Chapter 109: Chapter 109

Elorai.

“You should go explore. We'll be setting camp there,” he says, pointing to a shaded spot at a less crowded section of the beach.

“Okay...” I answer and skip away from him.

I walk across the beach, watching as the water splashes against my feet, the shrieks of people around us, and the empty seashells that line the ground.

I bend down to pick up one, inspecting and admiring it before shoving it into my pocket.

Making sure not to stray far from where the alphas are, I turn around to see they've finished setting up the space, and Lucas is already enjoying a drink with Ronan as they discuss something among themselves. I wonder what they're talking about.

Knox is nowhere to be found.

I'm about to start looking for him when someone grabs me from behind, twirling me around in the air. I shriek, gripping the hand around my waist tight.

“Got you..!” Knox groans into my ear, laughing.

I giggle as well, kicking my legs until he settles me down on the ground.

“What are you up to?” he asks, looking down at me, his eyes glimmering in the sunlight.

“No idea. I've been picking up seashells...” I say, showing him the one in my pocket.

He takes it from me, studying it too.

“Oh, that's a pretty one,” he murmurs, and I grin.

“Want to join me?” I ask, and he nods, walking along with me as we survey the ground, gathering more seashells and stones until we have a pile.

Afterwards, we sort through them and keep the prettiest ones for ourselves, discarding the rest.

We do other fun things, including helping little children build sandcastles, fetching water from the sea, or even helping sea turtles make it into the water without being snatched by seagulls.

Time passes quickly, and before we know it, the sun is high in the sky and it's lunchtime.

My stomach grumbles loudly, informing Knox of my state even when I try to keep it hidden.

He glances at me, an amused expression on his face.

“Someone's hungry...”

I blush, lowering my gaze. “Well, we've been playing all morning. I'm bound to work up an appetite.”

He stands to his feet.

“Let's go back to base. We have some snacks prepared,” he says, helping me dust the sand off my body.

I mutter my thanks, then follow him back to where Ronan and Lucas are sitting.

“I see you're back...” Lucas mutters, peeking at us through his sunglasses.

I grin, then sit. “We are. We've been playing all day. What have the two of you been doing?”

“Watching you play,” Ronan answers, his voice straightforward as usual.

My cheeks warm again, but I immediately look away from him, ignoring the flutters in my chest.

“I'm hungry... What's there to eat?”

“There's sandwiches...” Lucas answers, glancing at a huge stack of small containers. “Some cut-up fruits and drinks. Take your pick.”

I nod eagerly, then go through the containers and bring out a sandwich, as well as several fruits and a bottle of water. Knox snatches that from me, so I'm forced to take another one.

Afterwards, I settle down to eat, the surrounding ambience filling the silence between us.

After sating my hunger to a level, I ask the question that has been bugging me for a while now. “By the way, what's going to be happening during the bonding?”

Knox chokes on his sandwich. Ronan and Lucas turn to me, their eyes widening before narrowing considerably.

“Why are you asking that now?” Lucas prods me.

“I don't know...” I mutter in between bites. “I'm just curious. If I'm going to be doing something with you guys soon, I at least need to know what it's about. So, what am I getting into?”

“Nothing much is happening...” Lucas starts slowly, his gaze intense as he stares at me. “We've done it once before during your heat, but that wasn't permanent.”

At the mention of my previous marking, my hand instinctively goes to touch my neck, and I rub against it.

An indescribable warmth blooms within me, so vastly different from the sun shining down on us.

The mark has long since faded, but the sensation still lingers. The alphas never fail to catch that reaction, and something in their eyes darkens before they blink and it vanishes once more.

“So... what did you do?” I ask, bringing our focus back to the topic at hand.

“We'll mark you once more and this time ensure the mark stays permanent. You'll also be able to go through the same with us too.”

My eyes bulge out of their sockets. “I get to mark you too?” I ask, surprised.

“Of course... Why wouldn't you?”

“That's not all...” Ronan growls. “After we mark you, your scent will be altered. That way, everyone in the werewolf world will know you're ours.”

“Pretty neat, don't you think?” Knox pipes up from beside me, and a shudder runs through my spine.

Intimacy with them is already earth-shattering and overwhelming. Now I have to experience them with the act of marking and being bonded to them...

A low heat pools in my stomach just at the thought of it.

To them, I say, “Yeah, it sounds pretty cool.”

Then, more quietly, I add, “What about the council? Would they approve of such a union?”

“To hell with the council and whatever it is that they think,” Ronan curses, his eyes flashing with anger.

His fierce rebuttal makes something warm bloom in my chest. My hand tightens on my sandwich.

“Besides, you don't need to worry about that. Let that be our problem to take care of, alright?”

“Okay...” I say, nodding.

I continue with my meal, eating quietly and enjoying the crowd until I'm full.

And soon enough, my favorite curse arrives. I start feeling drowsy and need a place to nap.

“Here, rest on my shoulder,” Ronan offers, and I look at him in surprise.

“I'm fine...” I say quickly, refusing his offer.

He tilts his head to the side, and I keep mute.

Standing to my feet, I make my way toward him, my heart pounding in my chest.

I sit next to him and gingerly lay my head on his shoulder, unable to relax.

Soon the tension eases off, and I grow lax, my eyelids fluttering closed.

I give in to the exhaustion clawing at me and fall into a light sleep.

By the time I jerk awake, it's already late afternoon, but the beach is still as crowded as ever, with more people having fun.

I clean the fairy dust from my eyes, stretching my stiff muscles as I sit up.

“Had a great nap?” Lucas asks, his gaze lingering on me as I glance around the beach.

“Yeah... Was I out for long?” I ask, my voice still hoarse.

He shakes his head.

“Not really,” he mutters, and I let out a sigh, collecting the bottle of water Ronan hands to me and taking several sips, muttering my thanks.

“Are we going in now?” I ask aloud, and Lucas shrugs.

“Not if you don't want to.”