The Mark of an Alpha
Chapter 26

Even though all my sorrow and pain I still have questions. He is the only one with the answers. Marcus is the only person that can quiet the storm within me.

“Melany, you’re seriously not considering going to see him. Are you?” He's been trying to make me consider all my options.

Hunter is standing at my bedroom door as a droplet escapes his hair and falls in front of him. He is fresh out of the shower wearing nothing but black sweats. His cut is healed and his eyes are smoldering mine. He is not happy that I am considering going.

I want to know why Marcus is back. He left me and now he is willingly coming onto my land there has to be a reason.

“Well-” I shrug and lift my legs and fold them underneath me as my bed sinks under my weight. Hunter has been upset with me since I told him about heading out to the woods to meet with my ex-mate.

Listen to reason, Melany.

My wolf completely agrees with Hunter. Why am I willing to let him hurt me again? I am just barely getting back into the rhythm of my everyday life.

“I’m going with you,” his lips set in a stern line.

“Actually he wants to talk to me alone, therefore, the ‘come alone’ is implied.” I put air quotes on the come alone part and he shakes his head sending droplets flying in every direction.

“I am your guest,” he chimes in, “I am allowed to explore the forest.”

He can be as playful as his wolf but his expression is far from playful.

Melany!

Andrew has been trying to pry himself into the conversation knowing well that something is going to happen.

Butt out!

What’s happening?

Nothing, can you just stop!

I’ll find out some way or another.

Andrew, nothing is going on.

“Is that him?” Hunter asks as he puts on his impassive face.

“Who?”

“Marcus!” Hunter walks closer to me. “You pathetic excuse for a man,” he yells at me as I flinch back, away from him.

I groan and throw my body back into the mattress, ”It’s my annoying as hell beta!” I say and mind link Andrew so he can hear that.

Humph annoying, I’ll show you annoying!

He ends our conversation and I know what he is doing. He is running back to the back house.

“God! You two I swear,” I groan with exasperation. “Plus, the mind link does not work that way. You can’t yell at me and think that he will hear you.”

“I know,” he smiles at me but the smile does reach his eyes. “If I yell it at you,” he shrugs, “You might have told him and God has nothing to do with this,” he smirks at me and I roll over to my stomach and bury my face into my mattress.

The front door slams shut and I know who it is. Hunter rushes to the door as I sit up and I see a shocked Andrew as Hunter grabs his arm and shoves him into his bedroom closing the door behind him.

“Hey, what the hell Hunter?” I jump out of my bed and run after them my hand goes to the door handle but it is locked. My fist starts slamming against the door. “Andrew! Hunter! Open the door.”

“I need to have a little talk with your beta!” Hunter’s voice sounds smug.

“He is my beta and he answers to me. Andrew, open the door!”

“With that order, you are asking me to challenge the alpha and I don’t think that is a good idea,” Andrew says rather calmly.

“And ignoring your alpha’s orders is punishable by banishment!” I snap.

“She’s right you know!” Andrew says.

“Well, then you’re not ignoring order when you can’t complete them, right?” Something hits the ground hard.

“Hey, that hurt!” Andrew yells.

“Sorry Melany, he can’t follow orders when he is all tied up,” he chuckles.

“What are you doing?” I press my ear on the door I can hear the struggle.

“I need to talk with your beta! Get your ear off the door! You can come in if you agree to go with what I have to say.”

“What? No!” I say automatically, being an alpha has made me stubborn.

“Then the door is staying locked.”

“Fine, I agree!” Hunter opens the door quickly as if he were standing behind it the whole time.

Andrew is on the floor wrap in a sheet. Andrew scowls at me as I bite back a giggle.

It is a quarter ’til midnight and I walk through the trees in complete darkness. The air is cold as it whips across my face. The stinging in my eyes makes them water as I make my way to the spot that Marcus and I loved.

My feet do not need the guidance of my mind to know where I am heading. Making it to the edge of a small hill the clearing comes into view. I see Marcus looking in the opposite direction. The moon is high and bright tonight making it easier for me to maneuver through the forest.

Don’t forget our deal!

I roll my eyes. Our deal is that I would come and talk to Marcus but I have to have my mind open so that Andrew can hear everything and instruct Hunter if I need help.

My mind is open, dimwit! I can feel him smiling.

Hunter thinks that Marcus is planning on ambushing me and I doubt it because his pack cannot fight off mine.

Lifting my leg to make my way over a fallen branch my footsteps on some leaves crunching under my weight. Marcus turns around and looks at me as I slowly make my way to him.

“Melany, you came,” he gives me a small smile and I scowl at him. The temperature seems to have dropped some degrees and Marcus is before me as he was earlier today, just in some jeans.

“Cut the crap, what do you want?” I cross my arms across my chest and his smile drops.

“Is that how you greet your mate?” I scoff at him.

You’re not much of mate now, are you!

“Mate? Is that what you think of yourself? Marcus, you stop being my mate the day you walked out of my house and ran away.” I can feel my anger rising and I push it down.

There is a thin line between anger and hate but here I know that this is hate.

“Is he your replacement?” His tone turns sour.

Why do you even care? You replaced me!

“Who Andrew?” His eyebrows pull together and he frowns at me. He knows he is just my friend but he always hated that he knew me better than he ever did.

“The alpha that seems to be attached to your hip lately I’m surprised that he isn’t around.” His eyes scan the area.

Hunter can be there in two minutes or less if he wants him there.

No, let him talk.

“How’s your wolf?” He asks biting his bottom lip as if deep in thought.

“What?” Does he want to talk about my wolf?

“I noticed that you didn’t shift back in the river and that you ran back to the packhouse when you could have mind linked your pack easily. I’m just curious, what wrong with her?”

“Nothing is wrong.”

I am lying ever since Marcus left my wolf has been having trouble linking with anyone other than Andrew. My wolf has been acting anomalously since Marcus decided to drop by for a surprise visit. To be honest I am scared to shift what if her animal side takes over and I get lost within her.

“Are you sure?” He presses and I want to unleash my wolf on him just to prove a point.

“Is that why you dragged me over here for?” I snap at him.

“Well no, I want to talk to you about something else...may I?”

“I didn’t come all this way to stare at you.” He smirks at me.

“I’ve wanted to come back for some time now. Kaley means nothing to me, Melany, you do.”

Tell him to go to hell.

“So you want to do the same thing to her as you did to me? No thank you. I want nothing to do with you.”

That much is true. That girl attacked me but if someone were trying to get to the man I loved I would have done the same.

“You of all people need to understand. I lost my alpha and then you became a completely different person, Melany, you weren’t you!”

Is he trying to blame me?

“How did you expect me to be the same when you lost your alpha that’s all, I lost my father. He was my best friend, my mentor, and my alpha. He was everything to me and he died because of me.”

Pull yourself together I cannot break in front of him.

“Melany, I want to give us another try, please?” His eyes soften on me and he takes a step towards me my body reacts automatically and I step away from him.

“No,” I turn away from him.

He does not deserve it.

“Why not,” he seems calm, “is it because I’ve been replaced?”

“Why does it matter? You replaced me already so just leave me be,” I try to calm my anger and turn to look at him, “Kaley is probably waiting for you just don’t do the same thing to her as you did to me. She might be your last shot at love in this life.”

I turn around and start walking up the hill heading back home. This was just a waste of my time.

All he did was reopen wounds. He wants another chance. I rather eat a cactus whole than go through that again.

Hunter is going to get you!

As I make it to the top I feel someone grab my waist and turn me around. Marcus looks deep into my eyes.

“You couldn’t have forgotten me that easily!” His lips crash into mine as my wolf howls loudly in my head. A battle rages inside of me. Through heartbreak and hate, my body is still attuned to him. His arm snakes around my waist as he pulls me closer to him.

A howl erupts close by and a growl emerges from behind me. Something about that reaction sparks anger at the back of my mind Marcus cannot do whatever he wants with me.

I am not his toy to drop when he is bored. I am better than that.

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