Bonded ✔️

Chapter 21

Lincoln looked at me with a shocked expression. His eyebrows shut up and hid beneath the curly hair hanging down over his forehead. He used one of his hands to press the hair back, "Are you serious? Because I'm pretty sure you just said that you didn't want to be marked."

That was true, but deep down I felt like this was the right thing to do. I felt confident that I could trust him after his proclamation that we were going to be a team from this point forward. If I'm going to be with anyone, it's going to have to be a mutual relationship where we respect each other's wishes and responsibilities. I knew all along that I respected Lincoln's, and now he had finally gotten through to me that he felt the same way about mine.

"I'm positive," I wrapped my arm around his bicep and squeezed it to emphasis my point.

His skeptical expression didn't disappear. Instead, he lowered himself onto his elbows. His body was now flush against mine, but all that I focus on were his eyes as he looked into mine in an attempt to figure out where my head was at, "I'm still not convinced this isn't just your heat getting to you, and I'm honestly kind of freaked out that you're being so nice to me right now."

A playful growl left my body as I shifted my weight in order to exchange positions with Lincoln. It took most of my strength, but I finally was able to place myself above him. After he was laying beneath me, I propped myself up with one arm and placed my free hand on the side of his face forcing him to look at me.

"Are you insinuating that I'm something other than nice to you most of the time?" I feigned anger, but the smile on my face said otherwise. For a fleeting moment, I realized that I probably looked similar to the way Leila had only moments before when she looked at her own mate. My smile grew at the thought.

"For the love of everything that is good and pure, Harley we all know that you are one of the coldest people of the planet nine times out of ten. Give the guy a break," Rowan's annoyed voice came through the mind link. 

"Mind your own business Rowan!" I shouted at him through the door while rolling my eyes.

There was a second pause before we heard, "Maybe you shouldn't talk so loud then!"

Lincoln chuckled from underneath me, and I looked down at him trying to fight back the smile that was trying to make its way onto my face. The smile won though, and after a second I was giggling along with my mate like we were two children.

I leaned my forehead down against his. Breathless from our laughter, I attempted to give him an explanation for my change of heart, "I was waiting to let you mark me until I knew that I could trust you. Whether or not this alliance works with your dad, or even if we aren't able to figure out a way to be together for a while, I know now that we both want this to work for the right reasons."

I moved my mouth down to his and placed a quick kiss on his lips, "We both appreciate what the other has to offer, but also respect that each of us have an obligation to our pack that will always come first."

Finally, my lips were placed against his mark as I whispered, "That's why I want to be marked."

A low rumble came from Lincoln's chest as he moved his hips up suddenly, bucking my body off of his and allowing him to regain his position on top of me. It was such a change of pace to see his more dominant side come out, and I couldn't hold back the laugh that bubbled up from my chest.

"Rowan, are you going to bust in here and kick my ass the second if I try to do this?" He yelled through the door with a serious tone, but threw me a wink mid-sentence breaking the facade.

"The only way I'm going to fight you is if you do her wrong, so for now I'd say that you're safe," my Beta shouted back. "That being said, I'm walking away from the cabin now. I don't want to have any part in hearing what comes next."