Chapter 63: Marked, Not Hidden

Seraphine's POV

I looked up sharply. "Then why?"

She hesitated. Her fingers twisted together in her lap—a nervous gesture I'd never seen from her before.

"The Moon Festival..." She paused, choosing her words carefully. "It's complicated."

I sat up fully now, my attention locked on her. "What do you mean?"

"The festival is where mated pairs attend together. Publicly." Cordelia's eyes searched my face, gauging my reaction. "If you showed up with that mark on your neck..."

She didn't finish. She didn't have to.

My hand went to my throat instinctively, pressing against the raised skin where Kaelen's teeth had broken through.

"People would have questions," Cordelia continued. "About why you're here. About your relationship with Kaelen."

The words hung in the air between us.

"What about Vespera?" I forced the question out, even though part of me didn't want to know the answer. "She told me she'd be there. With him."

Cordelia's expression shifted. Her jaw tightened, and something cold flashed through her eyes.

"Vespera." The name came out with barely concealed disgust. "Yes, she'll be there."

She stood abruptly, moving to the window. Her back was rigid.

"She's been positioning herself at these events with Kaelen for years." Cordelia's voice was bitter now. Hard. "Before you came. The pack sees her as his... companion."

The word dripped with contempt.

I swallowed. "So they're—"

"She saw him vulnerable once," Cordelia cut me off, turning back to face me. "And she's been clinging to him ever since. Like a parasite."

The venom in her tone surprised me.

"She doesn't have his mark, though." Cordelia's eyes locked onto mine. "You do."

My hand pressed against my throat again.

"A mark is permanent, Sera." Her voice dropped. "It means you're his true mate, whether either of you wants to admit it or not."

True mate. The words echoed in my head.

"In our world," Cordelia continued, moving back toward the bed, "a wolf can only mark one mate. Ever."

I felt my breath catch.

"That mark on your neck?" She gestured toward my throat. "It tells every wolf who sees it that you belong to Kaelen. Completely. Permanently."

My mind was racing. "But if Vespera—"

"What he has with Vespera..." Cordelia's jaw tightened again. "That's not real. It never was."

She sat back down, her expression serious now.

"But the pack doesn't know that. They've seen her with him for years. They think she's his chosen partner."

Understanding crashed over me like a wave.

"If they see you both," I whispered. "They'll know something's wrong."

"Exactly." Cordelia nodded. "Bringing you to the festival would cause chaos. Questions. Suspicion. It would expose everything."

I couldn't breathe. The room felt too small, too hot.

"And now he wants to hide me while parading her around?" The anger was back, hot and sharp. "I'm not some dirty secret!"

"I know," Cordelia said quietly. "And I'm not saying it's fair."

"Fair?" I stood up, my hands clenching into fists. "He marked me. He made this choice. And now I'm supposed to just... what? Sit here quietly while he—"

My voice broke. I pressed my palms against my eyes, trying to push back the tears.

I hated this. Hated how much it hurt. Hated that I cared at all.

"I didn't ask for this mark," I said through gritted teeth. "I didn't ask to be his mate."

"I know," Cordelia repeated. She stood and moved closer, her hand hovering near my shoulder but not quite touching. "Kaelen is trying to avoid a public scandal. It's not about trust. It's about his reputation. And yours."

I lowered my hands and looked at her. "Mine?"

"If the pack finds out he marked you—an Omega with no standing, no pack connections—while maintaining a public relationship with Vespera..." Cordelia shook her head. "It would destroy your credibility. They'd see you as a home-wrecker. An interloper."

The full weight of the situation settled over me like a physical thing.

"So I'm trapped," I said flatly. "No matter what I do."

Cordelia was silent for a long moment. Then she took a breath.

"I can take you to the town tomorrow morning."

I looked up sharply. "What?"

"You can see the preparations, the decorations, the people celebrating." Her voice was careful. Measured. "But you have to stay away from the party."

My heart lurched. "Why would you—"

"Can you promise me that?" She cut me off, her eyes intense. "That you'll stay away from the bonfire?"

I hesitated. The smart answer was no. The safe answer was to refuse entirely.

But the thought of being locked in this house while everyone else celebrated...

"Fine," I said quietly. "Whatever."

Cordelia studied me for a long moment. I could tell she didn't quite believe me, but she nodded anyway.

"I mean it, Sera." Her voice turned sharp. "Don't go near the party. If Kaelen finds out I let you go to town, he'll be furious."

She moved toward the door, then paused with her hand on the handle.

"But I think you deserve to see something beautiful. After everything."

The words surprised me. There was genuine sympathy in her tone—something I hadn't heard from her before.

"Eat something," she added, glancing back at the tray. "You'll need your strength tomorrow."

She opened the door, then stopped one more time.

"For what it's worth..." Her voice was quiet. "The mark doesn't lie, Sera. He chose you, whether he admits it or not."

Then she was gone. The door clicked shut behind her.

---

I stood there for a long time, staring at nothing.

The food on the tray had probably gone cold by now. I didn't care.

He chose you.

The words kept echoing in my head. Mocking me.

"Chose me?" I said out loud to the empty room. "By trapping me here? By hiding me?"

The bond pulsed in my chest. That steady, undeniable presence.

I pressed my hand against it, feeling the warmth beneath my skin.

He can only mark one mate. Ever.

The thought should have meant nothing. Should have been just another piece of werewolf biology I didn't understand.

But it didn't feel like nothing. It felt huge. Terrifying. Permanent.

I sank back onto the bed, my mind racing.

Vespera's face flashed through my memory. That cold smile at the market. A toy he'll get bored of eventually.

"She was right," I whispered. "I'm just... replaceable."

But the mark said otherwise. The mark said I was the only one who couldn't be replaced.

And somehow, that made it worse.

I thought about tomorrow night. About Cordelia's offer. About the festival I wasn't allowed to attend.

Stay away from the party, she'd said.

But what if I didn't? What if I went anyway? What if I saw for myself what was so fucking important about this celebration that I had to be hidden away like some shameful secret?

The anger flared hot in my chest again.

"Fine," I muttered. "He wants to hide me? Keep me in the dark?"

I looked toward the window. Through the glass, I could see distant lights beginning to glow as the town prepared for tomorrow's festivities.

"But I'm done being controlled. Done being his secret."

The bond pulsed harder. I ignored it.

Tomorrow night, I'll see for myself. And if Vespera thinks she's won...

I lay back on the bed, my hand still pressed against the mark.

She's wrong.