Chapter 135 Spilling Secrets

Chapter 135: Chapter 135 Spilling Secrets

Marcus had searched through almost the entire cottage, but he couldn’t find any of them.

He checked the kitchen first.

Empty.

The dining room?

Empty.

The corridor?

Still nothing.

"What the hell?"

He walked through the cottage, looking around suspiciously until something outside caught his attention.

Marcus stopped beside one of the windows and peeped through it.

His eyes widened.

There they were.

All of them.

Outside beneath the wide branches of an apple tree in the garden, gathered together under the shade and talking among themselves.

Marcus stared at the scene for a moment.

"What are they even doing?"

He couldn’t understand why everyone had suddenly gathered outside without telling him.

He looked back at the empty corridor, then at himself.

"What the fuck happened?"

Nobody had even bothered to call him.

That wasn’t fair at all.

He had literally been sitting at the dining table eating alone while everyone else apparently decided to have some secret gathering without him.

Marcus frowned.

"Seriously?"

He didn’t waste any more time thinking about it.

Whatever they were discussing, he was going to join them.

Immediately.

Marcus left through the cottage exit and slowly made his way toward the group.

But the moment he stepped close enough for them to notice him, every conversation stopped.

Silence.

Marcus narrowed his eyes.

Damian immediately noticed the look on his face and quickly looked away.

He knew that expression.

Marcus was about to start complaining.

And Damian wanted absolutely no part of it.

Noah, however, simply motioned for Marcus to come closer.

Marcus walked toward them, already preparing everything he was going to say.

He had been abandoned.

Nobody had told him where they were going.

He had been left alone with food.

And he had been forced to search for everyone like some lost puppy.

He was ready to drag them all.

But before he could even open his mouth, Noah looked at him.

"Where have you been?"

Marcus froze.

"I’ve been asking for you."

That single sentence completely destroyed everything Marcus had prepared.

He stared at Noah.

"You... were looking for me?"

Noah nodded.

Marcus suddenly forgot every complaint he had been planning to make.

He had already decided to yell at all of them, but now he couldn’t bring himself to say anything.

Instead, he sighed.

"I didn’t know you guys were here."

He looked around at everyone.

"I’ve been searching through the entire cottage. I only realized you were outside because I saw you through the window."

There was a slight pain in his voice.

It wasn’t really about being angry.

He simply hated feeling like he wasn’t part of whatever was happening.

Noah’s expression softened.

"That’s so fucked up. I’m sorry you didn’t know about it and nobody came to get you."

Marcus shrugged.

"It’s fine."

"It’s not."

Noah motioned toward the blanket.

"Just sit down. We’re all here now."

Marcus hesitated.

"What’s going on?"

Noah looked toward the others before answering.

"I want us all to be bonded."

Marcus went completely still.

"What?"

The words hit him harder than expected.

Bonded?

With all of them?

He hadn’t expected that.

Not now.

Not after everything that had happened between Lysander and Noah’s friends.

The entire idea of bonding was sacred among supernaturals. It wasn’t something people simply decided to do because they were having a good evening.

Marcus had thought the events at the academy would push anything involving a permanent bond even further away.

Yet here Noah was, sitting beneath the moonlight and calmly suggesting it.

Marcus slowly approached.

"Are you sure about this, Ashton?"

Noah looked at him.

"About bonding with all five of us?"

Marcus needed to know.

He needed to know that Noah wasn’t doing this because Lysander had pressured him.

Or because Lamia had upset him.

Or because he was afraid of being alone.

He wanted Noah to choose it with his whole heart.

Because Marcus wanted this.

More than he had ever admitted.

He had always wanted what his parents had.

The romance.

The companionship.

The thrill of having someone who was truly yours and knowing that you were theirs in return.

And somehow, Noah had become his greatest source of happiness.

Being around him made Marcus feel alive in a way nothing else did.

He had tried to hide how badly he wanted their relationship to become something deeper.

When Damian had gotten closer to Noah, Marcus had been jealous.

When Eugene marked him, Marcus had forced himself to let it go.

But that didn’t mean he had stopped wanting more.

He wanted a life with Noah.

He wanted the kind of bond his parents had shared.

He just hadn’t believed Noah was ready.

So this sudden decision left him both shocked and hopeful.

Noah’s face, however, wasn’t confused.

There was something almost radiant in his expression.

"When I look at us..."

He took a breath.

"And when I look at the state I’m in right now, I realize that maybe I’m the one holding all of us back."

Marcus listened carefully.

"We obviously want this."

Noah looked at each of the Alphas.

"Of course, I still have things I need to settle within myself. I want to understand who I am and figure out where I fit into all of this."

His fingers curled slightly.

"Part of me wants to go through that journey alone."

He smiled faintly.

"But I also know I can’t survive the disaster that’s coming without you."

The Alphas became quiet.

"My companions aren’t my weakness."

Noah’s voice became firmer.

"That’s something I need to learn."

He thought about Ashton’s voice.

That mysterious voice that had told him to trust himself.

"And someone just made me realize that I need to trust my instincts."

Noah looked at them.

"And my instincts are telling me that I want this."

Marcus felt something warm spread through his chest.

"So I want to go through with the mating ceremony."

Noah’s eyes moved between them.

"The question is..."

He smiled.

"Do you want to share this bond with me?"

Marcus didn’t hesitate.

"If you’re choosing this yourself and nobody is forcing you..."

He smiled.

"Then, Ashton, I’ll do anything for you."

He stepped onto the blanket.

"So yes."

Marcus dropped down beside the food.

"I want to participate."

Then, as though they hadn’t just been discussing one of the most important decisions of their lives, Marcus reached for a chicken leg.

He immediately began tearing into it.

Noah stared at him.

"You can’t be serious."

Marcus looked up while chewing.

"What?"

Lysander covered his face with his palm.

"This man."

Killian shook his head.

"I don’t know whether to respect him or fear him."

Marcus continued eating.

"I was hungry."

Noah sighed.

"Fine."

Lysander cleared his throat and finally lowered his hand.

"Everyone, listen."

The moon had risen fully now, bathing the garden in brilliant silver light.

The entire atmosphere had become almost magical.

"This isn’t just some ordinary ceremony."

Lysander’s voice became more serious.

"We’re standing on sacred ground beneath the moonlight."

He looked around at each person.

"And because of that, there is one rule."

Noah watched him carefully.

"We cannot lie."

Everyone became silent.

"The questions must be answered honestly."

Lysander continued.

"Anything we’ve been hiding from one another must be laid bare. Nothing is to be left out."

His eyes moved across the group.

"Everything comes into the open."

Killian gave him a skeptical look.

"For some reason, I don’t trust you."

Lysander smiled.

"You should."

"That’s exactly why I don’t."

Noah almost laughed.

Lysander ignored him.

"Wonderful, isn’t it?"

Killian snorted.

"Fantastic."

Noah looked between them.

"Can we please get started before you two start fighting again?"

Lysander nodded.

"Fine."

He looked around.

"The first question."

Before he could continue, Eugene suddenly spoke.

"What happened to Philip?"

Lysander’s smile disappeared.

Everyone looked at Eugene.

Eugene folded his arms.

"Philip was Ashton’s roommate."

Noah’s expression immediately changed.

He had wanted answers about Philip for a long time.

"You obviously took his face as a disguise," Eugene continued.

"We know that much."

His eyes narrowed.

"So where is the real Philip?"

The garden became silent.

Noah looked directly at Lysander.

This was one of the mysteries he desperately wanted answered.

Lysander slowly rubbed his smooth palms together.

Then his lips curled into a smile.

"I killed him."

Noah’s eyes widened.

Lysander’s expression remained completely calm.

"I buried him in the cemetery after I discovered how much of an asshole he was to my darling Ashton."

The entire atmosphere changed.

Nobody spoke.

The Alphas stared at Lysander.

Noah remained frozen.

Eugene’s voice was low.

"What did he do to deserve death?"

Lysander tilted his head.

"For starters, he was homophobic."

His expression hardened.

"He was planning to expose Ashton’s secret because he knew about it."

Noah’s hands tightened around his clothes.

"And the most dangerous part?"

Lysander’s eyes became colder.

"He knew the Book of Shadows was in Ashton’s room."

Everyone went silent.

"I couldn’t allow that information to spread."

The Alphas stared at Noah.

The Book of Shadows?

They hadn’t known.

Noah himself looked shocked.

He had known there were secrets surrounding his original life, but he hadn’t realized that Philip had been aware of something this important.

Killian’s expression darkened.

"You had the Book of Shadows?"

Noah looked at him.

"I..."

He didn’t even know how to answer.

Lysander leaned back slightly.

"That is why he had to die."