THE UNTAMED

THE BOND

"The feeling was too strong to ignore. I was sure I’d been shocked, yet he didn’t let go of my hand. Slowly, the jolt softened into a warm tingling that spread through me. It traveled from my fingers to my chest, deep into my soul. Our eyes met, and he kept looking at me... steady, intense, and impossible to escape." Mom says

"A soulmate bond. It connects the two of you every time you touch him. Have you ever felt that with anyone else in your life?" Jolina asks.

"No, never." Mom replied.

"And did you feel the tingles every time you touched him?"

"Yes, every time," Mom admits.

"Could you sense him before he came into the room?"

"Of course, I could smell him." Mom tells her.

"Do you have that ability with anyone else you have ever met?"

"Sometimes, I have this uncanny ability to perceive my daughter's presence. It's like an intuitive sense that allows me to locate her within our home. It's not exactly a scent, more like a subtle sensation, although it doesn't possess the same intensity as it did with her father." Mom said.

If what she's saying is true, then that is exactly how I feel about Marvin. He did tell me I was special. But at first, he refused to touch me.

I continue to listen. I glanced at Marvin. He is looking intently at me. Those powerful eyes are mesmerizing. Jolina turned towards me, then asked, "Abby Jezz, have you ever felt any of these things?"

Should I answer her? She must know the truth. What would Mom say? I can't hide this. I look at Marvin, and he nods his head.

"Yes," I simply state.

Mom looks at me with wide eyes. Then she immediately looked at Marvin. An uncomfortable silence permeates the room. Mom took my hand.

"What have you experienced, sweetie?" Mom asked.

"I can smell Marvin from pretty far away. I thought maybe it was just his cologne. But then I started feeling sick when I wasn't near him. Headaches and sleepless nights. I only have an appetite when he's close. I'm anxious, and my thinking is cloudy until I walk into his classroom." I tell them honestly.

"What about the tingles?" Mom added.

"I don't know; he won't touch me!" I said this with a little irritation in my voice. Mom giggles and then squeezes my hand.

"It took your father two weeks to touch me. I thought I must have leprosy or something."

I chuckled at that, then our attention turned to Marvin. It seemed like he had something to clarify. He just leaned back and stayed quiet. The rest of us fell silent, waiting for Marvin to come clean, until he did.

"From the moment Abby Jezz entered my classroom, I felt an undeniable connection with her. I made a conscious effort to avoid looking at her or being physically close, knowing that these actions only intensified our bond. Despite my precautions, I couldn't prevent the inevitable. By the time I returned home that evening, I could already sense the effects of our connection taking hold, and I knew she must be feeling it too. It pained me to think of her suffering, as the strength of our bond directly correlated with the discomfort we experienced. My mother and I were puzzled by how quickly it had all transpired, considering we hadn't even made physical contact."

Now I just realize that was his purpose. Aside from that, Marvin is really a gentleman. Okay.

"I asked my twin brother to keep her as close as possible so that she wouldn't be in pain. They took her into my classroom at lunchtime. Then they took her over for dinner. We were trying to figure out what could have triggered our deep connection. A profound link was the only way the pull could have been that strong so soon. It was last night that we realized it was because of our connection to you and Robert. Our bond started while you were still pregnant with Abby Jezz."

I had so many questions that came to mind. It's normal for people to feel anything, but this time, I know what I really felt, but I am still confused by the term "connections." a strong bond? I didn't want to interrupt him. He continued.

"When Robert died, it severed your connection. But the death of your soulmate is incredibly significant. Some people have died from the pain. I know it must have been horrible. I think that having a piece of him with you helped. Your daughter was your savior. My mom's pregnancy with the twins helped her. She is also an incredibly strong and resilient person,"

Marvin said it with pride. He looked at his mom and smiled.

"This is unbelievable. If I hadn't experienced the pain myself, I don't know if I would believe it. We had to tell you as soon as possible. I don't want Abby Jezz to suffer. I needed her to understand her feelings a little more, and mine." Marvin added.

"So what do we do?" I asked.

"That will be up to you and Solidad," Jolina said.

Mom take a deep breath.

"Well, obviously you need to stay near each other. Ideally, you should at the very least see one another every day. That will help ease the pain slightly. But the more time that passes, the harder it will be to stay apart. The pull will eventually be too much." Jolina told us.

"I remember it very well. I had to be with Robert. It was almost like an obsession. I couldn't think straight when we weren't together. I thought I was losing my mind about being with Robert. But now I understand it. I wish he had explained it to me." Mom tells us.

"So, it's not a blessing; it's more like a curse. You can't leave each other's side ever, or you will get sick and possibly die?" I asked.

"Oh no, sweetie! Not at all. This is just the pull. This feeling will eventually subside substantially. It gets better when you...." Jolina stop.

"When?”

Jolina didn’t answer me right away. She glanced at my mother, then back at me with a knowing look.

“I’m going to let you speak privately with Marvin about that,” she said gently.

The words should have comforted me, but it didn’t. Instead, I'm being frustrated regarding what they are thinking. My thoughts tangled into each other. What if this isn’t love? What if what I feel is only admiration… fascination… something forced by fate instead of choice?

I wanted to help everyone, to fix this situation, yet I didn’t even understand my own heart. Mom and Jolina quietly excused themselves, their footsteps fading as the door closed behind them. The room felt suddenly smaller, like the air itself was watching us.

Marvin sat on the couch across from me, his posture straight, his attention completely on me. His eyes never left my face. I felt the urge to reach out, to slip my fingers into his, and ground myself in his warmth.

My hand twitched at my side. But he didn’t move.

Not away, just… holding himself back. And somehow, that restraint hurt more than distance.

“Abby Jezz,” he finally said, as if every word mattered. “I want you to know something.”

He inhaled slowly, like he was steadying himself.

“You already mean more to me than anything… or anyone.” His jaw tightened. “You are my soulmate. I’ve waited for you longer than you realize. When I first saw you, I couldn’t breathe. I kept thinking, how can someone be this beautiful and this brilliant? I felt like I didn’t deserve to stand in the same room as you.”

My heart pounded so loudly I was sure he could hear it.

“I will love you,” he continued, emotion slipping through his calm, “and only you, for the rest of our lives. I’m not asking for everything now.” His eyes softened. “I just want the chance. When you turn eighteen… I want to date you. Truly. Will you please consider it?”

There he was.

I swallowed hard. “Mr. Albanzo…” I began, then stopped. Saying his name felt like there is a wall between us.

Still, I continued. “I am considering it. I really am. I have very strong feelings for you.” My hands clenched in my lap. “But I don’t understand how all of this is suddenly… destined for me. I don’t know if what I feel is love or something else. It scares me.”

His expression didn’t change, but his eyes darkened, more intense.

“I want to try,” I said softly.

“I just need to understand. I need to know what’s going to happen to me. Why do I feel sick when you’re not near me? Why does my chest ache like something is missing? And… when will it stop?”

He leaned forward then, elbows resting on his knees.

“It won’t stop,” he said gently. “Not completely.”

My breath caught.

“Because we’re soulmates,” he explained.

“Our bodies and minds are trying to pull us together. You feel it when we’re in the same room, don’t you? That invisible pressure… that heat… like something is tightening around your heart.”

I nodded, "Yes" My throat felt too tight to speak.

“That’s why I know… I need to be sure. That you’re mine and I’m yours.” I lifted my eyes to his.

“When I look into your eyes, I feel it. Like a thread that connecting us.” A faint, almost painful smile touched his lips.

“That’s the bond awakening,” he said. "Eye contact is the first step. We’ve already crossed that line.”

He paused, then added, “There’s more. Over time, we’ll recognize each other by scent. It will guide us. At first, it’s subtle. Later… we could find each other from miles away.”

I shivered, not from fear, but from how real it felt. "I understand,”

But then I remember about last night, when he came to my senses, at home in the balcony. My wolf reacted.

Then the question slipped out before I could stop myself. "Were you outside our house last night?”

His eyes widened.