h4Chapter 150: Young Lilith XXII/h4

    strongi*~Young Lilith’s POV~*/i/strong

    Marcus was there....Right there.

    Standing before the altar, his broad shoulders proud, his face steady, his hands sped with—Selene.

    Selene. The same girl he onceughed about, brushed aside, told me never to worry over.

    And now she stood where I should have been, her gown shimmering under the glow of the candles, her lips curved in the soft smile of a bride.

    My stomach lurched. My chest burned. I didn’t know if it was my baby drowning inside me or if it was just my heart shattering into a thousand bloody shards.

    I tore myself from Alice’s embrace, stumbling forward. My lips trembled as I whispered, "No... no, it can’t be. That’s not my Marcus. My Marcus would never... never marry her. He loves me. He promised me. He—"

    The words strangled in my throat. Rage burned with the grief, rising hot, rising wild. My fingers clenched so hard my nails bit into my palms.

    "I have to stop him," I gasped, taking a step forward.

    Alice’s hand snapped around my arm, yanking me back with all the force she had. "Lilith, what are you doing?"

    "I have to stop this wedding!" My voice cracked, too loud, too raw. A few heads turned from the back rows, but my eyes stayed locked on him. Marcus. My Marcus. The man who had sworn I was his only.

    "No!" Alice hissed. Her grip dug into my arm. "You promised...you swore we wouldn’t risk this! We’d be in danger if anyone saw us!"

    "I don’t care!" My voice broke. "So be it! Let dangere, let them alle, but Marcus cannot—he cannot marry her! Not Selene. Not anyone!"

    The pain wed at my chest. Every vision of him with her—touching her, holding her, spending his nights with her—made me want to scream, to tear at my skin, to rip my hair out until I was nothing but raw grief.

    Alice shook me hard. "Lilith, listen to me! You rush out there, and this ends badly. Do you want Jonathan to find out you’re gone? Do you want Marcus to see you like this and turn you in?"

    "He wouldn’t!" I shouted, yanking against her hold. "He loves me, Alice! He loves me! If he sees me, he’ll remember. He’ll remember what we had—he’ll stop this madness. This has to be arranged, forced, something—Marcus wouldn’t choose her! He wouldn’t choose Selene!"

    My body surged forward again, but Alice pulled me back, her nails biting into my wrist. Her whisper was fierce, urgent: "Lilith, stop it! Look at him—look at him! He’s not fighting. He’s not resisting. He’s marrying her."

    I froze.

    The words were poison, dripping into me, choking me from the inside out.

    I shook my head violently. "No. You’re wrong. You’re wrong, Alice. If I just go to him—if he just sees me—he’ll remember everything. He’ll stop."

    "Or he’ll see you and pretend he doesn’t know you." Her voice cracked then, soft and breaking. "And that would destroy you worse than this."

    I didn’t even know what to do anymore. My body felt hollow, my heart torn in pieces, and for a moment I simply gave up—I agreed silently to just sit there, to live in this unbearable reality.

    The heavy doors closed behind us as the ceremony truly began. Alice guided me gently, squeezing my trembling hand as she led me to our seats. She ced my hand on her shoulder, grounding me while I sat in a haze.

    And then the vows began.

    Marcus stood tall at the altar, his eyes fixed on Selene. Eyes that once burned for me. Eyes that once swore eternal devotion. Now they glowed only for her.

    And then—he kissed her.

    The same lips that had whispered promises into my skin. The same mouth that once belonged to me. I felt bile rise in my throat. My hand clenched over my stomach, as if shielding the child inside me from the sight. No. He doesn’t deserve this baby. He doesn’t deserve to be a father. Not mine.

    I wanted to leave. Desperately. My gaze darted to the doors, but they remained closed. My chest constricted with every cheer, every p of celebration that followed.

    Atst, the doors opened again. The ceremony ended, and Marcus and Selene began walking together, hand in hand, greeting their guests with soft smiles. Each congrattion stabbed at me, each blessing a cruel reminder of what had been stolen.

    Alice tugged at my arm. "Now, Lilith. We leave before they reach us."

    We slipped out, careful and quick, but as we reached the edge of the hall, I felt it—his gaze.

    I turned.

    Our eyes locked across the crowd.

    His widened, shocked, disbelieving. For a heartbeat, the world fell silent. Marcus dropped Selene’s hand without thought, his body moving toward me, his lips parting as if to speak my name.

    Alice stiffened. She saw it too. Paned her grip as she pulled me faster toward the carriage. We almost made it. Almost escaped. But then—the carriage lurched to a stop.

    Someone had blocked the path.

    Alice cursed under her breath and stepped down first. My heart stopped. Marcus.

    "Lilith!" His voice cracked like thunder. "Lilith, please—"

    Alice raised a hand sharply. "Stay back."

    He ignored her, stepping closer. "Please, let me talk to her."

    "Talk?" Alice snapped, her voice low and dangerous. "You are married now, Marcus. A husband. A liar. She doesn’t need your words."

    "I have to talk to her!" His desperation bled through every syble. His chest heaved, his fists clenched at his sides. "Just once—please!"

    "Why today?" Alice’s tone cut like steel. "She saw you. She saw you choose Selene. She had all the time in the world toe before, but you—Marcus—you made your choice."

    "I didn’t—" He faltered, but Alice stepped forward, her presence sharp as a de.

    "You know what?" she hissed. "Just leave. You don’t deserve to even look at her. Not anymore."

    "You don’t get to make that decision, Marcus ," Alice hissed, her body rigid like a wall between us.

    And then—I lost it.

    I carefully stepped down from the carriage. "Well, I do. And I don’t want to see you."

    The tension in the air shattered. Marcus froze. His lips parted, but no words came. His icy blue eyes, glistening under the silver moonlight, brimmed with tears. His hair was already disheveled, wild, and gods help me—I still found him devastatingly beautiful.

    He stepped closer. His gaze dropped to my stomach.

    "You’re... pregnant." His voice cracked. "Are you pregnant?"

    I nodded sharply. "You’re not blind. You can see." I turned to Alice. "Let’s go."

    But Marcus grabbed my hand.

    "Who is the father?" His voice trembled. "Is it me?"

    "No." My throat tightened. "You are not the father. You will never be the father."

    His expression fractured. "Then why disappear all these years? Why now? Why here, tonight?" His voice rose in desperation. "Lilith—tell me. Is this my child?"

    "This is not your child!" My voice shook with fury.

    "Then why—" His breath caught. "Why did youe back? Because of me, Lilith. It’s because of me. This is my child."

    "She said it’s not your child," Alice barked, shoving him back. "Move, Marcus!"

    But he shoved her aside, his eyes only on me. "I never wanted to marry Selene. I swear it. But Lilith... she’s my mate."

    That word set fire in my veins. Before I even knew it, my palm cracked hard against his face.

    "What are you saying to me?" My voice was raw, jagged. "I am supposed to be your mate!"

    "I know!" he roared, cutting me off, tears spilling now. "We were supposed to be endgame, you and me. But I am not the Moon Goddess. I don’t make the rules. Selene—she has my scent. And I can feel hers. She’s my fated mate."

    "No." My voice broke.

    "Yes." He stepped closer, chest heaving. "And yet—even if the Moon Goddess herself says otherwise, I don’t care. You are mine, Lilith. You’ve always been mine. And I am yours. Nothing changes that." His hand brushed toward my stomach, trembling. "You’re carrying my child. I can feel it."

    "This is not your child!" I snapped, tears blinding me. "Enough with your lies!"

    But Marcus shook his head, his eyes locked on mine, reading every flicker of my soul. "You can’t lie to me. Not you. Your eyes... they tell me everything. This is mine. You are mine."

    My knees nearly buckled.

    "I’ve lived half-dead since I lost you," he whispered hoarsely. "I tried to settle with Selene, but that is not me. I will never choose that life. You are my path. Always. And now that I’ve found you again—" He took my hand, gripping it with all the force of a man clinging to salvation. "We can leave. Together. A family. New Orleans, anywhere—I don’t care. Just don’t walk away."

    "Lilith, don’t trust him!" Alice snapped.

    iBut I did. Gods help me. I did trust him./i

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