h4Chapter 86: Time To Mark Her/h4

    strongRoman’s POV/strong

    I helped Jason with breakfast, though from the moment he returned from the room his mood had been foul. I wasn’t sure what had happened between him and Eira. Perhaps she had behaved as she usually did, and unlike me, Jason wasn’t ustomed to tolerating it. I had learned to remain calm, no matter how much she ignored me.

    The reason I refused to take care of her today, it was because ofst night. Watching Lucian nearly die had shaken me to the core, the same gut-wrenching fear I had felt six years ago when I lost the rest of my friends.

    For a few terrible moments, I had hated Eira with every fibre of my being, even to the point of wanting her dead. That raw, unfiltered anger had rattled whatever softness I had begun to feel toward her over the past few days.

    I needed distance, time to quiet the storm inside me. Otherwise, I wasn’t sure if my words would wound her deeper than my hands ever could. She had always sought death, and we had always denied it to her—so how could I me her for not listening when I told her to stay in the safe room? I knew well enough she would continue to seek ways to end her life, no matter what happened.

    Breakfast was nearly ready when the others beganing downstairs. Lucian hadn’t cooked today, and I doubted Eira would touch anything prepared by Jason or me. This morning, I didn’t have it in me to ask Lucian to cook for her.

    Once the dishes were set and we sat around the table, Kael turned to Jason."Have you given her anything to eat?"

    "She doesn’t eat what I cook, and I’m not her servant," Jason replied sharply, his wordsced with resentment.

    Kael’s gaze shifted to me, but I busied myself with serving food onto our tes. Lucian and Rafe avoided his eyes as well.

    "As no one wants to serve her, she will eat here with us from today onward," Kael dered.

    The table went still. Eat with us? Here? At iour/i table? That quiet space we shared as a family? Displeasure flickered across every face.

    "Rafe, go get her," Kael ordered.

    Rafe scowled. "You know I can’t stand her stench."

    "Then learn to bear it," Kael’s tone as if challenging him to argue back. "She’s going to be around for a long time. And you’re going to fuck her sooner orter, so you’d better get used to it."

    Rafe sighed heavily but moved anyway. An order from the Alpha was not something he could ignore.

    When he reached upstairs, we could hear his voice as he was standing outside the room. "Come downstairs. Right now."

    We didn’t know what she said or did, but his next words cut sharper. "Causing us to almost lose our brother wasn’t already enough for you. Now you want us to waste our time dealing with your tantrums? Get your ass downstairs quickly, or I’ll make sure Vixen and Fluffy disappear and show you I am better at throwing tantrums than you."

    He returned a momentter, his expression smug. As we looked at him, he said, "That’s the way I talk. If you want her to hear some sweet nothings, then do it yourself."

    Soon, she appeared at the staircase. I had no doubt Rafe’s threat about the pets had worked. But as she descended, my brows drew together—and I noticed the same reaction in the others.

    She was wearing only a dark shirt, and it was obvious there was nothing beneath. We had all seen her bare before, yet something about this felt... off. Wrong.

    She hesitated when she reached the bottom, unsure of where to go.

    Kael’s gaze slid to Jason, reminding him it was his responsibility to handle her.

    "Come here and get your food," Jason ordered.

    She walked toward the dining table, her steps slow, her injured feet dragging slightly. Jason shoved a dish toward her in a gesture that meant, iThis is yours/i.

    She took it and turned to leave, but Kael’s cold stare pinned Jason where he sat, the silent warning clear.

    Jason exhaled in frustration, stood, and pulled a chair to the far end of the table, far from us. "Sit here."

    Surprisingly, she obeyed without a word. I nced at Rafe, who was focused on his te, but I knew—damn him—that he had yed the right card to get her to listen.

    As she moved to sit, her gaze kept flickering around the room like a thief scanning for a way out. No, not for escape—she was searching for the pets.

    "Lucian, where’s Fluffy? Doesn’t he need to eat? And Vixen as well?" I asked, cursing myself inwardly. Despite not wanting to, I couldn’t help but worry for her. Such an ass I am.

    "He is outside with themandos, and Vixen is taking a nap in her ce," Lucian replied.

    I nced toward the far end of the drawing room, where a small cat house sat neatly in the corner.

    Eira followed my gaze, her eyes settling on it. Realizing that it was Vixen’s, she rxed, her shoulders easing as she sat down and began to eat in silence.

    She was finally eating something that Lucian hadn’t cooked. Perhaps her appetite was slowly returning to normal.

    Kael broke the quiet first. "Did that traitor say anything?" he asked Lucian.

    Lucian gave a short hum. "And we also know who was behind it all."

    That instantly caught Rafe’s interest. "So, when are we leaving for another bloodbath?"

    "Tonight," Lucian answered without hesitation.

    I nced at him. "What about her? If we leave her here, they’ll take advantage of our absence again."

    "She’s going with us," Lucian dered tly. "Let her see what kind of people she’s living with. Next time, she might think before acting."

    It was the only real option, and we all knew it. She would be safer in ourpany than left behind.

    Kael turned his gaze to me. "Get her proper clothes. Though a whore, this home has rules."

    I gave a short hum of acknowledgment. Now that I knew her size, I could order more for her.

    Once breakfast ended, Eira was sent back to her room, and we shifted to other pressing matters.

    "Get ready to be summoned by the council again after what we do tonight," Lucian said.

    Kael leaned back, unconcerned. "We’d be summoned anyway. She’s unmarked."

    I understood immediately. "Then you have to mark her," I told him.

    Kael’s expression hardened. "Any one of us will do." His eyes shifted to me. "You’re good to her. You can mark her."

    It shocked me. "But you’re the leader..."

    "Doesn’t matter. Just mark her so we can shut the mouths of those bastards," Kael said with finality.

    The order caught me off guard. Marking her wasn’t just a physical act—it meant making her our mate, changing everything between us. "I need time... and she needs to be told."

    Kael looked to the others. "Any one of you."

    "Roman is a good choice," the three said quickly, their reluctance obvious.

    But they had forgotten something important. I let a slow smile curl my lips. "Even if I’m the one to mark her, she bes the mate of all five of us. She’ll be connected to our bond, so don’t think you’re spared from it."

    Their expressions soured instantly. The truth was unavoidable—she would belong to all of us, and the bond would affect us equally.

    "And Liam is giving her medicines to trigger her heat cycle," I added, watching their faces twist further. "She’s never had one before. That means her first heat cycle. Pureblood’s first heat cycle is said to be the most dangerous and irresistible. No Alpha can escape its pull."

    This time, it was my turn to smirk. They thought they could dump everything on me and walk away untouched.

    "We’ll discuss itter," Kael finally said, his tone tighter now. My words had struck home.

    If Eira went into heat, Kael would be the one most affected and I could clearly see the worry in his eyes.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!