The Night He Marked Me

CHAPTER THREE

💐 CHAPTER THREE 💐

“I do not…I don’t understand.” I actually did, but my mind was still swirling with shock, confusion, and so many questions mixed together.

Why? How? What…what the hell does this mean?

I’ve always played around the idea…the fantasy of finding my fated mate. The person whose soul was meant to complete mine and I’ve worked for Alpha Cian for months. As hot as he was, never in my wildest imagination did it occur to me that he would be my mate.

My mate…

My boss, is my mate. Somehow I had gone from running from an unwanted marriage to finding out that my boss is my mate.

Fuck.

I yanked my hand away from his hold and leaned back, in an attempt to out as much distance between us as I could in that moment.

Cian noticed this and scowled.

“You belong to me now.” There was no question in his words, no room for negotiation.

Just certainty that settles into my bones like molten steel.

The mate bond hums between us,getting stronger by the minute and impossible to ignore.

“Cian—”

“No.” He moves around his desk with predatory grace. “ You’re mine, Zaya. That means something.”

Why wasn’t he freaking out?

“Why aren’t you freaking out? You just found out your worker is your mate and you are suddenly okay with it? No surprises? How come you are just accepting it instantly.”

“Who am I to fight the will of the moon goddess?” He asked with a hint of a smile on his face but I shook my head.

“You do not even like me. You’ve always been rude to me.”

“I’m sure everyone who has come in contact with me will tell you that I’m pretty rude with everyone.”

He was actually making jokes…as if…as if there was something specially funny about this.

Why does he just look so relaxed?

“What about Thorne? My family won’t just—”

“Let me worry about them.” He stops in front of me, close enough that I have to tilt my head back to meet his eyes. “You’re under my protection now. In my territory. No one touches what’s mine.”

Heat floods my cheeks at the claim. “I’m not a possession.”

His mouth curves into something that might be a smile. “No. You’re something far more valuable.” He extends his hand. “Sleep. I’m taking you home once day breaks.”

Home.

The word catches in my throat as I place my hand in his. His fingers close around mine with gentle firmness, and I wonder if this is what safety feels like.

The next day…

The drive to his estate passes in comfortable silence, his hand resting possessively on my thigh.

Through the window, I watch manicured lawns give way to dense forest, then back to sprawling grounds that speak of old money and older power.

“How big is your territory?” I ask as we pass through iron gates.

“Large enough.” His thumb traces circles on my leg. “You’ll have everything you need here.”

The house—no, mansion—rises before us like something from a fairy tale. All stone and soaring windows, with ivy crawling up the walls like it’s been there for centuries.

“It’s beautiful.”

“It’s yours now too.” He parks and comes around to open my door, another small courtesy that makes my chest tight. “Ready?”

I’m not, but I nod anyway.

The front door opens before we reach it, revealing a middle-aged woman with silver-streaked hair and kind eyes.

Her smile falters when she sees me.

“Alpha.” She dips her head respectfully. “We weren’t expecting—”

“Mrs. Harper, this is Zaya. My mate.” The words roll off his tongue like he’s been saying them for years.

“She’ll be staying here permanently.”

The woman’s eyes widen. “Your mate? But Alpha, what about—”

“What about what?” His voice drops to a dangerous level.

Mrs. Harper glances between us, clearly flustered.

“Perhaps we should discuss this privately?”

“There’s nothing to discuss.” Cian’s hand finds the small of my back. “Zaya, this is Mrs. Harper, my housekeeper. She’ll help you get settled.”

Before Mrs. Harper can respond, footsteps echo from the hallway.

A tall man in an expensive suit approaches, his face a mask of barely controlled panic.

“Cian, thank god you’re here. Victoria’s been calling all morning asking about the wedding arrangements. Apparently her mother wants to move the ceremony to—” He stops short when he notices me. “Oh. I didn’t realize you had company.”

The temperature in the room drops ten degrees.

“Marcus, meet my mate, Zaya.”

Marcus goes pale. “Your what?”

“You heard me.”

“But that’s impossible. You’re engaged to Victoria Ashford. The contracts are signed, the alliance is—”

I freeze.

Engaged? He had a fiancé? Dear goddess why does this just keep getting complicated?

Cian’s fingers tightened on mu wrist in a what I interpreted as a reassuring gesture.

But I didn’t feel reassured.

“The alliance is Void.” Cian’s voice could cut glass. “As of this moment.”

“You can’t be serious.” Marcus runs a hand through his graying hair. “Do you have any idea what this will do to the pack? The Ashford alliance was crucial for—”

“I don’t care.”

The finality in those four words makes everyone flinch. Including me.

“Cian,” Marcus tries again, his voice strained.

“Think about this rationally. You can’t throw away years of negotiation for—”

“For my mate?” The Alpha power in his voice makes my knees weak. “Watch your next words very carefully, Marcus.”

An uncomfortable silence stretches between them. I can feel Mrs. Harper’s eyes on me, measuring, evaluating. Probably wondering what kind of woman could upend their Alpha’s carefully laid plans.

“The pack won’t understand,” Marcus says finally. “Victoria is well-connected, educated, trained for this role. She’s—”

“Whatever the f**k she is…she is Not my mate.” Cian’s hand tightens on my back. “Zaya is.”

“But she’s—” Marcus catches himself before finishing the sentence, but I can guess what he was going to say. She’s nobody. She’s nothing. She’s not good enough.

“She’s what?” The threat in Cian’s voice is unmistakable.

Marcus swallows hard. “She’s very lovely, of course. It’s just… the timing is complicated.”

“Then uncomplicate it.”

“Cian, please.” A new voice joins the conversation—a woman in her forties with perfectly styled blonde hair and cold blue eyes. “Surely we can discuss this like civilized adults.”

My stomach drops. I don’t need an introduction to know who this is.

“Victoria.” Cian’s greeting is neutral, but his body tenses beside me.

She glides into the room like she owns it, her gaze sliding over me with barely concealed disdain. “I see you’ve brought home a stray.”

The casual cruelty in her tone makes my wolf bristle.

Beside me, Cian goes very still.

“Victoria,” he says quietly. “I’d suggest you choose your words more carefully.”

She laughs, the sound like breaking crystal. “Oh, come now. We’re all adults here. Surely your little… dalliance… doesn’t need to disrupt our arrangement?”

“This isn’t a dalliance.” His voice is deadly calm. “Zaya is my mate.”

“How convenient.” Victoria’s smile is sharp enough to draw blood. “Right before our wedding. One might think you’re looking for an excuse to back out of your responsibilities.”

“One might think a lot of things. Most of them would be wrong.”

The tension in the room is suffocating. I can see Mrs. Harper wringing her hands, Marcus looking like he’s aged ten years in the past five minutes, and Victoria studying me like I’m an insect she’d like to squash.

“Well,” Victoria says finally. “I suppose we’ll see how long this little infatuation lasts.@

The dismissive tone makes something snap inside me. “I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you.” I say quietly.

Victoria’s eyes flash dangerously. “Excuse me?”

“I said what I said.”

“How dare you—”

“Victoria.” Cian’s voice cuts through her rising anger. “You’re in my house, speaking to my mate. I’d remember that if I were you.”

She straightens, fury radiating from every line of her body. “This isn’t over, Cian.”

“Yes,” he says calmly. “It is.”

She storms out, her heels clicking angrily on the marble floor. Marcus follows after a moment, muttering something about damage control.

Mrs. Harper clears her throat. “I’ll… prepare a room for Miss Zaya.”

“The Luna suite,” Cian corrects. “She’ll be staying with me.”

Heat floods my cheeks, but Mrs. Harper just nods. “Of course, Alpha.”

When we’re alone, I slump against the wall. “Well, that went well.”

Cian’s mouth quirks upward. “That was actually better than I expected.”

“Really?” I stare at him. “Your fiancée basically declared war on me, your advisor looks like he’s having a heart attack, and your housekeeper thinks you’ve lost your mind.”

“Have I?” He steps closer, caging me against the wall with his arms. “Lost my mind?”

The mate bond pulses between us, hot and insistent. “Maybe we both have.”

“Good.” He leans down until his forehead rests against mine. “I’ll handle the fallout, Zaya. All of it. You just focus on being here. Being mine.”