Chapter 74
“I have to go,” I said and held my head down. My hand slowly fell from Gabe’s and when our fingertips graced each other he reached out and pulled me
back.
“Please don’t. Fuck, Hazel, I’m sorry- that was a dick move,”
Gabe tightened the hold on my hand when I tried to pull it free and he cupped my cheek and wiped my tears away with his thumb.
“I’m-” he started.
“Please let me go, I want to leave,” I begged.
He shook his head and his eyes fell in a sorrowful gaze while his lips parted in silent words.
The second he let my hand fall to my side I felt the sob rushing up and I ran. I didn’t stop until I was far away enough from the ballroom that I couldn’t hear anything.
If I could make it to the foyer, I knew I could find my way back to the bedroom but every corridor looked the same and I didn’t know where the hell to go. I stopped when the paths parted and I could choose left or right.
My vision was blurry from the tears, my brain was exhausted from all of the thinking and my body wanted to give up.
I stepped back until my back hit the wall and I slid down to the floor while the tears ran down my face.
Shit, I just realized how I must look. I hadn’t even thought about the makeup being a mess from the first time I cried tonight. I must’ve looked like a clown while I danced with Gabe.
At least that thought put somewhat of a smile on my lips but then the tears followed fast.
Words had never been truer; It’s hard to know love on someone else when you’ve never experienced it yourself.
It wasn’t that I’d never experienced love, it was the fact that I never would. I noticed something when I said goodbye to Iliana and Emanuel before, the mark on Iliana’s neck was different from mine. The marks from our mates weren’t the same and I had never thought about that before. One was a mark from a true werewolf, it was distinct and looked the same on everyone except for minor differences depending on the depth, pressure, and width of the canines. The other one, the one on me, was a Lycan’s mark- so rare that I had never seen one in real life before.
This meant that even if I, by some miracle, were to free myself from his gold-plated prison nobody would ever want me. The second a man would lay his eyes on the mark on my neck or the one between my legs, he would immediately know who I once belonged to and he would run for the mountains and most likely jump off them.
I was the branded cattle that nobody would ever touch.
I allowed myself another few minutes of self-pity but when I heard people around the halls I realized I had to go. The thought of my bed right now was bringing me joy I didn’t think I’d feel here.
I made it to the foyer and from there I could easily find my room and I hurried so that nobody would catch me looking like a mess.
When I walked in and closed the door I pretended like the outer world didn’t exist. It was just me and Trixy and everything was fine.
I took one step into the room, thinking that this night was over when his voice filled my head.
‘Who said that you could leave?’
1/2
The Alpha’s Hunt
