Marcus

'She's gone and it's your fault!' Kyben roared at me. Regardless of weither or not he was right it pissed me off. I thought back on that day. It felt like a lifetime ago, but it had barely been a week.

I was running late for combat training. He looked forward to Monday all week. Monday was wolf day. It meant he didn't have to change to his gym clothes. He hadn't seen Victoria sense he had shoved her down in the hall on Friday and he had been looking forward to humiliating her again. He hadn't expected to be accosted by the most intoxicating scent he had ever come across.

He had been drawn to it and Kyben had howled happily. Marcus didn't need to be told to find the source of the aroma. He did need to bury his nose in it and make sure no one else ever tried to touch the source of it. He had been dumbfounded when Victoria had crashed right into him.

He was so shocked to see her outside that he didn't even try to keep her from landing hard on her ass. Her perfect plump juicy ass. He had been confused where the thought had come from as he had never thought of her as attractive before. Maybe if she had stopped wearing over sized shapeless clothes that would change. 'Or if she were to wear no clothes at all.' Kyben growled lustfully. 'Our mate doesn't need clothes.'

'Kyben, are you sure?'

'Yes.'

'Fuck! She hates me! No way she doesn't reject me!' He was terrified that she would rip his heart out. "Vic-Victoria?" Marcus stammered out pathetically and he saw fear take hold of her as she looked at him. In that moment he felt his heart shatter as all hope for his future faded to nothing. "Are you okay?" He asked as he took a step towards her. She looked around desperately. Maybe she was hoping that someone would rescue her from him. Not that anyone ever did.

Victoria leapt to her feet and turned to run away from him. He didn't blame her though. 'Don't let her go! You have to apologize to her for everything you've done!' Kyben growled now angry with him. 'You hurt our mate and you need to make it right!'

"Wait!" Marcus said as he grabbed her hand gently. "Please don't run. I won't hurt you. I promise." He saw the disbelief on her face as she tried to pull away from him. He tightened his grip just enough to keep her from getting away.

'Make it right!' Kyben raged at him. He could see that she was not willing to listen to anything he had to say but he had to try for the sake of their mate bond.

"Victoria, I know you feel our bond. Please stop looking at me as if you want to run away." Markus said firmly as he began to gently pull her towards him so he could embrace her. She whimpered as she resisted him. He didn't want to hurt her by being too forceful. But he knew she would not be able to deny she was his if he marked her. He wasn't planning on giving her a chance to reject him. He needed her here in his arms and under his protection so he could begin to make up for everything he had done wrong.

"Look, I know I haven't been the nicest to you in the past but this is me apologizing and hoping you will forgive me. If you give me another chance I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you." He could hear just how desperate he sounded and hoped she would stop resisting long enough for him to sink his teeth into the crook of her perfect neck. After five minutes she hadn't said anything and he was getting worried. "Well? Aren't you going to say something?"

"Do you think you deserve another chance?" Her voice was soft and feminine. It took a couple of seconds for him to realize what she had said. The words were like a silver dagger sinking into his chest. He needed her to stop resisting him. It was now or never. Just as he was about to force her into his arms he felt his body betray him. Kyben had not allowed him to mark their mate by force.

'Let her go Marcus. She hates you. Let me talk to her and I will make her see reason but if this goes on what you fear most will happen.'

"I apologized. What more do you want me to do? Just say the word and I'll do it." He was on the verge of tears as he refused to believe his wolf.

"Let me go." Victoria whimpered as she pulled at her arm yet again.

"No! If I do you will run. I want you to accept me. Not be afraid of me." If she asked him to he would drop to his knees in front of the entire pack and beg her for mercy. He saw her jaw set as she came to a decision. He had no intention of letting her go but he still had no control over his own limbs. All he could do was hold onto her for dear life. That was when he heard the words that every wolf dreads.

"I, Victoria Heart of the Blood Dawn pack, here by Reject you, Markus Blood of the Blood Dawn pack, as my mate and lover." Marcus was sure his heart had stopped beating in that moment. He was sure he would die very soon. At least he hoped he would. He could hear Kyben howling in pain. But it wouldn't last long. They would be dead soon. Victoria had shoved a silver dagger into his heart and they would die soon. "I hate you, Marcus. Stay away from me." He couldn't breathe. He barely felt it when she finally managed to pull away from him.

He clutched at his chest as he gasped for air. The world spun as the rushed up to greet him. Even as he lay dying of a broken heart he could hear Victoria crying as she ran away from him. She was in pain but her response to it was to run. He had made her run away from her pain. He had been the one that taught her crying made her weak and an easy target. She hated him and it was his fault.

'Dad.....I think I'm dying.'. He barely had the strength to link his father. But could no longer stand the pain of what he himself had caused. He could hear his father demanding to know what had happened and where he was but he lacked the strength and will to respond. It didn't take long before his father was pulling him to his feet and forcing him to move to the car. He put him in the back and drove him home.

He had not been kind or sympathetic to Marcus when he found out what had happened. Marcus had told both of his parents through sobs of pain. His father had just glared at him and said it was his own damn fault and he had better try hard to make it right. But Marcus had barely had the strength to roll over when Thomas had come to get him for school the next day.

His best friend had tried to pry the story from him but he had just started sobbing again like a weak bitch. He hadn't thought he could cry anymore. At that point his father walked in and told Thomas that he was to make sure he at least took a shower and used the toilet before leaving for school.

Thomas had been the one taking care of him and seemed sympathetic when he found out that Marcus had been rejected by his mate. When Alpha Samuel had heard him mention how he felt sorry for Marcus he had told him to no longer try and see him. It left the task of taking care of him to the Gamma who he told everything to.

The Gamma had been cruel in his care giving. Not really caring if the water for the shower was the right temperature and leaving on the floor of the bathroom to dress himself when he could barely even stand. When he just turned over and refused to eat he hadn't bothered to try coaxing. Instead he had ordered the Alpha's physician to place a feeding tube down his throat.

After nearly a week of this harsh, uncaring torture he had shouted at the Gamma to just let him die. "That's how you made her feel every single day. Do you really think you deserve her?" The cold words finally broke through the haze of pain and numbness that had plagued him for the entire week. "Even if she hadn't rejected you do you really think she would ever not flinch when you touch her? Even if she didn't reject you just to hurt you do you think looking at you every day for the rest of her life is something she wants? Do you really think she wouldn't feel trapped, used and even more worthless than you made her feel every single day?"

It had been harsh but it had been the slap in the face he had needed to wake him up from his delusional state. He had done this and now even Kyben only spoke to him to scream at him. Thomas had laughed and said he had dodged a bullet when he found out that his mate had been Victoria. Marcus had growled at him but he didn't seem to notice. What he had said next had been enough to cause both Kyben and Marcus to snap.

"Maybe we can get her alone in the woods and take turns with her. If you know what I mean." He wasn't laughing by the time the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma pulled Marcus off him. It had been a trip to the hospital for Thomas and his parents while Marcus had been confined to a cell. When the Beta asked him why he had done it Marcus had told him everything. From bullying Victoria to finding out she was his mate and her reject him because she hated him and even what Thomas had said to set him off.

The Beta just listened and in the end decided not to press charges. Marcus would always be grateful to him for that. Now he was spending less time with Thomas and everyone was concerned as to why. When asked he told them that he had a falling out with his best friend but left the rest up to speculation.

Now he was lying on his bed staring at the pale ceiling as he thought about everything that had happened. "I wonder if she made it to her new pack yet." He mused out loud.

'they are in Alaska. She's probably still in the air.' Kyben grumbled, sounding a little horse from all the yelling he had been doing since he had failed to convince Victoria to stay with them.

'Oh, are you done screaming at me now?' Marcus asked.

'for the moment.'

'Dad told us to stay away from her and give her time to come around. And you disobeyed him.'

'I had to try.' Kyben was whimpering now. 'her wolf refused to respond to my link.'

'I'll ask dad if I can call her new Alpha tomorrow and explain the situation. Maybe he will let her come back in a couple years and we can talk to her then.' Just then there was a gently knock on the door. Marcus knew who it was before he opened it.

He looked down at the child standing in a a pink night gown while clutching a white fuzzy teddy bear to her chest. "What's wrong Misty?" He asked gently.

"Mr. Snugglekins had a bad dream." She sniffed as she tried to wipe the tear that slid down her chubby cheek and missed it. Before he had beaten the tar out of Thomas Misty wouldn't have had the courage to even say hello to him. But now she was asking him if she could sleep with him because she had a nightmare. It didn't take him long to give in to her. He really didn't want to be alone tonight anyway, and it wasn't safe for her to wonder around the the pack house by herself in the dark. She could hurt herself.

"Okay. Don't worry Mr. Snugglekins. We won't let anything bad happen to you." Marcus said as he ushered Misty in and over to the large king size bed. Misty was small for her age so he knew she wouldn't take up much space. But as she snuggled into his arms he wondered if he would get in trouble for this in the morning.

'We can deal with it in the morning.' Kyben muttered as he drifted off to sleep.