Chapter 408
\nMarked By the Pureblood Alpha (Deanna and Luis) novel Chapter 408<\/p>\n
Deanna’s POV:<\/p>\n
The moment he pulled me into his arms, my hands moved on instinct, pressing against his solid chest.<\/p>\n
I left a sliver of space between us.<\/p>\n
Luis froze, lowering his gaze to me, eyes narrowing slightly. “What’s wrong?”<\/p>\n
I didn’t answer right away.<\/p>\n
I knew that photo had been sent with bad intentions. Someone was deliberately trying to bait me.<\/p>\n
I couldn’t let myself be used\u2014and put Luis in a position where he could be threatened.<\/p>\n
That was why I’d sent him that message. “Don’t worry about me. I’m at Zedowood. Focus on the corporate summit today. Come see me after you’re done.”<\/p>\n
But even so, my heart still felt uncomfortable.<\/p>\n
Just thinking about Luis\u2014about Lindsay standing that close to him, looking at him with that kind of greedy longing\u2014made my chest tighten. It bothered me far more than I wanted to admit.<\/p>\n
So much so that the idea of going back to the Mooncrown estate made me resist on a physical level.<\/p>\n
That was why I’d come to Zedowood instead.<\/p>\n
Before this, I’d never realized I could be this possessive.<\/p>\n
That resistance in my heart quickly turned into a physical reaction.<\/p>\n
My stomach clenched without warning.<\/p>\n
I covered my mouth and gagged softly.<\/p>\n
Luis’s POV:<\/p>\n
Seeing Deanna retch, I immediately pulled a few tissues from the table and reached out to wipe the corner of her lips.<\/p>\n
Before my hand could touch her, she took the tissues herself and lowered her head, wiping carefully.<\/p>\n
My gaze lingered on her lowered profile, trying to read what she was thinking.<\/p>\n
I could feel her resistance clearly.<\/p>\n
It was subtle\u2014but enough to sting.<\/p>\n
After a moment.<\/p>\n
She picked up her phone from the table and handed it to me, her tone calm to the point of distance. “Explain.”<\/p>\n
I took the phone, puzzled, and unlocked it.<\/p>\n
The moment I saw the photo, I froze.<\/p>\n
Deanna’s POV:<\/p>\n
She’d appeared in that phone call before. She’d shown up at Crestwood Park.<\/p>\n
She’d even lived under the same roof as Luis when they were children.<\/p>\n
I knew all of that was in the past.<\/p>\n
Everyone has a past.<\/p>\n
And I knew the person Luis loved now was me.<\/p>\n
But I still couldn’t help it. I cared too much.<\/p>\n
I knew it was childish. I didn’t like this version of myself either.<\/p>\n
But those unspeakable emotions\u2014the jealousy, the pettiness\u2014I didn’t know how to put them into words.<\/p>\n
Warm fingers suddenly lifted my chin, forcing me to meet Luis’s eyes.<\/p>\n
“Do you remember what I told you? When I was young, my mother was kidnapped. Lindsay’s father was my mother’s driver. During that incident, he died protecting her.<\/p>\n
“That’s why Grandma took their family in out of guilt and raised Lindsay by her side. To me, the Mooncrown Pack has countless members. One more or one less never mattered. I never paid her any attention.<\/p>\n
“As for what you called childhood sweethearts\u2014if I recognize any, it’s only you. From the beginning, it’s always you.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-2490","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/icuow.top\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/2490","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=2490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}