Choice

Samantha's fingers lingered over her heart, searching for something that was no longer there. The phantom sensation of Marcus's mark remained, a ghost of connection that her body remembered even if her mind couldn't fully grasp it.

"So we performed a claiming ritual," she said slowly, trying to process the fragments they had glimpsed. "A true quartet bond under a blood moon."

Kai ran his hand over the base of his throat where Samantha's mark had appeared in the vision. His expression was troubled, caught between anger and longing. "How could we forget something like that? It wasn't just some casual moment—it was..."

"Transcendent," Marcus finished, his voice uncharacteristically soft. The ancient vampire rarely showed vulnerability, but the loss of this memory had shaken him deeply. His fingers absently traced his temple where Callum's dragon mark had been.