Mark of Sin: Bound to the Cruel Alpha

"No!" I scrambled off the couch, but standing up too fast made my head spin, forcing me to grip the armrest for support. "You don’t understand! It isn’t just some business! It’s a sanctuary where people come to relax, where animals are actually cared for! Rolan saves those creatures and gives them a second chance. He would never sell it—it’s his life’s work! I don’t want your money or your buyouts, Magnus! I just want to be part of a normal, human world..."

Silence stretched heavy across the room. He studied me silently, the muscle in his jaw working beneath his skin.

Then, in a voice terrifyingly low and quiet, he spoke:

"And what about my world?" His voice fell to a hush, but it carried an underlying gravity that sent a icy knot tightening in my stomach. "Why don’t you want to be part of my world, Lang?"

I turned toward him, our eyes locking across the dim space. A painful lump rose in my throat, threatening to choke me.

"And how am I supposed to be part of your world?" I whispered, my voice trembling and fracturing on every word. "When we keep everything hidden in the dark? When you hide me away like some dirty little secret? When you refuse to show our mark to anyone? You’re ashamed of me..."

Magnus snapped forward, a dark, dangerous spark flashing in his silver eyes.

"I don’t keep our mark covered because I’m ashamed of you," he growled, stopping right in front of me. He clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned bone-white, his tone dripping with sheer, unyielding steel. "And you’re out of your mind if you think otherwise. There are complications to announcing you right now. Matters that have to be settled. People who need to be dealt with. I need time, Lang. Do you understand me? Time to do this right. Time to protect you."

I didn’t offer a single word in reply. I simply turned away, stepping around the sofa and heading down the hall toward the bedroom. Behind me, I heard him let out a long, heavy exhale—worn thin with frustration and fatigue.

Inside my chest, everything was splintering into pieces. Every conversation, every hollow promise left me raw. I couldn’t bring myself to trust his words, nor could I trust my own heart anymore.

Once, the only person I could rely on unconditionally was myself. But now, with every passing day under his shadow, I was losing another piece of who I was.

***

I woke up to my phone practically screaming, the loud, persistent ringtone shattering the quiet of the night. Rubbing the back of my hand over my eyes, I fumbled for the device, nearly dropping it on the floor before finally securing it.

The blinding screen light hit my eyes, forcing me to squint against the glare. The people calling at an hour like this must have sold their conscience on the black market for dirt cheap; only those completely unburdened by such minor things wake people in the dead of night.

Flashing persistently on the screen of my new phone—a replacement Magnus had bought me after my old one was smashed to pieces against the classroom wall—was the name Julia.

My sister was calling.

I swallowed hard, a heavy, suffocating wave of dread tightening around my chest. Trembling, I pressed the phone to my ear and whispered, "Hello?"

Instantly, a wall of deafening, throbbing bass exploded through the speaker. Music, shrieks of laughter, slurred shouting, and the sharp clinking of glasses bled together in a chaotic noise that made me want to throw the phone across the room.

"Jaaaneeee!" Julia wailed, her voice slurred and thick with alcohol. Words stretched together, stumbling over one another. "Little sister! Are you sleeping? Get up! I need help!"

I sat bolt upright in bed, shoving the speaker as close to my ear as possible, trying to piece together her words through the thumping music. My heart began to race.

"Julia, what happened? Where are you?"

"Bring me some cash!" she whined, her slurred tone turning tearful with exaggerated sobs. In the background, someone burst into a loud, mocking laugh. "Please, Jane! I lost my apartment keys! I looked everywhere—my bag, my pockets—they’re gone! I can’t go to Mom and Dad’s place! They’ll literally kill me! You know how they are! Or just transfer me enough for a rental room! Don’t abandon your family, Jane... be a human! I mean, a Breeder! What’s five hundred? Seven? You have to have it!"

Through the receiver, the squealing, drunken giggles of other girls echoed in the background. One of them, completely unbothered by whether I could hear her or not, spoke up in a loud, brazen voice:

"Oh, please! Jane is such a total loser! Tell her to send extra for more booze! Come on, Julia, lay the guilt on thick!"

Their mocking laughter burnt through my nerves like acid. I had always known my sister spread malicious rumors and dragged my name through the dirt behind my back, yet the callous reality of her cruelty still cut deep.

Something snapped inside me, like an overstretched violin string severing under too much tension. A wave of bitter pain spread through my chest.

It hurt so damn much. I wanted to hurl the phone against the wall and scream until my voice tore raw.

My family had always treated me like an inconvenient transaction. Always. Since I was a child. And now... Julia only reached out when she needed something from me. Money. A favor. A cover story to shield her from our parents’ wrath.

My parents hadn’t once checked in to see if I was surviving, what had become of me, or if I was even alive. Ever since Magnus had taken me, not a single family member had reached out. Not one. They never asked if I was safe, if I was okay, or if I needed help.

Yet the moment they needed something, my existence suddenly crossed their minds.

"I can’t send you any money, nor will I bring it to you," I said softly. My voice sounded surprisingly composed, even as my internal world trembled with suppressed emotion. "You are more than old enough to handle your own problems, Julia. Ask those friends you’re out drinking with."