Chapter 6

• Marked As Theirs
• Chapter 06
• Veronica's POV
• I adjusted myself on the bed as Zayn mumbled incoherent words against my nipples. I chuckled as he latched onto it and continued sucking.
• If there was anything that made me happy these days, it was my son. He was like a physical embodiment of ‘There's hope for you, Veronica.’
• I know. Most people would have resented the baby who plunged a wedge between her family and her, but not me. My parents had never been good to me, and sometimes, I wondered how it could be so different for Seth.
• I sighed and brushed my fingers over Zayn’s soft hair. “Eat all you can, baby,” I whispered, feeling the warmth of his little body against mine.
• I was late for school, but I wanted to spend all the time I could on Zayn. I had been snowed under with Mrs Vee’s projects the past weeks.
• A knock sounded on my door. I took a shawl and covered my exposed breasts before I yelled, knowing who it was. “Come in.”
• Seth strolled in, his hands in his pockets. “I swear, you and Zayn are like twins.
• I laughed, gently pulling Zayn away from my breast and adjusting his onesie. “He just eats more than I do.”
• He smirked and leaned against the wall. “Debatable.”
• Zayn wriggled, eyes half-open, lips puckered like he wasn’t done, and Seth laughed. “Definitely your son.”
• I smiled but said nothing.
• We stayed that way for some seconds. It was familiar and…comfortable. I tucked Zayn against my arm. His fingers kept curling and uncurling, like he was waving, even while half-asleep.
• Seth walked closer and brushed a finger over Zayn’s cheek. “You’re getting chubby, little man,” he murmured, then glanced at me. “That’s a good sign.”
• I nodded.
• He sat on the edge of the bed. Seth always gave me space when I needed it but didn’t back down completely. I liked it, but sometimes, I found it annoying.
• We talked about Professor Kira’s upcoming tests, but even as we conversed, I wasn’t entirely present.
• Not really.
• My mind kept wandering back to one thing—What Beta Gareth said last week.
• Those words had stuck to my brain, like chewing gum.
• That’s the problem with me. I always chew on things like that longer than I should.
• I always get paranoid.
• I sighed and looked up. “Seth?”
• “Yeah?”
• “Do you think there are really… humans among us?”
• He blinked. “What?”
• “Like, in our pack. Or school. Do you think it’s possible?”
• He tilted his head. “Why?”
• “I don’t know,” I said quickly. “Just… Gareth said something weird the other day and—never mind.”
• He set his jaw for a second (probably at the sound of Gareth), but he quickly shrugged. “Nah. I don’t think so. Not anymore, at least.”
• I narrowed my eyes. “What do you mean by ‘not anymore’?”
• “There was a time, like two decades ago, when they tried to cohabit with us,” he said, stretching his legs in front of him. “It didn’t work out. Disagreements turned into fights. Fights turned into blood. War happened.”
• “War?”
• “Yeah.” He looked down at his hands, like he was remembering something he hadn’t lived through but had heard too many times.
• Right. If it was two decades, Seth was two years old, while I was a year old.
• “Then, how old was Adnam?” The thought crept in unconsciously. I slapped my hands over my mouth and willed them away.
• What the hell? Fanatising on Adnam now? I had, several times. In fact, in an unhealthy manner.
• He continued, oblivious. “A long one. Elders said it ended with their extinction.”
• Like how mine ended too. I sighed and looked at Zayn. “But what if some survived?”
• Seth looked up at me. “Then they’re hiding really well. And for good reason.”
• There was something about the way he said it… like there was something more. “You’re not telling me everything, Seth.”
• He stood suddenly, brushing his jeans. “We should go or we’ll be late for school.”
• “Wait—”
• I glanced at the wall clock. Shit. He was right.
• In record time, I grabbed my sweater and my boots and hurried to the kitchen.
• I snatched a piece of bread from the tray Aunt IndiGo had laid out and drank the still-warm tea without caring how it burnt down my throat.
• The Alpha and Luna had left earlier this morning for some ‘important meeting’. Whatever that meant.
• As I walked back to the living room, a soft knock on the front door sounded.
• I opened it to see Layla, the nanny who came around anytime my aunt wasn't available. She looked cheerful as always, her orange scarf wrapped against her head down to her neck. She liked to cover her hair as a form of respect for her late mother’s instructions. I didn’t probe further.
• “You’re a lifesaver,” I whispered, handing Zayn over to her.
• Layla smiled. “Always happy to help.”
• Zayn let out a sleepy whine but quickly settled against her shoulder. I kissed his forehead, then turned and headed out with Seth.
• The drive to school was mostly quiet, save for the last-minute crammings for Prof. Kira’s test.
• When we got to campus, I stepped out of the car and got enveloped in the ‘whoos whoos’ of the students.
• Then, I looked up.
• Adnam.
• Aaron.
• And Gareth.
• Suddenly, like they could sense me, Adnam’s and Aaron’s eyes flickered up and met mine.
• Adnam’s gaze was unreadable…though, better than before.
• Aaron…was, well, the same cold expression.
• My heart raced…
• Until Gareth turned his head slightly. Met my eyes.
• And smiled.
• A crack echoed.
• Screams everywhere.
• And in the jiffy of an eye, someone was already shifting.
• No. Someone else again.
• They dropped to their knees and screamed, then growled.
• It was against the rules and regulations of the school. No shifting during school hours. Only the Alphas or Betas could, in emergency moments.
• “What the hell…” One of them came at me, and I stumbled, almost falling as Seth grabbed me by my waist.
• “Veronica, get inside!” he barked, already half-shifted, his eyes turning that familiar amber hue.
• But I couldn’t move.
• I had seen all these before, but not to this extent. These ones were not werewolves.
• Some guards were trying to contain the scene and deal with the traitors. Everything started coming together, making sense.
• The increased patrols and guards at each gate.
• The not-so-evident tension in the Alpha and Luna’s eyes.
• The meetings Aunt IndiGo refused to talk about (like the one they went for this morning.)
• It was because of this?
• I bent, trying not to cry. “What if they had gotten to Zayn?” There were guards at the pack, but still… I was his mother.