Chapter 8: Dual Mark
991words
"You've been tracking us," this wasn't a question but a statement. I grabbed the notebook, opening the first page to find the first date recorded was exactly three months after I left Silver Moon Town. "For eight years, you've been monitoring Lillian and me?"
Owen didn't deny it. He removed his glasses, tiredly rubbing the bridge of his nose. In that moment, he no longer looked like the confident doctor but just a man carrying a heavy past.
"Not monitoring, Bella, protecting," his voice was low but firm. "The Blood Moon Pack has been searching for children like Lillian."
"Why?" I hugged myself tightly, trying to control my trembling. "Why Lillian?"
Owen took a deep breath, walking toward me but stopping when he saw me step back. A flash of hurt crossed his eyes, quickly replaced by understanding.
"Dual Mark is extremely rare in the werewolf world," he explained, his voice carrying academic calmness though his eyes burned intensely. "For a mate to be marked by two Alphas simultaneously is almost impossible. But you, Bella, you did it."
"That's impossible," I shook my head, refusing to accept this absurd concept. "A child can't have two biological fathers!"
"In the human world, yes," Owen said softly. "But werewolf DNA is more complex. When two Alphas—especially closely related ones—mate with the same partner in a short period, genetic fusion can occur."
My mind raced, recalling details from eight years ago. I had indeed been intimate with "Derek," but now I knew that could have been two different people. If what Owen was saying was true...
"Lillian has both my and Derek's genes," Owen continued, his eyes flashing with an emotion I couldn't interpret. "She's a true product of Dual Mark, Bella. That's why her eyes turn silver, why she gets high fevers—two Alpha genes competing within her."
"You knew all along," my voice was hoarse with shock. "You knew she was... both of your daughter."
Owen nodded, his Adam's apple bobbing. "When I discovered you were pregnant, I realized I had made a terrible mistake. But it was too late; you had already left."
"So you just let me leave with the child?" My voice rose with anger. "Let me believe Derek had betrayed me?"
"I left initially to protect you both!" Owen suddenly raised his voice, his emotional outburst surprising me. "The Blood Moon Pack has been searching for Dual Mark children, Bella. They believe such children have the power to break pack boundaries. If they discovered Lillian's existence..."
The office door was suddenly pushed open forcefully. Derek stood in the doorway, his eyes burning with anger. His presence immediately filled the entire room, powerful and intimidating.
"You knew?" His voice was low and dangerous, looking directly at Owen. "You knew all along that Lillian was a product of Dual Mark and didn't tell me?"
Owen stood straight, meeting his brother's angry gaze. "I was protecting them."
"By hiding the truth?" Derek stepped forward, muscles tensing beneath his suit. "By leaving them exposed to danger without knowing? The Blood Moon Pack has already targeted them, Owen!"
The tension between the brothers was almost suffocating. I stood between them, feeling two powerful yet distinctly different Alpha energies colliding.
"Enough!" I interrupted sharply. "Lillian is next door. She doesn't need to hear this."
Both men looked at me, their expressions complex. Derek's anger subsided slightly, but wariness remained in his eyes; Owen looked tired and remorseful.
"Bella, there's one more thing you need to know," Owen said softly. "Your partial memory loss wasn't my doing. You were in a car accident after leaving Silver Moon Town. That trauma caused memory confusion."
I looked at him in shock. "What car accident?"
"Three months later, in North Shore City," Owen explained. "Your car was hit by a truck. You weren't seriously injured, but your head was impacted."
Fragments of images suddenly flashed in my mind—the screeching of brakes, blinding headlights, then blankness. I staggered, and Derek immediately stepped forward to steady my arm, his touch warm and firm.
"Are you alright?" he asked softly, concern warming his eyes.
I nodded, then looked at Owen. "Why do you know this? Were you really following us all this time?"
"After I discovered you were pregnant, I realized my mistake, but you had already left," Owen explained painfully. "When I found you, you had just been discharged from the hospital. I saw you and Lillian... saw how you were caring for her alone..."
His voice choked, tears glistening in his eyes. "I wanted to reveal myself, to tell you the truth. But seeing your peaceful life, I decided to leave. I left voluntarily to let you and Derek be together, while secretly protecting you from the Blood Moon Pack."
I looked at these two men—one I had once loved deeply, the other I thought had betrayed me. Now I knew the truth was more complex: Derek had never betrayed me, and behind Owen's deception was a depth I had never imagined.
"I don't know what to believe," I said softly, feeling an unprecedented fatigue. "But I know one thing: Lillian needs all three of us. If she truly has both your genes, if the Blood Moon Pack is really looking for her..."
Derek and Owen exchanged a glance, years of brotherly understanding allowing them to reach a silent consensus.
"We will protect her," Derek said firmly. "Whatever the cost."
"We'll find a way to balance the two genes within her," Owen added. "So she won't suffer anymore."
Watching them temporarily set aside their differences for Lillian, I felt the anger in my heart gradually melting away. In its place was a complex emotion—rekindled feelings for Derek, understanding and sympathy for Owen, and curiosity about the possibilities for this unusual family.
Perhaps fate had woven us together for a reason.
