True Mates Book One: The Setlist

Chapter Twenty-Three: Disrespectful

*******Aurora's POV*******

I stood in front of the bathroom mirror. I was still damp from my shower, with a towel wrapped around me, but I didn't care at the moment. My eyes were transfixed on the mark on my neck. Two rows of perfectly straight teeth, except for one adorably wonky one in the middle.

Arms slid around my waist and I looked in the mirror to see Jimin as he rested his chin on my shoulder as he reached past me for his toothbrush.

"Good morning, my beautiful mate."

"Good morning, my handsome mate," I said back with a giggle.

He tilted his head and pressed his lips against my mating mark. "Want me to help you cover that up with makeup?"

I furrowed my brows at him in the mirror. "Cover what up?

"Your mark, love," he said, like it was obvious.

I gasped and covered my mark with my hand, then spun around and pushed him back a little.

"Don't you dare," I told him. "Why in the hell would I want to cover it up?"

"Uhh....because you have to go to work?" He asked, confused by my objection.

"Jimin," I said, pointing my finger at him. "If you make one move towards covering up my mating mark, or yours for that matter, I will get on Google and research how to get rid of a true mate."

He held his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry that I suggested it. But...You're not worried about what people will think?"

"Why would I care what people think?" I asked him, because this man had clearly lost his damn mind. "It's a mark tying me to you forever. It's the most important thing that I possess."

He quirked a smile at that, but continued anyway. "But your principal..."

"What're they going to do?" I asked him. "Fire me? I already turned in my resignation, remember?"

He reached for me and I finally let him come closer. "I didn't mean to upset you or your wolf, Aurora."

"You upset her?" I asked, confused.

"Judging by how your eyes kept flashing back and forth to bright blue," He said, pointing at my eyes. "I'd say that I did. Probably most of that hostility was coming from her."

I laughed and shook my head. "No. She might have jumped in, but the brunt of it came from me."

"Can I ask why?"

"I....I'm not sure, really," I told him with a shrug. "I did not like what you said. Telling me to cover it up, it...it hurt."

He frowned and reached up to brush the pad of his thumb across my cheek. "That was not my intention, my love. I was only trying to help."

A thought occurred to me, and I frowned, looking at the mark on the side of his neck.

"What is it?" He asked me. "I can see that something just crossed your mind."

"Are...are you going to cover it up in public?" I asked him in a quiet voice, the thought of him doing that causing a deep ache in my stomach again. "For the concerts?"

He kissed my forehead, then pulled me into a tighter hug and I rested my head on his shoulder.

"I don't have a lot of control over the concerts, Aurora," he said. "My makeup is done for me."

I whimpered a little and he pulled back just enough to look down at me.

"However, I will ask them not to."