Chapter 85: Chapter 85: Mate Mark II
Estelle’s POV
I couldn’t stop staring at Zayne’s mark. The sight of it made my stomach twist into knots. It looked similar to mine in one crucial way—unactivated. Just like the mark I’d been hiding beneath my own collar.
The realization hit me like a punch to the gut. We both had secrets we were keeping.
Zayne must have noticed my staring because his hand moved to adjust his collar, covering the mark. But it was too late. I’d already seen it.
“You can ask if you want to,” he said quietly, his electric blue eyes meeting mine.
I felt my heart race. Part of me wanted to pretend I hadn’t seen anything. That way, we could keep living in whatever bubble we’d created between us. But I knew I’d go crazy if I didn’t get answers. The curiosity would eat me alive.
Besides, now that I had the same secret he did, it felt more fair somehow. We were both hiding unactivated marks. We were both keeping parts of ourselves locked away.
Still, asking meant facing a truth I wasn’t sure I was ready for. Because if Zayne had a mate mark, that meant there was someone out there meant for him.
The thought sent a sharp pain through my chest that I tried to ignore.
“Is that a mating mark?” I finally asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Sort of,” Zayne replied, his expression unreadable.
“What does that mean?”
He was quiet for a moment, his fingers still unconsciously touching the spot where his collar covered the mark. “It’s unactivated. It was left a few years ago. After the woman marked me, I’ve been trying to find her ever since.”
It was just as I guessed.
My chest tightened, making it difficult to breathe properly. So there was indeed someone out there who had marked him and then disappeared. No doubt, that woman was his fated mate.
I didn’t ask any more questions. I couldn’t. The lump in my throat made it impossible to speak.
Zayne didn’t offer any additional information either. We remained in heavy silence, both lost in our own thoughts.
“I understand now,” I said finally, not trusting myself to say more.
What I understood was that Zayne was searching for his true mate. That explained why he’d refused to marry Rosalind Vurbont. Any smart woman in Rosalind’s position wouldn’t want to step aside when Zayne eventually found his fated mate.
On the other hand, I was different. I was just a replaceable, temporary arrangement. Zayne knew that I would step away when the time came. That’s why our arrangement worked.
Zayne nodded, seemingly satisfied with my response. “You should rest in the room tonight. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
I wanted to argue, but exhaustion was pulling at me. My body still ached from whatever had happened earlier. “Okay.”
“If you need to shower, there are some clothes in the wardrobe. You may take any of the t-shirts. Most of them are unworn.”
I nodded stiffly.
When Zayne left the room, closing the door softly behind him, I finally allowed myself to breathe.
I walked to the ensuite bathroom, needing the hot water and privacy to think. As I undressed, I caught sight of myself in the mirror. My fingers automatically went to my own mark, tracing the outline through the glass reflection.
The person who marked Zayne had to be his fated mate. That’s why he was so determined to find her. He couldn’t afford to commit to anyone else permanently.
When he found her, it would be my time to leave again. But this time wouldn’t be like what happened with Asher and Moonveil. This time, I had Blackmoon to call my home. No matter what, I wasn’t alone.
I sank into the hot bath water, letting it ease the tension in my muscles. But it couldn’t ease the growing ache in my chest.
Our arrangement had always been mutually beneficial. Nothing more. I’d known that from the beginning. So why did the thought of stepping aside hurt so much?
I closed my eyes, trying to push down the feelings that were threatening to overwhelm me. I couldn’t afford to let my heart get involved. Not when I knew how this would end.
***
Third POV
Meanwhile, Zayne stood in the bathroom down the hall, staring at his reflection in the mirror. His hand moved to his neck, fingers tracing over the mark that Estelle had been staring at.
A small smile played at the corners of his mouth as he remembered the night he received it. After years of searching, he’d finally found her. The woman who had marked him in her drugged, unconscious state was sleeping in his bed just down the hall.
He’d waited so long for this moment. Now that he had the power and position to claim her properly, he wasn’t going to let anything stand in his way.
Estelle was going to be his queen, whether she realized it yet or not.
The cold shower he’d planned would definitely be necessary tonight.
