Marked Twie


    focits trobar vanih inte the duties, the thing of betrayal mill frech. When


    the t?c h?i lip hard enough to taste blond, refusing to crumble, Mor here, Nar in front of there waters. She''d busted bar at ying the perfect "Mughter Mi there traditionalists. Na way was the breaking charactEL BOW,


    Martha Hayes sidled up bestile hes, expensive prfume announcing her rival before her designer heels even hit the grasi.


    "Don''t waste energy in that Rivers girl, sweetie, Martha said, patting Sophia''s arm. Her smile didnt reach her ice cold eyes. "Test desuged goods some threw away.


    Vanessa flipped her hair, snorting. Right? Jackson picked it, not her died, it''s gross watching herel back to him again


    Something clicked in Sophia''s brain. She whipped toward Vanessa, her smile vanishing. Hold up-ngal?"


    Vanessa Blinked. "What''


    "You said again. Like they had something before."


    Vanessa opened her mouth, but Martha''s ws suddenly dug into her wrist, making


    or the younger woman yelp.


    "Oh, ignore her," Marthaughed, the sound like nails on a chalkboard. "Wine talking.” She shot Vanessa a look that screamed shut up in universal wolfnguage.


    Vanessa''s face went tomato-red. "Yeah, totally misspoke. Too many drinks" Her smile was stic, but her eyes held secrets.


    Bullshit. Sophia nced back at jackson, who was still fixated on where Ava had disappeared, his nose twitching slightly-trying to catch lingering traces of


    d the growl building in her throat and turned back with a sugar-sweet smile. "We should totally hang out sometime. Girl time, you know?"


    swallowed.


    Martha and Vanessa perked up like puppies offered treats. "We''d love that," Martha gushed, her eyes calcting every advantage.


    "Great, Ill contact you guyster. Maybe Moonlight Lounge?"


    Their eyes widened-no wolf got into that exclusive Silverpeak hotspot without Alpha clearance. An invite from the Alpha King''s daughter was social gold.


    Before they could start nning outfits, Sophia slipped away toward Jackson. He was so zoned out she had to physically touch his shoulder to register on


    his radar


    I need to crash for a bit," she said quietly


    He nodded vaguely, eyes still drifting toward the exit. The pain on his face stoked


    the anger simmering under Sophia''s skin, but she locked down her scent, keeping her emotions hidden.


    enter her w


    voice. I''m talking to you."


    son," she said, letting a thread of Morgan power enter


    "Jackson,"


    He blinked, finally seeing her. "Sorry, what?"


    I''m tired. Can we find somewhere to chill?!


    He studied her face, reality finally clicking, He raked fingers through his hair,


    taking a deep breath that screamed I''m huling something


    "Yeah, sure. My old roum''s upstairs. I''ve gotta finish this ceremony crap, though."


    Almost. That werd-sem-kent erloing in her head


    Sperra head back down, he said, thumb grasing her threk but syai never quite meeting hert. ''Make yourself at hom


    The second his footsteps faded, Sophia''s well woke up that primal part that needed to be, to find threats, fe protect what was here.


    She sat on his bed, scanning the room. Not many personal photos, typical for wolves-except one picture frame on the nightstand with kinempe clearly


    She picked it up, heart, thumping Jackson with half a photo, the other person surgically removed. Her fingers traced the jeed edge where someone else should be


    Ava? It had to be. But why He? Jackson was supposed to be her person, her future. And Ava-shed saved Sophia''s life in that cer. Friends didn''t he to each other.


    But yesterday, seeing Jackson grah Ava''s wrist, touching her neck like he used it... her wolf had bowled a warning.


    She couldn''t sit still. She popped open his dresser drawers, rifling through old t- shirts and gym shorts. An Alphar''s fiancée deserves the truth, she told herself. Nothing but teenage leftovers. The nightstand yielded the same—just normal junk plus a silver knife (weird for a werewolf to own and some herbal potions Frustrated, she headed for the bathroom. Her wolf pushed her forward, insistent,


    Her nose twitched, hunting for scents. A forgotten shampoo bottle smelled of pine and rain-definitely not Jackson''s usual sandalwood. Avender deodorant, also not his style. She sniffed deeper, the scent tickling a memory she couldn''t quite ce.


    The bathroom gleamed too clean, probably scrubbed with scent neutralizer. Only wolves with something to hide used that stuff.


    Heading back toward the bed, her wolf senses tingled at something under it. That pure Alpha intuition made the hair on her arms stand up. She dropped to her knees, spotting a floorboard that didn''t quite match the others.


    aling a hiding spot beneath-ssic wolf behavior, especially teenagers keeping She eased a nail under the edge and pulled. The board popped up, revealing a secrets from parents.


    Inside sat a simple wooden box carved with two wolf silhouettes. No lock, just a worn keepsake box with signs of frequent handling.


    Heart hammering, she lifted it out and opened the lid. Not fancy documents-just teenage treasures, the stuff of first loves and broken hearts.


    On topy a photo unmistakably theplete version of the cut picture. Jackson and Ava by Moonlight Lake, full moon overhead. Ava wore silver-white, and there on her neck gleamed a silver mark that made Sophia''s stomach drop-a fated mate mark, Jackson''s arm wrapped possessively around Ava''s waist, both beaming like they''d won the lottery.


    She lipped it over


    1. r. Written


    in Jackson''s messy scrawl: "Celebrating our discovery ceremony at Moonlight Lake with my fated mate, our souls bound by the Moon Goddess herself. Forever, [&A."


    The floor seemed to tilt beneath her. Ava wasn''t just some random warrior. She was Jackson''s goddess-chosen fated mate.