Marco's POV
I saw it clearly, how Lara looked away, the fleeting tremor in her eyes before she turned her head, the way her shoulders went rigid as if she were holding herself together with sheer will. The pain was there, quiet but undeniable, and for a moment, I almost broke.
I almost went after her. I had no right to care, yet every part of me did. It was like watching something pure shatter right in front of me, knowing I was the one who caused it.
Then Serene's arms slipped around me. The scent of her perfume wrapped around my senses like a familiar blanket, soft and suffocating at the same time. She smiled, perfect and composed, just as she always did in public.
I kissed her because I had to, because the eyes of my pack were on us. Most of my employees were werewolves from our pack, and they all knew what I had been fighting against for years. Pretending was easier than facing the truth of what I had done.
But even as my lips brushed hers, my mind was with Lara Quinn.
Her name echoed in my thoughts like a whisper I couldn't silence. I told myself it was the Blood Moon that made me lose control last night, that it had awakened something unnatural in me. I blamed the heat, the storm, the fire in her eyes. Anything but fate. Anything but what it truly was. Because if I admitted the truth, I would have to face the prophecy I had spent my entire life denying.
They had told me this would happen. The elders, the council, even my parents. Everyone who had shaped me into the man I am. They spoke of destiny as if it were written in stone, claiming that I, Marco Blackwell, heir to the Blackwell empire and alpha of our pack, was chosen by the moon itself.
They said that one day I would find my mate, and that she would bear my child who would strengthen our bloodline and secure our rule over the werewolf clans for generations to come. The child born from that union would carry the power of the moon and the legacy of the Blackwell name, destined to lead our kind into an era of unmatched strength.
And when they told me she was human, I refused to believe it. I fought the prophecy with everything I had. How could a human carry the power of an alpha's heir? How could she survive the bond that tied our souls together? Yet the elders never wavered.
They said my mate would be unlike any other, bound to me by fate and chosen by the moon herself. That the child born of our bond would bridge two worlds, reuniting the werewolves and the dark forces, and ensure that the Blackwell pack would remain the strongest and most feared among all werewolf clans.
And now, standing here, I realized they could be right.
When Lara Quinn walked into my office eight years ago, they said she was the one.
I still remember that day. She was only eighteen, nervous but poised, her soft voice steady as she introduced herself. I should have dismissed her right then, but instead I found myself staring, caught off guard by something I couldn't name. She had an energy about her that shifted the air in the room. It unsettled me.
I hated that my father forced the HR Manager to assign her to me as one of my executive assistants. Worse, he made sure she handled my personal matters. My schedule, my travels, and my files. Everything I didn't want anyone else to touch. She became part of my daily life in ways I couldn't control.
I told myself it was manipulation. That they were using her to push the prophecy on me. I fought it with everything I had. I argued with my parents, defied the council, and insisted that I could protect the pack without relying on some ancient story. I told them I didn't need a fated mate to remain the strongest alpha among the werewolves.
So I proposed to Serene and announced our engagement publicly, hoping it would finally stop my parents and the council from reminding me about my human secretary. All I ever wanted was Serene. She came from one of the strongest wolf bloodlines, the kind that promised power, stability, and respect. But my parents and the council never surrendered.
For years, I stayed distant. I buried myself in work, convinced myself that control meant strength. But the truth was, I was losing that control every day she was near me. The way she looked at me when she thought I wasn't watching. The quiet way she spoke my name. The kindness that existed even when I didn't deserve it.
I did not let Lara ride with me that morning. I made sure she would be late enough to miss the annual company team building. If she could not get there on time, she would have to go back to the city and face the memo for disobedience. Then I would not have to worry about being near her.
Part of me wanted to fire her just to remove the complication, but she was good at her job. No matter how strict and demanding I was, she met every demand, even the impossible ones. I could not deny she was an outstanding employee, and for better or worse, that made things harder
For years, my father made certain that every Blood Moon coincided with the company's annual event. He said it was tradition, but I knew better. The council had planned it that way because they believed I would be too weak to resist Lara during the Blood Moon, that the bond would awaken and I would finally accept my fate. And for years, I had proven them wrong.
Every time Lara was near, I kept my distance. Every time she spoke, I pretended not to listen. Every time I felt the pull, I buried it deep and told myself I was stronger than whatever force bound us. I took pride in my restraint, in the control that defined who I was.
And last night, under the Blood Moon, everything I had tried to bury came alive. I lost every ounce of control I had built to protect myself from her. Corbin made it worse, and I could not deny the anger that burned through me when I saw Lara with him. He had always wanted my place as Alpha of the pack, but I knew his challenge was not only about power. What infuriated me more was the way he looked at her, as if she could ever belong to him.
The word date echoed in my head like a cruel reminder that Lara was not mine.
That night, the prophecy I had spent years denying closed in around me, a chain I could not escape. I felt the pull the elders had warned me about. In the end, I did the one thing I should never have done. I claimed her. I marked her. The bond was sealed, ancient and unbreakable.
Even as I kept reminding myself it was wrong, I could not stop remembering how right it felt. The memory of her in my arms would not leave me, the warmth of her body fitting against mine as if she had always been meant for me.
This morning, I acted as if nothing had happened between us. Not because I wanted to, but because I was terrified of what it meant. The night before had changed everything, and I refused to accept it. I told myself it was just weakness, a moment of surrender to temptation, and nothing more.
The moment our eyes met again, I felt it all return. The pull. The ache, and the invisible thread between us that tightened the more I tried to resist.
For a fleeting second, I wanted to push Serene away and tell everyone the truth. That the prophecy was real. That I had already found the one written for me. But I couldn't. Serene had been mine long before the prophecy ever came to life. She was my fiancée, my childhood sweetheart, my first love. The one I believed was truly meant for me, not someone chosen by some damn story about destiny.
So I kissed Serene again, and I kissed her long enough to prove a point, to everyone and to myself. That I was still in control. That Ms. Quinn was nothing but a mistake born of weakness. The crowd applauded, the employees cheered, except Lara. And inside, I was already falling apart.
Because I knew what that kiss meant for Lara.
She had felt the bond, and the mark. Every emotion that I was trying to bury, she was feeling a hundred times stronger. That was the curse of being the fated one. The pain cut deeper for her because she was mine now, whether I admitted it or not. And I had just shattered her heart in front of everyone.
I could still taste her name on my tongue. I could still feel her trembling beneath my hands, the warmth of her breath against my skin. The way she had whispered my name as if it belonged only to her. Now, I had turned her into a secret. A scar I would carry in silence.
I told myself it meant nothing. That it was the Blood Moon, not destiny. That I was still the master of my choices.
But as Serene's hand slipped into mine and I forced myself to smile, I knew the truth. I was already bound to Lara Quinn. Not by choice, not by desire, but by something older and stronger than either of us.
I had tried to prove them all wrong. I thought that one night with her would be enough to break whatever spell fate had cast. That once I had her, I would stop wanting her. But I was wrong. I wanted her more than I had ever wanted anything in my life.
My pride took over before my heart could speak. I was Marco Blackwell, the most powerful Alpha in the werewolf community. I had built an empire, led a pack feared by many, and ruled without bending to anyone. I would not let a prophecy decide my future. I would not let her undo me.
So I put my arm around Serene and walked past Lara without even a glance. Every step away from her felt like walking against a force that tried to pull me back. I could feel her pain echoing through me, her heartbreak mixing with my own. The bond between us was alive, thrumming in my chest, and I ignored it with every ounce of strength I had left.
Because I had made a choice. And I needed to prove, to my parents, to the council, to myself, that the one they had chosen for me meant nothing. Even if it meant destroying her.
Serene got inside my car after calling her driver to pick up her car. The moment I started the engine, her voice cut through the silence.
"I can feel it, Marco. You marked her." Her tone was sharp, filled with accusation and anger.
"Babe, you need to understand. I had to do it to prove to them they were wrong," I said, forcing my voice to stay calm. "I needed to make a point. Trust me on this."
The words tasted bitter on my mouth. Serene looked out the window, her reflection unreadable in the glass. My thoughts were far from her. No matter how hard I tried, all I could think about was Lara. Her scent, her silence, and the way she had looked at me one last time before turning away.
"Just make sure you reject her soon, or else I promise you, Marco, I will make her life a living hell," Serene said without hesitation, making me grip the steering wheel harder than necessary.
The bond pulsed inside me, a quiet reminder that no matter what I told myself, Lara was mine. And I had just proven to her that being mine was the most painful thing she would ever endure.