Marked Twice by the Alpha King Chapter 144

**Ava's POV**

"Phone's charging there," Ruth nodded to the nightstand. "Loaded with all the contacts you'll need."

"Thanks," I said, meaning it. "This is just so—" Words failed me. So much? So thoughtful? So terrifying in what it implied?

"It's a lot to process," Ruth nodded, reading me perfectly. "Everything must feel upside-down right now."

"Since you're not officially Silverpeak yet, we can't do the mindlink thing," she added, tapping the phone. "These human gadgets work pretty well in a pinch, though."

"That could change," a voice like rough velvet came from the doorway, sending my heart into gymnastics. "If you decided to take my pack oath."I spun to find Blake propped against the doorframe, wearing that half-smile that made me want to either punch him or jump him. In black pants and a charcoal shirt that hugged everything worth hugging, he looked different—looser somehow, minus the Alpha King armor he wore at Blackwood.

I rolled my eyes to cover the way my pulse jackhammered. Not happening. No way I was casually switching pack loyalties like changing shoes.

Not that easily, anyway.

Even with Jackson about to lead Shadow Creek, it was still home. William was there. Ella was there. I couldn't just bail on everything.

Blake nearly laughed at my expression, the jerk. He knew exactly how stubborn I was—just like I knew how bossy he could be.

"Alpha King," Ruth dipped her head respectfully, but without the trembling-rabbit routine Hayes' staff did around Richard. "Just getting Ava settled. Need anything?"

"We're good, Ruth. Thanks." Blake's voice held genuine warmth. "You've done great."

I clocked how he spoke to her—not dropping orders from on high, but like she actually mattered. Light-years from how the Hayes clan treated people who worked for them.

The thought of Sarah stuck there sent a knife through me. But Tyler swore Blake had laid down the law—if they so much as breathed wrong near her, they'd face Alpha King fury. I had to trust that, or I'd lose my mind completely.

Ruth slipped out with a little smile my way, pulling the door shut behind her.

The second that latch clicked, the air changed. Just me and Blake, his presence filling the space like smoke. His scent intensified—pine and leather and that Alpha musk that smelled like lightning about to strike. Dangerous and magnetic all at once.

I swallowed hard, watching him glide toward me.

"Living arrangements up to standard?" he asked, his voice rougher and more intimate than his public one.

"Yeah, it's..." I cleared my throat, "perfect, actually. Can't believe you tracked down all my stuff. Even found that little wolf statue."

He shrugged like it was nothing. "Few calls, that's all. Just didn't want you feeling like you were camping out."

My cheeks burned, and I couldn't pin down if it was his thoughtfulness or the way his eyes were mapping my face. "Thanks," I managed. "For everything. Not just this—also what you did for Sarah."

"She's untouchable now," he promised, voice granite-certain. "Hayes family would have to be suicidal to mess with her."

He moved closer, giving me a head-to-toe assessment. "Injuries all gone? Maya said you bounced back fast."

The memory of him seeing me bloodied by Vanessa made me squirm. "Good as new," I said, fingers automatically touching my cheek where silver-dusted claws had torn through. "Maya's got magic hands, apparently."

"Her and Tyler—meant to be," he nodded. "Poor guy waited two years, feeling like his heart was being ripped out daily."

"Seems worth it now," I said softly, trying to imagine that level of dedication.

"Lucas starts back Monday," Blake switched gears. "Kid's driving everyone nuts without you."

"So I heard," I smiled, remembering how that little warrior had tried taking the catalyst blame. "Is he—"

"Missing you like crazy," Blake cut in, that lopsided smirk playing on his lips.

We fell into this weird quiet. Not awkward exactly, more like we had too much bottled up and no idea where to start popping corks. The tension hummed between us like a live wire.

I dropped my gaze, but could feel his eyes on me like actual hands. When I finally looked up, his stare traveled from my face down my body with zero attempt to hide his appreciation—and something wilder lurking underneath.

I bit my lip, suddenly hyper-aware of all that unfinished business between us. "We should probably talk," I finally said. "About this... thing. Whatever it is. After Lucas nearly died, everything went sideways, and I don't know if—"

Never got to finish that thought. Before my brain caught up, Blake crossed the room and his mouth claimed mine. Not some gentle hey-how-are-ya kiss—a hungry, possessive taking, like a man who'd been starving.

Lightning shot from my lips straight to my core. My brain went completely blank, aware of nothing but his taste, his heat, the solid wall of him pressing against me. My arms had their own agenda, wrapping around his neck and pulling him closer.

He lifted me effortlessly, and my legs locked around his waist like they'd done this a thousand times before. His tongue traced my bottom lip, and I opened for him without a second thought.

He tasted wild—like forest storms and danger and somehow home all at once. When his tongue swept against mine, I heard myself make a sound I'd never made before, something raw and needy. My wolf howled for more.

We half-crashed toward the bed, his hands gripping my hips like I might disappear. But running was the furthest thing from my mind. Right then, I needed him—needed to feel something good after weeks of fear and loneliness.

When my back hit the mattress, he broke away just long enough to tear his shirt off. Moonlight spilled across him, turning hard muscle to silver sculpture. My hands explored every ridge and plane, skin burning beneath my fingertips.

How was he even real? This powerful Alpha with a kingdom at his feet, looking at me like I was the prize. Part of me couldn't believe it, while another part feared it wouldn't last.

But when our eyes locked, those storm-blue eyes bleeding to wolf-gold at the edges, I saw more than just want. Something deeper flickered there, something that made my chest tight.

I yanked my top off, and his hands were already there, unhooking my bra with practiced ease. Before I could wonder about that skill, his mouth found my breast and coherent thought vanished.

His lips and tongue worked magic, teeth grazing sensitive peaks, each new sensation pulling sounds from me I didn't recognize. My back arched off the bed, body begging for more.

Heat pooled between my legs as he slid my pants down, leaving just the thin barrier of my underwear. His gaze burned over every inch of newly exposed skin.

The evidence of my need soaked through the fabric, my body already singing for his touch.