Chapter 46 Chapter 46
Chapter 46 Chapter 46
Sam pov
My eyes snapped open to the soft gray light filtering through the tall windows of my bedroom. The sheets were tangled around my legs, damp with sweat even though the room wasn’t warm. I lay there for a long moment, staring at the ceiling, my chest rising and falling too fast. The bond felt different this morning—stronger, heavier, like a live wire humming under my skin. Every beat of my heart seemed to pull me toward the other side of the estate. Toward him.
Marcus.
I sat up slowly, rubbing a hand over my face. My muscles ached in a strange way, like they’d been stretched and rebuilt overnight. The memory of running through the rain on four legs flashed behind my eyelids. The power. The freedom. The way Marcus’s massive wolf had run beside me. I shook my head hard and swung my legs over the side of the bed.
No time to think about that right now.
I crossed the room to my wardrobe, the wooden floor cool under my bare feet. My fingers dug deep into the back shelf, pushing aside folded hoodies until I found the burner phone. It felt heavier than it should. Dangerous. I tucked it behind a stack of old textbooks, then buried it further with a thick winter coat I hadn’t worn in years. Once I was sure it was completely hidden, I closed the doors and let out a long breath.
I grabbed my regular phone and quickly typed a message to Silas. Heading to school today. See you soon.
His reply came almost instantly. Finally! Don’t disappear again, man.
I set the phone down, changed into jeans and a dark hoodie, and headed downstairs. The scent of coffee and bacon hit me before I even reached the dining room. My stomach twisted—not just from hunger.
Marcus was already at the head of the long table when I walked in. He looked up the second I crossed the threshold. Those golden eyes locked onto me instantly, intense and unblinking. The air between us thickened. I felt the bond flare hot in my chest, spreading warmth down my spine and low into my belly. My steps faltered for half a second before I forced myself to keep moving.
“Morning,” I muttered, pulling out my usual chair.
Marcus didn’t answer right away. Instead, he reached for the coffee pot and poured a cup, sliding it across the table toward me. His fingers brushed mine as I took it. The contact sent a spark straight through me. I gripped the mug tighter, trying to ignore the way my skin tingled where he’d touched.
Elena sat to Marcus’s right, sipping her own coffee with perfect composure, but I could feel her watching us both.
I took a sip, the hot liquid burning my tongue. Marcus’s scent—cedar and smoke and something darker—wrapped around me like invisible chains. The bond pulled harder, making my thighs press together under the table. Heat crawled up my neck. I hated how my body reacted to him now. Like it had decided he owned it.
“Sleep well?” Marcus asked, his voice low and rough. His eyes never left my face.
I shrugged, not trusting myself to speak right away. He reached for the platter of bacon and set three strips on my plate without asking. His arm brushed my shoulder as he did it. Another wave of heat rolled through me. I shifted in my seat, jaw tight.
I forced the words out. “Any updates from last night?”
Marcus paused, fork halfway to his mouth. His gaze flicked to Elena for a split second before returning to me. “Nothing important.”
The brush-off was too smooth. Too quick.
I set my mug down harder than I meant to. “Then why is the security tripled this morning? I saw four extra guards at the gate when I looked out the window.”
Elena cleared her throat. Marcus shot her a sharp look, his jaw flexing, clearly telling her to stay quiet. She ignored him.
“An old acquaintance is in town,” she said evenly, setting her cup down. “Thomas Albert. He has unfinished business with Marcus. The kind that could end him.”
The words hit like cold water. I felt something shift inside my chest—a surge of protectiveness that burned hotter than the bond itself. My hands curled into fists on the table. Before I could stop myself, the words left my mouth.
“He is welcome,” I said, voice steady and clear. “We are more than ready for him.”
The dining room went dead silent.
Elena’s POV
I stared at Sam, my bruised throat suddenly feeling tighter. The boy who used to shrink in his seat and avoid eye contact was sitting straight-backed, chin lifted, golden-brown eyes steady with something I had never seen in him before—real confidence. The kind that came from more than just teenage rebellion.
He is welcome. We are more than ready for him.
The words echoed in my head. I nearly dropped my fork. Marcus had gone completely still beside me, his golden alpha eyes wide with shock. His hand gripped the edge of the table so hard the wood creaked. I had expected Sam to look afraid or at least uncertain. Instead, he looked ready to fight.
My pulse quickened. This wasn’t the same scared omega Marcus had brought home after his father’s death. He has changed faster than I anticipated. And the way he said “we”—like he and Marcus were already a unit—sent unease crawling down my spine.
Marcus’s jaw worked silently. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. For the first time in a long time, my brother looked genuinely stunned.
Sam’s POV
Both of them were staring at me like I had grown a second head. Marcus’s golden eyes were wide, his usual cold mask cracked wide open. Elena looked equally surprised, her perfectly composed expression slipping for just a second.
I didn’t wait for them to recover. I pushed my chair back, the legs scraping loudly against the marble floor, and grabbed my backpack from the floor beside me.
“I’ll be late for class if I don’t leave now,” I said, slinging the bag over my shoulder.
I turned and walked out of the dining room without looking back, my heart hammering against my ribs the entire way