Chapter 29

Turning around, I saw Mark standing right behind. A sense of relief filled me as he stood so close.

“Where have you been?” I asked. Mark was standing only inches away from me, but I didn’t want to move away.

Mark shrugged. “Here and there. I was waiting for my opportunity to snatch you for myself. I didn’t want to bother you while you were with Jori.”

“Well, I’m glad you found me when you did.”

Mark held his hand out to me. “Would you like to dance?”

I looked over at the dance floor, which had finally filled up with other people. The idea of going back out there made me feel queasy. I didn’t like the idea of everyone looking at me again, especially after they all saw me dancing with Jori. “I don’t want people staring.” I looked at the ground, feeling guilty. I wanted to dance with Mark. I wanted his arms around me, but I was scared.

Mark grabbed my hand and pulled me in the opposite direction. “Let’s find a place people won’t stare then.”

He led me towards the edge of the backyard. It was still filled with lights and decorations, but there was a small corner behind an extravagant statue that no one else was occupying. When we were behind the statue, Mark pulled me close into him, placing his hand on my h*p.

“Is this okay?” he asked.

I placed my hand on Mark’s shoulder and pressed myself into him. “This is perfect. Just a warning, I’m not a very good dancer.”

“Good thing no one is looking. We can dance however we want.” Mark just swayed us back and forth, not bothering with any fancy moves like Jori had. It was much more of my pace.

I looked up at Mark, and I couldn’t help but admire him. He was so different compared to Jori. He was patient and calm. He didn’t try to do anything spectacular, but his small gestures were still meaningful. I was drawn to both of them, but something felt different with Mark. I didn’t feel nervous with him so close.

“Mark?” He hummed in response to me. “Do you remember going to the Lycan ball?”

Mark tilted his head. “I went to a few of them when I was younger. I didn’t end up going to one when I was of age, though, because of everything that happened. Why do you ask?”

“I think we’ve met before.” I thought about the red-headed boy who had come to the party my parents had hosted many years ago.

“I take it that it was at one of those parties?” Mark asked. He continued swaying us back and forth. I could tell he was searching his brain for the memory.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you don’t remember. About ten years ago, my family hosted the Lycan ball in the town neighboring this one.” I thought back on that day. “I wasn’t having any fun at the party. I was too young to really participate, and my parents didn’t want me getting in the way. I was bored out of my mind. Then this family with two boys around my age showed up. My mother didn’t want me running around, but I snuck away to see if I could play with them.

“There was one with dark hair and another with red. They didn’t seem interested in playing with me, but I followed them around. Then the one with dark hair pulled on my hair, making the bun fall out of place. He ran away after, saying to leave him alone because girls were icky.”

Mark’s eyes brightened. “Then the red-headed boy comforted you by offering you a chocolate-covered strawberry. He tried to help you fix your hair, but he only made it worse because he didn’t understand how a girl’s hair worked.”

“He even got chocolate in my hair,” I finished. My cheeks were burning from smiling so much. “You remember?”

Mark smiled. “How could I forget my first crush?”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Don’t lie to me. Why would you have a crush on me?”

“I’m not lying,” Mark laughed. “You were so spunky. You didn’t let the fact that you were wearing a dress stop you from chasing us around. You insisted on playing with us, but Jori didn’t want to. I thought it would’ve been fun. But then Jori made you cry. I didn’t want to ever see you cry again. I only wanted to see your beautiful smile.” Mark reached up and stroked my cheek. “This smile. I can’t believe I didn’t realize it was you.”

“We have grown up a lot. I didn’t recognize you at first either. To think we would end up here so many years later. It doesn’t feel real.”

Mark let go of my waist and spun me out from him. When he spun me back in, he grabbed my waist and dipped me. I giggle from the shock of it. Mark pulled me back up to him, and somehow he was closer than before. I wrapped both of my arms around his neck. “It feels like a fairytale.”

I rested my head on Mark’s chest and let him sway me back and forth. I closed my eyes, and I could feel his heart beating against his chest. It was racing, and I couldn’t tell if he was nervous or something else.

“This has been the best birthday I have ever had.”

“I bet I can make it better.” Mark let go of my waist, but he still kept his other hand in mine.

I looked up at Mark, wondering what he was doing. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small blue box. My heart started racing at the thought of what that little box contained. He opened it up, revealing a silver chain with a blue glass heart attached to it.

“It’s beautiful.” I felt myself tearing up a little.

Mark took the necklace out of the box and motioned for me to turn around. I pulled my hair to the side as he placed the necklace around me.

“I wanted to give this to you, because I wanted you to know that you will always have my heart. No matter what happens or who you choose, I will be here for you. I don’t want you to ever forget that.” Mark finished clasping the necklace and then placed a soft k**s on my neck. Goosebumps ran down my body from the simple gesture.

I turned back around, wrapping my arms around Mark. “Thank you. I love this so much.”

Mark wrapped his arms around my waist. He leaned forward and brushed his nose against mine. “I just hope you are happy.”

Mark’s lips were so close to mine that I could barely resist. I wanted all of him in this moment. His breath was tickling my lips, and I wanted to close the gap between our mouths. A small voice was fighting my urges, which was the only reason I was hesitating. I knew it was Moon. She wanted me to give Jori a proper chance. I understood why. I felt the pull to him, but being here with Mark, it was hard thinking about choosing Jori.

Maybe it was because I was alone with Mark, and the atmosphere was oozing romance. Or maybe it was because I had met Mark first. It could even be because I had a deeper connection with Shadow than Moon. It could have been any of these reasons, or maybe all of them, but I didn’t want to wait to pick my mate. I wanted Mark. The way he made me feel compared to Jori was so different, and I just wanted to be around Mark for the rest of my life.

I lifted my toes, closing the distance between Mark. Just before we kissed, the music cut off and a loud speaker echoed throughout the party. I turned away from Mark, turning my attention back to the party.

“Good evening everyone!” Scythe boomed over a microphone. I couldn’t see him, but I knew it was him. “I hope you all are having a great time here.” Cheers erupted in response. “Excellent. I think it’s time for a toast to the birthday girl. Has anyone seen her?”

Mark tightened his grip on me. “I think our time alone is up.”

I pouted, looking back at Mark. I would rather stay here with Mark than go back to a bunch of people I didn’t know. “I suppose you’re right.”

“Come on. Let’s go before Scythe makes a scene. Don’t worry, I won’t leave your side.” Mark let go of my waist and started leading me back to the party.

“Oh there she is!” Scythe said.

Everyone turned their attention to Mark and myself. I saw some confused looks as well as some dirty looks. Mark squeezed my hand in reassurance. I wished we were back in our corner away from prying eyes.

Scythe waved us to the front of the crowd. Mark continued leading me up there, and we stopped next to Scythe. I let go of Mark’s hand, feeling weird about holding it in front of Jori’s pack. Waiters were walking around, passing out glasses. When it looked like everyone had a glass, Scythe passed me a glass and grabbed the microphone again.

“I’m so happy everyone was able to make it today,” Scythe continued. “I’m grateful to see so many of you again, and I hope we can do something like this in the future. We are here because of this lovely lady here.” Scythe motioned over to me. “I am grateful to have met Adira, and I know many of you haven’t had a chance to meet her yet. I highly recommend introducing yourself to her if you can. She’s quite special, and she’s the reason we are all here. Let’s raise a glass to Adira. Happy birthday!”

Everyone shouted happy birthday and then took a sip of their drink. I took a small sip of my own as I looked around at all of the people celebrating me. They all lowered their glasses, giving me a weird look.

Scythe leaned in and whispered in my ear. “Adira, you’re glowing, like literally.”