Bonded ✔️

Chapter 8: Part Two

"Whatever you're about to say, don't say anything just to make them happy. We can figure this out by ourselves if we have to," Rowan's low voice whispered in my ear. His words were full of concern.

I stood from my seated position and gently placed my hand of Rowan's shoulder. He relaxed only slightly at my touch. His discomfort could be plainly seen on his face. Choosing to ignore him, I walked around my desk and leaved against the front of it. My legs were crossed over each other and my hands loosely intertwined- I was hoping to appear more cool and level-headed than I felt.

"Although I understand the reasoning behind your actions, I do not respect the methods you used to get your point across," I let my gaze settle on Wyatt, who was observing me with a critical eye.

"Don't act like you know me," he grumbled in reply. Lincoln had a hard look on his face and his hands were tightly clenched. He was clearly trying hard to hold his tongue. I appreciated that he was letting me handle the situation instead of interjecting himself in my defense.

An audible sigh left my body, "I'm not saying I do, but I'm asking you to recognize that you don't know me either." I pushed the strands of brown hair that had fallen in front of my face back with my right hand, tucking it safely behind my ear.

This situation was extremely difficult for me to deal with. Explaining my feelings did not come easily for me. It went against ever wall I had put up over the years in order to gain the respect of others. As a result, I had a tendency to compartmentalize and didn't let anyone but Rowan know where I was at emotionally. All my instincts were screaming at me to shut down this conversation before it had even really started, but I knew that was not longer a possibility.

I looked in Lincoln's direction and cleared my throat before my thoughts came rolling off my tongue, "I crave you. Every part of me yearns to be with you, but craving you is not enough. I wish it was, and maybe in another world it might be. However, we are stuck in this imperfect world and in this shitty situation. If this is going to work, it's going to have to be on my terms. I need you to understand where I'm coming from."

My voice was thick with the weight of unsaid words. Wyatt looked at me expectantly, but Rowan was glaring at the floor. Lincoln sat in silence mulling over what I had said.

"It seems like you're expecting me to do a lot of giving and not a lot of taking," Lincoln countered my statement with frustration. His patience with our situation was growing thin. It would only get worse the longer we ignored the bond. Both of us would be increasingly irritable and moody unless something was done soon.

"I'm open to renegotiating the terms we agreed upon earlier," I stated while walking away from the group, and heading toward the faded territory map that was pinned to one of my office walls.

Both Betas spoke at the same time in reply to the statement. Without looking I knew which statement belonged to each man.

"Finally, we're getting somewhere. About damn time!"

"You've got to be kidding me."

Ignoring both of them I studied the pack lines drawn on the map. They had remained static for decades. A sense of harmony had settled across he area, and the region's packs could feel confident of their safety. It was evidence that peace had finally been achieved, that is until I had became Alpha.

I knew that if I didn't do everything in my power to avoid disrupting this balance I would never forgive myself. It was my duty to protect my people. I also knew that I couldn't sacrifice the bond that the Goddess had given me to Lincoln. Wyatt had been right, it would be disgraceful to severe such a gift without a second thought.

"Feel free to elaborate," the deep voice of my mate called from behind me, fulling me from my thoughts. I could listen to him speak all day; his rich tone sounded delicious to my ears and left me wanting more. There was no way I could let him continue to think I didn't want us to be together. My stubbornness had led me to believe that the only way to handle the issues I would face would be to push him away.

However, there was a way to nourish our bond while still maintaining control of my pack and reassuring that this wasn't a play for my territory.

Just in time for my next statement, I saw Jonathan quietly let himself into the office through my peripheral . I nodded in his direction, a silent way of thanking him for coming so quickly. Without turning away from the map, I took a deep breathe to steady myself for what I was about to propose.

"I'll mark you," my voice sounded a lot stronger than I felt.

"Okay," Lincoln agreed quicker than I had expected.

Silence blanketed the room before anger footsteps made there way over to me.

"There's no way I'm letting that happen. Are you crazy?" Rowan growled, once again at my side. His voice held traces of desperation.

"Step down boy, this is not your place," Jonathan called from his position near the door. Rowan snarled loudly before leaving the room, slamming the door behind him.

"What is your deal," I called for him, confused at his outburst.

"You're making a stupid choice, I don't agree with it," he huffed through the link.

"It's not your decision, your job is to support me," I pointed out with irritation.

"Or to show you the errors in your judgement," he added before blocking me from communicating any further.

"Now hold on just a minute, because he is obviously not thinking with his brain at the moment," Wyatt peered over at Lincoln like he had lost his mind. "So he gets marked, but you still run around like an unmated wolf? That's bullshit."

"It's not bullshit, it's insurance," Jonathan corrected while walking towards me with a small grin. He understood what I was doing without me having to explain.

Lincoln's head snapped like he had been brought out of a trance, "Insurance?"

"It allows us to sooth the pull of the bond, but also leaves me room to gauge if your loyalty lies with me or your father. By marking you, the half of the bond drawing me to to you is solidified. It's a show of good faith that I want this to work. I won't allow you to mark me until I know that you are being honest about your feelings. I didn't work hard for two days to change my entire mindset about mates," I explained.

Wyatt was looking at me with what appeared to be respect, which was surprising before relenting, "Clearly you're smarter than I gave you credit for."

Of course, there were other positives I wasn't saying out loud. I wouldn't feel the intense discomfort when we were apart, because my wolf would be at least momentary satisfied by completing our half of the bond.

This meant that Lincoln could go back to his own territory and he would only need to come here when his levels of pain were too much to handle. I would also be more in tune with Lincoln's moods once I had marked him, which could give helpful insight to how his pack relations are.

"If that's what it's going to take, I'm ready to be marked," Lincoln looked at me with determination before standing from his chair. "Let me know the the time and place."

"Oh, me too! I want to watch," Wyatt teased, earning himself a slap across the pack of his head from his future Alpha. They exited the room with happier expression then they'd entered with.

My calm demeanor melted away as soon as the door closed, and I looked to Jonathan with what I'm sure looked like fear covering my features.

"Did I just do the right thing?"

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YOOOOOOOOO, what's up guys.

Let me know how you feel about Harley's plan, yay or nay?

Also, could you tell which beta said what during the chapter? Bet you can't guess in the comments ;)

I'm going to start dedication chapters to my loverly readers:

This dedication goes to the girly that leaves the FUNNIEST comments on the chapters. I literally die laughing every single time.

Much love <3