บททั้งหมดของ Marked by the forbidden mate: บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 10

CELLA’S POVThe moment my feet touched the muddy ground, I ran.Mud splashed up my legs as I moved, but I didn’t slow down. My heart raced, loud in my chest, and it felt like the nightmare again, except this time nothing was chasing me.This time, I was running because I chose to.After a few steps, my breath gave out, my chest burned, and my legs felt weak. I stopped in front of the big oak tree and leaned against it with one hand, bending forward as I tried to breathe.I had watched this tree from my window for as long as I could remember, as it had stood strong through rain, wind, and harsh weather. I had always wondered how it managed to survive when everything around seemed to suffer.Now I stood right in front of it.I pressed my forehead against the rough bark. It was cold and damp, but I didn’t pull away. A small sound slipped out of me, it was a shaky laugh that broke halfway through and sounded more like a cry.“How are you so strong?” I whispered. My fingers curled into the

CELLA'S POVOmega.The word echoed in my skull like a death knell.I stared at the stranger, my mate, as he bowed and scraped before the armored guards, his voice taking on a pathetic, stumbling quality that made my stomach turn."A simpleton?" one of the guards sneered, circling him like a predator sizing up wounded prey. "Not allowed to own a business."Aeden, I didn't even know his name yet, kept his head lowered, his shoulders hunched in a posture of submission that looked nothing like the man who had pulled me from the edge of death."I didn't know," he mumbled, wringing his hands. "Please, I meant no disrespect. I'll close up right away. Right away, sirs."What is he doing? Sable's voice was sharp with confusion.I couldn't answer. I could barely breathe.This was my mate. The bond pulled at my chest, warm and insistent, whispering that this man was mine, mine, in a way that defied logic or reason. Every instinct I possessed screamed at me to go to him, to stand at his side, to

CELLA'S POV"I reject the bond." My voice shook, but I forced myself to continue. "I reject you as my mate. I refuse to be tied to an omega. I refuse to accept this... this fate."The bond pulled at my chest, screaming in protest. Sable howled inside my mind, her claws raking against my ribs until I nearly cried out.Cella, no…I have to.You'll destroy us…I DON'T CARE.Aeden's expression had gone blank, completely, terrifyingly blank. Whatever he was feeling, he wasn't showing it."You can't reject a bond that hasn't been accepted," he said finally. "That's not how it works.""Then I'm rejecting you anyway. In every way that matters."He nodded slowly, like he'd been expecting this. Like he'd already prepared himself for the worst."Fine."Just one word. Just fine.No argument. No pleading. No attempt to change my mind.He simply turned, walked to the other side of the cave, and sat with his back against the wall, facing the entrance.Guarding me.Even after I'd just stabbed him in

CELLA'S POVThe first week in Aeden's penthouse was unbearable.Not because of the silence, though there was plenty of that. Not because of the luxury, though it made my skin prickle with discomfort. Not even because of the bond, which pulsed between us like a living thing, demanding attention I refused to give.No.It was unbearable because he was everywhere.I'd expected him to be absent, a distant figure who appeared only to deliver lessons and issue instructions. Instead, he was present in every corner of the sprawling penthouse. In the kitchen at dawn, brewing coffee that smelled like heaven. In the study at midnight, the glow of his laptop casting shadows across his sharp features. On the balcony at sunset, staring out at the city with an expression that made my chest ache.He gave me space.Too much space.The penthouse had three bedrooms. I'd taken the guest suite, a room so large it could have swallowed my tower cell ten times over. Aeden occupied the master, and between us l

CELLA'S POVThe venue was a mansion on the outskirts of the city.Aeden drove us there in a sleek black car, his fingers tapping restlessly on the steering wheel, his jaw tight with tension I'd never seen before."You're nervous," I said."I'm not nervous.""Your knuckles are white."He glanced down at his hands, then forced them to relax. "I don't want to overwhelm you.""I've been through worse.""That's not reassuring."I almost smiled. Almost.The mansion loomed ahead of us, all glass and steel and warm golden light spilling from enormous windows. Other cars lined the driveway, sleek and expensive, and I could see figures moving behind the glass like shadows in a dream."Who are these people?" I asked."Aeldry. She's the fae ambassador to the human world. Ancient. Powerful. Dangerous if crossed." He ticked them off on his fingers. "Marcus, a vampire who runs half the financial institutions on this continent. Thorne, a mage who's been alive for three hundred years and has a temper