TBMA [Complete ✔️]

31. Bond

Rosalie's P.O.V

Fireworks erupted in the night sky, notifying us of the start of the new year. As soon as he heard them go off, Zane grasped my chin, guiding my lips to his.

The fireworks crackling into the night were forgotten, not nearly as intense as those dancing across my skin after his touch. With his mouth on mine and his thumb stroking my cheek, it was safe to say the years had never started as great as this one.

We sat there, on the grass, limbs intertwined, pouring our hearts and souls into the kiss we refused to break apart. His teeth gently bit my lower lip, causing me to gasp. Zane took that as an opportunity to shove his tongue in my mouth, letting it dance in perfect rhythm with mine.

Then, when we were near passing out and my lips were swollen, and stung, we finally pulled apart, though just to get some air. My mate's arm rested on the small of my back, guiding my body until my head rested on his shoulder, our chests raising and falling as we stared ahead, the territory beneath us.

We watched as lights flickered on and off in houses and clubs, as wolves cheered loudly, perhaps having had a couple more drinks, stronger than usual, not caring about any of it. The two of us were simply in our own little bubble, among the quiet and peace this little spot brought to us.

I inhaled, letting my lungs fill with the fresh air, and my mind clear. My mate's scent hit my nostrils, wrapping me in a safe hug, letting me know I was home, I was safe.

"Rosie?" Zane nudged me, a lazy smile plastered on his full lips. I gave him a sheepish one of my own, not realizing I had gotten this stuck in my thoughts. He laughed, shaking his head, the adoration he had for me so evident in his eyes it almost knocked the breath out of my lungs, again.

"Yeah?" I breathed, my voice coming out weird and airy. "What?" I poked him when he just kept staring at me instead of answering.

"I love you!" He admitted.

Three simple words, a flutter of butterflies in my tummy, an imaginable sense of happiness. It seemed, with that one sentence, he sparked me back to life, healed what he hadn't broken, took us to a point there was no returning from.

"I love you too!" I murmured, our lips again moving against the other, tongues dancing, savoring the words we had just uttered to one another for the first time and will forever continue to do so until we memorize the exact movements it takes our mouths.

Zane pulled away with a playful bite to my lower lip, l*****g the drop of blood that tried to trail down my chin. He then continued his assault of mouth against skin, his lips inspecting every inch of my chin, jaw, and neck, leaving red marks along it.

They would be hard to hide, especially from the prying eyes of nosy werewolves, but I couldn't find it in me to care.

I panted for air as my mate bit into my neck again, moving closer and closer to the spot that was supposed to carry his mark. I didn't feel ready for it before, and perhaps I wasn't ready for it now, not if it was anyone else's but the blue-eyed, funny, amazing wolf in front of me, willing to take me to a spot only for us, ready to kiss my doubts away. If it was with him, I knew now, I would do anything.

His beautiful eyes sparkled with hope and love as they silently begged me for permission, as they silently pleaded for their owner to be allowed to make me officially his.

I nodded, my own eyes sparkling with love. Love for him. Love I never believed I'd get to experience, one, I had given up on before I was even able to look it in the eye.

He stayed still for another second, letting me change my mind, letting me pull away, but I didn't. Not wasting another moment, Zane's canines extended, piercing through my flesh. I bit my lip to stop myself from screaming as pain enveloped my being and I felt a warm trickle of blood drip down my shoulder before the discomfort settled and turned into bliss.

I sighed contently as my mate continued working on his mark before sealing the wound closed. He pulled back with a smug grin, admiring his creation, while my own canines extended and I pierced them into his marking spot, making him mine just as he had made me his.

We both shuddered as our bodies fell to the ground, fingers intertwined as we stared at the stars.

The fireworks outside had long since subsided, the world going back to how it was, but the sparks between Zane and I only intensified, igniting a fire in their wake.

I stared at his mark as he stared at mine, our gazes then traveling back up to our faces. Grins curled on our lips as reality set in.

"A merman wouldn't have been able to do that, would he?" He asked, smirking. I scoffed, not realizing he still remembered that glass of water I had, proudly, may I add, dumped on him.

"Not intimidated by fish, are we?" I snickered, shrieking as he suddenly appeared on top of me, his elbows caging me in and holding his weight, so it wouldn't crush me.

"No reason to be. You're not caring no fish's mark!" He replied smugly, pecking his work, then my forehead, before trying to roll off of me.

I didn't let him.

***

We completed the mate bond, both by marking and mating in one night, and though it took us longer than usual, our souls eventually found their way to each other, finally connecting with their missing pieces.

"You wanna see one more surprise?" Zane asked, gaining my attention. I lifted my head off the grass, just enough so I could watch as he walked back to the car and pulled something out of the trunk.

Catching my attention fully now, I propped myself up on my elbows, eyes eagerly drinking him in.

"Close your eyes, Angel!" He warned, hiding whatever he was holding behind his back. I pouted as he repeated himself, resting my head back against the ground and closing my eyes as instructed.

I listened in as his footsteps grew closer until he sat next to me and helped me up.

"You can open!" My eyes eagerly snapped open, mouth hanging wide in surprise at his thoughtfulness.

In front of me sat two clear jars, decorated with small lights that sparkled in the wake of the dark night sky. Inside the jars fluttered light blue butterflies, much like those inside my belly whenever he looked at me with that smile of his.

Zane's eyes were wide with excitement as he watched me asses his surprise, grinning wildly when he saw my face light up in a smile.

"We'll release the butterflies and make a wish as we do so! That way, they can carry it around and whisper it to the world until it comes true!" He explained.

"Zane, this is amazing!" I gushed, my voice coming out airy from excitement.

"I know!" My mate grinned playfully.

He stretched out his legs and made space for me to sit in between them, his arms resting around my stomach as his head lazily lay on my shoulder. Each one of us grabbed our jar and closed our eyes, thinking over our wish.

"I wish to always be as loved and happy as I am today!" I mouthed, my words hanging in the air but remaining unheard by my mate. When he was ready with his as well, the two of us gently unscrewed the lids and watched as the butterflies flew away.

Our gazes followed them for as long as they could until eventually the flutter of small wings was no longer seen or heard.

"I wish it could always be like this!" I whispered as I rested my body against my mate's.

"Like what?" I could almost hear him smiling, feel his eyes as they watched me. I shrugged.

"Happy. Together." His fingers wrapped themselves around my hair, playing with it gently.

"Who's to say it wouldn't always be like this?"

I thought about it, a lazy smile stretching across my lips again as my body fully sank against his.

"You're right, it will."

"There's a lot waiting for us out there." He mused. "Work, a lot of work, you'll graduate and I'll watch proudly and kiss you when you get off the stage, you'll move in with me and make the suite less empty, we'll start working together to better the pack, have our own little pack..." He sighed into the night, not finishing his sentence. Perhaps there wasn't anything to finish. What he said was exactly what I had secretly longed for.

"A pack of our own, you say?" He hummed.

"A little girl with your nose and silky hair for our first, then we'll give her a brother with my humor, and just enough other pups for me to be the dad with a minivan." I laughed at the image in front of my eyes.

"You've really thought into this, haven't you?"

"You have no idea, Angel!" I craned my neck to look at him, pecking him on the lips before sinking into his comfort again.

"Good thing, then, that I'd like nothing more than to see you drive a minivan!"

We continued to talk for a little while, making plans and sharing memories. Now that we were marked, there was no escaping the other, meaning we were free to talk about a future. To dream of it.

I could almost feel it, see it, a little girl running around with Zane's paperwork while he chased her, coming to me for help while I held a little boy in my arms.

Suddenly, if it meant that this was the life I was going to have, talking to my brother about us, about our bond, didn't seem as scary as it used to.

Pulling me out of my thoughts, my mate picked me up, ignoring my protest as he sat me in the car before going back to pick up anything we may have left behind.

When he was sure the place was the same as when we'd arrived, he sat in his own seat and started the car, his one hand resting on my thigh and caressing it softly.

"Sleep." He murmured. " I'll wake you when we get there!"

I knew he wouldn't, our previous times together proving that much. He had driven the car all night just so I could sleep, before I even knew what I wanted from the bond.

When strong arms eventually wrapped around me, I knew I had been right.

I mumbled something about him letting me go before snuggling more into him, seeking his warmth. He laughed quietly, barely loud enough for me to hear in my drowsy state.

My mate continued to carry me throughout the house and up the stairs, the clicking of a lock letting me know he was taking me to his suite. He then locked the door back up and set me on the bed, putting a pillow behind my back.

"Do you want to change into something more comfortable?" He asked, to which I just shook my head and tried to slip under the covers. Zane prompted me back up and sighed.

"Can I?" I didn't know what he was talking about until I felt his hands around my waist, tugging softly at the material of my dress. I nodded with a small smile, pleasantly surprised that even after he saw every inch of me, he still asked before helping me out of my clothes.

He took the dress off, to my surprise not struggling with it at all, unlike me, and put me in one of his T-shirts and a pair of shorts before kissing my forehead and covering me with a blanket.

If I didn't know before, I definitely knew that I made the right choice to mark him, now.

A/N

Hi, Treasures! Make sure you join my F-a-c-e-b-o-o-k group Teddy's Treasures for extra content and discussions! A picture of the jar with the butterflies is up on there in case you need a visual! Zane and Rose are marked now, yay!