"We do, right?" I pressed.
He undid the top button on his shirt.
"What are you doing, Callum?"
The next few buttons followed.
The crease in my forehead deepened as he took his shirt off, revealing an expanse of delicious muscle that I wanted to get far more acquainted with than I already was.
He lifted both of his bare forearms out toward me, stretching them closer.
"I don't understand," I said, scanning his arms and torso to look at all of the marks. "The mark from our bargain is a little lighter, but..." My gaze trailed off as I realized why he was showing me this.
What thedifferencewas.
Every single other mark on his body looked the same. The swirls were similar. The color was identical. They were dark, charcoal shapes that resembled fog.
But the one we shared was different, even if it was a slight difference.
It was more opaque, and it wasn't just gray. There was a metallic sheen to the delicate twists and curls that none of the others had. The difference was subtle, but it was undeniable.
"We'refated?" I asked Callum, my voice barely above a whisper.
He dipped his head. "We don't have a bargain, Kitten. We have a mate bond."
I swear, my heart skipped a beat. "That's impossible."
"When the bond is sealed tomorrow, the mark will become a darker shade, and look more metallic. People will speculate about the true nature of our connection, and you can't tell them the truth. If we confirm that we have fated mates, it will affect every fae in the city. Particularly my family."
"If people knew they could end up mated to a royal, everyone would come up with excuses to make bargains."
"They would."
"This is..." My voice trembled. I took a step back. "Holy fuck, Callum. How could we possibly be fated? I’m just a werewolf,and you’re you."I gestured toward all of him. All of the ice magic, and pain magic, andpower.
"Fate probably hates you for some reason."
"Don't say that." My anger from earlier was fading. "If we don't have a bargain, you can't force me to seal the mate bond with you."
He shook his head slowly.
"So, what? You were hoping I would just let you pressure me into the bond instead of using your magic to force me? That I wouldn't ask you? That I'd just let you manipulate me?"
His lack of answer confirmed that.
"What the actual fuck, Callum?" I tossed a hand out. "That's twisted!"
"I’ve already admitted to being exactly that, Kitten."
"What happens if I refuse to seal the bond?"
"You can't refuse."
"Ican. What happens if I refuse to seal the bond?" I repeated, raising my voice and making it clear that I wasn't going to let him distract me from this.
He let out a slow breath. "I suppose if you refused, I would make a public announcement about delaying the ceremony. Nothing else would change about our situation. There’s no way to remove the mark of a mate bond, and when we stay away from each other for too long, it causes us pain in an attempt to force us back to each other."
"Wait, what?"
