Marked

Chapter 23: Answers

Kaden and Xander were so not happy Kane and I were going off alone. I was in the process of getting them to back off when Addie brought that Luna tone and sent both of them away, growling and angry. She reminded Kane she had her gun on her if he wasn't nice.

Once that drama was over, I didn't like the idea of people listening in, so I took us deep in the forest until we were barely in territory anymore. I stopped and turned to him, crossing my arms. He met my gaze but it wasn't in a challenge like it had been before, he just stared, waiting for me to speak.

"You know, I was born as an omega," I started.

His eyes widened in surprise but he said nothing.

"Yeah, I was born as an omega and there's really nothing wrong with that," I shrugged. "Except it isn't what I wanted. Some wolves are happy being omegas but I wasn't. I wanted to be a higher rank. I wanted a place in the pack house. From the earliest memories I have, I wanted that. I worked my ass off to get noticed, to be strong enough. Xander's parents noticed me but they thought I was too young. Then they died when I was fifteen and Xander took over the pack. But Xander didn't think I was too young. He trusted me and making Kaden and I his right hands was the first thing he did as an Alpha. That meant the world to me. All my hard work paid off. All the days I pushed myself, disciplined myself, over-trained myself, they were all validated when Xander named me as his Gamma despite the backlash he got for doing it since I was only fifteen."

Kane nodded. He was confused. I knew he expected me to yell at him.

"Being the Gamma here means the world to me," I said. "I'm loyal to Xander. I know it bothers you how close we are but Xander stood by my side and believed in me when no one else did. Being the Gamma for him and now Addie is everything to me. You know that, don't you?"

"I do," Kane answered. "I've seen it. It's more important to you than anything."

"It is," I agreed. "There's one other thing I always wanted, one other thing that I dreamt about, that also meant everything to me. I started wanting it young. I don't want many things," I shrugged. "I'm easy that way. I'm not materialistic, I don't need a lot of attention. So when I actually want something, it's something big. Something that has a place in my heart," I said, setting my hand on my chest.

I paused because I was starting to feel like I couldn't make it through this without crying and I had to.

"My dad died when I was really little," I said. "He got an infection that festered because he was stubborn and thought his genes would get rid of it. I was so young that I don't remember as much about him I'd like to, but there is one memory in particular that has never left my mind. You wanna know what that is?"

"What?" Kane asked.

"It was the way he loved my mom," I said, swallowing hard. "It was the way that when he walked into a room, he would literally not notice if anyone else was there. He would make a beeline to my mom. He would wrap his arms around her and he would kiss her," I said, placing my hand on the mark. "Right on the mark."

Kane's face twisted in pain but he stayed silent, his eyes dropping to the ground.

"And I remember thinking, Goddess, I hope someday I mean that much to someone. I didn't know what a mark was, I just knew he always kissed her there. And I asked my mom why and she never told me until I was older, until I started learning more about mates. She told me how important that mark is. How it means everything. How giving and receiving that mark is the most intimate moment you can share with your other half," I said, pausing as the tears stung my eyes.