Alpha's Little Vampire Mate
CHAPTER 143

Marcus POV

As the tension in the room built, Lizzie took another step forward, her eyes gleaming with a predatory hunger.

"You'll regret turning me away, Marcus." she purred, her voice dripping with a venomous promise. "You'll regret every moment you spent chasing after that little girl, that weakling who couldn't even hold a candle to me."

I felt my wolf stirring, its hackles raised and teeth bared at the challenge Lizzie presented.

"You have no idea what I'm capable of," Lizzie continued, her voice growing colder still. "I have allies in places you can't even imagine, wolves who would jump at the chance to depose you and claim your throne for themselves. If you think for even a moment that you can stop me, you're sorely mistaken."

I felt my own anger rising to meet hers, my pulse pounding in my ears at the mention of my throne.

"And you think that's supposed to scare me?" I growled, taking a step forward.

Lizzie's smile widened, her teeth flashing in the candlelight.

"Scare you? Oh no, my dear Marcus, I'm not trying to scare you. I'm trying to warn you." Her words hung in the air for a moment, the silence between us growing thick and tense.

"You made a grave mistake when you chose Chloe over me." she continued, her voice low and deadly. "And now, you will pay for that mistake with everything you hold dear. Your kingdom, your mate and your very life."

With that, Lizzie turned on her heel, her red dress swirling around her like a cloak of blood.

"Mark my words, Marcus." she called over her shoulder as she strode towards the door. "You will rue the day you crossed my path. The next time you see me, it will be the last."

And with that, she was gone, leaving only the bitter smell of her threat lingering in the air.

I sank into the nearest chair, my mind racing with fear and anger.

Lizzie had always been ambitious, but this... this was something else entirely.

***

Chloe's POV

I bit back a cry of frustration, the realization dawning on me like a thunderbolt. My abilities, my powers, the very things that made me a vampire... they were gone.

I pressed my hands to my temples, the throbbing ache in my head intensifying with each second.

How was I going to escape now?

How was I going to make it back to the pack without my abilities to aid me?

I peered out of my window, my heart racing as I surveyed the stretch of land between me and the forest beyond.

Just as I was beginning to plan my escape by trying to understand the surroundings around me or maybe go on a tour, I sensed movement in the sitting room beyond the door and my pulse quickened as the door opened and Jason stepped in, his expression unreadable.

"What's wrong Chloe?" His voice, which was low and dangerous, made shivers run down my spine.

I swallowed hard as my mind went racing for an excuse.

"Nothing." I lied, trying to sound convincing but Jason was having none of it.

"You're lying." He growled, his eyes narrowing. "I can sense your anxiety, tell me what's going on."

I hesitated for a moment and weighed my options. If I told Jason about my desire to escape, he would surely stop me, but if I lied...

"I want to go home," I blurted, unable to hold back the truth any longer. "I want to go back to my pack, to Marcus. This isn't my place."

Jason sighed, shaking his head. "You can't go back, Chloe. It's not safe for you there. Your place is here with us."

"No." I insisted, my voice rising. "My place is with Marcus."

As my defiance grew, Jason's expression darkened. "You're not going anywhere," he said, his voice low and dangerous.

"And I'm not letting you throw your life away for some infatuation with that wolf."

"It's not an infatuation," I snapped, anger welling up inside me."He's my mate, my one true love. And I'll do whatever it takes to get back to him."

Jason scoffed.

"You're not okay in the head. You want to go back to a man who rips children out of women just the same way he did to your best friend Lily. She's currently in the hospital fighting for her life, I doubt if she'd make it, she looks horrible." He grimaced and my body shook with fear.

My jaw dropped open as my heart lurched in my chest.

Marcus... Marcus had hurt Lily?

Attacked her, so much so that she'd lost their baby?

"No," I whispered, the denial pouring from my lips like acid. "No, Marcus would never do that. He's not capable of such a thing. You're lying."

Jason's expression hardened, his eyes glinting with malice.

"You don't know Marcus as well as you think you do." he spat, his voice like venom.

"You think you know him, but you don't. He's a cold-hearted killer, a monster who'd do anything to get what he wants."

I shook her head, my mind spinning with disbelief. It can't be true.

Marcus was a good man, a strong and noble Alpha. He wouldn't hurt Lily.

He wouldn't...

"You're lying," I choked out, my voice hoarse with emotion.

Jason smirked, his eyes gleaming with victory. "Am I?" he said, his voice dripping with contempt. "Why don't you ask Angelo then? He was there, he saw it with his own eyes."

I whipped my head around to face Angelo, shock and horror written across my face. "It's true, Chloe." he said, his voice hollow and broken.

"Marcus... he did it. I saw him with my own eyes. He hurt Lily, he choked life out of her. I felt guilty pushing you away from your mate, so I went to the pack to talk to him. I saw the horrible scene, you can't go back there Chloe, over my dead body, I won't allow it."