Because Ethan's mark was gone. The constant reminder of betrayal and broken promises and a bond that had meant nothing to the person who'd placed it, that was gone, burned away by something stronger.
And this new mark, this claiming from a stranger whose name she barely knew, it felt... different. Solid. Unbreakable. Like an anchor rather than a chain.
"You were already marked," he continued, his voice low and steady. "By someone who clearly didn't deserve to keep that claim, who let you get to a state where you were throwing yourself in front of cars and seeking oblivion with strangers. So I removed it."
"You can't just..." Dakota startled, then stopped, because clearly he could, clearly he had, and the evidence was right there on her neck where she could feel his mark burning with fresh intensity while the old one faded into nothing.
"I can," Kade corrected quietly. "And I did. You're mine now, Dakota. The bond knows it, your wolf knows it, and soon enough, you'll know it too."
