Page 25

Marissa

I’m lounging on the bed, surrounded by the silence of my room.

Even though Dragoness confiscated my potion and I haven’t taken it in a week, everything is just as it should be.

The soft hum of the club downstairs, the occasional chatter, and the smell of leather and whiskey in the air.

It’s all so familiar. So—mine. Dragoness may think she’s the queen bee here, but in reality, it’s me.

I stretch lazily, a smile tugging at my lips.

I know they all still want me. They’re just waiting for me.

I’m the one they crave. Snake, the brothers, the prospects, they can’t get enough of me, because I make them feel things no one else can.

I’m their fix. Their obsession. I know exactly how to make them fall for me, how to twist them until they think only of me.

They’d stop breathing, if they could, just for a taste of me.

I own them. I always do. Males are so very easy to control.

They think they want power, but deep inside, they’re just looking for someone to dominate them.

And that someone is me. I know how to manipulate and fuel their desires, how to make them need me so badly they ache for me.

It’s a game I’ve perfected. I always win, and I always will

Just like I own Miles, he’s mine.

No one else will ever matter to him the way I do. Paisley is too bland, too vanilla. I’m the flavor he craves, the spice he wants on his tongue. He’s just waiting for me to come back to him when I’m ready, like always. After I’ve had my fun. A laugh bubbles up in my throat.

I take a drink from the glass of amber liquid in my hand. It burns as it slides down my throat, instantly warming me. But then, something feels off. The room seems to close in around me, the air becoming heavy and stifling.

A low hum begins to fill the air, a sound I don’t quite recognize at first. Voices faintly chanting–whispering and hissing in the background.

“O Ghealach Dhiadhachd cho soilleir...”

“Oh moon goddess, light so bright,”

My body tenses as the words strike me in the heart. My chest tightens and my breath hitches as the chanting grows louder, more insistent .

“Sàbhail am fireannach seo bhon bhàs an oidhche seo…”

“Save this male from death this night.”

I sit up in bed, confused. My heart starts to race as the air suddenly feels colder. My glass slips from my hand, hitting the floor with a heavy thud.

“Bris an ceangal rinn cho neo-ghlic,”

“Break the bond so unwisely made,”

Something is wrong–terribly wrong. An unseen force is pulling at me.

“Comharraich na fiachan dhuit mar a chaidh am pàigheadh.”

“Mark the debt to thee as paid.”

I clutch my chest tightly, a burning sensation spreading through me, near my heart. The incanting grows louder now, ancient and powerful. I rip at my shirt, the pressure building as a strong, ominous feeling urges me to stop the voices.

And then, sharp, searing pain explodes from the very center of my being.

I gasp, my body propelled forward as if struck by an unknown assailant. I feel as though I’m being torn open and ripped apart. My wolf, who I haven’t felt in years, stirs and begins to howl in my head .

I look down and pull my blouse to the side, my breath catching in my throat.

A light pulses from my chest, just above my heart.

Then, a symbol begins to burn like a brand, spreading across my skin.

A beautiful lunar eclipse, with silvery wisps of light glowing around the edges.

A lone wolf appears, howling, crying to the moon.

I sink to my knees, overwhelmed by the beauty of the breathtaking symbol. I can’t take a breath, and tears prick my eyes as I gaze at the vision before me.

Then, suddenly, the pain intensifies, throbbing with each beat of my heart, sending waves of agony through me. The lovely glyph on my chest shatters, splitting into jagged black lines that spread across my skin like a spider’s web.

It feels like my heart is being torn from my chest. I try to scream, but no sound escapes my throat. The webbing grows, pulsing and spreading across my torso like shattered glass, leaving black residue wherever it touches. It weeps a thick, tar-like liquid, dripping and pooling in my lap.

Black tears.

I stagger back and fall to the floor as I tear at my skin, but the stains remain.

I watch in horror as it webs down my arms and hands.

I can feel the deep burns as it snakes across my once lovely face.

The symbol itself is branded onto me. The liquid seeps from the mark, spreading across my skin and clothes.

A bright white light flashes across my vision, and I blink, finding myself lying in an inky-black void. The oppressive darkness presses down on my lungs. I try to rise, but cannot.

“Help! Help me!” I cry out in futility. “What’s happening to me?”

“Hushhhhhhhhh, daughter,” a harsh feminine voice chides me.

“Where am I?”

“You’re with the moon mother, child,” the voice echoes, twisting around me, taking my breath. “I’m here to answer your questions.”

“Where are you? Why can’t I see you?”

“You aren’t worthy to set eyes upon me, child,” the moon mother scolds. “Because of your greed and selfishness, you sought to take that which wasn’t yours. You are corrupted. Miles was never meant for you. You were meant for someone else.

The darkness dissipates into a thick fog, and suddenly, I’m in a sunny meadow, a distant observer.

Before me, a slightly older version of myself stands, smiling up at a beautiful, strong Alpha with broad shoulders and long black hair.

His blue-green eyes look down at me with a smile.

Me! His lips hover near mine, his warm breath brushing my face, and I can almost taste the wine on his tongue.

My body and mind ache for him like I’ve never ached for anyone before.

I feel the promise of the fated mate bond curl around me like smoke from a fire.

“This was your fated mate, Marissa,” the goddess mocks. “But you were too busy conniving and manipulating to wait for him, so now he’s been given to another.”

“No!” I cry out in agony.

I watch as the Alpha in the vision releases me and turns to look behind him at a beautiful blonde with brown eyes, tall and lithe like me.

He runs to her, and she to him, meeting in the middle and embracing. His pillowy soft lips claim hers in a kiss that sears pain through me, both physically and emotionally.

“Do you know why he has been given to another?”

“No–yes.” I concede.

“You have interfered with a sacred bond that I gifted to Miles and Paisley,” the goddess says, her voice full of anger.

“You have torn the very fabric of fate. Now, you will wear the Faithless Mark because you betrayed Miles after promising him fidelity and causing him pain again and again. You’re also responsible for the damage done to their bond.

.. for the pain you’ve caused your sister wolf. ”

As I watch the couple before me, the realization hits that I did this to myself. I took Miles from his fated mate. I destroyed their bond.

I shake my head, trying to push the vision and thoughts away, but I will never be able to do so. This mark—the one that is now seeping into my very soul—is my punishment. It’s proof of my faithlessness.

I’ve destroyed something pure. And in punishment, I have lost my future happiness.

Tears sting my eyes, but I can’t let them fall. I can’t break. No matter the pain I have caused or who I’ve hurt. I’ll never escape because the mark continues to burn and ache as it slowly fades to scars.

“Marissa,” the goddess speaks with authority.

“These are the consequences. When you wake, you will be judged and sent to Prisoner Island for your crimes. You will not be cared for within the confines of the prison system, but within the wilds outside. Your fated mate is the keeper of Prisoner Island, and as punishment, you will be forced to watch and feel the pain of your intended fated mate being with another for the rest of your life. ”

“No, that’s too cruel!”

“It’s nothing less than what you intended for Paisley.”

The webbed mark pulses and continues to weep, despite now being a scar. It’s a constant reminder of the pain I’ve inflicted and will have to endure. I gasp to breathe, digging at my chest, but the burning pain never ceases.

This is my punishment. This is my future.

My elaborate game is lost, and it’s time for me to pay the price.