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“Hey, I was going to come and serve you. It was supposed to be a surprise,” I chided. But when I looked over and saw the expression on his face, my smile disappeared. “What is it, Gabe? Did you find something?”
“I did. At least, I’m pretty sure I did. Don’t worry, it’s good news…at least, I think it’s good news.”
I waited for him to continue. Whatever it was had him pretty shaken up.
He took a deep breath. “The bite from Neil should be reversible, but it’s going to take a few days. We have to wait until the next full moon… and you’ll need to have it replaced with another mating mark.”
I chewed on my bottom lip. That did complicate things, especially since I wasn’t really sure where Gabe stood on the issue. But for some reason, he still seemed a little uncomfortable.
“That’s not all,” he said. “In order for the mark to take, the bite will have to be binding.”
I blinked, not sure what he meant by that.
“Ella, the mating bond is two-fold. It doesn’t matter what order it happens in usually, but in your case, I guess it does. In order for this to work, you’ll need a mating bite on the night of the full moon, but before that, you’ll have to complete the other part of the bond.”
I felt my mouth go dry. Sex. He meant I would need to have sex before the next full moon.
Chapter 16
"I'll take these to one of the pack's historians tomorrow to make sure I'm not misunderstanding anything, but it seems pretty clear. I'm sorry, Ella. I'm not sure if you’re ready for that, but at least we know his mark can be removed… or, more accurately, that it can be replaced."
I nodded and turned back to the food I was dishing. Suddenly I wasn't very hungry anymore.
Gabe's words hung heavy in the air between us. I tried to push them to the back of my mind as we ate, but it was impossible to think of anything else. What if he didn’t want to have sex with me? Would I have to find someone else? Or would it be better to just remain partially tied to Neil forever?
After dinner, I excused myself to the bathroom, needing some space to think. I splashed cold water on my face, trying to calm myself down. It wasn't just the idea of having sex with Gabe that had me on edge, but the idea of being bound to him for the rest of my life. He had shut me down just last night for sex, and now everything would need to happen so soon! The next full moon was only a few days away. Maybe I could wait until another moon cycle tomake a decision.
When I returned to the living room, Gabe was sitting on the couch, a stack of old scrolls in front of him. He looked up as I entered, his eyes locking onto mine.
"I'm sorry, Ella," he said softly. "I didn't mean to overwhelm you. I just want you to know I'll be here for you, no matter what you decide. We can figure this out together."
I nodded, not sure what else to say.
He gestured to the scrolls. "I didn't find much else, but I did come across an old ritual that might help with the reversing process. It involves taking a bath with herbs and oils after the unwanted mating bite, and I thought it might be something we could try."
I raised an eyebrow. "A bath ritual? That sounds... weird.”
Gabe grinned. "Yeah, it's not exactly something I've ever done before, and it might be completely useless, but it's worth a shot, right? It's said to help cleanse the body and soul, and it might help break Neil’s bond."
I considered his proposal for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, let's do it. It can't hurt to try."
We spent the next hour gathering the ingredients we needed for the bath. It felt like we emptied half of Gabe's spice rack, and it made me wonder if we were actually making some kind of disgusting soup instead.
Preparing for the ritual with Gabe felt oddly intimate. There was a certain closeness in how we moved together and how our hands brushed against each other. It was both terrifying and exhilarating.
Once the bath was ready and Gabe was standing firmlyoutside the bathroom door, I slipped into the warm water. The smell of the herbs and oils washed over me, which wasn’t entirely unpleasant.
"I'm in," I called out to him when I had the shower curtain rearranged to block my nudity.
If Gabe thought my modesty was strange given our circumstances, he didn't let on.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
I took a deep breath, trying to process the sensations flooding through me. "I don't know...it feels like I'm in a tub filled with oregano and chopped onions."
"Fair enough," he said, smiling.
I settled deeper into the water, letting the odd mixture of scents and heat soak into my skin. Gabe sat on the closed toilet seat, his eyes never leaving my face. There was something about the way he was looking at me that created a needy pulling sensation down below my belly. The shower curtain was hiding all the interesting parts of my body from view, and yet, it felt like I was on full display.
