Chapter Five: Cracks In The Foundation
1030 Words
The sun was just coming up when Marcus came back to the cabin. He had a bag with him. Vera was already awake. She was sitting on the bed with her knees up. She looked suspicious.
"Are you ready to see the truth?" Marcus asked.
Vera stood up slowly. She looked up at Marcus.
"I am ready to watch you fail, " she said.
Marcus did not argue, he just smiled. He took some things out of the bag: a letter, a small knife and a paper with names.
Vera took a step closer. She did not want to. She was curious. The bond between her and Marcus was pulling her.
Marcus pointed to the letter. "This is from your father. Read the line."
Vera took the letter. She read it. Her stomach felt funny. The letter said:
"Make it look like Shadow Pack’s work. We will get their land."
Vera's hands were shaking. "This could be fake, " she said. "You could have written this."
Marcus watched her closely. "The smell on the paper is your father's. You know how strong it is. Smell it."
Vera smelled the paper and froze. It carried her father’s scent.
"No, " she said. "This proves nothing. You could have taken something with his smell."
Immediately, someone knocked on the door.
One of Marcus’s warriors entered. “Alpha, the Crescent wolves are here. Her father is with them. They want her back.”
The air in the cabin felt thick.
Vera's heart was beating fast. Her pack was coming. Her father was coming. She felt scared and happy at the time.
If they found her with Marcus there would be a fight... if Marcus was telling the truth…
Marcus's face was firm. "Tell them we have her. She is okay. Do not fight unless they start it."
The warrior left.
Marcus looked at Vera. "They are here faster than I thought. Your father is not waiting."
Vera's mind was racing. This was her chance. She could scream, fight and demand to go. The letter was still on the table and she was not sure what to believe.
Vera stepped toward the door with defiance in her eyes. "Then take me to them. Let me go home. If you are so sure of your truth why hide me?" she said to Marcus.
Marcus moved fast blocking the door with his body. He did not touch her. Being close to him made Vera feel a strong connection. Her breath stopped for a moment. She could feel the heat coming from him. She could smell the scent of pine and smoke that made her knees feel weak.
"Because if you go back now Klaus will marry you off to Tyler immediately. Ignore every question you ask " Marcus said, his voice low and rough. ". I will not let my mate walk into a trap please."
"I am not your mate, " Vera said, her voice shaking. She tried to push past him. Her shoulder touched his chest. The touch sent a spark through her body. She pulled back like she had been burned. " Even if this letter is real, I still do not believe, my father would have good reasons. You do not know him like I do."
Marcus's eyes became darker. "I know enough. He killed his mate to start a war for more land. And now he is willing to sell his daughter to strengthen his power, why don't you believe me?"
Vera's chest was filled with anger and confusion. She wanted to scream at him, to scratch his face, to run to the border where her pack was looking for her. Doubt had taken root in her mind.
"What do you want from me?" she whispered, her voice harsh.
"Stay a little. Look at the rest of the proof. Talk to the witness tonight. Then decide, please, " Marcus said.
Outside, the wolves from the Crescent pack were calling her name. The sound kept making her feel unsure of what decision to make.
Vera pressed her lips together. The small mark above her mouth stood out as she fought back tears of frustration. "If you are lying, Marcus Kane, I swear I will kill you myself."
Marcus gave her a sad smile. "If I am lying, I will let you."
The howls rose again. This time they were closer. They were not far fifteen minutes away at most. Vera could imagine her father's warriors crashing through the underbrush, Tyler at his side with their weapons drawn.
Her heart was slamming against her ribs.
Marcus's jaw was clenched hard. He moved fast, grabbing the letter and the blade from the table and putting them back into the satchel. "They are here."
Vera's breath was coming quickly. She stepped toward the door on instinct. Marcus blocked her path again, his large frame filling the space. The connection between them flared violently hot and impossible to ignore.
"Do not " he warned, his voice low and rough. "If you run to them now, Klaus will spin this however he wants. You will never get the chance to see the rest of the proof."
She glared up at him. "Then what? You expect me to hide while my own pack is there looking for me? While my father thinks I have been taken by the monster who killed my mother?"
Marcus's stormy gray eyes locked onto hers, intense and unyielding. "I expect you to choose, Vera. Right now. Come with me willingly. See the witness tonight or else, I have no choice but….."
The howls echoed again closer. Twigs snapped in the distance. Voices carried faintly on the wind.
Time was up.
Vera's hands were trembling at her sides. Everything she had believed her entire life was falling apart under the weight of that letter and the scent she could not deny. Admitting any of it felt like betrayal.
"I hate you " she whispered, her voice cracking.
Marcus's expression softened for a moment. "I know."
He reached for her arm, not roughly. With clear intent. "We need to move. Now!"
Outside, the sound of running paws grew louder.
The hunt had reached their doorstep.
- Writer
