Chapter 409
\nMarked By the Pureblood Alpha (Deanna and Luis) novel Chapter 409<\/p>\n
Deanna’s POV:<\/p>\n
I looked into his earnest eyes, my lashes trembling slightly.<\/p>\n
I didn’t doubt what Luis said.<\/p>\n
A pure-blood Alpha of his status had no reason to lie to me about something like this.<\/p>\n
But women are like this\u2014we don’t just want facts. We want the safety and the all-in kind of love only a mate can give.<\/p>\n
I let out a soft “Mm.”<\/p>\n
Luis studied me for a moment before speaking again in a low voice. “Deanna, if something bothers you, you need to tell me.”<\/p>\n
Hearing that, I couldn’t help myself. “In the photo … she was touching your hand. She\u2014”<\/p>\n
My hand was suddenly wrapped tightly in his warm palm. “That was just the angle. I was a little drunk then, but the moment I realized she’d come close, I stood up and left.”<\/p>\n
I lowered my head, saying nothing.<\/p>\n
His tone grew more urgent. “Really. I swear\u2014other than you, I’ve never touched another woman.”<\/p>\n
I looked up at him. After a long pause, I said slowly, “I believe you.”<\/p>\n
But he didn’t relax right away. His gaze stayed locked on me, sharp with scrutiny. “You don’t look like you believe me. You look like you’re just brushing me off.”<\/p>\n
Luis’s POV:<\/p>\n
I pressed my fingers to my brow, a headache forming.<\/p>\n
How could one random photo that came out of nowhere send her spiraling like this?<\/p>\n
I’d explained everything so clearly.<\/p>\n
She’d even said she believed me.<\/p>\n
But that look in her eyes\u2014at best, she believed only half of it.<\/p>\n
That in-between feeling was more frustrating than facing a room full of scheming old men at the corporate summit. At least with them, I knew exactly how to deal with it.<\/p>\n
“I’m hungry,” she suddenly said, her voice muffled, the attempt to change the subject painfully obvious.<\/p>\n
“I’ll cook,” I said at once, getting to my feet. No matter what, feeding her\u2014and the little one\u2014came first.<\/p>\n
“But there’s nothing in the fridge.”<\/p>\n
I stopped short.<\/p>\n
Aaron glanced into the apartment, and the surprise in his eyes instantly shifted into one clear understanding.<\/p>\n
He might be my most trusted beta, but that didn’t mean he could stare straight at my mate like that.<\/p>\n
I lifted my eyes and shot him a cold look, my pheromones carrying an unmistakable warning to back off.<\/p>\n
Aaron’s neck stiffened. He immediately withdrew his gaze and took half a step back.<\/p>\n
Bang.<\/p>\n
I shut the door without hesitation, cutting off the outside world\u2014and any potential interruptions.<\/p>\n
Turning around, I set the two large bags on the dining table and opened them.<\/p>\n
Inside were all kinds of fresh ingredients\u2014neatly packed cuts of beef, Fruales prawns, and other high-protein foods.<\/p>\n
I put some of them into the freezer.<\/p>\n
Then, I set aside what I’d need for dinner.<\/p>\n
As the cookware heated up, I dialed Erik’s number.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-2491","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/icuow.top\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/2491","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=2491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}