Chapter 04# The Almighty Marco Reyes
1410 Words
I moved away from him. I walked to corner of the treehouse.
I sensed something was different. After he bit me on the neck.
My body felt hot.
Like it was on fire.
“What are you doing?” I asked, clutching my head.
Everything felt heavy in my head. Even a gentle breeze made me feel suffocated.
“Carlota, you mustn’t move away. You must always stay close to me,” said Marco as he walked toward me.
“Stop! Don’t come near me!”
“Just do as I say. You’re in the early stages of your transformation into Luna de Diamante. Since I am your mate now, the first rule of your life is that you cannot be apart from me.”
“Damn it!”
Marco’s golden eyes still shone. He seemed stronger. I could feel it.
He reached out his hand.
I shook my head. My heart was pounding fast. My breath grew shorter. My head felt like it was being pierced by thousands of needles.
Marco waited for me. He drew closer to me with his hand.
I growled in anger. My body was about to explode. It was too hot and painful!
Marco growled in frustration. As if he were feeling the pain with me. “I can’t wait for you.”
He pulled me in with a swift, perfect motion. He gripped my hips. I couldn’t go anywhere.
“Let me go!!!”
“Shhh… pay attention to your body. Feel the pain decrease drastically.”
I waited.
Just a few seconds later. It felt like I was under a cloudy sky with a cool breeze.
My head didn’t hurt anymore.
Why is this happening?!
I tried to push him away. To break free.
“Awww!!!” I screamed as my head felt like it was being struck by a huge rock.
Marco pulled me back. “How could you try that a second time? Relax, beautiful. Everything will be fine as long as you keep touching me.”
I clutched his arm. My hair was a mess. From behind my hair, I stared at him. “Mating isn’t supposed to be like this, is it?”
Marco shook his head. He smoothed my hair. “Everyone else turns into a werewolf and feels the pain. Meanwhile, you’re mating and turning into a werewolf at the same time. You’re just different.”
“Is this a curse?” I asked innocently.
How could I trust Marco Reyes? We’ve never been close. Not to mention the rest of his Pack.
“No. It’s just that you’ll be a target for a lot of people.”
“A target?”
Marco looked outside. “We’d better go back to my mansion. I’ll explain everything.”
“You did this on purpose while the elders were away. Pablo’s gone. You took advantage of the situation!”
“Your parents didn’t tell you anything else. Neither did Pablo, your parents’ favorite son.”
He didn’t need to say that.
I already hated my parents.
This time, he definitely wanted me to hate Pablo.
“Besides, our priority is your pain. There’s no point in you going home. Your medicine,” he said, pointing at himself, “is me.”
If I ran right now, Marco could catch me instantly. With those intense eyes of his, there’s no way I could escape.
Marco then whispered. “Don’t forget… your Pack is still out there.”
Marco was truly cunning.
I had to go with him.
***
The Reyes Pack Mansion was like a palace. Silver-colored marble tiles. High ceilings. All the furniture was spotless and gleaming as if it had never been used.
To enter this Mansion, you had to pass through a forest.
I have no idea how I’ll get out of here. I’ve truly fallen into a hole and can’t get out.
“Don’t stray too far,” Marco muttered. “The maximum distance between us is three meters.”
I followed him from behind.
A mansion that’s very dark and mysterious. Just like its owner.
He opened a room on the third floor.
“This is our room.”
What?
Everything looks like a bridal suite.
“Did you prepare this?”
Marco nodded, happy yet sad. “You were supposed to have been living here for the past three years. But your parents threatened me.”
“Threatened?” I asked, feeling a chill run down my spine.
Marco closed the door.
The room turned out to be incredibly fragrant. Like the scent of roses. My favorite flower.
Is this a coincidence?
“Your parents wouldn’t let me get close to you, talk to you, or do anything to make the match happen.”
“Why did they have to threaten you?”
Marco’s eyes grew even more serious. “Do you remember Javier Zapata? The guy you guys talked about at the dinner table?”
Of course he’d heard about him.
“What does that man have to do with all this?”
“They want to trade you for power, beautiful.”
My parents are indeed power-hungry. But I don’t believe they’d stoop this low.
“I don’t believe it.”
“They asked a witch. To cast a spell—unfortunately, I found out too late. They knew the spell would make you sick if I got close to you.”
“A sorcerer? Did you just watch an urban legend movie from a thousand years ago?”
Marco narrowed his eyes. “You don’t believe they exist? They do.”
I must be dreaming.
Tomorrow, all of this will surely be nothing but a mirage.
“Then?”
Marco chuckled. “But they don’t know. I killed that sorcerer a few days ago.”
He wasn’t joking.
Witches must really do exist.
“You’re free. You can mate with whoever you choose.”
I shook my head. My lips felt dry as I listened to this terrifying story. “You’re lying. You can’t choose your mate. We have to mate with the person destined for us.”
Marco looked at me with a hint of sadness. “That’s true for others. But for you, it’s different. You can choose whoever you want.”
I laughed. “So you mean I can choose the werewolf I like?”
Marco nodded, though he seemed reluctant to admit it.
I folded my arms. I didn’t feel a single bit of pain. We were only a meter apart.
Marco was right about this.
“But you bit me. We’re connected now, aren’t we?”
“Yes,” Marco replied briefly, though it felt like he was hiding something. “You’ll stay here, and I’ll help you blend in with everyone.”
I couldn’t imagine sitting with all of them. “You mean the entire Reyes Pack—cold, stiff, and way too exclusive?”
“What kind of vibes are we giving off?”
The Reyes Pack never thinks about other packs. They’re at the top of the pyramid.
“You can change your clothes. All your clothes are in that closet,” he said, pointing to the large black closet next to the bathroom.
“What are you going to do with our pack?”
Marco pulled my hand. Leading me into the bathroom. Turning on the cold water.
He leaned against the glass. “They’ll be prisoners.”
I knew this would happen!
“You’re truly heartless!”
“If I were heartless, I’d have wiped them all out, Carlota.”
What’s the difference?
“What do you want so they can be free?”
Marco sighed. “I don’t want our relationship to always be about negotiations.”
“You started it. I’m just continuing because I’m not as strong as you.”
Marco growled softly. Whether it was his own voice or the wolf’s.
Staring at the water filling the bathtub, he seemed lost in thought. “We have to go through the second process.”
“The second process?”
Marco walked over. He touched the bite mark on my neck. A mark that felt so cool when he touched it with his fingers.
“Yes. The second process. You’ll do it for their sake, won’t you?”
Playing with fire isn’t my forte.
Playing with Marco Reyes isn’t my forte either.
But my gut tells me a major problem is waiting.
This is just the beginning.
- Writer
