Marked Twice by the Alpha King Chapter 90

**Blake's POV**

Sunlight sliced through the forest canopy, playing hide-and-seek across my silver-gray fur as I weaved between ancient oaks. The Silverpeak hunting grounds stretched ahead, rich with deer scent and fresh soil after last night's rain. Any other day, this would've jolted my senses alive, yanked my wolf right to the surface.

Today, I might as well have been sleepwalking.

A fat buck practically danced across our path—gift-wrapped prey—and I completely missed it before the animal vanished into the brush. Tyler's disbelieving snort beside me spoke volumes.

My head was stuck at Blackwood. Replaying water splashing around us. Sheets tangled between limbs. Ava's green eyes darkening as I'd moved inside her, her lips forming my name like a secret prayer. The memory hit so vivid I could almost taste her—wild berries mixed with something uniquely her.

We hit a sun-drenched clearing, and I shifted without thinking, bones snapping and muscles flowing into human form with the casual confidence of someone who'd done this thousands of times. Tyler followed suit, fishing our stashed clothes from behind a fallen log and tossing mine over.

"Well damn," Tyler smirked as I yanked on pants, "what happened to the big bad Alpha who never misses? That deer practically offered its throat, and you didn't even blink."

I grunted, not bothering to deny it. Tyler had stuck by me too long—any bullshit excuse would just confirm what he already knew.

"Thirty years I've known you," he continued, tugging on his shirt, "and I've never seen you this distracted. Not since..." He left the rest unsaid. Not since Elizabeth.

I fumbled with buttons, avoiding his too-perceptive stare. "Drop it, Reed."

"Can't do that," he shrugged, completely unfazed by my warning tone. "I was there before anyone called you 'Alpha King,' back when you couldn't even track a wounded rabbit. If I can't call you on your crap, who can?"

I let out a breath, eyes drifting toward Blackwood Manor. Even from here, something tugged at me—like fishing line hooked under my ribs, connecting me to that mark on her neck, that body I'd claimed, that woman who'd somehow burrowed under my skin when I wasn't looking.

"It's messy," I finally admitted, hating how pathetic it sounded. "She... we..."

"Life's messy," Tyler said, leaning against a tree trunk. "Wolf life's messier. But some messes are worth jumping into face-first."

Birds chirped in the awkward silence while I wrestled with thoughts I hadn't let myself fully form. "She made it crystal clear this morning—professional only," I said finally. "Better for everyone that way."

"Better, or just safer?" Tyler shot back, eyes suddenly sharp. "Sometimes the best things are the ones that scare the hell out of you."

A rumble built in my throat, but there wasn't any real bite to it. "Enough," I said, mouth quirking despite myself. "Back to Blackwood. Got actual problems to deal with today."

"Right," Tyler's grin spread like wildfire as he headed for the horses. "Like pretending you're not watching a certain green-eyed warrior kick your son's butt all afternoon."

I flipped him off, but his laughter chased me all the way to my horse.

The moon was just peeking over the horizon, painting Blackwood's imposing silhouette in silver when I finally escaped the day's political bullshit. The second I pushed through the heavy oak doors, her scent hit me like a physical thing—that distinctive mix that was purely Ava—making my wolf pace restlessly under my skin.

Lucas stood in the middle of the great hall, arms flailing as he showed Ava some elaborate fighting move he'd clearly invented on the spot. She watched with that half-smile that transformed her face, making her look younger, softer somehow. Sophia floated down the curved staircase, and trailing behind her—

Steven.

I froze mid-step, brain stuttering to catch up. How the hell had I forgotten my nephew was visiting? The northern pack heir had been scheduled to arrive today—something that had completely slipped my mind after last night's... developments.

More surprising was watching Ava stiffen when she spotted him, like she'd also forgotten this appointment. Steven, oblivious to the sudden temperature drop, strode straight toward her with that easy confidence all Morgans seemed born with. He clapped her shoulder casually, and something hot and ugly reared up inside me, a warning growl building before I could slam it back down.

I spun toward the window, needing a second to wrangle whatever territorial bullshit was happening in my chest. Through the hall's weird acoustics, I caught Steven's animated voice telling Ava about some ancient northern pack legend. The story pulled that rare, throaty laugh from her—the kind I'd only heard a handful of times, usually never directed at me.

"Catch you tomorrow," Ava said, gathering her training bag. She waved to Lucas and Sophia, then turned—and our eyes locked across the space. Something electric zapped between us. Her lips parted like she might say something, anything, but then she just gave a quick nod and practically bolted, leaving me feeling like someone had sucked all the oxygen from the room.

"Dinner's ready, sir," Wilson's starchy voice cut through my thoughts.

"Thank god, I'm starving," Sophia grinned, herding Lucas toward the dining room.

Steven broke away from the family migration, heading straight for me with an expression that set off every warning bell I had. My eyes flicked toward the dining room—definitely not the time or place for whatever bomb he was about to drop.

"Uncle Blake," he spoke just above a whisper, making sure only I would hear, "about last night, I heard what happened."

Every muscle in my body locked up, heart hammering against my ribs. Last night—Ava naked and willing beneath me, her scent permanently tattooed into my sheets—had someone talked?

"The condition you and Tyler found her in," Steven continued, his face darkening, "what those animals did to her..."

Relief hit me like a bucket of cold water. He only knew about the rescue. "We got there in time," I said tersely, not wanting to revisit those images.

"There's no 'in time' for something like that, Uncle," genuine emotion roughened his voice. "If you'd shown up even ten minutes later—"

"But we didn't," I cut him off, "she's safe now."

"That's exactly it," his eyes burned with an intensity I rarely saw in my easy-going nephew. "You don't get what this means. Seeing her standing here today, still able to smile after what they put her through..."

"You've got feelings for her," I stated flatly, not bothering to wrap it as a question.

Steven met my stare head-on. "Never met anyone like her—builds walls ten feet high but still fights like hell for everyone else. Carries all that pain but doesn't let it crush her."

Something hot and possessive flared in my chest, but I forced it down, keeping my face the blank mask expected of the Alpha King.

"You should know," Steven suddenly dropped his voice even lower, "the full moon festival is approaching. I was thinking..." he hesitated, uncertainty flashing across his features, "I want to invite Ava as my companion. Do you think she'd accept?"