A Marked Lover

Chapter 1 Under the argent gaze of the full moon, I was besieged by a group of vampires. Their mouths curved into cruel, bloodthirsty smiles, and the atmosphere grew heavy with an eerie excitement and yearning.

That wound on my neck had blackened, causing a searing heat to course through my veins. It was so much so that it felt like my very soul was being set ablaze.

Though I was just a mere human, I still chose to confront the vampires. It was all because I had received news that the Alpha of the werewolf pack, Christopher Lambert, had fallen into peril.

I was his marked mate, and in that moment, nothing else mattered. I only had one thought in my mind—I had to save him, even if it meant risking everything.

In moments of mortal peril, the mark would typically compel the werewolf to instinctively shield their marked lover.

Christopher fought against the mark’s command, though, choosing instead to stand by and watch as I was brutalized and left for dead. He had reasoned that the mark itself would have prevented my demise.

I lost all hope after hearing that, even resigning myself to selling my soul to the devil.

I was just about to succumb to unconsciousness when a chilling laugh cut through the air. “If you’re desperate enough to sell your soul to the devil, you should do it with someone who can pay the price. Why settle for a devil when you could strike a deal with me?”

I smiled wryly in response before nodding almost imperceptibly.

I merely felt the cold rain soaking through my clothes as the vampires, who had been surrounding me, were suddenly overcome by terror. They didn’t even have time to escape before they imploded into wisps of black smoke, vanishing into the night.

I was convinced that I was on the verge of death as I stretched my hand out into the air, hoping to grasp a final, fragile thread of hope.

I blinked awake to find myself in bed. I immediately snapped my eyes open as I recalled someone really important to me—Christopher!

I ignored the pain that racked my entire body and hurried downstairs.

It wasn’t until my eyes landed on him, calmly eating his breakfast at the dining table, that I finally breathed a sigh of relief. He was safe, and that was all that mattered.

Christopher raised his gaze and scrutinized me. Having spotted the dried bloodstains on my clothes, he immediately furrowed his brow.

It was only then that I noticed that while my skin was miraculously untouched, I was still wearing the claw-torn, blood-soaked clothes.

“Why would you come downstairs looking like this? You’re going to scare Lillian!”

I then noticed a young woman sitting close to Christopher, who turned out to be the same passerby who had fainted the night before. Lillian wore an oversized men’s shirt and huddled against Christopher, looking as skittish as a frightened rabbit.

Christopher’s indifferent gaze momentarily betrayed a flicker of alarm. He then immediately placed his hand on Lillian’s back and said reassuringly, “It’s alright. I told you she’d live through it. In the end, you’re the one still hurting from that twisted ankle of yours.”

Lillian blushed before she leaned in and murmured something into Christopher’s ear.

Christopher’s ears flushed red as he asked, “Why the rush? You can’t wait anymore, huh?”

He was still smiling when he looked up, but the moment our eyes met, his expression immediately hardened. “Go get changed! You’re a disgrace to look at!”

I merely lowered my gaze and retreated in silence. I submerged myself in the bathtub and noticed that the mark on my chest had faded considerably. I then suddenly recalled the mysterious figure’s instruction, saying, “In three days, when the mark disappears, meet me in Mistfall Forest.”

It turned out that everything that had happened the previous night had indeed occurred. It turned out that Christopher had actually stood by and done nothing as I faced death.

…

Christopher marked me on the day I was born.

It was said that a mark was a wondrous phenomenon, an emotional connection that werewolves actively created when they met their destined mate. It was said that once it was formed, the werewolf would experience an overwhelming affection for their marked mate.

Christopher had always been by my side ever since I was marked. He forbade other men from approaching me, dedicated himself solely to my well-being, and could even discern my desires with a mere thought.

In the past two decades, I had also become so accustomed to caring for him that, despite everything that transpired yesterday, my first thought upon regaining consciousness was the urge to confirm with my own eyes that he was unharmed.

I hadn’t noticed when it happened, but the bathroom door was left slightly open.

I could hear Christopher’s voice through the crack in the door, his tone sharp as he spoke on the phone. “I’m well aware that this is a trap set by the vampires! I’m the Alpha of the pack, though! How could I allow myself to be swayed by such human emotions? That damned mark! How the hell do I get rid of it?”

I chuckled bitterly in response. I desperately wanted to tell him that the mark would disappear in three days, granting him the freedom he yearned for. I didn’t manage to say it out loud, though, as tears started streaming down my face.

Chapter 2 I remained in the bath for what felt like an eternity, until the water was chillingly cold, all to ensure Christopher wouldn’t know I had been eavesdropping.

I had just gotten dressed when Christopher suddenly barged into my room, his brows furrowing as he snapped, “Why did you take a cold bath? Is this your way of deliberately getting sick so that I’ll have to nurse you? Is this your way of trying to get a hold over me?”

I chuckled dryly in response and replied, “It’s not like that. I was just too tired, so I accidentally dozed off in the bath.”

I had been marked by him for two decades, but our relationship had never progressed to the intimacy usually experienced by werewolf mates.

It was during my 18th birthday—my coming-of-age ceremony—that Christopher had dressed himself like a groom. Amid our passionate embrace, I suddenly had my period. It was then that the metallic scent of blood overwhelmed him, causing him to shift out of his human form and flee in panic.

From that day onward, our relationship deteriorated rapidly. I used to hold onto the belief that he was my one and only mate, though—the only one who mattered the most to me. It was only then that it had finally dawned on me that our destiny together had reached its end.

Christopher, leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed, asked in displeasure, “You’re upset that I didn’t save you yesterday, right? How many times do I have to warn you about that street? It’s crawling with vampires! You’re well aware that werewolves and vampires are enemies by nature! You went there on purpose, didn’t you? You did that just to test my feelings for you, right?”

It felt as if something had glued my throat shut, and when I attempted to speak, I could only manage a wry smile.

That look ignited Christopher’s fury. He instantly seized my throat, slamming me to the ground. “Do you have any idea how much I loathe that wry smile of yours? It’s as if you’ve endured some terrible hardship because of me!”

I had no idea what happened, but tears just started spilling from my eyes.

It was at that very moment that a flash of something akin to panic crossed Christopher’s gaze. He slowly loosened his grip and said through gritted teeth, “I’m not going to bother with you anymore. You can go wherever you please from now on. I’ve finally learned to rein in the mark’s effect on me, so you can’t use it to push me around anymore!”

I hadn’t even had a chance to respond when a loud crash came from the doorway. It was the sound of the fruit plate shattering against the floor, causing some strawberries to scatter across the floor.

Lillian looked at us in stunned silence, her eyes brimming with tears as she said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude. I only came over to give you some fruit.”

It was said that werewolves didn’t like fruits, preferring only meat. I had previously suggested to Christopher that he should get some vitamins from fruit, but he had always insisted that it was part of being a werewolf, saying, “I have no liking for those sweet and sour flavors.”

It was due to what he said that I stopped eating the strawberries and tomatoes I adored, and I even got rid of all my fruit-scented makeup and perfume for him. I did so much just so he could like me a little more.

Christopher immediately got off me, picked up a strawberry from the floor, and casually popped it into his mouth. He then picked up Lillian with a smile and said, “You should be careful of the broken glass on the floor. You wouldn’t want to hurt yourself again, right?”

Lillian wrapped her arms around his shoulder, a blush rising to her cheeks. “I know. It’s just a twisted ankle, though, so please put me down. I’m getting embarrassed because someone’s watching us.”

Christopher, however, drew her even tighter against him, and his hand settled on her intimate parts.

I merely lowered my gaze, refusing to look at the scene before me, and silently kneeled on the floor to gather the ruined strawberries. I then suddenly felt a stinging pain shooting through my fingertip; a piece of broken glass had pierced my skin.

“Ah! She’s bleeding!” Lillian cried out.

Christopher looked back, following her line of sight, then said with a scoff, “She didn’t die from being so badly hurt yesterday, so this little bit of blood is nothing to her.”

They both left the scene after he said that.

It took me a while to clean up all the shards of glass. It wasn’t until I went to take out the trash that I noticed that all the household staff were gone. There was a note from Christopher on the refrigerator, explaining that they had been badly injured while rescuing me the night before.

He had also written another sentence on that note. “That means all the housework is your responsibility for the time being.”

I couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt when I found out that the other werewolves from the household got injured because of me. Thus, I bought some get-well gifts and brought them to the underground hospital.

It was a hospital catered exclusively to patients with supernatural abilities. Thus, as soon as I—a mere human being—stepped into the underground hospital, I became the center of attention. I steeled myself and pressed forward, though, enduring the uneasy, curious stares around me.

After leaving the underground hospital, I went to the supermarket and purchased a good amount of beef and lamb, knowing how much the werewolves favored them, along with some canned meat.

I knew that Christopher never used mobile payment and rarely carried much cash, and with my departure just three days away, I decided to buy him extra food as a gesture of our 20 years together.

Chapter 3 I immediately busied myself in the kitchen after returning home from the supermarket, but as the night wore on, Christopher still hadn’t returned home. I kept calling him, but his answer was always the same, saying that he would return in half an hour.

I reheated the meal countless times, and it wasn’t until the stroke of midnight that Christopher finally arrived with Lillian.

“That bar you recommended was really something, Lilian! I have never been this happy before!” he praised.

I couldn’t help but feel my heart sink after hearing that. I recalled telling Christopher that I wanted to check out a bar, but he lectured me like a grumpy old man, saying that people who went to bars were all up to no good and warning me against going to one.

I had even teased him for it, saying that even though he was a werewolf, his views were incredibly old-fashioned.

It never occurred to me that his refusal was simply because he didn’t want to go with me.

Lillian playfully hit Christopher’s chest, saying, “You’re just saying nice things to sweet-talk me.”

She then tugged Christopher over to where I was standing, asking, “You two are close, right? Do you think he’s really happy right now, Aurora?”

Christopher’s smile held firm as his large hand stealthily snaked around Lillian’s delicate waist.

I had very rarely seen Christopher smile so genuinely. I was momentarily stunned before nodding and replying, “Yes, he’s really happy right now.”

I felt an inexplicable pain piercing my chest after I said that—it felt like a thousand tiny needles simultaneously stabbing me. I then lost control for a moment and knocked the dishes off the dining table, causing food to scatter across the floor.

Christopher’s expression immediately fell. “What a buzzkill!”

He then waved his hand dismissively and left, taking Lillian upstairs with his arm around her.

In a corner where no one paid attention, a pins-and-needles sensation spread through my fingertips, my body contorted in spasms, and a violent pain ripped through my chest. It felt as though someone had thrust their whole hand into my chest, gripped my heart tightly, and twisted it savagely.

It was after an unknown amount of time that I finally opened my eyes.

I quietly tidied up the scattered mess, then stumbled into the bathroom. In the mirror, the mark on my chest had become increasingly faint, with only a few barely visible lines remaining.

It was then that I heard a woman’s soft murmurs coming from the bathroom. I assumed Lillian was the only one inside before I heard a deep, muffled groan coming from inside. I immediately tightened my grip on the door, feeling a cold dread washing over me.

I could roughly make out Christopher’s robust silhouette and Lillian’s slender silhouette through the frosted glass of the bathroom.

“It’s not my first time, though. Is it something you’ll still enjoy doing with me?” Lillian asked.

“I’ll still enjoy—no, I think it’s even better that way.”

I stood still for a moment, gathering my strength. I then gritted my teeth and stepped out of the bathroom, gently closing the door behind me.

In the stillness of the night, I lay in bed, wanting to cry, yet tears wouldn’t come out. It was as if—having plumbed the depths of sorrow—a strange detachment set in and lessened the immediate pain.

I got up early the following morning, intending to make breakfast for them. It was then that I noticed the cake in the refrigerator was missing.

The truth was that I hadn’t celebrated my birthday since I was 18 years old. It was just because I was afraid that the sight of a cake would bring back the unpleasant memories of that night for Christopher.

I happened to pass by the dessert section at the supermarket last night, and on a whim, I picked up my favorite red velvet cake.

In the dining room, Christopher laughed softly as he dabbed a bit of cream from Lillian’s nose and put it in his mouth, saying, “You’re such a messy eater. You should take it easy. You’re that tired from last night, huh?”

Lillian immediately blushed. She tossed the spoon down in a huff and playfully exclaimed, “You’re one to talk! It’s your fault for always wanting more! How do you expect me to have any energy if I don’t eat?”

“Alright, alright. It was all my fault. Here, I’ll feed you!”

Chapter 4 I couldn’t bear to listen to them anymore, so I opened the door and left the place, stopping at an empanada store to buy two beef empanadas.

It was then that the woman selling the empanadas asked, “Is it just you today? Where’s your boyfriend?”

I stared blankly, not understanding her question.

“You know, that really fit boyfriend of yours with the six-pack abs.”

I then realized that she was talking about Christopher. I shook my head and stated, “It’s already over between us.”

Upon hearing that, the smile on the woman’s face immediately vanished. She then handed me an extra beef empanada, advising me to eat well so that I would have the strength to find my next partner. “You know, those guys who work out a lot are often all looks and no real substance—nice to look at but ultimately useless.”

I suddenly realized what she was implying as I recalled the scene of Christopher and Lillian tangled up in the bathroom. I smiled wryly and said, “I won’t be looking for any partner anymore, since they’re all the same—untrustworthy.”

After spending the entire day out and about, during which I sought out and obtained a great deal of information about Mistfall Forest, I finally returned home.

I had just finished packing my belongings when Christopher burst through the door, kicking it wide open.

He was livid, shaking my shoulders fiercely as he bellowed, “Why would you do that to Lillian? Why would you put vampire blood in that cake? Did it ever occur to you that if Lillian were to turn into a vampire, she might hurt me, too? You’ve clearly lost your mind, capable of doing anything out of pure jealousy!”

I was completely lost as to what he was saying. It wasn’t until he dragged me and threw me down in front of the couch that things became clear. I noticed that Lillian’s face was deathly pale, and even with the tape covering her mouth, her fangs were clearly visible.

It turned out that she was actually a vampire! That would explain her appearance in that neighborhood that night. That would also explain why none of the vampires attacked her. They were the same kind, after all.

Upon seeing that I was just spacing out, Christopher’s eyes became bloodshot, and his eyebrows drew together in a deep frown.

In the next instant, his hand shifted into lethal claws, clamping over my mouth and pressing me against Lillian. “Is your jealousy so consuming that you had to turn her into a vampire? You shall serve as her blood servant then!”

It seemed that the scent of blood had awakened something in her, as her fangs suddenly grew longer in that instant.

I had no way of fighting back, as one of them was a werewolf and the other a vampire. It seemed like my fate as a human was sealed, as all I could do was wait for my demise.

I couldn’t help but lament inwardly, wondering how Christopher could be so cruel toward me, his marked mate.

It seemed like the unwillingness within me stirred my survival instinct, causing the mark on my chest to emit a weak flicker of light.

Christopher’s gaze turned cold as he asked, “You’re trying to control me with that mark again, huh?”

It was definitely not the case. I was a mere human, so there was no way I could control the mark. In times of peril, it would activate on its own, compelling the werewolf to defend their marked mate.

Christopher, who was standing directly before me, reached out and personally removed Lillian’s restraining muzzle.

I could distinctly sense Lillian’s bloody breath right against my ear after Lillian’s fangs pierced my vein. I could even feel the burning agony of my veins being ripped open spread throughout my body. I convulsed, arching my back as my fingernails dug hard into Christopher’s hand.

I then caught the reflection of my pupils dilating and becoming unfocused within Christopher’s fathomless gaze as the blood started flowing down my collarbone.

I couldn’t help but lament the fact that I was just a hair’s breadth away from freedom.

How could Christopher harbor such resentment toward me when he had been the one who had personally marked me? What on earth had I done wrong? It was at that very moment that I felt overwhelmed by a sense of unwillingness, resentment, and regret.

I surmised that things would have unfolded differently if that mysterious figure from Mistfall Forest had been here at this moment. I couldn’t help but wonder if I would ever see him again.

I was in a daze, murmuring something without knowing what I was saying.

It was then that Christopher suddenly shifted into his wolf. He tore me away from Lillian’s grasp and shook me hard. His sharp claws dug deep into my back as his eyes glowed crimson. “Who are you calling to for help? Tell me! Who is he?”

I felt my vision going dark before a tumultuous surge of blood and energy coursed through me, causing me to lose consciousness.

I awoke to find myself on a large bed, my wrists and ankles bound by iron chains. I could hear Christopher talking to someone outside the door before he suddenly let out a few enraged howls.

It was then that the window suddenly swung open, and the iron chains that had been restraining my hands and feet disintegrated into fine dust. I then slowly got up and walked toward the window.

Having heard the commotion, Christopher burst through the door, and his pupils shrank in shock. “Your mark…”

I lowered my gaze and noticed the faint light of the mark on my chest flickering briefly before finally vanishing. I smiled faintly and asked, “Isn’t this what you hoped for all along?”

“I didn’t mean it like that! How did you break free from the chains? Please come back here, Aurora. It’s not safe by the window,” Christopher said as he extended his hand toward me, his gaze brimming with expectation.

I didn’t walk toward him. I merely said, “I’m sorry, but I think it’s for the best if I leave now.”

I laughed bitterly and threw myself out of the window, into the night.