Heartmate | ✔️

t w e n t y f i v e

'No' I chastised myself, 'No maybe it doesn't mean anything at all. Maybe it's just a ring.'

But all it did was add to the dread piling up within me. Up until a few weeks ago, if anybody had told me that I would fall for a boy I barely know, I would have scoffed and laughed on their faces.

'But now' I gritted my teeth and clenched my palm into a fist, 'because of this mark on my neck they call a bond, I can barely think of anything without my thoughts going back to his stupid face.'

I'd asked Hailey and Stella about it. Hailey had given me a weird look when I did while Stella just laughed and pinched my cheek.

'From what I'd heard, bonds are really special and at the same time very dangerous. It can either bring two hearts together or tear them apart.' Hailey had told me.

'They are also the strongest when they're first formed. The pull is unmistakable. Your emotions go haywire. Every little gesture can make you happy, angry, sad or jealous. You're forming new connections with this person destined for you and well, it's practically impossible for somebody to resist it.' Stella said after a bit of thought.

I flinched at the last sentence and then tried to hide by shuffling around on the ground.

'What if resistance is something both of them decided mutually? What if- what if one person already had somebody and didn't want this bond?' I had asked, staring up the sky twinkling with stars.

'That is the dangerous part I mentioned. Bonds are a gift from the Goddess, and while she is kind, you do not want to anger her. When two people are bonded, they can't live without the other half. The magical strength of the bond gets mixed with your life source. And the more you resist it, you're putting your life on the line.' Hailey said.

'Imagine this bond like a thread bound together in a knot connecting the two souls together. If one part of it cut, the other goes down as well.' Stella had paused to look at me at this point. 'And if you have royal or noble blood coursing through your veins, resisting the bond is not an option. It can put someone on the brink of death, if one person is of noble blood and the other common and they reject the bond or resist it.'

'If both belong in the royal bloodline, it is the strongest of all the bonds out there. If you resist or reject that then..' Hailey shivered. 'Just know that, if you do have that precious connection with someone, cherish it. Nurture it and don't ever push it away or sacrifice it. It is something special not everybody can have.'

I had only gotten much more miserable since that conversation. When we were in Lord Dimitri's house, I thought perhaps it would be best if I concentrated more on training and forget all about Aiden and the bond. It was slightly easier when he was cold towards me. But then he would flash one of his rare smiles and that would be it. The one that made eyes twinkle just a bit more brighter. He was my kryptonite and I wasn't sure if I could build a wall strong enough to keep him from breaking in.

I was shaken out of my thoughts when I heard a panicked shout and then the hoofbeats of horses. Before I even knew what was happening, something hard rammed into my abdomen. I gasped in pain as I fell on the ground. I blinked back tears and cursed when my hands were coated in blood. I heard people shouting and somebody lifting me up.

"Are you okay? That was a pretty hard blow." Melissa said.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll heal. Not a problem." I muttered, wiping my hand on the inside of the cloak to get rid of the blood. It was probably just a deep cut.

Hailey examined me for any more bruises and found a few already healing scratches. Stella was trying to keep the boys, mostly Jase and Aiden from skinning the poor boy alive who was bent halfway down in apologizing. People were starting to gather around and I shifted uncomfortably.