Marked By My Best Friend's Dad

Strange Feelings

~Iris

He caressed my face with the back of his knuckles, slow and deliberate, like he was memorizing every curve.

“You beautiful little wolf,” he murmured, voice rough with something that sounded almost like wonder.

Then his mouth crashed into mine, hard, hungry, no gentleness left. His teeth caught my lower lip, biting down sharp enough to break skin.

I moaned into him, the sting mixing with pleasure until blood bloomed between us, sliding with our saliva as our tongues tangled.

His hand slid up my side, slipping under the thin fabric of my gown without tearing it this time. His fingers found my breast, he cupped it possessively, thumb rolling over the n****e before he pinched hard.

Pleasure shot through me, sharp, but something snapped.

I jerked back, breaking the kiss, and slapped him across the face. The sound cracked loud in the quiet suite.

He didn’t flinch. He just touched the red mark blooming on his cheek and smiled slowly, dangerously.

I yanked my gown straight, hands shaking as I fixed the straps.

“Please,” I said, voice trembling but firm. “Let this end here. I’m grateful you got me back in school. If that’s the price and you want it paid in s*x, one time was enough.”

He tilted his head, eyes narrowing, that smile never leaving his lips.

“Are you trying to take the hard way now?” he asked, low and calm, like he wasn’t offering a choice at all, like my no didn’t matter.

I backed toward the door.

“I’ll find you,” he said, voice dropping to a growl. “I’ll hunt you down if you try to run, Iris.”

His eyes hardened.

I didn’t wait.

I turned and bolted, heels clicking fast across the marble, out of the suite, past the guards who didn’t dare stop me.

Down the elevator.

Into the night.

Running from the man who’d marked me.

Knowing deep down he wasn’t lying.

He would hunt me.

And part of me, God help me, I wasn’t sure I wanted to be caught… or if I wanted to keep running forever.

I boarded a cab outside the hotel, sliding into the back seat before the driver could even ask where to.

My hands were still shaking as I pulled down the visor mirror and wiped my face with the sleeve of my jacket, smearing away the smeared mascara, the swollen lips, the faint red marks from his grip.

I looked like I'd been crying, or worse. I couldn't let Alice see me like this.

"Academy dorms," I muttered to the driver, voice hoarse.

He nodded and pulled away from the curb. The city lights blurred past the window, but I barely saw them.

My neck throbbed where he'd exposed the mark, my lips stung from the bite, and between my legs... I shifted in the seat, hating how my body still hummed with the memory of him.

I couldn't do this again. I wouldn't.

By the time the cab rolled through the academy gates, I'd fixed my hair, smoothed my gown, and practiced a neutral expression in the reflection of my phone screen. Normal. Tired. Nothing happened.

I paid the driver and stepped out, the cool night air hitting my flushed skin like a slap. The dorm was quiet, most lights off, a few windows glowing.

Alice's Ferrari was parked in its spot, meaning she was already inside.

I took a deep breath, squared my shoulders, and headed up the stairs to our floor.

No one would know.

I repeated it like a mantra as I turned the key in the lock, praying Alice was asleep or at least distracted enough not to notice the way my pulse still raced, or the faint scent of him I couldn't quite scrub away.

I slipped into the dorm room as quietly as I could, easing the door shut behind me. My heels dangled from one hand, my bag slung over my shoulder.

The lights were low, but Alice was sitting up in bed, arms crossed, eyes fixed on me.

“You wanna escape telling me where you went and coming back this late?” she asked, voice sharp but laced with something hurt underneath.

I was so tired of excuses. Tired of lying. Tired of pretending everything was fine when nothing was.

I dropped my heels and bag on the floor with a soft thud, crossed the room in three strides, and closed the door fully behind me.

Then I grabbed her by the neck, gentle but firm and pulled her into me.

I kissed her hungrily, desperately, like I could pour all the chaos inside me into her mouth and make it quiet.

My tongue pushed past her lips, tasting her surprise, then her surrender as she kissed me back just as hard.

Her hands came up to my waist, gripping tight, pulling me closer until I was half on the bed, half straddling her.

This was familiar. This was safe. This was what I knew.

Even if my body still burned from another man’s touch.

Even if the mark on my neck pulsed with every beat of my heart, reminding me who it really wanted.

I kissed her deeper, trying to drown it all out, guilt, fear, the terrifying truth that I was already too far gone with her dad.

She moaned into my mouth, fingers sliding under my top, and for a moment, I let myself believe I could still choose her.

That I hadn’t already lost the fight.

The kiss turned frantic fast. Alice's hands slid up my back, nails digging in just enough to sting, pulling me down until I was fully on top of her, knees straddling her hips.

She tasted like salt and the cherry lip balm she always used, the familiar flavor I'd craved for years.

I kissed her deeper, trying to lose myself in it, trying to erase the memory of his mouth, his teeth, his threats.

She arched up into me, moaning softly, fingers tangling in my hair. "Iris," she whispered against my lips, voice thick with need. "I've missed you like this."

I didn't answer. I couldn't. I just kissed her harder, sliding a hand under her tank top, cupping her breast, thumb brushing over her n****e until she gasped.

Her legs wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer, and for a moment it worked, the heat between us built, familiar and safe.

But then the mark on my neck pulsed, hot and insistent, like it knew I was trying to forget.

I broke the kiss, breathing hard, forehead pressed to hers.

She looked up at me, eyes dark, lips swollen. "Don't stop," she murmured, hand sliding down to the button of my jeans. "Please. I need you."

Guilt twisted in my gut. I wanted to give her this, give her everything. But my body was already betraying me again, aching for someone else.

I rolled off her, lying on my back beside her, staring at the ceiling.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I'm just… exhausted."

She turned toward me, propping her head on her hand. "This isn't just tired, Iris. Talk to me."

I closed my eyes. The mark burned hotter.

"I can't," I said. "Not yet."

She was quiet for a long moment. Then she leaned in and kissed my shoulder, soft, forgiving.

"Okay," she said. "But I'm not going anywhere."

I nodded, throat tight.

But as she curled against my side and drifted off to sleep, I lay awake, staring at the dark.

The bond hummed under my skin, patient and relentless.

He was out there.

And no matter how hard I tried to stay here, with Alice, with the life I knew I could feel him pulling me back.