No Mark, No Bond, No More Chapter 03
Sweat soaked clear through my shirt by the time I carried the finished food out to the dining room.
Selene reached forward to take the steaming chicken broth bowl from my hands, then abruptly pulled her arms back mid-transfer.
Hot soup spilled across the floor, and the ceramic bowl shattered into jagged shards.
“Watch out!” Dorian darted forward to shield Selene without hesitation. Scalding broth splashed across my bare calf, leaving a raw, bright red burn in its wake.
“I know you resent me, Aria,” Selene’s eyes welled instantly, her voice trembling with manufactured hurt as she melted into Dorian’s embrace, “but you can’t purposely drop hot soup to frighten me like this.”
Not a single drop had touched her skin, yet she sobbed like she’d endured grave harm.
Gavin was first to condemn me. “What were you thinking, Luna?”
Another patrol wolf sneered, “You’ve targeted Selene for months. We’re all just family who grew up together—must you carry this petty grudge?”
“I didn’t let go first; she pulled away on purpose,” I replied flatly, staring down their chorus of blame.
Dorian cut off their bickering with a low, icy growl. “Apologize to her, Aria.”
I locked eyes with him as oppressive Alpha aura weighed heavy over my shoulders. “You’ve gone too far this time. Selene just got home from the clinic, and you terrified her.”
Mid-summer heat notwithstanding, I shivered like trapped ice, the burn on my leg trivial next to the tearing agony in my chest. The man who’d once been my safest refuge had turned into a blade carving me open piece by piece. The frayed cord holding my composure finally snapped.
“Fine. I’m sorry.” A broken, humorless smile tugged my lips, hot tears pooling behind my lids.
Dorian blinked, caught off guard by my instant surrender, and moved to pull me into his arms. I sidestepped his reach.
“Dinner’s ready and I’ve apologized. Can I go treat my burned leg in my room now?” I lifted my calf to show the fresh blisters forming over the scalded skin, hoping he’d leave me in peace. Without another word, I left the shattered crockery scattered on the floor and retreated to my bedroom.
Voices echoed from outside the door; Selene’s tearful whimper carried clear through the wood. “This is all my fault. I’m nothing but trouble for everyone. I shouldn’t stay here.”
Seconds later, the front door slammed open, and she fled outside. Every last one of Dorian’s pack brothers sprinted after her, the door’s crash shaking the entire house’s framing.
I assumed Dorian would rush after them too—until my bedroom door creaked open.
He wrapped his arms around me from behind, his large palm settling over my empty stomach and stroking slow, affectionate circles, completely unaware the pup was long gone.
“Aria… can’t you cut her some slack?” he murmured softly. “Selene was raised coddled her whole life; her mind’s still that of a young pup. You need to be more patient with her, especially now that we’re expecting our own child. Once pack business settles down, I’ll hold your official marking ceremony, I promise.”
His tone softened, edged with faint pleading, yet every word rang hollow and ridiculous to my ears.
“Funny you suddenly remember I’m supposed to be pregnant,” I snapped and pulled free of his hold.
Dorian’s smile froze on his face, cut short by his ringing cell phone. Gavin’s panicked shout blared through the speaker into our quiet bedroom.
“Alpha, get over here fast! Selene collapsed halfway down the road, and the clinic’s demanding immediate pay her bill.”
Without a moment’s pause, Dorian crossed to the nightstand and grabbed our joint pack bank card—the account we’d set aside exclusively for our unborn baby’s future expenses.
I lunged to block his path, furious. “Have you lost your mind? You can’t drain our child’s savings for Selene’s medical bills!”
Dorian’s warmth vanished entirely, his gaze turning cold. “Enough of your selfish tantrums, Aria. A human life hangs in the balance, and you fixate on trivial money.”
“Selfish?She’s your childhood sweetheart, not mine! What gives you the right to spend my money on her?”
I slammed my fists against his shoulders, only for his superior wolf strength to send me stumbling backward into the broken ceramic still littering the floor. Sharp shards sliced my palms and upper arms, bright red blood welling up across my skin.
He didn’t spare me a single backward glance as he stormed out the door and peeled away in his truck.
I collapsed onto the shard-strewn floor, physical pain merging with the throbbing ache of our broken mating bond until it felt like my very bones were splitting apart. Right before blacking out, I fumbled for my phone and dialed the clinic’s emergency hotline.
Consciousness blurred into a memory of younger years: teenage Dorian leading me up Moon Ridge to the tiny stone shrine honoring the Moon Goddess, hands folded in devout prayer as he swore a sacred oath. “Moon Goddess above, I vow to cherish and protect Aria for all my days. Break this promise, and let my wolf lose its moonlight forever.”
