Chapter 7
604words
I stared at him, stunned.
"What?"
"The mating mark," Samuel said, sitting up straight, his expression serious. "I know you just escaped a bad situation. I'm not going to use the Mate Spark to force you into anything."
"You can take all the time you need. A month, a year, a decade... I'll wait."
A wave of bitterness washed over me.
I thought of my six years with Dylan.
I used to beg him for a proper mark, but he always had an excuse. "The company is just starting out, it's not the right time." "Let me secure my position as Alpha first." "Just a little longer, it's almost time..."
And now, this rumored tyrant, the Alpha King himself, was telling me gently:
You can follow your heart.
"Why?" I heard myself ask, my voice hoarse. "You're... you're the Alpha King. You could just..."
"Because you deserve to be respected," Samuel cut me off.
He covered my hand with his, his warm palm a source of comfort and safety. "Sylvia, you're my mate. Not a trophy, not a possession, and definitely not a tool."
"We are equals."
Tears blurred my vision.
"I'm sorry..." I said, frantically trying to wipe them away. "I'm not usually..."
"Shh." Samuel gently pulled me into his arms. His chest was broad and warm, a safe harbor. "It's okay. Let it out."
And in that moment, the dam broke. All the pain, the humiliation, the despair I'd bottled up for years came pouring out.
I clung to him and sobbed.
Under the gentle force of his kindness, the whole story tumbled out between my gasps.
"He was the one who pursued me... When he found out about my soothing abilities, he said I was a gift from the Moon Goddess."
"He said he needed my powers to get through his rages, that he’d officially mate with me once the company was stable."
"And I believed him."
I let out a bitter, self-mocking laugh.
"You know how that turned out. He gave the Luna position to Lilith, who claimed she had 'Moon Blight.' He stole the herbs I'd spent years cultivating and kicked me out of the company."
"She even framed me, said I tried to poison her. And Dylan believed it. That’s why he hit me."
I looked up at Samuel. "You must think I'm so stupid, right?"
Samuel just shook his head, his eyes serious. "Do you know why he never marked you in all those six years?"
"Because he was always looking for a Luna with more to offer, someone like Lilith."
"But at the same time, he couldn't bear to lose your soothing abilities, so he kept you on the hook with empty promises."
His words were a cold, sharp shock, slicing through the last of my denial and forcing me to see the truth.
Samuel moved back to the bed, leaning over me. He braced his hands on either side of my body, caging me in his arms.
"Sylvia."
He cupped my face, making me look at him.
"That bastard was never worthy of you."
His thumb gently wiped away a tear before he pressed a reverent kiss to my forehead.
"But I will make him pay. I'll make every single person who ever hurt you pay."
"I swear on my life, you will be the most honored, most free Luna this world has ever seen."
"You are my Queen."
"And I am your knight, forever."
