THE ALPHA'S REJECTED MATE

THE COUNCIL SEES THE MARK

CHAPTER 8: THE COUNCIL SEES THE MARKS

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

"ALPHA! OPEN THE DOOR!"

Damian shot off the bed like he’d been burned.

"Get dressed," he hissed. "Now."

My hands were shaking.

I was in his t-shirt. It smelled like him. Cedar and pain and last night.

And my neck. God. My neck.

I scrambled to the mirror.

Silver lines. Faint but there.

Trailing from my collarbone up to my jaw.

Mate marks. From his fever. From me holding him all night.

They looked like jewelry.

They looked like ownership.

"Cover it," Damian said, already buttoning his shirt. Face blank. Alpha mask back on. "High collar. Scarf. Anything."

But the dress for today was backless. For the fitting.

The knocking got louder. "WE KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE!"

I grabbed a silk robe from his chair. His robe. Drowned in it.

Pulled it tight to my throat.

"Ready?" he asked. Not looking at me.

"No."

He nodded once. And opened the door.

---

The living room was full.

12 elders. Luna Selene. Serena in the corner, smirking.

And 30 pack members craning their necks from the doorway.

They all looked at us.

At me in his robe.

At him, hair messy, jaw tight.

"Care to explain?" Luna Selene said, voice sweet as venom. "Why my son was in his room with a woman. All night."

The room went silent. You could hear breathing.

Damian stepped forward. "She was treating me. The Moonbane returned."

"Bullshit," Elder Rowan spat. "We smelled it. Her scent is all over you."

My face burned. Because it was true.

I could still smell myself on his sheets. On his skin.

Damian’s eyes flicked to me. Just once.

Then back to the council.

"Then let me make it simple for you," he said.

He walked to me.

Slow. Deliberate.

Every step echoed.

He stopped in front of me.

Reached up.

And with two fingers, he pulled down the collar of the robe.

The gasp in the room was loud enough to shake the walls.

The silver marks glowed in the morning light.

Bright. New. Undeniable.

Wrapping around my neck like a promise. Like a brand.

"Mate marks," Damian said. Loud. Clear. "Formed last night. While I was dying and she saved me."

Luna Selene went white. Serena’s smile dropped.

"This," Damian continued, thumb brushing over the mark on my throat. His touch was warm. Possessive. "This is what a real bond looks like. Not politics. Not arrangements. This."

I couldn’t breathe.

Because his hand was still there.

Because 50 people were watching.

Because part of me wanted to lean into it.

"She is my Luna," he said to the room. "Not in 2 days at the wedding. Now. Today."

He turned to me. Dropped to one knee.

Right there. In front of everyone.

"Ava Carter," he said. Voice low, only for me. But the room heard.

"Will you stand with me? As my Luna? As my mate?"

My heart was pounding so hard I thought it would break my ribs.

This was the moment.

Say yes, and I’m his. Publicly. Forever in their eyes.

Say no, and the pack dies. And he dies.

I looked at the marks on my neck. At his hand on my throat.

At the man who broke me, now on his knees for me.

Tears stung my eyes. I blinked them away.

"Yes," I whispered. "I will."

The room exploded.

Half cheers. Half outrage.

Damian stood. And before I could think, he pulled me to him.

One hand on my back. One hand tilting my chin up.

And he kissed me.

Not soft. Not sweet.

Claiming. Desperate. Like he’d been dying to for 3 years.

I tasted blood. His. Mine.

I tasted regret. And want.

And for 3 seconds, I forgot we were in a room full of people.

He pulled back. Forehead to mine. Breathing hard.

"The wedding is still in 2 days," he said to the council, not letting me go. "But the Luna is already chosen. Anyone who has a problem with that... can leave my pack."

Silence.

Then one by one, the elders walked out. Furious.

Only Luna Selene stayed.

She looked at me. At the marks. At his arm around me.

"This isn’t over," she whispered. Then left.

The door closed.

And we were alone again.

Damian dropped his hands like he’d been scalded.

"That was... necessary," he said. Not meeting my eyes. "For the pack."

"Right," I said. Voice hoarse. "For the pack."

But my neck was still burning where he touched me.

And my lips were still tingling from his kiss.

And the marks on my skin felt like they were glowing.

END OF CHAPTER 8

Word Count: ~1340

CLIFFHANGER: He claimed her publicly. He kissed her. The marks are real. But was it for the pack... or for him? BUY CHAPTER 9.