Marked Mate

20

SCARLETT

My life had been completely flipped upside down. Roman knew what I was, and not only did he find out because he had felt me prodding around in his head, but he had his suspicions before that. Perhaps I wasn't as good at hiding in plain sight as I first thought I was.

I wasn't aware of the fact that our gifts didn't work on our mates, and I felt like an idiot for not knowing. My own mate knew, but I didn't? Some gifted wolf I was.

My muscles throbbed as I pushed the barbell up for the third time, my chest on fire and my biceps contracting painfully. I was wearing black workout gloves - which not only gave me a better grip on the metal, but hid my mark. It was a win-win situation.

Erica grunted next to me, working out with her own set of weights, her bump looking more prominent by the day. I was scared she was going to pop a blood vessel looking at the weights she was lifting, but she lifted them up with minimal effort. It was clear she had been training for a long time.

Finding out that Roman's father had struck up some kind of deal with the Enclaves scared the crap out of me. What was stopping the same from happening again?

Stop. Roman wouldn't do that to you.

I was battling with my inner thoughts. It was as if I had a devil on one shoulder, and an angel on the other - I didn't know who to listen to. Both of their cases were convincing.

Telling Roman about my gift - it was as if the words didn't want to come out. They were stuck in my throat and every instinct of mine was scolding me for being so vulnerable. I wasn't used to it, but I needed to try. If Roman wanted to hand me over to Nyx, he would have done it by now, right?

My mate hadn't given me any reasons to distrust him, and I needed to remind myself of that. Handing me over would cause harm to the mate bond, and that would cause physical pain to the both of us.

I was conscious about practising my gift now though. Roman knew I could manipulate people's minds, and we hadn't talked about where we stood with it. Would he be upset if I practised on his pack members?

I wouldn't make them feel anything sinister, but it was important I used my gift when I had the chance. Otherwise, I would lose my strength and my own emotions would suffer as a consequence.

The hairs on the back of my neck suddenly stood up, and my heart thumped against my ribs as Roman's voice bounced off the walls of the gymnasium. "One more. You got it."

I tilted my head up to gaze in the mirror. He was standing behind me with his arms crossed, and I huffed, attempting to wrack the barbell, only for him to take a step forward and do it for me with one hand.

That was hot.

"Are you finished?" Roman asked me, and I wiped the layer of sweat from my forehead, standing up from the bench.

"I think so. If I do anymore, my arms might fall off." Although that could be a good thing.

Roman beckoned me with his head, and I waved goodbye to Erica before exiting the gym.

"I wanted to talk to you away from everybody," Roman said, testing the water and gripping my hand in his as we strolled. I felt the sudden urge to pull away, but I didn't. The only way I was going to become more comfortable with him was if I did things outside of my comfort zone. I wanted to hold his hand - so badly. But I couldn't shift the thoughts telling me it was dangerous to do so.

"If it's not too much, can I ask you a little more about your gift?" Roman's tone was hopeful, and he flashed his white teeth at me. God, my insides felt like they were going to melt.