Her Chosen Mate

Part 56

(POV - Marcus)

His entire body pulsed with bloodlust, threatening to hand him over to his baser instincts.

"You have no claim over Aria," Marcus growled into the receiver, low, deadly, his body burning with malice. "You never have."

Aiden growled in response and Marcus cut him off before he could say a word.

"I suggest you make sure you're clear of her because I'm coming to take her," Marcus warned. "And if I see your face, if I so much as smell you on her, I'm going to rip your spine out through your mouth and wear it as a fucking boa."

"I dare you to take my true mate from me," Aiden taunted, and Marcus faltered.

Had Aria let that Alpha pup mark her? Would she have let his filthy hands anywhere near her, allowed him to mark her after promising Marcus she was breaking things off with Aiden once and for all?

"Aiden, please stop this," Aria begged, her voice faint but audible enough for Marcus to hear in the background of the call. She sounded scared and tired, and Marcus felt his rage crescendo. Without another word, he got to his feet and smashed his phone on the ground, seething.

How dare he. How dare that pathetic pup touch her. After everything he'd done to Aria, after all the pain he'd caused, all the thoughts he'd put into her head that she somehow wasn't good enough, how dare he lay his hands on her.

Marcus paced in his office, eyes wild and heart racing. He knew he needed to calm himself down before he left, because if he left with the weight of homicide on his mind, there was no doubt that he would kill through that pack to get to Aria and bring her back.

"Think," he said out loud, lips pulled back in a vicious snarl. "Focus."

He let images of Aria's smile fill his mind, flicking through each memory like a channel and letting it soak up the bloodlust dripping off his every thought. But it only reminded him that Aria was with that little prick, crying and God knows what else, and he found himself at the door of his office in the blink of an eye.

He tore the door off, the hinges creaking in protest, and stalked into the hallway.

"JADEN," he roared, scaring the living hell out of the wolves who had been mingling in the common areas. "MERCUCIO!"

They both appeared at the same time, in an instant, their faces set and eyes wary.

"What's going on?" Jaden murmured, following Marcus out into the yard outside. "Marc, hey, did she call you?"

"No," he growled, shaking Jaden's hand off. "I called her. We're leaving. Right now."

"Yes, Alpha," Mercucio cut in, his submission easing the harsh edge of Marcus' fury. "Is she okay?"

"I don't-" Marcus paused, his hesitance making him falter again.

"I don't know. But I'm not waiting around here to find out. I want her back here."

He marched into the line of trees without looking back to see if they were following him. He didn't need to, though. He knew they'd follow him to the ends of the Earth.

"Round up your best," Marcus said, addressing Mercucio, who nodded and disappeared. "Let Inara know that we're leaving early, and make sure she's ready for anything."

Jaden nodded as well and left. Marcus came to a stop in a small clearing near a creek, the sound of the trickling stream lost in the roar of blood in his ears. His wolf demanded to be let out. He wanted to end Aiden for touching Aria, for thinking he had any right to her, any right to claim her.