Chapter 36: Once I Mark You
Eliàn;
"Letting your maid off early when you’re in this state? That’s quite... generous." The unmistakable voice says, and I freeze.
What the fuck is he doing here??
I hear a gentle clink and a second later, the chandelier above bursts with life. I keep my eyes on the direction the voice came, and just as I guessed.
It’s Zephan. Why is he here?
How long has he been here?
He’s no longer wearing the coat he had on during dinner. Now, the scars that I saw under the coat are out in the open.
There are a few healing cuts all over his body, and for some godforsaken reason, these marks and cuts make him look... sexier.
"It wasn’t easy going up against Rhydian. The dick fights like a beast." He says, and my eyes dart back up to his face.
He’s smirking. He wanted me to see tge wounds.
Should I thank him?
Thank him for fighting with his brother because of me?
"You were quite chatty at the dinner table. Why are you silent now?" He speaks again, and I look away.
"Thank you." Those are the only words that leave my mouth cause I don’t know what else to say.
I’m tired, sleepy, and in pain. I’m not ready to converse or play any silly games tonight.
I just want to go to bed.
"Thank you for... confronting your brother about what he did." I add, and there’s silence.
My eyes flick over to him when he pushes himself off the wall and walks over to me.
Oh, for fucks freaking sake, what now??
Why won’t he just accept my thanks and leave??
I want to sleep!!
He stops just a few steps away from me, and I peek up at him.
"You don’t have to thank me." He says, and I take a deep breath and look away in exasperation.
I freeze when he takes my chin and lifts my face so I’m looking up at him.
"You’re my omega... it’s my duty to protect you. Even from my own brother." He says, and my heart forgets that it’s supposed to beat.
I stare into his beautiful eyes, and something about the way he’s looking causes me to almost squirm.
Why is he looking at me like that? Like there are layers of emotions I’ll have to peel back in order to understand that look in his eyes.
He gently caresses my cheek with his thumb, and I swallow.
"You’re a beautiful thing, Elian." He breathes, and I blink at him.
What the fuck is going on? What’s going on in his mind??
What is this madness??
"A beautiful, stubbornly unpredictable little viper." He continues, and I gulp.
Why the sudden shift in his behavi...
He dips his head towards me, and I stumble away from him in panic.
I fall to the bed, and stare at him with wide eyes.
Was he just about to kiss me!???
Why... why the fuck would he...?
My chest rises and falls in panic as I stare at the massive man in front of me, and he smirks.
Why the fuck is he smirking?
What is he planning??
For God’s sake, I’m not in the mood for this!!
Do I scream? Do I try to run past him?? He’s not going to try to touch me, is he??
"You keep running away, but that scent of yours..." He breathes as he moves closer to the bed, and my heart starts pounding.
Oh!
Oh, so that’s what’s happening.
My scent! Or rather Elien’s scent... These stupid pheromones that I do not know how to control!!
I read in one of the books Koda gave me that an Omega’s pheromones can affect Alphas. Sometimes, if it’s strong enough, it can induce an Alpha’s rut. That’s not what is going on here though... Right??
"Tell me... are you truly clueless of your scent..." Zephan slurs as he gets on the bed, and I try to rush away, but he grabs my thigh, pinning me in place.
Shit.
Oh fucking shit! I don’t know how to save this situation!!
How do I stop these pheromones??
"A...Alpha Zephan. I... I think you should leave..." I stutter, but he tilts his head as he stares at me.
Okay... He still has his mind I guess... This isn’t a rut then. He’s just... my scent is intoxicating him.
This is bad.
I’m not trying to make him horny... I don’t want him to touch me, but if he stays here much longer...
I’m panicking. Panicking isn’t good. Emotions heighten my scent. I read that. I... I should keep calm. I have to...
Zephan suddenly moves, cutting off my thoughts as he hovers over me with a hunger that terrifies me, building in his eyes.
I gulp in panic and I blink at him.
"A...Alpha Zephan, please I... I don’t know how to stop my scent. I... I’m not trying to make you..."
He’s not listening. I can see it in his eyes. That distant, feral look. That primal animalistic instinct. He looks like he’s on some type of drug...
Like I’m something he wants to devour.
I need to keep him away, if not he...
"Alpha Zephan..." I try to reason with him, but it’s too late.
My heart stops in my chest when he swoops down, and I feel his lips crash against mine.
I blink. Frozen as his tongue swoops into my mouth. Kissing me like I’m something that belongs to him. Something he has every right in the world to.
He breaks the kiss, and only then can I breathe, but just for a second.
"Why are you..." He whispers before kissing me again. "Why are you warming up to Koda?" He breathes into the kiss, and my eyes widen.
"You didn’t even look at anyone else the entire time..." He continues as he grabs my waist, and pain shoots through me at his strong grip against my sore body.
I struggle to break the kiss and breathe.
"What... what are you doing??" I question in panic, but he starts kissing and sniffing my neck instead.
"I came here to understand what was going on in that mind of yours... But fuck you smell good." He breathes, and I start struggling to break free from under him.
"I thought I wouldn’t care about some omega we bought at an auction house... But seeing you ignore me tonight pissed me off..." He whispers against my ear and a shiver runs down my spine.
"Have you forgotten you’re my omega too?" He questions as he trails the tip of his nose against the side of my neck, and a certain heat begins to grow at the bottom of my stomach.
Just then, that odd scent fills the room, and I know what it is.
His pheromones.
No! Fuck no. If I let this happen... He’s going to... we’re going to have...
"Maybe if I mark you, you won’t have the courage to ignore me again..." He hisses, and my eyes go wide.
My head snaps in his direction, and I see his eyes are glowing now. There are faint blue scales on his left cheek and down his neck... and his fangs are...
FANGS?!
He actually wants to mark me??
Without pausing to think, I do the only thing I feel can get me out of this mess.
I throw my knee up between his legs with every ounce of strength I can muster. He hisses in pain and taking the momentary distraction, I push him off me, and dash for the door and out of the room.
It’s late, It’s dark, I’m shirtless, I have no idea where I’m going or what the fuck just happened...
I don’t know if I’ll be punished for what I just did, but...
I need to get away. I... Zephan just tried to mark me.
What the fuck!?