Bonds at War: The Untouched is Mine novel Chapter 348

Chapter 348 Made A Mark

ABEL

“Thank you, Sandra,” I said, smiling as I hugged her briefly.

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She smiled back. “Anytime. I’ll make sure to get that on top for you,” she said, tapping my arm with a manicured finger and giving a small wink.

I nodded. “I’ll get in touch soon.”

“Sure thing, Alpha,” she teased lightly.

With that, I turned away and walked briskly toward the car. The door shut with a solid thud that echoed in the silence.

The engine started, and I drove out of the parking lot. I tried to keep my mind blank, but it always went back to Luna.

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair, leaning back against the seat. My chest felt heavy again, that familiar ache spreading like wildfire under my ribs. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. She wasn’t supposed to make me feel this way.

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, knuckles pale against the leather. I could still see her face in my mind. That look… shattered something in me. The worst part was that she didn’t even know the half of it. She didn’t know why I kept my distance, why every time she smiled, I had to look away before my control slipped.

I glanced at my reflection in the rearview mirror. For a moment, I didn’t recognize myself. The man staring back looked like he cared way too much.

I looked away.

I’ve experienced attachments and emotions that complicate the mission before. However, Luna wasn’t supposed to be one of them. She was supposed to be safe, hidden, untouched by the world that had already taken too much from people like her.

And yet… she’d wormed her way into every quiet space in my mind.

I couldn’t deny it anymore. She had made a mark in my mind and my heart.

That was why I had to push her away.

That was why I had to pretend not to care.

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12:47 Sun, Oct 26

Chapter 348 Made A Mark

“This is better for you.” I muttered to myself. “Better for both of us.”

But even as I said it, the words felt wrong. A lie I was forcing myself to believe.

The truth was simpler and crueler.

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I was pushing her away because I was weak. I couldn’t handle watching her slip closer to something I couldn’t stop.

She didn’t know. She didn’t know that after she fulfilled her role, after she bore the heir, she’d die. That’s how it always ended. That was the curse of my bloodline, the fate tied to the ritual that kept our kind alive.

She didn’t deserve that.

And I… I was no better.

I gripped the steering wheel harder, jaw clenching until my teeth ached.

Every time she smiled, every time she laughed, every time she looked at me like I was someone worth trusting–it chipped away at my resolve.

I slowed at a red light, and I shut my eyes for a second, letting out a bitter laugh. “You’re pathetic,” I muttered.

***

The moon was hanging low when I reached the borders. The drive back had been silent, but all of that vanished when I noticed movement near the checkpoint.

Someone was waving at me.

I frowned, easing my foot on the brake. The headlights cut across the trees, and I saw someone leaning lazily against a trunk like he owned the damn forest.

Jaxon.

I rolled my eyes and slowed the car to a stop a few feet away. He looked worse for wear, appearing to be dulled by fatigue, sweat glistening at the edge of his temple. That was when I noticed a thin blue patch stuck to his forehead.

A fever sheet.

Seriously?

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12:47 Sun, Oct 26

Chapter 348 Made A Mark

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He was a pureblood werewolf, and he had one of those human cooling things on his head? They barely worked on humans, let alone on someone whose body temperature ran hot enough to boil water.

I rolled down the window, resting my elbow on the frame. “You look like hell,” I said flatly.

Jaxon grinned, teeth flashing white in the dark. “My favorite cousin,” he greeted.

He popped a few gummy fruits into his mouth, their bright colors catching the light. “You want some?” he asked, shaking the bag lazily toward me.

I stared at him, unamused.

Before I could answer, he snatched the bag back with a smirk. “Too bad,” he said, chewing obnoxiously. “I’m not giving you any.”

I exhaled through my nose, gripping the steering wheel tighter. “I don’t like sweet things,” I muttered.

Jaxon’s grin widened. “That’s good then,” he said, leaning closer, his eyes glinting with mischief. “Because I like sweet things. Very, very much.”

I didn’t miss the way his tone dipped when he said it. My patience was already thin, and he knew it.

“Are you done?” I asked.

He chuckled, leaning his shoulder against the tree again. “Don’t you want to know the progress of my mating scheme?”

“No thanks,” I sighed, brushing a hand through my hair.

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