The Unwanted Mate: The Bond

Chapter 23:

Hannah POV:
I wake up after a terrible nights sleep. My mind is going haywire after everything that happened yesterday. In one day I have cuddled with a wolf without being scared, Kendal told me that Marc would get sick of me and eventually choke me, I attempted to run away but got caught, found out that Marc is the wolf and finally Marc treated my wounds and treated me so gently that i almost believed him when he said he would never hurt me. Oh and he promised me that I can leave whenever I want. And I really want to leave! But is it true? Will they let me? If it's a trap then I'm right and they are going to kill me and my coven. But if they let me go that means that I'm wrong and I left before my coven told me to come back, and then Victor will punish me. If he finds out about my humiliating attempt at escaping he might kill me himself for bringing shame to our coven.

My feet are killing me. They are itchy and sore but Marc told me not to touch it or walk unnecessarily.

My stomach growls loudly as the smell of food tickles my nostrils. I get out of the bed, which happens to be the best bed I have ever laid in in my life, and then I walk out of my room and towards the lovely smell.

As I enter the kitchen where Marc is standing at the stove shirtless. His fit upper body is on full display as he cooks. His chest and shoulders are defined and broad. His chest looks hard as a rock yet the skin seems smooth. Whenever he moves his arms the mussels flex a bit and becomes even more prominent. I have seen him shirtless before but never actually paid attention to the details. I get the urge to run my fingers over his chest and feel the soft skin and the hard muscles underneath it.

A low rumble makes me snap out of it and a pair of dark hooded eyes stare at me. He is slightly bent over the countertop his body all tensed up.

Suddenly he walks fast around the counter and stands before me only a few feet from me not breaking eye contact once. He stands in silence and the intensity of the situation makes me bow my head in submission and suck my lip in between my teeth. Did he see me ogling and get offended?

"Don't do that" his voice is hoarse and low like a command and a plead at the same time.

"I'm sorry" I keep my eyes on the ground and make a mental note to avoid eye contact at any cost.

"Don't apologize. I didn't mean it like that. Hannah look at me"

Not sure what to do I lift my head a bit and look at his shoulder.

"Look at me Hannah. Look me in the eyes"

What does he want me to do? He just told me to NOT do that? Is it a trick? A test? I feel my legs begin to tremble as I go back and forth not sure if I should look at him or not.

"I didn't mean to scare you. The mate bond is getting to my head and clouding my mind. You are safe with me Hannah. I promise you"

Getting to his head. What does that even mean? I know that mates are their significant other, and I know he doesn't want me, but why is that getting to his head now?

"You shouldn't walk around. Why don't you go lie down on the couch and I'll bring you some pancakes? You can watch some TV"

TV. In my coven only council members have TV's and then there is one at the school for educational purposes. Once one of the elder students put in a move about a girl that was captured in a castle by a beast. The girl fell in love with the beast and at the end he turned into a prince. I thought about that movie for a very long time. Imagining finding my own true love. But amplifiers doesn't get to find a husband or wife and we are not allowed to reproduce.

Still not sure what is going on or why his mood is changing so rapidly I slowly turn and walk towards the couch and sit down as he asked. I glance up at the black TV screen and see myself in the reflection. Suddenly a duvet is placed in the couch and a plate of pancakes is being placed on the table.

"What do you want to watch?" Marc ask a turn on the TV.

"I don't know. Whatever you want to watch" I say not wanting to admit that I have no idea what is even in the TV. I hardly think he has the movie with the girl and the beast.

"I'm not gonna stay. I have some things I need to do, so you are free to see whatever you like"

He hands me the remote and I stare at it hoping it will reveal how to use it.

"Have you ever used one of these?"

"No" I admit

He presses some buttons and a lot of pictures appear on the screen. "You use the arrows to navigate, and when you find something you want to watch just press the one in the middle. The description changes when you change the movie..." he continues for a short while and then he disappears out the door after making me promise to eat and drink several times during the day.

I wrap myself in the duvet, that smells like oak wood, spices and a hint of citrus, and settle on a movie about vampires. I guess I might as well learn some things about other spices while I have wait for my wounds to heal.

An hour later a nock on the door makes me jump from my seat in the couch. Luna Mary enters the living room with a soft smile.

"Hannah! How wonderful to see you" she walks straight towards the couch and I quickly lover my head and straighten out my clothing.

"Sit down hun. How are you" she sits down next to me, but with enough space between us, that it doesn't feel uncomfortable.

"I'm fine, thank you. How are you Luna?" I'm not sure how much she knows about last night but I hope that Marc kept it to himself.

"I'm well, thank you. I wanted to apologize for what happened yesterday at my party. It was very inappropriate and I promise you that Jack won't come near you again. You are safe in our pack I promise" Luna looks at me in a way that seems to reach all the way into my soul.

"Thank you" I fiddle with the t-shirt I'm wearing regretting that I didn't  change into my dress.

"Marc told me that you are leaving us soon" my breath stuck in my throat for a second as I fear what is to come.

"I'm very sorry to hear it, but of course you are welcome to leave if that is what you want. I just want to make sure that you know what that means. The mate bond is a very special thing that can feel wonderful and magnificent when you give yourself to your mate, but it can also be a pain of another world if the mates are separated before giving themselves to each other" she looks at me as if searching for an answer before she continues "we don't know how it will affect you of course, but we know that Marc will feel the pain. He cares for you, so he doesn't want you to put his needs before your own so I'm here to kindly ask you to reconsider and stay for now"

I feel a knot in my stomach. I knew they wouldn't let me go.

"The choice is yours Hannah. If you still wish to leave then you can"

I feel the knot loosen a bit as I only see sincerity in her eyes. But what should I do? Go home and risk the rage of Victor if I'm wrong? Or stay with Marc and the other wolfs? If I'm wrong about them, then leaving Marc to suffer is a horrible thing to do. And then there is the chance that I'm going to be in pain as well.

"You don't owe me an answer. But just promise me you'll think about it"

"I will. I promise" I don't know what to believe anymore. Marc was so gentle with me last night but then it was like he snapped this morning and then went right back to being nice. How am I supposed to know which side is the real one? Something inside me is missing something. My wolf. The one person I felt like I could actually talk to. But now.. I don't have anyone.