The Alpha's Mafia Luna novel Chapter 15

Chapter 15

“I need you to mark me.”

The words left my lips before I could think too hard, before doubt had

the chance to sink its claws in. My heart pounded so loud I was sure

he could hear it. Damian stood across the room in his usual black-

pressed shirt, sleeves rolled, damp hair curling at the ends, the scent

of mint and danger clinging to him like a second skin.

He didn’t respond right away.

Just stared at me. Like I’d said something absurd. Or maybe like he

was waiting for me to realize it and take it back.

I didn’t.

“I need you to mark me,” I said again, quieter now. “Before the council meeting. If I go in there unclaimed, they’ll tear me apart.”

Still, he didn’t move.

Didn’t even blink.

My confidence cracked. “Forget it,” I muttered, turning. “Stupid idea.

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I’m sure you’ve got a line of Lunas who’d beg for it-”

“Stop,” he said sharply, his voice slicing through the air. “Don’t walk

away.”

I froze.

He was suddenly closer, crossing the room in that quiet, effortless

way he moved–like shadows didn’t just follow him, they obeyed him.

He stood inches from me, his presence a wall of heat and power, but

he still didn’t touch me.

“Do you even understand what you’re asking, Selene?” he said, voice

low and unreadable. “A mark isn’t just a shield. It’s a bond. A

permanent, irreversible link.”

“I know,” I said, my voice steady even though I was crumbling inside. “And I’m not asking for decoration. I want it because I need it. I need

! them to see me as your equal.”

His jaw tightened.

“And what if I said no?”

I blinked. “Why would you?”

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“Because it’s not the right time.”

The words hit harder than they should have.

“I don’t want to bind you to me out of fear or strategy,” he continued,

his eyes sharp now. “You think the mark will make them respect you?

Maybe. For a minute. But they’ll see through it eventually. They’ll

test you. And if you haven’t earned your power, they’ll rip it from

your throat–with or without my name on your skin.”

“So this is about power?” I snapped. “About proving myself while

unmarked and vulnerable?”

“No,” he said, finally touching my face–gently, like it pained him.

“This is about you. If I mark you now, it’ll look like you needed saving.

Like I had to claim you just to keep you alive. You don’t want that.

You don’t want to be mine because of them. Not yet.”

I looked away. “I thought you trusted me.”

“I do,” he said. “Enough to let you face them without hiding behind

me.”

The silence stretched. Cold and sharp.

“Then what am I to you, Damian?” I asked quietly.

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He exhaled, thumb brushing my cheekbone. “Something I can’t afford

to lose. Not now. Not ever.”

It wasn’t the answer I wanted.

But maybe it was the one I needed.

When I finally stepped back, I felt a hollowness I hadn’t expected.

Not rejection. Just reality. A cruel, clean truth.

He watched me carefully. “You walk into that room as Selene. Not

marked. Not claimed. But strong. When the time comes, I’ll mark you

not because you need it–but because I do.”

I swallowed hard.

“Then I hope you’re ready when that time comes.”

His lips curled into something like a smile. “I already am.”

The villa was quiet when I woke up, but something about the air felt

different. Charged. I stood in front of the mirror, brushing my hair

back as I stared at the bare skin of my neck.

No mark.

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But something still lingered. Like a whisper under my skin. His scent

was on me. His presence in my blood.

I wasn’t his.

Not officially.

But maybe… almost?

The realization settled in slowly. Not bad. Not sweet. Just… real.

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