David POV:
I watched her walk away from him, her head held high, her spine forged of unyielding steel.
My Ellie. My White Wolf.
We stepped out into the cool night air, leaving the suffocating atmosphere of the Silver Moon Pack house behind. The heavy oak doors thudded shut, severing the noise of the party, and only then did I saw her shoulders slump just a fraction.
"Are you okay?" I asked, tucking her into my side.
She looked up at me, her grey eyes shimmering with unshed tears. They were not tears of sadness, but of relief.
"I'm free," she whispered, the words catching in her throat. "I really am free."
We walked to the edge of the territory, where a sheer cliff overlooked the vast, undulating forest. The moon was full, hanging low and heavy, bathing the world in silver light. It was pristine.
I stopped and turned her to face me. "Ellie, you know I’ve waited. I would wait a hundred years for you."
"I know," she smiled, placing her hands on my chest, her palms warm against my racing heart.
"But seeing him touch you..." A growl rumbled in my chest, involuntary and possessive, vibrating against her fingertips. "It nearly drove my wolf insane. I need the world to know. I need *him* to know."
Ellie’s expression softened. She reached up and unbuttoned the collar of her shirt, exposing the smooth, pale skin of her neck—the junction where shoulder met throat. The marking spot.
"Make me yours, David," she said, her voice steady and sure. "Fully. Irrevocably."
My heart pounded against my ribs like a war drum. "Are you sure?"
"I choose you," she said. "Not because of fate. Not because of a bond. But because you saved me. Because you love me."
I didn't need to hear another word.
I leaned down, my lips grazing the sensitive skin over her scent gland. She smelled like Winter Frost and Lilac—the scent of home, crisp and intoxicating.
"I love you, Ellie," I murmured against her skin.
My canines elongated, sharp and aching with need. I felt the primal urge take over. With a swift, claiming motion, I sank my teeth into her neck.
Ellie gasped, her nails digging into my shoulders to anchor herself.
It was a primitive, searing connection. My venom flowed into her, mixing with her blood, binding our souls together in a way that could never be undone.
*Mine,* my wolf roared in triumph.
*Yours,* her wolf answered.
*
Marcus POV:
I stood in the middle of the ballroom, staring at the check in my hand—the settlement she had left behind. The music had started again, but it sounded distorted, distant, like I was underwater.
*She's gone. She's really gone.*
Chloe was clinging to my arm, chattering about how rude Ellie was, but her voice was like a mosquito buzzing in my ear—irrelevant, annoying noise.
Suddenly, a pain unlike anything I had ever felt exploded in my chest.
"ARGH!"
I dropped to my knees, clutching my heart. It felt like a branding iron was being pressed directly onto my soul, searing the tissue of my very existence.
"Marcus! What is it?" Chloe shrieked.
I couldn't breathe. The connection—the frayed, broken remnants of the bond I had with Ellie—was being incinerated. I felt it. I felt *him*.
Another Alpha. Biting her. Claiming her.
"NO!" I roared, my vision turning blood-red.
The Marking. She was being Marked.
My wolf went berserk. He clawed at the inside of my mind, howling in agony and rage. *OUR MATE! HE IS TAKING OUR MATE!*
I shoved Chloe aside, sending her sprawling across the floor. I didn't care. I didn't care about the guests. I didn't care about the pack.
I shifted.
My clothes shredded as my massive brown wolf burst forth, bones cracking and reshaping in milliseconds. I crashed through the double doors, sprinting towards the forest, towards the scent of Winter Frost that was being tainted by Earth and Pine.
I found them on the cliff edge.
David was holding her. His face was buried in her neck. Fresh blood trickled down her pale skin, glistening in the moonlight.
The Mark was there. Angry. Red. Permanent.
I howled, a sound of pure, unadulterated misery and rage. I launched myself at David.
David looked up. His eyes were glowing neon blue. He didn't look afraid. He looked annoyed.
He gently pushed Ellie behind him and met my charge mid-air.
We collided with the force of two freight trains. Teeth snapped, claws tore. But I was fighting out of desperation; he was fighting out of calculated protective instinct.
He was stronger. Much stronger.
David grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and slammed me into the ground. The impact knocked the breath out of me, rattling my teeth. He pinned me down, his jaws inches from my throat, a growl rumbling deep in his chest like thunder.
*Stop,* Ellie’s voice cut through the air.
I froze. I looked up.
She stood over us. Her hand was touching the fresh bite mark on her neck. She looked at me not with hate, but with pity.
"It's done, Marcus," she said. "Go home."
David released me and stepped back, wrapping an arm around Ellie's waist, pulling her flush against him. The sight of his hand on her, claiming her, broke whatever was left of my spirit.
I lay in the dirt, panting, bleeding, and utterly alone. The Soul's Peace was gone forever.
