Marked Mate

11

SCARLETT

I felt sick. And it wasn't due to the bumpy car journey.

Roman, Brandon, Erica and I were on our way to Nyx's ball, the tension in the air thick as I sat staring out of the car window in silence, focusing on each passing building. Roman had been driving for around an hour, and I had taken the time to memorise every identifiable marker I saw along the way. If I needed a way out, it was vital I retained the structure of the surrounding area.

"I'm not eating or drinking anything that creep has to offer," huffed Erica from beside me, shaking her head.

Brandon nodded in agreement. "We won't be there long - just enough time so Nyx thinks we're at least somewhat interested in what he's offering."

"What is he offering, exactly?" I chimed in, my interest sparked by the subject of the man who could destroy my life.I hadn't wanted to come tonight, but a part of me was also eager to see Nyx in the flesh. He was hunting me, after all. It did put me in direct danger though, and although that was a risk, protesting too much could raise suspicion.

Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.

Luckily, the ball was a black-tie event, and I had borrowed an old gown from Erica that she had worn when she was a bridesmaid at a friend's wedding. It was beautiful - sage green and silk. I had paired it with white gloves and gold jewellery. It was paramount I covered my mark tonight, and it worked in my favour that Erica had also decided to slip some on, claiming she loved how sophisticated it looked.

Roman caught my eyes in the rearview mirror, and my muscles tightened at the sight of his piercing green eyes.

We had been intimate, and although I knew that it now made things a thousand times more difficult, I couldn't bring myself to regret it. He had made me come undone from just pure friction, and the feeling was a million times better than anything I had ever made myself feel.

A small part of me felt a sense of shame that I allowed it to go that far, but the way Roman had made me feel was explosive. Mesmerising. I had been craving more ever since, but I was purposely keeping my distance.

"To answer your question," Roman said, snapping me out of my daydream. "He'll most likely give us some bullshit offer of protection, but we know he really just wants to control us. He's hoping we'll all agree out of fear that he'll turn on us with his army of gifted wolves if we don't oblige to his wishes."

I hummed casually, my throat tightening. "And what are his wishes?"

"He wants our help hunting them," Brandon told me as Roman pulled into the parking lot to our right, my eyes widening at the sight of lines of cars. I had never seen so many together before. "He wants intel. We need to be prepared if he ever attacks us though, so attending will help with that."

Sweat accumulated on my palms, wettening the white fabric of the silk gloves, so I wiped them off on my dress before anyone noticed. Roman pulled the door open for me, smiling as he helped me out. It wasn't awkward between us, but my lie was still obviously on his mind. I could tell by his eyes.

Straightening up, I took him in. Dressed in an all black suit and white shirt, he looked delectable, and my wolf howled from within. She wanted for me to do nothing more than accept him as mine, but she saw the world in black and white.

She was a part of me that was deep and rooted, and didn't understand the consequences if anyone were to discover what I was. In her eyes, as long as she had Roman, she was happy.

But that wasn't how life worked. It wasn't how this worked.

Wind whirled around us, and I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling goosebumps. But I welcomed the cooling sensation, enjoying how the cold air felt against my burning skin. I needed to get my nerves under control.