Chapter 7 Marking Her

JUSTIN My wolf was struggling with all its power to come forth but I kept him in check. Marking her without her consent was betraying her especially when I knew that she didn't want it, "But if we don't do it, she's going to die and I don't know about you but I'm not going to cross my arms and watch us lose our mate again" he said inside my head and I sighed, thinking about Elise and how much pain her death brought to us. I honestly didn't think I could do it once again. The witch cleared her throat, bringing me back to reality, "Sorry I zoned out a bit" I apologized and she gave me a long, knowing look. "You're sure you want to wait for her permission before you mark her?" She asked and I nodded, "Yes I'm sure" She gave me another hard look before nodding, "As you wish, Alpha. But time is not your ally in this." I was very much aware of that. Every second that passed, Eliana was slipping deeper into whatever torment her past was forcing on her. But I couldn’t and wouldn’t claim her without her consent. It would mess things up between me and her. The witch packed up her things and moved toward the door. Before she left, she turned back to me. "Prepare yourself. When she wakes up, she may not be the same Eliana you know at first. She might be disoriented but that's just the effect of her dreams" I nodded and another chuckle and a mutter about the moon goddess being a great storyteller and then she was gone, leaving me alone with the woman who was both my greatest responsibility and now my greatest weakness. The woman that was supposed to be my daughter but somebody was now my mate. What a sense of humor the moon goddess had and if I wasn't the one in my shoes, I would definitely have laughed a bit. I sat beside the bed, my hand still in hers and watching her. Her breathing was shallow, her face damp with sweat. She still looked like she was in pain, even in sleep. My wolf whined again, restless and I clenched my jaw. "You’ll just have to wait," I muttered under my breath but he didn't respond. Hours passed. I stayed by her side, refusing to leave even when Roderick came in to check on me. "You should at least eat something" Roderick pushed but I was not hungry. "Maybe later" I replied to him and he shook his head before closing the door behind me because he knew I wasn't going to be swayed especially now that I made up my mind. Evening was on the horizon and just as the sun began to set, Eliana stirred. A low groan escaped her lips, and her fingers twitched against the sheets. I leaned in, waiting. Her eyes fluttered open, but when she looked at me, there was no recognition in her gaze. Her gaze was very empty and almost immediately, she bolted upright, shoving away from me as if I were a stranger. "Who are you?" Her voice was sharp, filled with panic and I felt my heart pounding against my chest as it tightened. “Eliana, it’s me. Justin.” I tried to explain but she wasn't listening. She shook her head violently, her breathing ragged. “No, no, no” she started to chant continuously while gripping her head like it was splitting open. I reached for her, but she flinched away. And then, as if something clicked, her whole body went rigid and she started to shake violently. It started slow as if she was convulsing and then fast sharp movement that scared the hell out of me. Then suddenly, she started to scream and before I could stop my wolf, it used the opportunity of me not being focused on him and found a way to push me to the corner of my mind and I could only watch helplessly as it held her firmly, turned her neck to him and sank his fangs into it. Eliana tried to struggle but immediately he bit her and used his tongue to close the wound, she became calm and relaxed into his arms, "What have you done?" I asked and he growled. "She's MINE" another growl left his mouth just as Roderick bursted into the room and suddenly I was in control again, "What happened Alpha?" Roderick asked looking between Eliana and I and I sighed, bringing her closer to me, "My wolf marked her" I broke the news to him and he let out a deep breath. Roderick ran a hand through his hair, his eyes darting between Eliana and me. "Damn," he muttered under his breath. "How is she?" I looked down at her. She was still in my arms, her body completely relaxed. Her breathing had steadied, and the pain that had twisted her features before was gone. But something about her felt different and I couldn't place my hands on what ot was. "I don’t know," I admitted. "She stopped struggling the moment my wolf marked her." Roderick crouched beside us, a serious look on his face "You realize what this means, right? There’s no undoing this, Alpha. She’s bound to you now forever" I knew that. The mate bond was sealed. But instead of relief, all I felt was uncertainty. Would she hate me for this? Would she even be the same when she woke up? I knew that she still saw me as a father figure and it would be difficult to accept that we were destined to be mates. A soft sigh left her lips, and I looked down at her as her eyes slowly fluttered open and for a brief moment, she just looked at me. There was no panic this time, no fear. Only a stare that I couldn't quite decipher. I wanted to break it to her that I had marked her but then she reached up, her fingers brushing against the mark on her neck. A slow realization dawned on her face, and her lips parted. "You marked me," she whispered. I swallowed hard. "I didn’t mean to. My wolf took control and did it because you were in so much pain" I tried to explain, knowing that it sounded ridiculous that I couldn't control my wolf. She didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she sat up slowly, still touching the mark as if trying to process everything. Then, she turned to me, a look of betrayal on her face, "This is wrong. You were like a father to me"