Missing Arrows to My Broken Bow

Chapter One

As the morning sunlight gently streamed through the slight crack in the curtains, Jack the 25 year old personal servant of the 27 year old Alex Gaskarth, cautiously entered Alex and his wife 35 year old wife Annabelle's quarters, determined to carry out his duties without revealing the storm brewing within him. He started to walk over to the floor to ceiling windows, in. A mission to draw the curtains the way Alex preferred.

As he walked silently past them, His gaze lingered on the bed, where Alex and Annabelle lay entwined in peaceful slumber. Observing the tattoos on their hands, Jack's heart ached. His own soul mark, a white arrow, nearly matched Alex's red one. The fact that it wasn't close enough was A cruel twist of forbidden love.

Annabelle's green arrow, the inverse of Alex's, solidified the bond they shared. The cruel beauty of soul marks dictated their destinies, intertwining lives in ways society deemed acceptable. Alex and Annabelle's being polar opposites was kismet. Now that the marked soulmates found each other, They each bared the other's mark as well. Since they met, Alex now has his red arrow and Annabelle's green arrow on the back of his hand, and vice versa.

Jack harbored a love he dared not speak of, for servants were bound by unspoken rules. Love between a servant and their keeper was an unsanctioned flame, a dangerous secret that could jeopardize Jack's and Alex's Q position and well-being. Yet, every stolen glance, every unspoken word, spoke volumes of his affection for Alex. Jack trusted in his heart that Alex secretly knew. Alex always had a protective and loving way with Jack. Alex was gentle.  Him and Alex have been together since Alex was 12, Jack 10.

The scars on Jack's soul ran deeper than the visible ones, hidden beneath a facade of servitude. While the world saw a loyal servant, within the walls of the estate, Jack endured the shadows of abuse at the hands of Annabelle and Alex's stepchildren, Christopher,8 and Serena, 10. Bruises, both physical and emotional, told a story of silent suffering.

Annabelle's past, marked by a brief 10 year marriage and swift widowhood, served as a chilling reminder of the consequences of straying from soulmate bonds. Society and the rules dictated that one's true marked soulmate guaranteed a longer, more fulfilling life. An unmarked union held a grim prognosis, with a mere 15 years to share before inevitable separation. Separation came from either an unexplainable death, or the true soulmate bond is enforced by some sort of magic. Forcing the partners to leave one another.

As Jack navigated the delicate balance of his unspoken love and the hidden scars he bore, he clung to the hope that one day the shadows would dissipate, allowing him to break free from the chains of servitude. He hope he would find his true soulmate bond, someone who's mark contrasted his.He hoped that whoever they were(while Jack would prefer a male mate.)... Was out there. Jack wanted to know what a real love may be like. Not his miserable unrequited one he faced now.

Truthfully, part of Jack never wanted to leave Alex. Ever.  Jack knew Their bond extended beyond Keeper/Servant. They grew up and raised each other.  But he would escape this place for his soulmate. Allowing him to keep Alex Alive. Now that he was chained to his soulmate. The bond is only broken by death.

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Shaking himself from his thoughts, Jack completed the task of opening the curtains. The morning light bathed the room as Jack gently drew open the curtains, allowing the golden rays to spill into Alex and Annabelle's quarters. As the room brightened, Alex stirred, stretching and yawning.

"Good morning, Jack! You're a lifesaver," Alex exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with genuine warmth. "You know how I hate waking up to a dark room."

Jack couldn't help but smile, his heart skipping a beat at Alex's playful greeting. "Good morning, Mr. Gaskarth. Glad I could brighten your day."