Mark of Sin: Bound to the Cruel Alpha

I blinked, unable to process his words. "A what?"

"We’re a couple," Magnus said with a casual shrug, as if stating the most obvious law of nature. "Which means we go on dates."

I crossed my arms tightly over my chest, sinking deeper into the leather seat. "Since when are we a couple?"

"As of today." Magnus stepped out of the car, strode around to my side, and opened the door.

I didn’t budge. Dammit, we needed to talk now—before another agonizing wave of heat hit me, while my mind was still clear enough to put thoughts into words.

Magnus leaned in, extending a broad hand. "Get out."

"No," I declared stubbornly, holding his gaze. "We’re going to talk. Right now."

Without a word, Magnus reached across me, clicked off my seatbelt, and scooped me out of the passenger seat. He set me on my feet, holding me steady. "We are on a date. Every conversation—good or bad—can wait."

He took my hand and pulled me forward, giving me no room to argue.

I looked around, trying to figure out where he had brought me. All I could see at first was the giant glass dome, lush trees lining the paths, and warm, ambient lights that lent the entire grounds a fairytale glow.

Then we stepped inside, and it finally clicked.

It was an amusement park.

I had been looking in the wrong direction before; otherwise, I would have immediately spotted the towering Ferris wheel rising high above the treetops. The downpour had cleared, leaving the air crisp and fresh. Wrapped in my warm jacket, I realized something uncanny: the entire park was dead silent. There wasn’t a single soul around. Just the two of us.

"Where is everyone?"

Magnus shrugged, slipping his free hand into his jacket pocket. "I bought out the park for the day." He looked down at me, his voice softening just a fraction. "For you."

His words struck a chord deep inside me. A sudden wave of warmth bloomed in my chest, though I tried my best to fight it.

I had never been to an amusement park. Not once. My family never had the money for something so frivolous. Whenever Julia begged our parents to take us, they turned her down, insisting it was too expensive, that we had to save, that there were far more pressing expenses.

My eyes swept over the scene with wide-eyed wonder—taking in the glowing Ferris wheel, the bumper car arena, and the terrifying loops of a roller coaster winding through the air. And then I saw it: a grand, beautifully lit carousel filled with ornate, galloping horses. I had dreamed of riding one as a child; in movies, it always looked so magical, so enchanting.

"Can I..." My breath caught in my throat, and I swallowed hard. "Can I ride that one?"

Magnus nodded. Tightening his grip on my hand, he led me toward the glowing carousel.

The attendant, an older man in a crisp uniform jacket, started up the music—a nostalgic, melodic rhythm that hummed softly through the air. The carousel began to spin, slow and graceful.

I climbed onto a white horse with a sculpted gold mane and took hold of the golden pole stretching from the floor to the roof. Magnus stepped up beside me, opting not to mount a horse of his own. Instead, he leaned his broad shoulder against the central pillar, his dark eyes fixed entirely on me.

As the carousel picked up speed, the horses rising and falling to the music, the surrounding lights blurred into vibrant streaks of color. The cool breeze whipped through my hair, and a laugh burst from my chest—pure, unscripted, and freer than anything I had felt in months.

Magnus didn’t look away for a second. The usual harshness in his gaze dissolved, replaced by a deep, mesmerizing warmth that left me breathless.

When the carousel slowed to a stop, he led me toward the rest of the park.

Next were the bumper cars. Magnus took the wheel with me squeezed into the passenger seat, tearing around the arena with such reckless precision that I shrieked at every sharp drift, clinging frantically to the side handle. But the jolt of adrenaline quickly gave way to sheer exhilaration, and I couldn’t stop laughing.

In the haunted house, Magnus took the lead while I stayed glued to his side, clutching his hand so tightly my knuckles turned white. When an actor in a blood-stained mask lunged out from a dark corner, I let out a sharp cry and ducked behind Magnus’s towering frame. Instinctively, his arm swept around me, shielding me completely from the actor, who wisely backed off from the Alpha’s imposing presence.

The roller coaster, however, was a harrowing experience I vowed never to repeat. As the car plummeted down vertical drops and flipped through dizzying loops, I was convinced my heart was going to stop, leaving my head spinning long after we pulled back into the station.

Noticing my lingering dizziness, Magnus gestured to a staff member, who promptly appeared, bearing a bucket of popcorn and a stick of pink cotton candy. It was obscenely huge, dusted with edible glitter that sparkled under the string lights.

I took a bite, closing my eyes as the spun sugar melted over my tongue in a wave of bright berry flavor. I couldn’t suppress a quiet moan of satisfaction.

"Try some," I offered, holding the cloud of pink out to Magnus.

He shook his head slightly. "I don’t eat sweets. Never cared for them."

"You’re missing out," I said, tearing off another piece. "It tastes just like fresh raspberries. Raspberries are my absolute favorite."

Leaving the main paths behind, Magnus guided me through a quiet, wooded trail illuminated by soft ground lanterns embedded along the walkway. The path eventually opened up to a massive structure—a stunning glass building bathed in shifting, chromatic light.

"An aquarium?" I slowed my steps, glancing up at him in surprise. "I had no idea there was an aquarium out here."

"It hasn’t officially opened to the public yet," Magnus said, pulling a heavy brass key from his coat to unlock the main glass doors. "The owner of the park commissioned it as part of a massive expansion. He’s planning a dolphin wing, a wildlife park, and a botanical garden next."

"Who owns all of this?" I asked, stepping into the cavernous, high-ceilinged lobby.

"My family," Magnus replied, locking the heavy doors behind us.

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