Mark of Sin: Bound to the Cruel Alpha

"How dare you enter the master’s kitchen and touch his things?!"

"I was just going to make some tea."

"Tea?!" The woman scoffed loudly. She lunged forward, snatching the mug right out of my hands and shoving it back onto the cupboard shelf so hard the ceramic clattered against the wood.

"I run this kitchen! A temp hired for a few hours to scrub the floors doesn’t dare lay a finger on the master’s glassware! Do you understand me, or do I need to spell it out for you?!"

"I am not the hired help," I said, taking a step back until the counter pressed uncomfortably into my lower back. "I am a guest."

The woman let out a cold, mocking laugh, her eyes sweeping over me from head to toe with unfiltered disgust.

"A guest?" She examined my oversized clothes and damp hair with sneering contempt. "Don’t make me laugh. Look at yourself in the mirror. You look like a stray off the street, not a guest of Lord Magnus. What guest? A powerful Alpha like him wouldn’t even spare a second glance at someone like you."

Her cruel words struck a raw nerve, sending a spike of humiliation through my chest.

"Get out of here," she barked, thrusting a bony finger toward the hallway. "Immediately! Before I call the police and have you thrown out in disgrace. And you had better pray I don’t tell him how you were making yourself at home while he was away!"

My hands clenched into tight fists, fingernails digging into my palms. I tried to speak up, but the words choked in my throat. I was exhausted and starving, having not eaten since yesterday. I had simply wanted a cup of tea. I hadn’t broken anything or caused any harm—I had spent the morning cleaning his home.

Yet this woman stared at me as if I were filth beneath her boots.

Taking a deep breath, I turned on my heel and walked straight out of the kitchen. Ignoring her shrill tirade following me down the hall, I stepped into the bedroom and shut the door behind me. While she slammed her fist against the door and yelled, I calmly changed out of Magnus’s oversized clothes and put on my own outfit.

Outside the door, her voice drifted off as she apparently rushed off to report me to Lord Magnus.

When the hall quieted, I stepped out of the bedroom and made my way toward the front door. If I wasn’t permitted to eat here, I would find somewhere else.

. . .

I strolled along the quiet streets, letting the warm breeze play through my hair. The harsh truth remained unchanged: even though we lived together under the same roof, we weren’t truly together. It wasn’t a real relationship. He ruled, and I submitted—like a dog kept on a tight leash.

In the distance, a modest little street café came into view, complete with rickety plastic tables and cheap chairs that wobbled under the slightest weight. The place was nearly empty, save for the barista behind the counter and a pair of students huddled in a corner. Scanning the menu chalked onto a blackboard, I decided I could afford a hazelnut coffee and a chocolate croissant.

I took a seat by the window, sipping my drink in peaceful solitude. Outside, people hurried past, wrapped up in their own routines and lives.

When I unlocked my phone and checked my messages, I winced at the glowing red notification icon. Twenty-three unread texts from Julia.

"You selfish bitch! How could you do this to us?!"

"You abandoned your family and put us all in a terrible position!"

"You only ever think about yourself!"

Among the tirade was a message sent earlier that morning demanding I come home next weekend—without a single word of apology. Apologizing was clearly beneath her, yet the moment her coffers ran empty, I was the first person she called.

I let out a bitter chuckle. She spoke of coming "home," but where was my home now? Had they already rebuilt the house that was torn down? Where they were suddenly finding that kind of money was a complete mystery to me.

I finished my coffee and croissant, licking the melted chocolate from my fingers. Outside, a sudden stir broke out among the pedestrians; people were gathering, pointing upward, and snapping photos. A rainbow had likely appeared—a rare enough sight in our city to draw a crowd. I almost stepped outside to check, as little else could spark such excitement.

Before I could reach the door, Sayan burst inside.

He was completely drenched from the sudden downpour, breathless, his damp hair plastered to his forehead and his dark jacket heavy with water. He swept his gaze across the room, letting out a sharp sigh of relief when he spotted me. Striding over, he dropped into the chair opposite mine, grabbed my paper cup, and drank down the remaining dregs in one gulp.

"Forgive me," he gasped, tossing his wet hair back and sending droplets flying to the floor. "I desperately needed that."

I stared at the empty cup, then up at him as he frantically ran a hand through his soaked hair.

"What’s going on?" I asked softly.

Sayan met my eyes, a sharp flicker of genuine concern crossing his features.

"Magnus is on the verge of a full Alpha rage because of your little disappearance," he warned, his voice low. "He’s mobilized half the pack to search for you. Do you have any idea what you’ve done?"

I crossed my arms, leaning back against the flimsy plastic chair as it creaked under my weight.

"I didn’t run away," I replied, my tone flat and cold. "I was thrown out."

"Thrown out by whom?" Sayan stared at me in absolute disbelief, his mouth dropping open. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table.

"The woman brought in to cook," I exhaled, feeling the sting of humiliation burn anew. "When I tried to make a simple cup of tea, she snapped at me, called me a street stray, and demanded I leave the apartment. She threatened to call the police and have me thrown out in disgrace if I didn’t get out right then."

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