Chapter Seven - The Mark

The Mark

I did not just say that...

I can feel the blood draining from my face.

Stupid.

The last thing you do is tell an insane person that they are freaking insane!

Really stupid.

Liam is staring at me, completely quiet and still. It's more terrifying than if he were shouting at me from the top of his lungs.

I can't seem to move, my bare feet frozen to the floor.

After what seems like an eternity he lets out a slow breath. "You think I'm insane?"

"I don't...it just...I mean a werewolf...?" I stammer in disbelief.

He cocks his head, looking at me as if I'm the insane one. "You've seen my fangs. My eyes. You've seen what I can do."

The memory of him snapping Noah's neck makes my head swim. My brain just can't fathom that such a creature really exists. And yet I've seen things with my own eyes that can't be explained other than supernatural.

Suddenly, I feel faint, my legs buckling under my weight.

Liam moves fast, so fast he's a blur. He catches me as I start to fall, his warm hands gripping my arms. "Sit down before you pass out." His tone broached no argument and honestly I don't dare push him any further.

"Okay." I let him lead me to the couch, his touch doing funny things to my stomach. Even after all he's done I'm still attracted to him. I must be sick in the head.

Sitting on the couch I pull the blanket tight around me, using it as a shield. We're close enough to the fire that I can feel it's warmth. I wish I could draw it inside me. I feel so cold.

Detached. I feel detached.

Liam sits in the chair across from me, resting his elbows on his knees. I'm both thankful for the distance and strangely agitated to have him so far away. I have a strong impulse to go over to him, to be closer to him.

What the heck is wrong with me?

He's watching me with those eyes. Watching every flicker of emotion on my face, every twitch of my nervous body. "Are you alright?" he finally asks.

"Yes," I reply meekly. "I think I'm in shock."

He rubs a hand over his face in agitation. "You really didn't know that one of your parents was a werewolf? You never saw one of them turn? Never saw anything strange?"

I think back, dredging up memories of when my parents were alive. They were loving and warm but normal, completely normal. "No..."

He gives me a look, as if he doesn't believe me. "Did you move around a lot as a kid?"

I shake my head. "Not really. We moved once when my dad got a better job. He was a history professor."

Frowning, Liam asks, "And your mother, what did she do?"

"She was a librarian," I murmur. I can still remember playing hide and seek with her among the bookshelves. It was because of my mom that I loved books so much.

"Have you ever turned?"

"Into a werewolf?" I scoff. I didn't mean to be snappy but this whole situation is ridiculous. I feel like I'm under interrogation. I just want to go home and forget all of it.

His eyes narrow with irritation. "Yes, Abigail. Have you ever turned into a werewolf?"

"Obviously, I haven't." I frown as a thought occurs to me. "How do you know my name?"

He shrugs. "I asked around after we first met. I wasn't able to learn much, however. It seems you are a mystery."

"Oh..." Not surprising. I keep to myself. I didn't want anyone to know about me. That also meant there was no one to come looking if I disappeared. My stomach twists with nerves at that thought. Suddenly, I regret never making friends.

Serenity would wonder what happened to me...right?

"Both your parents are dead?" Liam asks, snapping back my attention.

The familiar pain that arises with that question flashes over me. This is exactly why I don't talk to people. "Yes."

"No other family?"

I have the urge to lie and tell him yes. That I have a huge family. That there were people who cared about me, who would miss me. But I can't. There's something about the way Liam is looking at me - something about the tone of his voice - that makes it impossible for me to lie. "No family," I reply honestly. My voice is quiet and hushed and I wonder if he even heard it.

A strange look crosses his face. Pity maybe. "When did your parents die?"

"Two years ago."

He scowls. "How?"

"Car accident," I reply quickly, like a broken record. I've answered these questions so many times.

He stares into the fire, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Were you adopted?"

That takes me back. "I...I don't think so..." Was I adopted? Shit. "If I was they never told me." The possibility is shocking. "Why would you ask that?" I choke.

He gives me a look this time that is definitely pity. "A car accident wouldn't kill one of our kind, not unless it was very bad."

"It was bad," I respond softly, looking down at my feet. "Very bad."

"I see." He's quiet for a moment before asking, "Were you in the car?"

I glare at him, feeling myself bottle up. I don't discuss what happened that night. Not with anyone. The nightmares are enough of a reminder. "Why are you asking me these questions?"

"I'm just trying to understand."

"Yea, well I don't understand it so how can you?" I snap. "My parents were perfectly normal and so am I. I'm not...I'm not a werewolf."

Looking up at the ceiling Liam runs a hand through his dark hair, the unruly locks standing on end. On anyone else the look may have been boyish, but on him it only adds to his wildness. "I am not wrong on this."

There's no way I'm a werewolf. It's just not possible. "How do you know?"

Frowning he clasps his hands tightly between his knees. His demeanor seems calm, but I can see his knuckles turning white. It's almost as if he's restraining himself. "I just do. I can...sense it..."

I blush. "You mean like my smell?"

"Yes," he replies gruffly. "Your scent is very-" He breaks off, leaning back and rubbing a hand over his mouth. "It's intoxicating."

My heart does a crazy tempo in my chest at his words. "What do I smell like?" I ask breathlessly.

His eyes connect with mine, burning blue meeting dark green. "Like everything I've ever wanted."

Dear, god. I jump to my feet, the blanket falling to the couch. It's not his response that scares me, it's the fact that I feel the very same about him. He's a murderer. He's a monster. "This is crazy," I say quickly. "I want to go home. Now."

His jaw visibly ticks. "As I've said repeatedly that won't happen."

"You can't force me to stay here!" I cry. "I don't belong to you!"

He smirks, eyeing me menacingly. "That mark on your neck states otherwise."

"Mark?" Reaching up my fingers brush over the bandage on my neck. I wince as the wound throbs under my touch.

Liam's eyes follow my fingers, a soft growl in his throat. "You bear my mark, therefore you belong to me, whether you like it or not."

I can't believe I'm hearing this. What right did he have to claim me like this? I'm a person, not an object. "I never gave you permission to do this," I hiss.

"It doesn't matter," he states matter-of-factually. "I am alpha. I don't need your permission."

What the hell? "That's barbaric."

Liam stiffens, standing suddenly. "That is the way it has always been," he snarls, looming over me. I shrink back on instinct. He makes me feel so small, the top of my head barely reaching his chest. I can feel the power rolling off him in waves.

He growls, the sound deep in his chest, as if enjoying my submission. Slowly, his eyes travel over my body, the fiery orbs scorching every inch of me.

The way he's looking at me...

I raise a hand in the air. "Liam..."

He ignores me, his hands gripping my hips and pulling me closer. His touch is scorching, heating me through my t-shirt. My stomach blooms with desire. I can't stop the way my body reacts.

Want.

I do want him. Badly.

His hands smooth over my hips, his fingers flexing. "You're so small," he murmurs. Then his features harden, his burning gaze turning cold as ice. "Like a child," he sneers.

Ouch.

That hurt. His words make me feel insecure and inadequate. "I'm not a child," I argue, my eyes shooting daggers up at him.

"You are to me," he states firmly.

"Then why do you keep looking at me like that?" I retort. Even I know hunger when I see it.

Clenching his jaw Liam steps back, releasing me from his torturous touch. Picking up the blanket he wraps it around my once more, effectively covering me from his gaze. "It's my wolf."

"What does that mean?" I demand stubbornly.

"It means if it were up to me I wouldn't look at you at all," he grates angrily.

Damn, low blow. I have a strong urge to slap him.

Easy.

I snort, rolling my eyes. I was beyond the point of taking things easy.

Liam cocks his head, eyeing me knowingly. "So you can hear your wolf."

"What?" I frown.

He taps the side of his temple. "A little voice in your head whispering to you. You hear it, do you not?"

"You mean my conscience?" I ask dumbly.

"Conscience?" He gives me an odd look before laughing roughly. "You can't be that stupid."

What the hell? Okay, maybe I wasn't the brightest bulb in the factory...but still. "I'm not stupid!"

His laughter dies instantly, his features hardening. I immediately shut my mouth. Obviously, yelling at him was a bad idea. "When most humans hear little voices in their heads they believe themselves to be insane. So either you are stupid or you embrace insanity, which is it?"

My mouth nearly drops open. I never thought about it like that before. I certainly never considered the possibility that hearing one little voice isn't normal. "I am stupid," I mutter to myself.

"Yes, well, just another con to add to an ever growing list," he drawls.

I'm really starting to dislike this man. Placing my hands on my hips I ask harshly, "If I'm so awful why did you...mark me...and bring me here?"

Rubbing a hand over his mouth he says gruffly, "That night my wolf was in control. It was him that bit you. When he saw that boy hurting you..." he trails off, shifting on his feet as if uncomfortable. "Needless to say he overwhelmed me and I couldn't get back in control."

My throat constricts. "Why did you...why did your wolf kill Noah?" "

Liam levels his gaze at me. "Because my wolf wants you as his mate and we protect what's ours."

I swallow, my mouth suddenly dry. Werewolf or not even I know what that entails. Images of Liam and I together flash through my brain. My stomach tightens, an ache forming in my core. Not good. That sort of response is not good at all.

"His mate?" I murmur, my voice husky and breathless.

Liam is staring at me intently with those blue eyes. "Yes, but I refuse to claim you further."

My brows knit in confusion. "I don't understand what that means."

"When our wolves choose a mate it is purely instinctual, because they are at their core nothing more than animals." His eyes glaze for a moment before he barks, "Quiet."

I know he's talking to his wolf and not me, which is super freaking weird!

He turns his attention back on me. "Our bite is the first part of claiming a mate. A mark for all to see that you belong to me. I'm sure you can guess the rest." His voice dips lower, the rough sound sending shivers up my spine. "I won't lie. My wolf wants you to the extreme. But I cannot accept you completely."

"Why?" What is so awful about me?

He stares at me a moment, a strange look on his face. "You are far too young. I could never..." he stops, taking a deep breath, "claim a child such as yourself."

"I told you I am not a child," I bark, insulted. As far as I'm concerned I haven't been a child for a very long time.

Liam crosses his arms, glaring down at me. "I'm twenty-six years old, Abigail."

I stare at him. Nine years. Liam is nine years older than me. He's a man and I'm just...the realization shouldn't hurt as much as it does. "Okay, so I'm too young for you. Is that it?"

He turns away from me, the fire casting harsh shadows across his handsome face. "No. I was willing to wait until you were older to satisfy my wolf. But not now."

There was more? "Why not?"

Giving me a hard look he states coldly, "Because you are a half-breed, a mutt, born to a human and werewolf. Such a mixing of the bloodlines is unnatural. Perhaps that is why your parents kept you hidden. Such a union would result in exile or death among most packs."

My hand presses protectively against my throat. "Death?"

"Yes, Abigail. It would explain why your family kept this hidden from you. If they were indeed your biological parents." He doesn't sound convinced, which meant he believed my real parents abandoned me.

Was it because I was as Liam said a 'half-breed'? Was I not good enough for them either?

As if to confirm my fears Liam says harshly, "Mutts are lowest of the low and you, pet, are no exception."

I feel like I've been slapped in the face. Suddenly, I'm bone tired, my brain foggy and unfocused. My neck is burning and I just want the pain to go away. I want this all to go away.

Sitting back down on the couch in defeat I say softly, "I see."

"But I can't let you go either," he admits almost begrudgingly. "You've been exposed to our kind now. You did not grow up among werewolves, your loyalty is to the humans. And you are witness to the murder of that boy. That makes you dangerous to my pack."

My eyes focus on the fire, watching the flickering flames. "I won't tell anyone. There's no reason to keep me here."

"You misunderstand. Even if we took away all those reasons I will not let you leave. My wolf won't allow it." Cupping my chin in his hand he forces me to look up at him. I swallow, his hand is warm and calloused, sending little sparks along my skin. "I cannot accept you fully as my mate. But I can't let you go either. So, I'm going to keep you."

"Keep me?"

His thumb brushes over my bottom lip. "Mmm...you can consider yourself my pet if you'd like."

I don't want to be his pet. Tears prick my eyes. "It's not fair."

"You may not understand but you are a werewolf and you belong in our world." He leans down, his hands bracing on the back of the couch, caging me in. My breath catches, his scent and closeness overwhelming me. His nose is in my hair, breathing in my scent. Shuddering, he rasps, "You belong with me."

"What if I don't want to be yours?" I whisper.

Standing to his full height Liam's eyes burn into mine, right down into my soul. "You're already mine, Abigail."

******

AN: I know it seems like Liam is rejecting Abby in this chapter but I promise this isn't another rejection story!