Mark of Sin: Bound to the Cruel Alpha

"What?! Jane, have you lost your mind?!" she shrieked so loudly I yanked the phone away from my ear, wincing as the high-pitched scream pierced my eardrum. "I’m your sister! You’re supposed to help me! Family supports each other!"

"Family?" I echoed under my breath, letting out a hollow, bitter huff as tears tracked down my cheeks. "Then call Ger, or Mom and Dad."

I didn’t stay on the line to listen to her shrill tirade or her toxic accusations. With a trembling finger, I tapped the red icon, cutting the call short.

After a second of hesitation, my chest tight with a dull ache, I powered off the device completely, plunging the bedroom back into absolute silence.

Beside me, a broad arm tightened its grip around my waist, pulling me flush against a firm, hot chest. I heard Magnus’s low, sleepy exhale as he dragged his nose lightly along the curve of my neck, taking in my scent. His breathing remained slow, heavy, and steadying against my skin.

He had been asleep the entire time, completely unaware of the call.

I was immensely, profoundly relieved. I couldn’t bear the thought of him witnessing that humiliating exchange—of him realizing how utterly pathetic my family truly was, or concluding that I was even more unwanted than I already felt.

Reaching over, I set the dark phone back down onto the nightstand, wiped the dampness from my cheeks, and closed my eyes, letting my body sink into the solid warmth of his embrace.

***

I woke to the touch of a cool hand pressed against my forehead, and a low moan of pure relief nearly slipped from my lips. The soothing chill washed over my fever-flushed skin, so intoxicating that every instinct urged me to lean into it, to melt into that ice and extinguish the inferno burning deep within my blood.

Opening my eyes, I expected to see Magnus. Instead, the face hovering over me belonged to an unfamiliar male—an older shifter with silvering hair, sharp eyes, and a stern, weathered countenance. He leaned down, studying my pupils as his hand remained poised on my brow.

Panic surged through my chest. I screamed.

The sound tore from my throat with every last drop of air in my lungs, a sharp, terrified screech that shattered the silence of the room.

The old man flinched, clutching his chest as he stumbled backward. Whatever he had been holding slipped from his grip, hitting the floor with a heavy thud before rolling beneath the bedside table.

"Peace, Jane! Calm yourself!" He raised his hands, palms open in a universal gesture of surrender, though the frantic pounding of my heart drowned out his words. "I mean you no harm! I was only—"

"Why was she screaming?" Magnus’s voice sliced through the air like an icy blade—sharp, lethal, and laced with pure threat. "What did you do to her?"

I snapped my head toward the doorway and caught sight of the Alpha standing in the frame, a glass of water gripped in his hand. The terrifying intensity rolling off him suggested he was two seconds away from hurling the physician straight through the window without a second thought. Something dark, predatory, and violent blazed in his eyes, radiating an aura so suffocating it sent a shiver down my spine, even though his lethal glare wasn’t directed at me.

Sitting up in bed, I pressed my palms to my face, then dragged trembling fingers through my hair. It felt damp and slick with sweat. Had another fever broken while I slept?

"I’m sorry," I rasped out, my throat raw and scraped bare as if I had been screaming through the night. "I was just startled. I didn’t expect to wake up to a stranger leaning over me, so I panicked."

Magnus offered no verbal reply. He simply strode to the bed, the mattress sinking beneath his massive weight as he sat on the edge. He held out the glass of water. Taking it with unsteady hands, I drank deeply; the icy liquid scorched my dry throat and chased away the lingering fogginess of sleep.

"How are you feeling?" The elderly doctor stepped forward cautiously, bending down to retrieve the fallen container before stowing it inside his leather medical bag. "Your fever spiked dangerously during the night. Lord Magnus summoned me for an emergency assessment."

I blinked, looking from Magnus back to the doctor as I tried to piece together my fragmented memories.

"Last night?" I asked softly. "But... I felt fine."

"That is the unpredictable nature of a breeder’s heat," the doctor explained with a solemn nod. He retrieved a penlight from his bag and clicked it on, shining a bright beam into my eyes that made me wince. "Your core temperature reached forty degrees Celsius. You were delirious. We administered an IV drip to break the fever and replenish your fluid levels."

Glancing down at my hand, I spotted the catheter taped securely to the back of my wrist. A thin, clear tube ran from the port up to an empty IV bag hanging on a metal pole beside the bed. The skin surrounding the site was slightly red and tender.

"Is there any way to manage this?" I asked, looking up at the physician. "To make these heat cycles tolerable? They’re becoming more frequent and intense. I can’t keep enduring this."

"I can prescribe a mild course of suppressants," the doctor replied, stowing the light and pulling out a prescription pad. He began jotting down notes in a precise, flowing script. "However, do not rely on them heavily. Your body will likely build a tolerance quite rapidly. Your awakening as an Alpha Breeder is highly atypical—such genetics are exceedingly rare, and clinical data on your biology is sparse. What little we do understand indicates that your transition will be a prolonged, excruciating process, likely spanning several months."

Beside me, I saw Magnus’s jaw snap shut, a muscle twitching violently beneath his skin. A dangerous shadow crossed his gaze, the lethal aura of an Alpha straining against his self-control, yet he remained motionless beside me, his broad hand resting heavily on my thigh over the blanket.

Tearing the sheet from his pad, the doctor handed the prescription directly to Magnus.

"Administer these twice daily, morning and evening, strictly after meals," the physician instructed, offering me a look that bordered on genuine pity. "And avoid emotional distress at all costs. High stress triggers acute heat spikes. Take care of yourself."

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