Bearing the Royal Mark (Completed)

Chapter 13

Wendy

My body stiffened up at his question. He obviously saw the Mark. It was on full display. I completely forgot about it while taking off my cardigan. My hair was up, so it wasn't covering any parts of the Mark. I was caught. There was no way for me to get out of this. Unless, I play dumb. Maybe he doesn't know what a Royal Mark is. Asher didn't even know what it was when he gave it to me. "What do you think it is?" I asked, stupidly.

"I was thinking it's a tattoo" he stated while examining the Mark. I did a happy dance in my head. "But-" Oh, shit. "I don't get why you would get a tattoo that says you're a traitor. Plus, it kinda looks like a branding of some sort" he informed me.

Before I could stop him, his finger moved to touch my Mark. My shoulder burned as I bit my lip not to scream. I flinched away from his touch and turned, so my back was facing the mirror. "Crap. Sorry. I didn't know that it would hurt you" he apologized.

I shook my head, waving him off as the pain died down. I don't think playing dumb will work after that. Sighing, I shut and locked the door. "A Royal Mark" I answered. "It's a sign, I guess. To warn other weres that I betrayed the Royals" Tyson backed away from me, and I tried not to get hurt by the action. "Long story short: I had a relationship with my Alpha. His mate turned out to be the Princess. I didn't know that she was a Royal. I said and done a lot of things. And he gave me that" I stated, pointing at the Mark.

Tyson cocked his head to the side. "Does Shane know?" he inquired. I nodded my head. "Dominic?" I looked down, already knowing that he was obligated to tell his Alpha. And Alphas are obligated to turn me in or kill me. Tyson placed a hand on my shoulder that didn't have the Mark. "I know that you're a nice girl and you just made a few mistakes. But this is a big deal. We're basically harboring a fugitive" he told me in a soft voice.

Now I'm a traitor and a fugitive. Just peachy. "I'm not gonna tell Dom" Tyson blurted. I lifted my head to look at his eyes. I was expecting him to say 'just kidding' or to laugh that I almost believed him. But he actually looked sincere. "Look. When we were all younger, about 14 or so, the three of us made a promise. When Ralph came along, he got included in all of this. We promised we would look out for each other's mates no matter what. We would protect each other's mates like they were our own"

I was frozen as I listened to him speak. "I take all my promises seriously, but that one is my number one priority. It comes before everything. I haven't met my mate- but when I do, I know that Dom and Shane and Ralph would do anything to protect her. So, I'll do anything to protect you. I'll keep this a secret. I'll help if anyone else finds out. I'll do whatever you need to stay safe" he promised.

Smiling gratefully, I wrapped my arms around his waist. "Thank you" I mumbled softly. Slowly, he hugged me back. It was slightly awkward, but it was a hug nonetheless. We pulled away and I took the hair tie out of my red locks. I shook my head a little to drape my hair over the Mark.

"Shane will probably be out tomorrow" Tyson said randomly. I still don't know where Shane was all day, today. "And Dom has another Alpha and Beta coming, so he'll show them around the territory tomorrow" he informed me. I nodded my head, still confused about why he's telling me this. "We're going somewhere. I'll pick you up at Sarah's house and then you can tell me about all of this" he suggested.

I nodded my head. It's smart that he thought about what everyone else was doing so it wouldn't be so suspicious if we went somewhere. But would it be dangerous if all of the high-ranks aare out and about. Then again, Ralph is here and Dom will still be on territory, so I guess it would be okay. "You are staying at Sarah's house right?" he asked. Nodding, I confirmed his statement. "Okay. I'll be there around noon. We should probably get out the bathroom now" he stated.