"Soon."
The word is simple.
It lands like a grenade.
Marie lights up. "Really? You mean it?"
"Yes. You and Jasper will both be bonded in soon. We're finalizing timing. Logistics."
Jasper's brows tick up a fraction, but he doesn't object. He just tucks his hands in his pockets.
My mind is suddenly very loud.
Bonded in.
Marked.
Permanent.
Marie, with his mark on her neck. Jasper, with whatever version they settle on. The pack completing itself in the registry's eyes.
I should be purely sick with dread.
Part of me is.
Because this makes Marie not just a long-term guest. It makes her family. Irrevocable. Marked.
And I am not marked. I absolutely notice that he didn’t include my name in that ‘soon.’
I am still unclaimed skin and silent promises.
But.
There's a thread of something else under that.
Hope.
Because a few weeks ago, just before the ban, Ragon had said,Once Marie and Jasper are bonded in, you’re next. We do this right. No half-measures.
Once they're settled, you're next.
He’d changed his mind about bonding me before Jasper, giving me some excuse about everyone needing to settle in one at a time. But he promised Marie’s bonding would be the start of bonding all three of us.
My fingers curl in Eli's shirt.
"Vee," he murmurs, so low only I can hear. "Breathe."
"I am. Unfortunately."
Marie is talking again, excitement bubbling. "I've never had a proper pack mark. I've never wanted one. It'll be nice, you know? To wear something that says 'I'm chosen' and not 'I was bought.'"
Something flares in my chest, answering that ugly, honest truth.
I know that feeling.
Wanting proof.
Ragon's hand rubs a slow circle on her hip. "You are chosen. Mark or no mark."
