Semua Bab Bonds at War: The Untouched is Mine: Bab 221 - Bab 230

TESSA In the end, Rowan ended up coming with me. Surely, he must be busy with Alpha work. Surely, there were matters more important than trailing after me like some oversized shadow. However, Arden had insisted he come to keep me safe, so here we were, walking through the uneven path near the river bend to grab some of the herbs. My boots squished against the soil every time we stepped through softer patches of ground, and Rowan kept walking just behind me—close enough that I could hear every rustle of fabric and every shift of his breath.He was watching my every step, reaching out to brush a branch out of my way before I even noticed it, steadying my elbow when the ground dipped, picking up loose twigs so I wouldn’t trip over them.I stopped so abruptly that he nearly bumped into me. I turned around to glare at him.“Can you stop?” I snapped.Rowan’s lips pressed into a thin line. He exhaled sharply through his nose before muttering, “Sorry.”I narrowed my eyes. Seriously, had

ROWANTessa’s lips were still a little swollen.The sight nearly undid me.Her damp hair clung to the side of her neck, and I had to grip the bedframe in front of me to stop myself from stepping forward, brushing it aside, and sinking my teeth into the soft curve of her throat where my mark should’ve been all along.Mine.The word throbbed in my chest like a second heartbeat.I wanted to claim her right then and there, to pull her into my arms and remind her that she was mine—not just because the Moon said so or because of some bond I once rejected, but because she was the only one I wanted now.However, I knew I needed to take this slowly. I needed to do this right this time, earn every single step back to her.Still, she was so beautiful it made my teeth ache.Cute and pretty and soft and stubborn all at once. I wanted to make her smile the way she smiled when she petted that bunny earlier, that fleeting moment where she looked like she wasn’t carrying the whole damn world on her sh

TESSA“Stay here with your aunt and uncle Sol, okay?” I whispered softly to Calla, crouching down so I could be at her eye level. Her big, wide eyes looked up at me, full of innocence. We were inside the South’s pack clinic, and thankfully, the doctor said Rowan was in a meeting with the elders because of the intrusion the other day. Thank the elders despite their traditional, conservative views in life! “Is that alright, Calla?” I asked again, brushing her hair back beneath her cap.“Mommy’s leaving?” she asked.I shook my head with a smile. “I will just be in the next room,” I whispered, kissing her forehead. “We’ll be going home soon.”Her face lit up with a grin, excitement bubbling in her chest as she bounced a little in Sol’s arms. “Okay!”With that, I stood and narrowed my eyes at Sol and Noelle, who appeared to be enjoying the extravagant room in the clinic. Well, with Fenra’s economy, the clinic seemed more like a hospital.Sol raised one hand in a lazy “okay” sign, his ot

ROWANI sneezed once more for what felt like the fifth time in the last fifteen minutes. My head jerked forward, and I sniffed before I straightened in my seat.My father turned to look at me from the head of the long table. “Are you listening?” he asked. I ignored his question and continued rubbing my still-itchy nose. Was someone talking about me? This was what they said in superstitions, right? The elders droned on, their voices like background noise until Elder Harren slammed his palm on the table. “This is getting out of hand,” he declared. “Even the Praetor’s wife has been attacked in our land. That is embarrassing.”I nearly snorted. Embarrassing?Embarrassing was them sitting here for hours, talking, wringing their hands, and doing absolutely nothing. Embarrassing was thinking that talking about the problem was the same as solving it.I leaned back in my chair, staring at the ceiling, tuning out half the words as Elder Harren went on about the sanctity of our borders and wha

ROWAN I pinched the bridge of my nose and groaned.“Will you stop kissing on my couch?” I exclaimed. Cade and Arden broke apart instantly after aggressively rubbing their relationship in my face while sitting on my damn furniture. After Arden had been discharged from the clinic, they decided to stay here for a few days before leaving this afternoon. A favor, Cade had called it. However, it was more like torture. The entire time they’d been here, they alternated between being disgustingly affectionate and arguing about the stupidest things. I swear, Arden’s pregnancy had turned her into a walking contradiction. She wanted Cade for one blissful hour in the day, and then spent the other twenty-three despising him. Unfortunately, that one hour of affection was enough of a hell for me to sit through.I folded my arms and leaned against the wall, glaring at them. “Don’t you two have anywhere else to do that? I even prepared the guest room for you.” “Ew,” Arden said, wrinkling her nose