Marked Twice by the Alpha King Chapter 87

**Ava's POV**

The words escaped my lips, sounding like they belonged to someone else yet expressing my deepest desire. The splash of cold water from the overflowing bath hit our tangled bodies like a shock. Instead of pulling away, I pressed closer to Blake, chasing his warmth.

That icy jolt cleared my head faster than any medicine. The fog of Moon Heat thinned, replaced by something sharper—awareness. I could feel every callus on Blake's fingertips, smell his pine-and-rain scent, sense his pulse hammering against mine.

Blake pulled back just enough to study my face, his storm-gray eyes searching. "You're coming back to me," he said, voice rough as gravel.

"Yeah," I nodded, surprised by my own clarity. "But I still want you." No drug talking now—just me. The Moon Heat lingered in my system, but my mind had wrestled back control.

Something shifted in his expression. He lifted me gently into the water, his hands never breaking contact, like he was afraid I might dissolve if he let go. The water swirled around us, cooling my fever-hot skin without killing whatever was sparking between us.

As the currents washed over me, I felt the change—from that desperate, drug-driven need to something real. Something mine. Blake's touch wasn't just medicine anymore; it was exactly what I wanted.

I reached for his face, my hand steadier than it had any right to be. "This is me," I said, running my thumb along his jaw. "Not the drug."

His eyes darkened. He cupped my face and kissed me—nothing like the hungry clash from before. This was gentle, careful, like I might break. But underneath, that same heat burned.

The water cooled, and clarity rushed in. Memories pieced themselves together—the dank cell, Sophia's unconscious form, those masked wolves with their needles and cruel laughter.

"Sophia," I said suddenly, sitting up straighter. "Is she—"

"Safe," Blake cut in, running his fingers through my wet hair. "Back at Blackwood with the healers."

Relief washed through me, but then another memory sliced in—Jackson appearing in that dungeon, the shock on his face when he saw us both, and how quickly he decided. How he didn't even hesitate.

"Jackson was there," I said, the words tasting bitter. "He took Sophia and just... left me chained up. Like I was nothing."

Blake went rigid, his fingers freezing mid-stroke. "Hayes was in that cellar?"

"Grabbed Sophia and ran." I couldn't keep the venom from my voice. "Second time he's thrown me away when something better came along."

Blake's Alpha energy surged, turning the bathroom air heavy as lead. The water around us seemed to vibrate with his anger. Then he inhaled sharply, reining himself in.

"What exactly did they inject you with?" he asked, voice too carefully controlled.

"Moon Heat," I admitted, something cold slithering through my gut despite the warm water. "They wanted to break me. Make me beg."

"They paid." His voice went flat, deadly. "All of them."

I thought of those bodies scattered across the clearing, throats torn out, and felt nothing but relief. Another day, that might have scared me.

The drug's grip loosened further, and I suddenly realized how exposed I was, skin bare except for scraps of what used to be clothes. Funny how that seemed like the smallest problem right now.

"My clothes are trashed," I said, glancing down at the tatters.

"I'll grab something," Blake said, pulling back. His eyes lingered on me for a beat too long before he stood.

Alone in the cooling water, I had my first real chance to think. I should have been mortified—nearly begging the Alpha King to mark me, acting like some heat-crazed teenager. That wasn't me. Wasn't supposed to be, anyway.

But the shame didn't hit like I expected. Yes, the drug had pushed me, but it hadn't created anything that wasn't already there. That flutter when Blake walked into a room, that pull toward him I'd been fighting for weeks—those were real, drug or no drug.

My fingers found the mark on my neck. Jackson's silver brand was changing, gold threads weaving through the pattern. Nothing in any wolf legend explained this. Blake said he felt me through it, tracked me when no one else could. How the hell was that possible?

I ducked under the water one last time, letting it rinse away the last traces of that dungeon. Some things wouldn't wash off so easily—the memory of those men's eyes as they held that needle, the humiliation as the drug took hold. But at least I could get clean.

I was just getting up from the tub, water sliding off my skin, when my foot nearly slipped on the wet edge. My heart pounded like crazy, but before I could fall, Blake was right there. His strong arms wrapped around me, pulling me tight against his warm, bare chest. The heat of him made my whole body tingle.

He didn't have anything on, and my eyes—oh no, why can't I stop?—darted down to his... well, you know. My breath caught in my throat. He was so big, so overwhelming, it made my cheeks burn and my stomach flip in a way I've never felt before. I couldn't help it; my mouth went dry, and a hot, fluttery feeling bloomed deep inside me. I swallowed hard, trying to calm the wild rush in my chest.

He lifted me out of the tub like I was nothing, setting me down on shaky legs. His hands stayed on my hips, holding me steady until he knew I wouldn't stumble. Every place he touched felt like it was on fire, sparking this crazy, aching need that made my heart race even faster. When he let go to grab a towel, I felt so exposed—cold and desperate for his warmth to come back. *Why do I feel like this? I've never been this flustered before.*

He draped the towel over my shoulders, covering me up, but his fingers brushed my skin, and my pulse went wild. I couldn't stop staring at him. His body was unreal—every muscle, every sharp line looked so powerful. It was too much, too intense, and it made my insides twist with this silly, hungry feeling I didn't know how to handle. *Am I really this drawn to him? Oh gosh, what's happening to me?*

The steam had faded, but the heat in me hadn't. It bubbled inside, a restless, needy ache that kept growing, tugging at every bit of control I thought I had.

"Keep looking at me like that, and I might not be able to hold back," he warned, his voice dropping to a deep, husky tone that sent shivers straight through me, making that ache even stronger.

"Then don't hold back," I blurted out, the words slipping free before I could think twice, daring and full of a longing I couldn't hide.

I bridged the space between us, my body acting on pure instinct as my mouth claimed his. For one terrifying heartbeat, Blake went rigid, and I feared I'd completely misinterpreted the signals.