Chapter 146 I'm Yours, Marcus

Chapter 146 I'm Yours, Marcus
Marcus's POV

I sighed deeply, feeling the weight of Nathan's words settle in my chest like stones.

The conversation had drained me more than I'd expected, and suddenly the crowded bar felt suffocating.

"I'm done talking about this," I said, my voice rougher than intended. "Let's go. I want to head home."

Nathan studied my face for a moment, those knowing eyes seeing more than I was comfortable with. He nodded slowly. "Alright, Alpha. Let's get out of here."

After dropping Nathan off at his place, I found myself cruising aimlessly through the city streets instead of heading straight home. The drive should have been calming, but my mind was too restless.

The dashboard clock showed nearly midnight, but sleep felt impossible. My wolf paced beneath my skin, agitated by everything - the upcoming engagement party, the Pack politics, the memory of Aria's face when she'd told me she didn't love me anymore.

I turned down a quieter street, letting the engine idle as I tried to process Nathan's question about whether I could live with announcing my engagement to Isabella while Aria watched. The truth was, I wasn't sure I could.

That's when I heard it - a high-pitched scream that cut through the night air like a blade.

"Help me! Somebody help me! He's a bad man!"

A small figure burst from between two parked cars, a girl with silver hair streaming behind her as she ran. My heart stopped.

Behind her, a man emerged from the shadows. He was maybe forty, overweight, with a predatory gleam in his eyes that made my wolf snarl.

I didn't think. I just acted.

Slamming the car into park, I was out and moving before my conscious mind caught up. The man was closing in on the girl when I tackled him, sending us both crashing to the pavement.

"You son of a bitch!" he wheezed, struggling beneath me. "You're ruining my fun!"

Rage exploded through me. All of it poured into my fists as I grabbed him by the shirt.

"Your fun?" I snarled, my wolf's fury bleeding into my voice. "You piece of shit!"

The fight was over quickly. He was soft, out of shape, no match for an Alpha running on pure adrenaline and protective instinct. Within minutes, he was on the ground, groaning and clutching his ribs.

"Thank you," the little girl sobbed, tears streaming down her face. "Thank you so much!"

I turned to look at her properly for the first time, and my heart clenched. She wasn't Aria - the features were different, the coloring wrong.

But there was something in her eyes, that mixture of fear and gratitude, that reminded me so much of my daughter Sophia.

A wave of disappointment crashed over me, followed immediately by relief. I didn't want Aria or Sophia anywhere near danger like this.

I shook my head, trying to clear it. "Don't thank me. It's nothing."

But as I started to walk away, small fingers tugged at my jacket.

"Wait! What's your name? I want to thank you properly."

I looked down at her tear-stained face and felt something crack inside my chest. "My name doesn't matter. Just... be careful, okay? Where do you live? I'll make sure you get home safely."

Maybe it was because she reminded me of the family I'd lost, or maybe I was just too emotionally raw to walk away from someone who needed help.

Either way, I found myself walking her down the street, my hand hovering protectively near her shoulder as she pointed out her house.

"Just around this corner," she said, her voice still shaky. "About a hundred meters."

I walked her to her front door and waited until the lights came on inside, until I heard adult voices exclaiming over her safety. Only then did I allow myself to disappear back into the night.

The drive home passed in a blur. My apartment felt empty and cold when I finally made it inside, the silence pressing against my eardrums.

I went through the motions of showering and brushing my teeth, but my mind kept drifting back to that little girl's face, to the way she'd looked at me with such trust.

When I finally collapsed into bed, exhaustion took over almost immediately.

But my dreams offered no peace.

I was running through darkness, following the sound of crying. Ahead of me, I could see her - Aria, tears streaming down her face as she fled from something I couldn't see.

"Aria!" I called out, pushing myself harder. "Wait!"

She stumbled, and I caught up to her, my hands reaching for her shoulders. "What's wrong? Who hurt you?"

She shook her head, more tears falling. "I can't... I can't do this anymore, Marcus."

I tried to pull her into my arms, to hold her safe against my chest like I'd wanted to do for so long. But she fought me, pushing against my hands with surprising strength.

"Let me go," she whispered, but her voice broke on the words.

"Please," I heard myself say, and I hated how desperate I sounded. "Please don't leave me. You can talk to me about anything."

My voice cracked, threatening to break entirely. In the dream, I could feel tears on my own cheeks.

She looked up at me then, her amber eyes filled with so much pain it felt like drowning. Her lips parted as if she was about to speak, about to finally tell me what I needed to hear...

I jolted awake, my t-shirt soaked with sweat, my heart hammering against my ribs. The bedroom was dark and empty, morning still hours away. I rubbed my face with shaking hands, trying to dispel the lingering images.

"Fuck," I breathed into the silence.

Maybe it was seeing that little girl tonight that had triggered the dream, the way she'd reminded me of Aria and Sophia. My wolf whimpered inside me, still reaching for something that was no longer there.

I was still trying to shake off the dream when my phone rang the next morning. Isabella's name flashed on the screen, and I felt my jaw clench automatically.

"Marcus?" Her voice was honey-sweet. "You said you'd come see me today. I miss you so much I can barely sleep..."

The contrast between her sugary tone and the raw pain of my dream was jarring. I closed my eyes, feeling irritation prickle along my skin.

"I'll be there," I said curtly. "I need to get ready first."

"Take your time. I love you—"

I hung up before she could finish.

By the next afternoon, when I arrived at Isabella's apartment, I was already regretting the decision.

The scent of roses hit me the moment she opened the door - not just a few flowers, but an overwhelming wall of them. The entire living room was filled with red roses, their petals scattered across every surface.

What's going on here?

"Surprise!" Isabella stood in the doorway wearing something that barely qualified as clothing - a sheer slip that left nothing to the imagination. "Do you like it?"

I stared at the scene she'd created. The curtains were drawn tight, casting the room in artificial twilight.

Candles flickered from every corner, and soft jazz music drifted from hidden speakers. It looked like something out of a seduction manual.

"Isabella..." I started, but she was already moving toward me, her hips swaying in a way that was clearly calculated.

"I wanted tonight to be perfect," she whispered, her hands sliding up my chest. "Just you and me, no interruptions, no distractions..."

The music swelled around us as she began to sway against me, and I realized this was all choreographed. Every detail, from the roses to the lighting to her outfit, had been planned to create this moment.

Then, without warning, she reached for the hem of her slip and pulled it over her head in one fluid motion.

Isabella stood before me completely naked, her white hair cascading over her bare shoulders, her ice-blue eyes locked on mine with an intensity that felt almost desperate.

"I'm yours, Marcus," she whispered. "Completely yours."

But as I looked at her - at the roses, the candles, the elaborate seduction scene - all I could think about was Aria's face in my dream, the way she'd tried to pull away from me even there.