Chapter 390: 1-3

"When her wolf dies, your wolf will mourn her, it doesn't matter that you've marked Justine, your bond with Kiley will always trump that choosing..." he nodded, Marlon sat there silently, fuming inside long after Hunter left hunched over from my office. "She's never lied to me, not about a single thing," he whispered shaking his head, "And this... oh god, Kiley, how.... What am I supposed to do?" he asked me the pain radiating off him in buckets. "Tell me - Tell me Luna, please... Kiley, you've spent two months here, you've seen her... in two days... she is a ghost... a damn invisible shell of who she was..." he paced. "What do you mean you couldn't break their bond, I mean... is that possible?" he stopped wide-eyed. Thinking of the conversation I had with Mother I tried to give Marlon a type of explanation, "Any change I try to make right now may give the Elders a signal as to where we are, at first I wanted to break bonds. Give everyone who hasn't found their mate - an out-" His face went from anger to horror, "Wait... no," he whispered, but I just raised a brow. "It is a scared bond, why - how can - no-" his head shook from side to side. "I'm - I'm her father but, how could we - you - take that connection many want? That hope others are feeling because they know that there is someone made for them, take that away from them? Lux has been waiting for a mate for years since he worked for your grandfather... to take away that person that is meant for him?" Marlon finally said sitting. "Do you know how alone I was? Before my Helen, on this island - wanting someone... thinking I had missed my chance... praying that my mate wasn't alone out there and then Jason brought her here and my other half was restored-" I would hate to have that taken from anyone, much less those that are like your sisters mate, Kieran... I can't read his mind, but I saw the way he behaved, hiding and sending himself away from everyone, the guilt that he carries at such a young age... now? "How many individuals Luna do you think are carrying guilt and believe they are unworthy, that have mates that will show them how deserving they are? Or how many do you think are like Philip? Following the Elders but then, find their mates and turn away from that lifestyle?" he pleaded with me. Blinking a few times, I shake my head at him, a small smile, "You are aware that I didn't do what I mentioned?" his brown eyes widened, before he nodded stunted. "I don't want to invade Kiley's mind Luna... but... why did she accept that rejection?" he asked after a moment of silence. "What else would she have done? None of this was her choice, he didn't reject her because of how she looks or behaves... nothing about this rejection was based on who she is... what is killing her is having to watch the happiness that was meant for her... on Justine." He nodded.  I didn't know they weren't mates... or that they had come up with this idiotic plan... "He's never going to touch Justine, even if she's in heat..." I pointed out and Marlon cocked his head to the side not understanding my words. "Hunter the moment he tries to...perform... with Justine... is going to feel what Kiley would..." I could see when understanding dawned on him, "So all three of them are going to be in pain," I shrugged. "Justine lied, so yes when in heat I doubt Hunter will be able to be any sort of balm to her. Hunter is carrying his own pain that Kiley would feel, plus her emotional pain, and Kiley is dealing with her emotional pain of her own... so yes...  all three will be in pain." Marlon shook his head, "There is going to be so much... pain," he finally said the words I was waiting to hear, "Because of Hunters statues, Justine's wolf is weaker than Kiley's... but her wolf already considers Hunter's wolf to be her mate..." he stood again, his face going ashen, "Is - is Kiley in danger?" I took a moment to listen to Justine thoughts', "No, she feels remorseful, she doesn't quite understand... but she knows Kiley is in pain... she is torn. Justine won't hurt Kiley, especially after the warning I've given," I answered. "Then - why has Kiley been staying with..." he stopped asking before he even finished the question, "she's sleeping over with Tera and Oakley the last few days to get away from Justine?" he finished empathically. I nodded in assent. When Marlon finally left my office I went to find Gabriel, I knew how Kiley felt, I remembered Gabriel and my beginning, but our ending was different, we had overcome so much together. In bed, I climbed on, and melted into him, inhaling deeply, shuddering, "Handled it?" he murmured as I straddled him and lowered my lips to his. "Mhmm-hmm," I hummed as our kiss turned frenzied, my stomach soaring as I lost myself in my mate. His hands holding onto me, as he kissed me greedily, the air around us sizzling, my skin burned with want. Rolling over he settled on top of me, kissing, nibbling down my neck, lifting himself from me his shirt comes off, and the hardened plane of his chest revealed, his breathing increases. My eyes devoured his body, down his chest, flat sculpted stomach, the shapely 'V' disappearing below his pants, my eyes darted back to his eyes scorching with want, "I love you," I whispered watching as my words dissolved the last bit of control he had, his chest rumbling as he fell down against me. His lips colliding against mine, the rest of the noise around us falls away. . . . Oakley POV