Too Late, Alpha. She's Already Someone Else's

Chapter 6

Morning light crept across the edge of the bed while I stayed tucked beneath the soft blankets. My shoulders and neck ached with a soft, lingering soreness from the night before.

A deep, unfamiliar contentment settled over me. For the first time, the mate bond created by the Moon Goddess didn't feel like a chain.

Last night had been my choice. I was sure of that.

'Don't be afraid,' I told myself.

This wasn't the kind of intimacy I used to endure because I thought I had no choice. Even with my emotions tangled, the decision had still been mine. I couldn't deny the pull of the mate bond or whatever feelings I still carried for Jude, but no one had pushed me into this moment.

Near dawn, I sat up and brushed my fingers over my neck. Bite marks overlapped the darker mate mark, bold and unmistakable against my skin. For a high-ranking Alpha, there was no more direct way to declare that his mate was his alone.

I didn't reach for a turtleneck to hide them. Instead, I chose a blouse with a lower neckline and let the marks show in the morning light.

When my fingertips passed over the bites, the skin beneath them still felt faintly warm. A mate mark could react to the emotions carried through the bond, and the intensity of the previous night hadn't completely faded.

When I went downstairs, Elowen was tugging at Jude's sleeve and whining. He rested a hand on the top of her head to settle her, but his gaze went straight to my neck and stayed there.

Satisfaction flashed in his eyes. It was the possessiveness of a powerful Alpha, rooted deep in instinct. He believed that after everything we had argued about, I would still obediently remain at his side.

I ignored him, slipped on my shoes, and left.

Before stepping outside, I touched the side of my neck again without thinking. I still wasn't used to the mark. It felt ingrained in me, and I knew it wouldn't truly fade anytime soon.

When Elowen realized I wouldn't respond to her whining, she went back to clinging to Jude's sleeve, seemingly unaware that the mood in the house had changed.

At Business Headquarters, I ran into Clarice in the hallway. She wore a sharp suit and a gentle smile, moving with the easy confidence of someone whose day was going exactly as planned.

Then her eyes dropped to the marks on my neck.

Clarice froze. She clutched her document folder so tightly that her knuckles whitened, and her nostrils flared as she caught the scent of the fresh mate mark.

"Good morning, Clarice," I said, as though nothing were wrong.

She stood frozen for several seconds before forcing a stiff smile. After a hurried nod, she brushed past me, all her usual composure gone.

At noon, I met Jemma in the employee cafeteria.

"You look a lot better than you did before," she said quietly.

I nodded. "There's no point draining myself for people who aren't worth it."

Jemma took a bite of her sandwich and leaned closer. "Everyone at headquarters has been talking about the border hotels. They say the construction crews are moving fast. You've really thrown yourself into this."

A few moments later, a tall man stopped at our table. Conversation around the cafeteria died away as people instinctively made room for him.

I looked up into a pair of deep-set eyes.

It was Kael Sinclair.

He pulled out a chair and sat as if he didn't notice the attention around him. His ability to ignore an entire room watching him only made everyone else more tense.

I had helped him 5 years ago, when he had been struggling and nearly alone. Now he was one of the most powerful figures among the surrounding packs. His strength and status had long since surpassed Jude's, and even powerful Alphas treated him with caution and respect.

He sat across from me. "It's been a long time, Morwen."

I paused, surprised that after 5 years he still remembered my name and spoke to me so naturally despite the difference in our status.

His scent was unusual. For an Alpha who had spent years fighting beyond his own territory, there was no trace of smoke, blood, or old violence on him. He smelled clean and cool, like cedar.

"I can tell your marriage isn't a happy one," he said directly.

Even with his power held in check, the difference in rank between us was impossible to miss. There was no hostility in him, only the unmistakable fact that he was far stronger than I was.

I suppressed my surprise and changed the subject. "This is my friend Jemma, one of the core members of Black Pine Pack."

After a brief exchange, we went our separate ways. That afternoon, Jude summoned me to his office.

"Sit," he said without expression.

Then he slid a gift box across the desk. "I went too far last night. Consider this compensation. And I've approved the 7 million dollars you requested for the renovation."

I raised a brow in surprise. Jude never truly apologized. This was one of his usual tactics: throw money at the problem and hope my resentment would fade until I fell back into line.

I accepted the box with a nod, said nothing more, and left.

After work, a black Maybach was parked by the curb. The window lowered, and Kael looked at me through the opening. Even through the glass, the force of his Alpha presence hit hard enough that pedestrians nearby hurried past.