question.
The oldest question.
The one nobody would answer.
Lily turned toward Marcus.
Her voice shook.
"You know who my parents are."
Marcus looked away.
Just briefly.
That was all she needed.
"You do."
Silence.
Her pulse hammered.
"You know who my real parents are."
Still silence.
The truth was right there.
She could feel it.
Waiting.
Hidden.
Bleeding through every lie.
Lily stepped closer.
"Marcus."
Nothing.
"Look at me."
Slowly.
Reluctantly.
He did.
Golden eyes met hers.
Filled with centuries of regret.
"Marcus."
Her voice broke.
"You knew my father."
A muscle jumped in his jaw.
The answer was yes.
"Oh my God."
Everything suddenly connected.
The wolves.
The protection.
The secrets.
The obsession.
The guilt.
Lily's chest tightened.
One final question remained.
The most terrifying one.
"Did you kill him?"
The room went completely silent.
Even Jace stopped moving.
Marcus closed his eyes.
For a long time, nobody spoke.
When he finally opened them again, something inside him looked broken.
Defeated.
Ancient.
His voice emerged rough and raw.
Barely above a whisper.
"Your father is dead because of me."
Lily felt the world tilt.
Marcus took a slow breath.
Then said the words that shattered everything.
"I killed him."
Her heart stopped.
Marcus's eyes never left hers.
"Because I fell in love with his daughter."
Outside the door, hidden within the shadows, Jace Nightshade slowly smiled.
- Writer
