Chapter 235
\nMarked By the Pureblood Alpha (Deanna and Luis) novel Chapter 235<\/p>\n
**Chapter 235: Fire and Whiskey**<\/p>\n
**Erik\u2019s POV:**<\/p>\n
As I pushed the bar door open, a rush of vibrant lights assaulted my senses, causing my head to spin momentarily. The atmosphere inside was electric, charged with an intensity that was almost palpable.<\/p>\n
The music blared at a deafening volume, a pulsing beat that seemed to resonate in my chest. On stage, bodies intertwined, dancing provocatively, their movements a dance of seduction and abandon. It was a scene that felt both familiar and foreign, a whirlwind of chaos that I had stepped into willingly.<\/p>\n
I maneuvered through the throng of people, my heart racing as I searched for Luis. Finally, I spotted him slumped in a dimly lit corner, a solitary figure amidst the crowd.<\/p>\n
He lounged back on the worn couch, one hand draped casually over the armrest, fingers delicately clutching a glass of amber liquid. His expression was a mask of indifference as he fixated on the dancers, lost in a world that seemed to exclude everyone around him.<\/p>\n
The shadows enveloped him, creating an aura of chilling detachment that caused the nearby Omegas to instinctively pull back, their eyes wide with unease.<\/p>\n
Sliding into the seat beside him, I couldn\u2019t resist the urge to poke at his solemnity. \u201cWhat\u2019s the matter, Luis? I heard you called off your engagement. Why the long face?\u201d<\/p>\n
He raised his glass to his lips, savoring the drink with deliberate slowness, before a faint smirk crept onto his face. \u201cWhy don\u2019t you try calling off yours and see how you feel about it?\u201d<\/p>\n
I quickly threw my hands up in mock surrender. \u201cNo thanks. My pack already tore me apart for opening a private hospital. If I rebel again, they\u2019ll probably string me up. Besides\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
I shot him a knowing glance, letting the silence hang between us for a moment. \u201cI don\u2019t have anyone I care about. Whoever my mate is, it doesn\u2019t matter, as long as she leaves me alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luis\u2019s gaze shot up, his eyes narrowing sharply as if I had just plunged a knife into his heart.<\/p>\n
I felt a thrill of defiance at his reaction. Instead of fear, a grin spread across my face, wider and more mischievous.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy the way,\u201d I continued, my voice teasing, \u201cI finally remembered. Deanna\u2019s that little girl from back then, isn\u2019t she?\u201d<\/p>\n
Luis\u2019s childhood was a story I had only pieced together in fragments. He had been sent for psychiatric treatment when he was just a boy, and that very hospital was part of my Frostbliss Pack.<\/p>\n
The details of his past were shrouded in sorrow; his father had succumbed to the Blood Moon Curse, and shortly after, his mother had vanished without a trace.<\/p>\n
Luis had spiraled into a deep depression, a boy trapped in a world of shadows.<\/p>\n
Though we were the same age, he carried himself like a ghost, cold and distant, a mere shadow of the vibrant boy he once was.<\/p>\n
My father had often reminded me that Luis was destined to be the future Alpha of the Mooncrown Pack, and it was my duty to befriend him, to forge a bond.<\/p>\n
In a dimly lit corner of the building, I witnessed a nurse berating a small girl, her words dripping with venom. \u201cWhy don\u2019t you just die?\u201d<\/p>\n
The girl\u2019s eyes glistened with unshed tears, yet she held them back, refusing to cry.<\/p>\n
In that moment, I felt nothing. No sympathy, no anger\u2014only a profound emptiness that consumed me.<\/p>\n
The second time our paths crossed, she stumbled upon my secret sanctuary\u2014the rooftop of the hospital.<\/p>\n
I had told her, my voice cold and unyielding, to leave me be.<\/p>\n
Her eyes reddened, tears spilling down her cheeks, and she whispered, \u201cI\u2019m sorry. My mom yelled at me. I just wanted a place to cry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then, almost as if speaking to herself, she murmured, \u201cWhy does nobody like me?\u201d<\/p>\n
With that, she wiped her tears and fled, leaving me with a strange irritation at the sight of her red, watery eyes.<\/p>\n
Days later, fate would intertwine our lives once more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-2318","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/icuow.top\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/2318","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/icuow.top\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/icuow.top\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/icuow.top\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2318"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}