Chapter 738

I gasp, pain flaring in my neck, my wolf howling and scrambling away in my soul as I put my hands on Luca's chest and shove him away, hard. He gasps too, his eyes flying wide as he falls to the side and I pull myself from beneath him, huddling up against the headboard and staring at him, my hand slapped to my bleeding neck where -

Where he marked me -

"Ariel,” he whispers, panting, staring at me in utter shock and fear. "What - what's wrong?!"

"Luca!" I gasp, tears springing to my eyes - half betrayal and half pain. "Why - why did you do that!?"

"What are you talking about," he breathes, leaning closer to me, horrified. "Ariel, I'm so sorry - did I do it wrong?" He reaches for where my hand is still pressed too my neck, where I can feel blood slipping from between my fingers.

"You weren't supposed to do it at all!" I cry out, tears starting to streak down my cheeks as I stare at him, shaking my head. "I didn't - I wasn't ready, Luca!"

"Wh-what?" he whispers, scootching closer, still reaching for me, clearly desperately upset to see me reacting like this. "Ariel, I'm sorry, I didn't know obviously, I've never done this before - was I supposed to wait? I'm sorry, you're right, I should have waited until towards the end - I didn't know it would hurt that much -"

“No, Luca!" I sob, shaking my head at him, anger welling in me now too. "I wasn't ready for the mark at all! I didn't – I didn't want it today —“

My wolf howls, anxiously darting back and forth, shaking with her pain and anxiety, throwing herself down to the ground and rolling around like she can get the scent off of her. Luca's wolf just stands by, perfectly still, watching her in horror.

The scent - the new scent - my changed scent, so it's mixed with Luca's now -

Oh, god, everyone will know. I hang my head and begin to sob.noveldrama

"What...what are you talking about, Ariel?" Luca asks, his voice harder. I raise my eyes and see his face ghostly pale. "You didn't want my mark?" "Luca, I love you," I say, shaking my head, willing him to understand. "But I wasn't ready for this - the consequences -"

“Are you talking about him?" He bites out, angry now.

My mouth turns down in a desperate frown as I shake my head and look up into his eyes. Because yes, yes of course it's about him - of course Jackson is at the front of my mind right now -

How betrayed he's going to feel, how desperately jealous and sad and broken by this -

But there are other things at stake right now - my heart, for one.

"We weren't there yet, Luca," I say, snappier than I mean to be, shaking my head at him. "We're not connected enough - our wolves barely know each other -“

"Then why did we have sex!?" he bursts out, throwing his hands to the side.

"Because we wanted to!" I yell in

et

return, tears still streaming down my cheeks. “Because I wanted to be with you, Luca - I wanted to feel good, and wanted you to feel good, and wanted to get closer! But it doesn't mean I was ready to be marked!"

"No, Ariel," he snarls, glaring at me and leaning closer. "That wasn't the deal and you know it."

I stare at him, a little shocked, forgetting to breathe. “What deal?”

"The deal we all struck! The fucking - sex pact, or whatever!" he shouts, throwing his hands again to the side, completely losing his temper. In fucking Jackson's bedroom the night after my big fight!"

I just stare at him for a moment because honestly honestly I forgot about that in the past few hours that I've been in Luca's room. But even if I remember it now I don't remember any deal being part of it. What the helf is he talking about?

"Remember?" he says, leaning forward and staring at me, his voice slightly condescending and making my hackles rise. "We said no sex with either of your mates to avoid the possibility of one marking you!"