Chapter 3

I slipped my hand into his, fingers brushing against his warm palm, and slid on my heels while Oliver stood quietly beside me. Then I asked, "So... when's the marking ceremony?" Oliver moved smoothly, fastening the necklace around my neck and adjusting the lace at my chest. Compared to how he had roughly groped me yesterday, his touch now was surprisingly gentle—like fluffing feathers instead of grabbing flesh. I shivered a little. There it was again—that weird, burning pulse of desire from just his touch. God, what's wrong with me? Am I just wired this way? He paused for a second at my question. "I think we could do it today." "Today?" I turned to look at him, genuinely surprised. I mean, yeah, I wanted to get this over with, the sooner the better. But the thought also made my stomach twist. "Something wrong?" he asked, sharp as always. His fingers brushed my face, and I instinctively leaned away. "No," I muttered. "Today’s fine. I just... might be a little anxious, that’s all." I shut up then, and he gently ran his fingers through my hair. His touch trailed slowly from my cheek to my shoulder, down my back—it was comforting, until his hand landed on my butt. Flushing, I shot him a glare. Then he held my face firmly in his hands, eyes locked on mine, his tone warm but fierce. “Ella, I’ve already claimed you as Luna of the Claw Pack. From this moment on, just remember one thing—I, Oliver Davis, am your only mate now.” That smug smile on his face—ugh, it should’ve annoyed me, but it didn’t. I opened my mouth to reply, but nothing came out. Every time I looked him in the eyes, it was hard to ignore how stupidly attractive he was. The guy practically screamed Alpha without saying a word. I couldn’t even catch his scent, but the pressure he carried with him? It was overwhelming. Something inside me just wanted to drop to my knees, to give in. But I fought it. Forced myself to hold his gaze like we were equals. Still, I had no idea why he pushed this mate thing so fast. Mate. That word alone made my chest tighten. Other than Jackson, I never imagined having someone else as a mate. Especially not for an Omega like me—it’s just... hard to wrap my head around. Oliver grinned at me playfully, clearly in a good mood, but he looked ready to head out. After checking the room briefly, he gave me a wave. “Time to go, sweetheart.” I lifted my hand and touched the necklace around my neck, a familiar ache twisting in my chest. Jackson had given it to me for my birthday—handmade, pure silver. He said it was custom-made from a small workshop. It wasn’t expensive, not even close. But I’d always loved it. Every little curve and detail. I only wore it to pack dinners or formal events. Only when it mattered.But now, all that necklace does is remind me of pain—it’s lost all the warmth it used to hold. Oliver was staring at my hands, eyes fixed on the necklace dangling from my fingers. His brows drew together, and he didn’t look too pleased. “Ella, you’re upset. What’s going on with the necklace? I ripped it off last night, did I break it?” I sniffled and shook my head slowly, forcing a small smile. “No, it’s nothing special. Just some old jewelry.” I brushed myself off a little and reached over to grab my phone from the nightstand—it still had a bit of charge left. When the screen lit up, I blinked in surprise. I had forty missed calls. All from Thomas Wilson... the son of Gru Pack’s Alpha. Also, technically my foster brother—not that we’ve ever been close. We rarely talk, so if he’s been blowing up my phone, something serious must’ve happened. My gut said something went wrong at the Gru Pack again. Panic got hold of me, and I spun toward Oliver. “Sorry, I need to make a quick call.” Oliver tilted his head a little, clearly thinking back. “Your phone was ringing like crazy last night while we were, you know... otherwise occupied.” “Probably something urgent from Gru Pack,” I said quickly, already dialing. My fingers trembled, heart racing, each ring making me more nervous. I just hoped everything was okay. But when someone picked up, it wasn’t Thomas. A strange male voice came through the line. “Thank god you finally responded. Miss Ella, please get down to the station right away! Your brother, Thomas Wilson, got into a fight with Alpha Jackson last night. Both of them are in custody!” I froze for a split second, then fumbled over my words. “O-okay, I’m on my way. Sorry!” I grabbed my stuff and made a beeline for the door. Oliver had been quietly watching the whole time. He caught up behind me, looking puzzled. “You seem freaked out. Something wrong?” “My brother... Thomas Wilson,” I said, pausing with a heavy breath. “He was in a fight last night and got arrested. He spent the night in a cell.” “I need to bail him out now.” Oliver blinked like he didn’t expect that, but then shrugged it off. “A brawl, huh? No worries. My lawyers are the best in the game—he’ll be fine. Let’s go together.” I nodded numbly, and he draped an arm around me as we walked to the car. But my head was spinning from that call. What the hell made Thomas go after Jackson? He hadn’t even shown up at the banquet last night—said he hated that kind of formal crap. And I know how much he despises Jackson, but I’d told him before: no matter how much you hate the guy, don’t touch him. Jackson’s a White Moon Alpha. And Thomas hasn’t even taken over Gru Pack yet. Starting a fight now? Something’s off. I need to find out why.