I stared at the mate mark on Leo’s neck, my mind spinning with confusion. The mark was unlike any other mate mark I had ever seen. It was red and raw, and so portions of the flesh didn’t look like it had healed properly but instead scarred over.
However, weird-looking or not, the aning was the sa. Leo already had a mate.
“You have a mate,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.
Leo’s hand flew to his neck, covering the mark as his eyes darkened with fury. “Don’t touch again.”
“If you have a mate, why am I here?” I demanded, stepping back. “Why did you say I belong to you when soone else already does?”
While there were exceptions, most werewolves only had one mate. I certainly didn’t feel the sa bond with Leo that I did with Lucas, Liam, and Levi.
Leo’s jaw clenched so tight I could see the muscle twitching. “It’s complicated.”
“Complicated?” I laughed without humor. “You kidnapped , drugged , and said all those funny things about how I ‘belonged’ to you. Now I find out you already have a mate? What kind of sick ga are you playing? You have no respect at all for your fated mate!”
He turned away, his shoulders tense. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“Then make understand!” I shouted, my patience snapping. “Where is she? Your mate?”
Leo whirled around, his eyes flashing with sothing raw and painful. “She’s gone.”
The words hung heavy in the air between us. The grief in his voice was unmistakable, but it didn’t excuse anything he’d done.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” I said, softening my tone slightly. “But that doesn’t explain why you want .”
Leo’s gaze pinned in place. “Doesn’t it?”
A chill ran down my spine as the pieces started clicking together. The photograph that looked like but wasn’t quite . His obsession. The strange familiarity I felt toward him despite never having t him before.
“Did I... did I look like her?” My voice trembled.
“You don’t just look like her,” Leo said, his voice tight with emotion. “You’re identical to her.”
My heart pounded against my ribcage. “That’s impossible.”
“Is it?” Leo stepped closer, his eyes tracing my features. “Hazel, don’t you ever wonder why you feel like a piece of you is missing? Why you’ve always felt incomplete?”
I backed away until I hit the wall. “Stop it.”
“You had a twin sister,” he continued, ignoring my plea. “Helena.”
“No,” I shook my head violently. “I don’t have a sister. I would know if I had a twin.”
“Would you? When everyone has been lying to you your entire life?” Leo’s voice turned bitter. “Your precious triplets. Their parents. They had been lying to you your entire life about your parents. What makes you think this would be an exception?”
Anger flared inside . “Don’t bring them into this. Lucas, Liam, and Levi have nothing to do with your delusions. They couldn’t have known.”
Leo’s face darkened. “Those three are just as corrupt as their parents. You think they care about you? They’re using you, just like they use everyone.”
“You don’t know them,” I snapped, defensive heat rushing through . “They’ve changed. They care about .”
“Care about you?” Leo scoffed. “Is that why they let you walk straight into danger? Why they couldn’t protect you from being kidnapped? So mates they are.”
“At least they’re not planning to replace with my own sister!” I regretted the words as soon as they left my mouth.
Leo’s face transford into sothing dangerous. He strode forward, closing the gap between us quickly. I moved back instinctively to avoid him.
However, before he could reach , a sudden, searing pain cut through my neck, right where the triplets’ mark was. I gasped, my hand flying to the spot where Leo had applied the cream. It felt like soone had pressed a hot iron against my skin.
“What’s happening?” I choked out, legs trembling as the pain intensified.
Leo’s anger lted into surprise. His eyebrows shot up. “The cream... it shouldn’t be reacting like this.”
Another wave of agony crashed through , stronger than before. My knees buckled, and I would have collapsed if Leo hadn’t caught .
Instantly, I was engulfed in his warmth and a wave of sandalwood. The sll instantly brought tears to my eyes. It was oddly soothing. All my instincts scread at to curl further into the comfort. It took all my remaining strength to hold back.
“It burns,” I whimpered, clawing at my neck. “What did you put on ?”
Leo’s arms tightened around . “Sothing to weaken your bond with them. It wasn’t supposed to hurt you.”
The pain sharpened, and I couldn’t hold back anymore. A howl of agony tore from my throat, my wolf responding to the attack on our bond mark. My vision blurred as tears filled my eyes.
“Make it stop,” I begged, pride forgotten in the face of overwhelming pain.
Worry flickered across Leo’s face. “I didn’t think it would be this bad. The connection must be stronger than I realized.”
I struggled to stand upright as another wave of pain radiated through . Tears began to stream down my face uncontrollably as I cried out. I couldn’t even hold myself upright; if it weren’t for Leo holding still, I would’ve been curled on the floor.
“Hold still,” he suddenly said.
Before I could protest, he tilted my head to expose my neck. His lips hovered over the burning mark, his breath cool against my inflad skin.
My lips trembled as I tried to push him away, but I was too weak to do so. “What are you—”
Then his teeth sank into my neck, right over the triplets’ mark.
I expected more pain, but instead, relief washed through like a tidal wave. The burning sensation vanished instantly, replaced by sothing else entirely—pleasure.
Pure, undiluted pleasure shot through every nerve in my body. My back arched involuntarily, a moan escaping my lips before I could stop it.
Leo’s touch seed to set fire to my skin, and I let out a shaky breath as my body trembled. Pain slowly lted into pleasure, and the relief of it all had my eyes rolling to the back of my head. Strength slowly returned to my body.
Then, my eyes snapped open.
With a gasp, I shoved Leo away, my hand flying to my neck. The mark no longer burned, but I could feel wetness there—a mixture of his saliva and my blood.
“What the hell?” I exclaid, finally gathering the strength to shuffle away.
Leo collapsed onto the floor as well. He sat a distance away, his eyes slightly gazed as he raised his hand to his lips. His pupils were dilated, breath coming in short pants.
“Are you serious?” I asked, horrified. “Did you just... did you just try to mark ?!”
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