h4Chapter 124: Who Is Marcus?/h4

    He was handsome, there was no doubt about it. He looked like he could be in his early thirties, but that was only if he was human. With him it was hard to tell. His brown eyes locked on her as if he was searching for something familiar, as if he was trying to match her face with a memory buried in his mind. He was tall, his body hard with muscles that made her skin prickle and her stomach twist.

    Unlike the others, he did not wear a suit. Instead, he had on a long sleeve shirt that stretched across his chest, making him look even broader. His ck trousers clung to his frame, every line of his body revealed in a way that made her uneasy. Around his neck hung a gold chain, holding a small ss bottle filled with a red liquid that seemed to boil and stir as though alive.

    The principal gave a small nod, confirming Ang was the person he was searching for. "He is thest student we admitted. If you wish, we can begin the process."

    "I would agree," Marcus said slowly, his voice deep and calm, "but I cannot be sure this is the one I am meant to see." He began walking toward her, each step deliberate. When he passed close, her chest tightened and her heart missed its rhythm. She tried to catch his scent, hoping it would give her a clue about what he was, but it was mixed, clouded, impossible to read.

    Then he circled back, and this time stopped behind her. Her whole body stiffened as he leaned close, his breath brushing the back of her neck. What was he doing? Her hands curled at her sides. Every instinct screamed to push him away, to snarl and bare her teeth, but she couldn’t. She had to control herself. If she slipped, if her anger showed, they might discover the truth—she was a werewolf.

    "Your scents are heavy," Marcus whispered, his voice grazing her ear. "So many of them cover you."

    "What did you expect?" Ang snapped back before she could stop herself. "I live with werewolves. Should it surprise you that I carry their scents?"

    Marcus chuckled, the sound low and amused. "The boy is stubborn, I can sense it." He stepped in front of her again, eyes studying her as though he saw straight through her mask. Ang’s pulse raced, panic rising. It felt as though he knew, as if her secret had been exposed.

    "I like him," Marcus announced with a small smile.

    "I don’t like you at all," she shot back, her voice sharper than she meant. The others with him stirred, ready to move closer, but Marcus lifted his right hand and they froze where they stood.

    He stood there, calm and unshaken, his presence heavy andmanding. He was acting like a king, and the room bent to his will.

    "Angel, will you stop this nonsense?" Principal Valois snapped, her voice sharper now, more annoyed than the man she was trying to protect. "Do you even know who you are talking to?"

    "Let him speak," Marcus said calmly, his eyes still on Ang. "Go ahead, say what you want."

    Ang folded her arms tight across her chest, her anger rising. They were making her look like the rude one just for saying her mind, but she refused to stay quiet. "What do you expect me to say? I thought I wasing here to speak to my sponsors in a mature way, not to have a stranger walk behind me and breathe on my skin like that."

    "Angel, that’s enough!" Principal Valois cut her off, her patience gone. She didn’t even wait for Ang’s reply before turning to Marcus. "I apologize for his behavior, sir. He tends to talk too much."

    Marcus leaned back a little, unbothered. "It’s fine. His voice... it sounds familiar." His brows drew together for a moment before he looked to the others standing around. "Leave us."

    The order shocked them, but one after the other they obeyed, their eyes sharp with resentment as they passed Ang on their way out. She caught the bloody stares but forced herself not to flinch. What unsettled her more was the thought of being left alone with Marcus.

    The room grew heavy with silence once thest man left. Only the three of them remained. Marcus turned his gaze on Principal Valois, waiting for her to follow, but she shook her head firmly. "No. I know you are part of the board, Marcus, but I can’t leave you alone with Angel. I’ll stay. Unless..." she hesitated, watching him closely.

    "It’s fine," Marcus said, his tone low but edged with authority. "As long as you don’t repeat what we discuss here." He moved to the chairman’s seat and lowered himself into it with ease, stretching as though it belonged to him. A small, bitter smile touched his lips. "It’s been a long time since I sat here. That fool, the Alpha of the West, probably thinks I handed the chair over to him. Let him wait. He has no idea what I have in store for all of them."

    Principal Valois’s face tightened. She nced nervously at Ang, her voice softer now. "We shouldn’t be talking about this in front of him..." She was trying to hide her fear, but it was clear in her eyes.

    Ang sat still, her mind racing. Did Marcus force Principal Valois to bring her here? And why was he speaking so openly about Kaito’s father? What did Marcus truly want, and how did she fit into it?

    "What is said in this room stays here," Marcus warned again, his voice t and heavy with threat. His jaw tightened as he turned his gaze on Principal Valois. "You know very well what I am capable of, so don’t test me."

    "I will not say a word. Neither will anyone else," Principal Valois replied quickly, her tone firm butced with fear.

    Ang sat still, silent. She was scared, though she forced herself not to show it. There was no way she was going to give her word to a man like Marcus. Everything about him screamed danger.

    "We are searching for a girl, not a boy," Marcus said suddenly.

    Ang froze. Her heart mmed against her chest. Were they looking for her?

    "We do not know her name yet," Marcus continued.

    "So what does that have to do with me?" Ang forced the words out, her voice trembling just enough to make her panic sound real. "I am a boy."

    Principal Valois nced at her, her brows drawn together. It was a lie, but at least Ang had learned to lie well—it was the only thing that could save her now.

    Marcus studied her closely. "I know. But a source told me that you look exactly like the girl we are searching for." He rose from the seat, his tall frame casting a shadow over her as he stepped forward. Each move he made filled her with the urge to disappear. "You fit the description too well for me to ignore."

    "I am sorry, but I am not a girl. Who is she to you? Why are you looking for her?" Ang asked, her voice steadier this time though her insides shook.

    "Someone important," Marcus said, his tone carrying a weight she could not read. Then, without warning, he began unbuttoning his shirt.

    Ang’s mouth parted in shock. What the hell was he doing? She quickly closed it, but her eyes could not turn away. When his shirt slid off, his bare chest came into view—and her breath caught.

    On the left side of his chest was the same crescent mark she bore on her own body.

    Ang’s pulse quickened, fear rushing through her veins. That mark was same with the one on her breast...maybe meant for her bloodline or pack.

    Could it be? Was Marcus her family? Was he her father? Her brother? Or something far worse?