Chapter 0377

"But he didn't mark me," I whisper.noveldrama

"But he might," Luca says, his brows going up.

And I don't say anything - not a word. Because honestly, this morning? If Jackson had offered me his mark, I'd have taken it. It was that intense, that real between us. It always has been.

But...how can I tell Luca that without breaking his heart?

How can I tell Luca that I want his mark too? That I want both of them, not one or the other?

I just stare down at my gorgeous, heartbroken mate, and sigh. Because I don't know what to do.

"I don't know if I can do this, Ariel, Luca whispers, his eyes drifting shut. "If you're sleeping with him - or close enough to it that he's scent marking you, which we all know is this incredibly intimate act...I don't know if I can do this."

My lip starts to shake with dread, with horror. Because..I mean, is Luca rejecting me?

I look up, frantic, at my brother and my cousin, not knowing what to do. Silently, I beg them for help, beg them to intercede - because ....

I am at the end of my rope here. And I'm terrified that I'm about to lose my mate- and if I do, my heart will shatter into a thousand pieces right here in Jackson's room. Content belong to N?velDráma. Org.

"Okay!" Rafe says, stepping forward, his face tense, his mind clearly racing.

Jesse slowly lifts his arm from Rafe's shoulder, looking around, worried. Jackson stays quite still at his place against the wall, not moving an inch.

I start almost to pant with worry, not knowing what my next step should be.

"What if," Rafe continues slowly, clearly thinking it through as he goes, watching me with anxiety all over his face, sensing that I'm out of answers and desperate for a solution. "There were...limits."

"Limits?" Jesse asks, a little under his breath as he raises a hand to rub his eye. "What are you talking about?" "Well," Rafe continues, spreading out a hand. "Luca...is having trouble dealing with the idea that Jackson might mark Ariel. So....what if we agreed that...he won't."

My mouth falls open and Jackson snaps his head up, growling a little at the thought.

*And!" Rafe amends as Luca looks up at him, at all of us. "Neither will Luca. No marks. Not...not until Ariel makes her choice. Which," he says, looking hard at me now, "is still the plan. Yes?"

I groan a little, inwardly, at the truth of that statement. Because, I mean, we only made that agreement a few days ago, but in that short time my bonds with both of my mates have only grown exponentially. The idea, now, of letting either of them go?

I mean, honestly, it feels....absolutely impossible.

But still, I agreed. I promised.

"Yes," I whisper.

"No marks," Luca says, murmuring a little as he considers it. He sits up a little straighter next, looking me straight in the eye. "And, no sex."

I huff out a sound of horrified protest, turning to stare at him. Because what! Who the hell is he to...! And why!? What!?

"Actually, that makes a lot of sense," Jesse says, his voice thoughtful.

I spin to stare at him now, making a repeat of the same squeaky, huffy noise.

"Seriously!" Jesse says, looking at me with a great deal of empathy but speaking plainly so that I can understand his point. "Sex with wolves always creates a bond, but with a mated pair? Apparently, it like...cements something. Intensifies the bond, makes it incredibly hard to break. That's why sex and the marking are...you know. So frequently...done together." His words fade off awkwardly at the end there as he realizes that he's not really talking theoretically, but instead about his very real cousin being marked by her very real mates. Both of whom are in the room.

"He's not wrong," Rafe says, and I turn in time to see him shrug. "And...I think it would take a great deal of pressure off the situation. Neither of them," he says, gesturing between Jackson and Luca, "will be worried about the other cementing his bond to you, or giving you his mark, because...it's not on the table."

I slowly close my jaw, which I now realize has been hanging open and stare at my brother, who nods slowly to me, silently begging me to see that this is the solution I'm looking for.

"If you're going to choose anyway, Ariel," he says softly. "Then....why not wait."