Marked By The Alpha's Cursed Blue Moon
Chapter 15. The Master Key

Chapter 15: 15. The Master Key

"I love you so much, and it kills me that we can’t always be together," Cassandra whispered into the phone, her voice laced with longing.

"Don’t worry, everything will be okay. We’ll be together soon—I promise you that," the man on the other end replied, his voice calm and reassuring.

"Sometimes, I just feel like we should run away..." Cassandra sighed. "Live our lives freely without anyone dictating what we should or shouldn’t do. I always want to be by your side."

"There’s no need to run," he said with a gentle tone. "All I need is a little more time to settle everything and build a life where you and I can be truly happy. We’re meant to be together. Forever."

His words were everything she wanted to hear.

"Okay," Cassandra breathed softly. "Just... make sure you don’t take too long. I love you."

"I will. And always remember, it’s you or no one else for me," he responded with emotion in his voice.

Her eyes welled up with tears she tried hard to suppress. The moment felt too perfect to ruin with crying.

They exchanged a few more heartfelt words before ending the call. Now alone in her room, Cassandra lay on the bed, lost in thought.

’I love him so much. All I want is to never lose him. I’ll trust what he said. I have to...’ she thought with a smile dancing on her lips.

The peace of the moment was interrupted by her phone ringing again. She sat up, glancing at the screen... an unknown number.

After a moment’s hesitation, she answered.

"Hello... Who am I speaking with?" she asked curiously.

"This is Johnson," the voice said, getting straight to the point. "The key you requested is ready. When do you want to pick it up, or should I bring it to you at the college?"

"No, no," Cassandra’s eyes lit up. "I’ll come by your place first thing tomorrow morning before heading to class. Thank you so much, Johnson. I really appreciate it."

With that, the call ended, and a bigger smile broke across her face.

"I love how everything is going today. I hope things continue in this direction," she murmured to herself, filled with hope and excitement.

Meanwhile, in another part of the house, Maria sat surrounded by her friends, still shaken.

"It was so dark... I could barely see anything as I wandered through the woods," she began, her voice trembling. "Then I heard footsteps—more than one—and voices. I couldn’t tell who they were, but they were getting closer."

Her friends listened closely as Maria continued, her expression filled with confusion and fear.

"I started running, I didn’t know where to. I just knew that if they caught me, I’d be dead. I ran and ran until I couldn’t breathe anymore. I collapsed... and then I saw them—two figures, faces covered with masks. One had a knife, the other an axe. They walked toward me... and just as one was about to strike me on the head, I woke up—gasping, sweating, terrified."

"Maria, relax. Take a deep breath," Laura said gently, reaching for her hand. "It was just a dream."

"No, Laura. It was too real. I’ve never been that scared in my life. And even when I woke up, I still felt exhausted, like I had really been running."

"I don’t want to believe this dream means something," Maria said, her voice dropping, "but deep down, I feel like it does. I feel like my life depends on understanding it."

"I agree," Cassandra added with a serious tone. "Sometimes dreams like this come as warnings. You need to be cautious—for now, at least, until we understand more."

Maria nodded quietly, listening to her friends’ concerned voices.

Then Cassandra’s tone suddenly changed.

"On a lighter note," she said, turning to Maria with excitement in her eyes, "I have good news for you!"

Maria raised a brow, half-expecting one of Cassandra’s usual pranks. But when she saw her digging into her bag, curiosity took over.

Cassandra pulled out a small device and handed it to Maria.

It took her a second to realize what it was. "Cassie... this is an electronic master key! I can’t believe it!"

The words "Master Key" printed boldly across the device sent a jolt of excitement through her. She jumped up and hugged both of her friends tightly.

"I don’t think I could do any of this without you two," she said, her voice cracking slightly. "You’re my family. I love you both so much."

She kept staring at the key in her hand, hardly able to believe it was real.

"How did you even get this? It must have cost a fortune," Maria asked, eyes still wide.

Cassandra waved off the concern with her usual flair.

"Don’t worry about that. Just do what you need to do and get yourself free. You know I’d do anything for you."

They all burst into laughter, the tension from Maria’s nightmare momentarily forgotten.

As the room filled with their chatter and giggles, Maria’s mind drifted again, this time to her growing determination.

’I’ll finally recover those documents... and find out exactly what they’re hiding in that room. The Gilbert family’s secrets won’t stay buried for long,’ she thought to herself, clutching the master key tightly in her hand, her eyes full of fire.

***

Moments later, Maria was alone in the room, lying down on her bed, her eyes fixed on the electronic key resting in her hands.

A soft smile lingered on her lips as she thought about all the possibilities that key held.

She felt delighted, imagining how she would finally unravel the truth behind everything that had haunted her for so long.

"This key is my gateway to freedom and happiness. I have to protect it with everything I have," she told herself while still lying still, her mind running in every direction.

Lost in thought, she was startled by a knock at the door.

Quickly, she sat up and tucked the electronic key out of sight before calling out, "Come in!"

The door creaked open, and Bernard stepped inside, smiling as he walked over and took a seat beside her on the bed.

Everything going on between them felt strange lately, but Maria chose to play along, keeping her emotions in check.

"Good evening, Maria. How are you doing?" Bernard asked gently.

"I’m fine," she replied curtly, avoiding eye contact.

"Are you still mad at me?" He leaned closer. "Why the frown?"

Maria turned to look directly into his eyes, saying nothing.

"I’m trying to fix things. I want to always be there for you... So why are you acting so distant?" Bernard asked, his voice carrying a note of disappointment.

She sighed and finally spoke, her expression clouded.

"It’s not that I don’t want us to be close again... but I can’t just trust your words like that. Not after everything that happened."

Bernard nodded solemnly. "Okay then, tell me, what must I do to earn your trust back? What will make you happy?"

"All I want... is the old you," she whispered, eyes downcast. "Not this new, rigid Bernard. That’s all I want."

He paused, exhaled deeply, and said, "I’m trying to get that life back too. But you know I’m now Alpha of the Blue Moon pack, I have responsibilities. I have to act the part. But don’t worry, I’ll figure out a way to balance everything, so nothing comes between us again."

Maria forced a smile, though her true thoughts stayed buried beneath the surface. He had no idea she was just playing along—for now.

As they chatted and reminisced about the past, Bernard suddenly stopped mid-sentence, a look of realization flashing across his face.

"What is it? Why did you stop?" Maria asked, intrigued.

"I just remembered... our first Alpha council meeting since I took over is in three days," Bernard said, turning to her with anticipation. "You’ll need to be there beside me as my chosen Luna."

Maria stiffened slightly at the mention of the pack and the meeting. Her expression grew serious, but she nodded and gave a soft smile.

"Okay, no problem. We’ll be there."

Satisfied, Bernard stood up from the bed. "Thanks, Maria. I’ll see you soon," he said, his face glowing with excitement.

As he walked out, Maria remained seated, alone once again. She could feel it, he was starting to trust her more. He felt more relaxed around her, and she was slowly gaining ground.

"This is just the beginning of my journey toward redemption and freedom," she thought. "But I need to make sure I don’t make my plans too obvious. I have to stay careful."

---

The next morning at the college, the atmosphere was busy. Everyone was focused on completing an assignment given by one of their professors.

Maria needed to head to the library to find a particular book for her research. Since it was an individual task, she went alone while her friends worked on their own.

At the library, she found a few students already buried in their studies. She headed straight to the bookshelf, and to her luck, she located the book she needed without much trouble.

Her focus deepened as she flipped through the pages, fully immersed.

Then, unconsciously, her eyes wandered and landed on James, sitting just a few feet away, also reading.

The sight of him completely stole her concentration.

Her heart skipped a beat, and her mind raced with thoughts.

"Should I go talk to him? Apologize? But he’s not even looking at me... What if he doesn’t want to speak to me?" she debated with herself, trying to talk herself out of it.

After a few moments of hesitation, Maria stood up and approached him.

"Hi, James," she greeted, her voice soft and cautious.

James glanced up and responded calmly,

"Good morning, Maria." Then, without missing a beat, he turned his attention back to his book.

Maria felt a sting of embarrassment, but she wasn’t ready to give up.

"I came to apologize," she said, her voice steadier. "For the way I spoke to you last time. I was rude, and I’m really sorry about my attitude."

She turned to walk away when James suddenly looked up, his face lit with a warm smile.

"Please, sit down," he said kindly. "I understand everything you’re going through, and honestly, I wasn’t angry. I just... wanted to be someone who could make you smile. Someone who could make you happy."

Those words struck a chord deep within Maria. She felt like wrapping her arms around him, but she held herself back and simply smiled, grateful for his understanding.

They began to talk, their conversation flowing naturally. James listened, encouraged, and helped her with her research. Everything felt so easy with him.

In that moment, Maria realized her feelings for him were growing.

"The only way I can truly be with James without causing chaos... is to first earn my freedom. Only then can I follow my heart," she thought, unable to stop herself from staring at his lips as he spoke.

There was something about James... his kindness, his intelligence, the comfort he brought.

It made her heart flutter in ways she didn’t expect...

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