The Bloodline Seal

Chapter 8: The Pull Beneath the Seal

I could see the confusion in Mara’s eyes.

She walked beside me, almost jogging to keep up as we returned to the estate. Her gaze stayed fixed on the ground, and her sleeves covered most of her hands.

“Take a seat,” I told her when we reached my office.

She didn’t hesitate this time.

Mara lowered herself into one of the empty chairs, keeping her knees together and her shoulders drawn inward.

“Mara?”

Her back straightened.

Her heart began to race.

“I swear I don’t know,” she said quickly. “If I did, I would tell you.”

The words tumbled from her mouth as if they were the only things keeping her alive.

Something unfamiliar moved through me.

Guilt.

She shouldn’t have to fear answering a question from me.

*You’re upsetting her,* my wolf growled.

“I shouldn’t have shouted at you,” I said.

Mara’s eyes lifted slightly.

“You didn’t deserve that.”

I sat on the edge of my desk.

Then I remembered what she had told me at the hospital.

“You stole food?”

“I had to.”

The words were barely audible.

The more I learned about Silver Hollow, the more I hated the pack. When the time came, every person who had helped hurt Mara would answer for it.

But first, I needed the truth.

“Tell me about the woman at Rafe’s side.”

A flicker of anger crossed Mara’s face before disappearing.

I had seen the same reaction when the woman called her a rat.

“What do you want to know?” Mara asked.

“How long has she been with Rafe?”

“She has been there for as long as I can remember. Rafe is twelve years older than me. They knew each other before he became Alpha.”

“His true mate?”

Mara nodded.

“She was kind once,” she said. “Before I killed my parents. She used to bring me presents. Toys, mostly.”

Her fingers twisted together.

“Everything changed after she became Luna and I became nothing.”

“You didn’t kill your parents.”

Mara’s brow furrowed.

“And you are not nothing.”

She looked away.

“Talk to me.”

“I will be nothing when you cast me aside for someone else.”

I exhaled slowly.

“Raven told you about the women who came before you.”

Mara nodded.

“Raven needs to learn when to keep her mouth shut.”

She flinched.

I softened my voice.

“But she wasn’t completely wrong. There were women before you. Some wanted my title. Some wanted access to Ironveil. Some passed information back to their former packs.”

“And the others?”

“They left when they realized I wasn’t going to give them what they wanted.”

“Did you kill them?”

“No.”

The answer came more sharply than I intended.

“I don’t kill women because I lose interest in them. I send them away when I discover they cannot be trusted.”

Mara’s gaze remained lowered.

“I never marked any of them,” I continued. “I could never bring myself to do it.”

Her eyes lifted.

“Marked?”

“It’s a bond between an Alpha and his mate. It isn’t something I give casually.”

I didn’t tell her that I had considered marking her.

Not yet.

I still didn’t understand what drew me to her. I only knew that my wolf reacted to her in a way he had never reacted to anyone else.

Mara reached for the jar of cream.

She stood automatically and lifted the edge of her sweatshirt.

I moved closer.

“May I?”

She nodded.

My fingers brushed her skin, and her heart skipped.

Her eyes closed.

She did that often, as if looking at me made everything more real.

My hand paused over her abdomen.

“Breathe, Mara.”

She inhaled slowly.

Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes.

“I don’t want to die.”

Her eyes opened and locked onto mine.

It was the first time she had looked at me without immediately looking away.

Something inside me shifted.

My wolf surged forward.

*Mate.*

The word struck through my mind with enough force to make my control slip.

*Not possible,* I argued. *Her wolf is bound.*

*Mate.*

He pushed harder.

Mara’s eyes remained fixed on mine. Her tears stopped falling, but her breathing became uneven.

I couldn’t think with her standing so close.

“I have to—”

I stepped away from her.

She flinched at the sudden distance.

I turned and walked out of the office.

*Go back,* my wolf demanded. *Go back and mark her.*

I kept moving.

The more he pushed, the harder I fought to contain him.

I needed air.

I needed distance.

Most of all, I needed to remember that Mara was frightened, injured, and still learning that she was safe.

I couldn’t claim her simply because my wolf wanted to.

I crossed the grounds and headed toward the pack hospital.

Raven was asleep at the desk.

She startled when I woke her.

“What did you say to Mara?”

She rubbed her eyes. “She needed to know the truth.”

“You told her about the women before her.”

“I told her enough to prepare herself.”

“Prepare herself for what?”

Raven gave me a tired look. “For the possibility that you might find your true mate.”

“She has a name.”

“I know. Mara.”

“She isn’t like the others.”

Raven smiled. “That’s what you said about the last one.”

“This is different.”

“Why?”

I didn’t answer.

Because I already knew what my wolf believed.

Because Mara’s scent had followed me since the day I found her in the glasshouse.

Because when she looked directly at me, something inside me had recognized her.

Raven leaned against the desk.

“You really do like this one.”

“She isn’t a possession.”

“I didn’t say she was.”

I turned toward the door.

“Mara is under my protection.”

Raven’s smile softened. “That isn’t what I meant.”

I left before she could say more.

When I reached the estate, Mara’s scent was everywhere.

I had spent enough time away to give her the chance to leave if she wanted to.

She was still there.

I found her in my office, sitting in the same chair with her legs drawn to her chest.

My wolf pressed against my mind.

*Mate.*

I ignored him.

“Why are you still here?”

Mara’s gaze stayed lowered.

“You didn’t tell me to go anywhere.”

She swallowed.

“And I have nowhere to go.”

The words stripped the anger from me.

I looked around my office.

The papers on my desk were undisturbed, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t touched them.

“Did you look through my things?”

She shook her head.

“I don’t tolerate lies.”

“I didn’t look because…”

She dragged her teeth over her bottom lip.

Her cheeks flushed.

“I can’t read.”

I stared at her.

The answer was so unexpected that, for a moment, I didn’t know what to say.

“School?”

She shook her head.

Raven had tried to teach her, but Mara had struggled with every letter.

I should have guessed.

A girl forced into servitude at six would never have been given an education.

“You don’t need to lie about it,” I said.

Mara’s eyes filled with tears.

“I understand.”

Her voice broke.

“You regret choosing me. But please don’t kill me. I can work. I can clean. I can do anything you need. Just please don’t kill me.”

Something inside me cracked.

She still believed protection had to be earned.

That one mistake could make me turn against her.

I crossed the space between us and stopped in front of her.

“Mara, look at me.”

She hesitated.

Then slowly raised her eyes.

“I am not going to kill you.”

Her lips trembled.

“You don’t have to work for your place here. You don’t have to earn food, a room, or safety.”

I reached toward her face, then stopped before touching her.

“Can I?”

She stared at my hand.

After a long moment, she nodded.

I cupped her cheek gently.

Her skin was warm beneath my palm.

My wolf roared inside me.

*Mate.*

I leaned closer but stopped before my mouth touched hers.

Mara’s breath brushed against my lips.

Every instinct in me urged me to claim her.

But fear was still sitting in her eyes.

Not desire.

Not trust.

Fear.

I pulled back.

“Not until you know you can say no,” I whispered.

Mara’s eyes widened.

For the first time, she didn’t look away.