Chapter 5 Chapter Five

Chapter Five

I'd been at the Northern Territory for three days before Marcus showed up.

Three days of staying mostly in Dante's room, eating meals Maya brought me, and trying to process what my life had become. Dante checked on me regularly but never pushed. He slept in another room, giving me space despite the bond constantly pulling us toward each other.

The pull was getting harder to ignore. My wolf wanted him close. Wanted to complete the bond properly, to claim and be claimed. But my head wasn't ready. Every time I thought about trusting another Alpha, Marcus's voice echoed in my mind. "A mistake I need to correct."

On the morning of the fourth day, I finally left the room. I couldn't hide forever. Maya had brought me clothes that actually fit, and I needed to see what I was dealing with. This place was supposed to be my home now. I should probably learn my way around.

The hallway was quiet. I made my way downstairs, following the scent of coffee and fresh bread. The kitchen was enormous, with several people working to prepare breakfast. They all stopped when they saw me.

"Luna," one of them said, bowing slightly.

"Please don't call me that." The title felt wrong. "I'm just Sera."

An older woman with gray hair smiled. "You're mated to our Alpha. That makes you Luna whether you like it or not." But her tone was kind. "I'm Helen. Head of the kitchen. You hungry?"

Before I could answer, a commotion erupted from outside. Shouting, the sound of footsteps running. Helen's expression shifted from friendly to concerned.

"Stay here," she said, but I was already moving toward the door.

I stepped outside into chaos. A crowd had gathered in the main courtyard, and at the center stood Marcus. He had a dozen warriors with him, all looking ready for a fight. Dante stood opposite them, his posture relaxed but his eyes cold.

"I want my wife back," Marcus was saying, his voice carrying across the courtyard. "You had no right to take her."

"I didn't take anyone." Dante's voice was calm, controlled. "She came willingly."

"Bullshit. You used your rut to manipulate her. She was vulnerable, and you took advantage." Marcus's eyes scanned the crowd and landed on me standing in the doorway. His expression twisted. "Sera. Come here. We're leaving."

Every instinct screamed at me to stay put, but I forced myself to walk forward. The crowd parted for me. I stopped next to Dante, close enough that our arms almost touched. The bond hummed with approval.

"I'm not going anywhere with you," I said. My voice shook slightly, but I kept my chin up.

Marcus's face darkened. "You're my mate. You belong with me."

"Was I your mate when you were sleeping with my sister?" The words came out sharper than I intended. "Or was I just convenient until someone better came along?"

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Marcus's warriors shifted uncomfortably. Clearly they hadn't known about Lydia.

"That's not what happened," Marcus said, but he couldn't quite meet my eyes. "Lydia means nothing. You're the one I chose, Sera. Come home and we'll work this out."

"There's nothing to work out." I felt Dante's hand brush against mine, silent support. "The bond between us is broken. You must feel it."

"Bonds don't just break." Marcus took a step forward. "Whatever he did to you, whatever he made you think you felt, it's not real. You're confused."

"She's not confused." A new voice joined the conversation. An older man stepped forward from Dante's side of the crowd, his hair silver but his build still strong. "I'm Elder Thomas. I've been serving this pack for forty years. Let me examine the girl. We'll settle this quickly."

Dante tensed beside me, but he nodded. "Sera, this is up to you. You don't have to prove anything."

"Yes, she does," Marcus snapped. "If she's really my mate, the bond will still be there."

I looked at the elder, then at Marcus. Part of me was terrified of what he might find. What if the bond with Marcus was still there somehow? What if I'd imagined everything with Dante?

"Do it," I said.

Elder Thomas approached me carefully. He placed one hand on my forehead and the other over my heart. His eyes closed, and I felt a strange tingling sensation as he reached out with whatever power let him sense these things.

After a long moment, his eyes opened. He turned to Marcus.

"There is no bond between you and this woman. Whatever connection you shared is completely severed."

Marcus's face went white. "That's impossible."

"It's possible if she found her true mate." The elder's gaze shifted to Dante. "May I?"

Dante nodded. The elder performed the same examination on him, then stepped back with a small smile. "True mate bond. Strong and new, but unmistakable. This woman is your Luna, Alpha. Congratulations."

The crowd erupted in conversation. Some looked happy, others shocked. Marcus stood frozen, his hands clenched into fists.

"You planned this," he said to Dante, his voice shaking with rage. "You knew she was my mate and you took her anyway."

"I didn't know anything," Dante replied. "I was hunting in neutral territory and our paths crossed. The bond formed naturally. You know how true mate bonds work, Marcus. They override everything else."

"Convenient timing though, wasn't it?" Marcus's eyes were wild now. "Right after my wife discovers me with another woman, she just happens to run into you? My uncle, who's been unmated for decades, suddenly finds his true mate in my territory?"

"I found her in neutral lands. You don't own those."

"This is bullshit." Marcus turned to his warriors. "We're leaving. But this isn't over, Sera. You're carrying my child. That baby is mine, and I will have what belongs to me."

My blood ran cold. The crowd went silent.

Dante's voice was deadly quiet. "What did you just say?"

Marcus smiled, ugly and triumphant. "You think I don't know? Three years she's been trying to give me a child. You really believe one night with you suddenly changed that?" He looked at me. "How far along are you? Two weeks? Three? That's my baby you're carrying. My heir. And I want it back."

I couldn't breathe. The timeline was impossible. I'd only been with Dante four days ago. There was no way to know if I was pregnant yet, no way Marcus could know.

Unless he was lying. Unless this was just another manipulation.

But the way he was looking at me, so certain, so possessive, made my stomach turn.

"Get off my territory," Dante growled. "Now."

"I'll go. But I'll be back for what's mine." Marcus turned and walked away, his warriors following. The crowd watched them leave in stunned silence.

I stood there, frozen, my hand unconsciously moving to my stomach. Was it possible? Could I actually be pregnant already?

Dante's hand found mine, squeezing gently. "He's lying. He's trying to manipulate you."

"Maybe," I whispered. But doubt had already planted itself in my mind, and from the look in Dante's eyes, he felt it too.