Chapter 148


    Forty-Four: Tobias


    Tobias''s P.O.V.


    Thest ce I wanted to be was walking through the city with Natalie on guard duty. I loved my job


    and would do anything to protect our queen. But fuck, I wanted to go back to my woman and celebrate.


    The mark on my neck hadn''t faded overnight, even with my expedited healing. The skin scarred over


    and glinted in the bathroom light as I got ready for the day before sneaking out of the house and


    leaving my sleeping mate in our bed.


    It was real. She had done it.


    I could feel Natalie''s eyes on me all morning, and while I respected her, I also wanted to call in another


    guard to rece me so I could go back and take the honeymoon that Joselin and I hadn''t gotten but


    had earned. As soon as Rona was dealt with, I would be demanding it.


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    ''You smell different.'' Natalie said through the pack link to me. I didn''t care to exin; it was no one''s


    business.


    I kept my chin up as she stared at me, moving closer to sniff me again. A look of horror came over her


    face as she looked down at my neck. Her hand lifted as if she were nning on pulling down the cor


    of my button- up shirt to see my neck before changing her mind and letting it fall to her side in a fist.


    She was probably as shocked as Joselin and I had been, but by the look on her face, I didn''t think she


    understood it was Joselin''s mark.


    Chosen mates marked each other all the time. Joselin being a witch made us think she couldn''t mark


    me back, but we were wrong, and I would wear her mark with pride.


    ''I never would have thought...1 Natalie said again before spinning away from me and going to the next


    store. She had been trying to find something for Killian''s birthday but couldn''t decide. Now, her focus


    appeared to be on me more than her own mate as she kept ncing at me over the shelves in the


    small store.


    It was her tone that was irritating me. She sounded disgusted that I had allowed my mate to mark me. I


    didn''t need to exin myself to her.


    ''You’re very angry this morning,'' Joselin''s voice came through my head, and I felt my shoulder rx. ''I


    know not to talk to you while you''re working, but I wanted to make sure you were okay.''


    Natalie''s eyes narrowed at me again, and I kept my emotions masked as I looked away from her and


    scanned the store. The owners and employees were behind the front counter, over the moon that the


    queen had graced them with a visit. I knew even if Natalie didn''t find a present there, she would still


    buy something to show her support for them.


    ''I am fine, sweetheart.'' I couldn''t help my cheek twitching when I felt her irritation. I knew what she


    wanted to hear and couldn''t help teasing her since she had been asleep when I left. ''Is there something


    that you wanted to talk to me about?


    Natalie walked by me, slowing as she passed. Her fake interest in the knickknacks on shelves closest


    to the wall I stood by was obvious, and I watched her nostrils re as she tried to investigate the


    change in my smell.


    ''No.'' The pout in Joselin''s voice was adorable, and I couldn''t wait to see her face when she noticed that


    her mark was still on me.


    Another she-wolf walking between the aisles approached us, seeming to know precisely what she was


    looking for as she moved with purpose. I watched her closely, examining her to see if she was a


    potential threat until my line of sight was disrupted by Natalie moving to stand in front of me.


    Thomas and George moved closer, prepared to protect their queen, but I shook my head. This woman


    was no threat.


    Natalie let out a growl, turning to her side so her shoulder was facing me before ncing from me to


    the woman with suspicion.


    Oh, this was too good.


    ''Something you want to tell me?'' Natalie asked, holding my stare and forcing me to look away out of


    respect. She seemed angry and very put out, defensive of Joselin. When I refused to answer, she


    picked up a few items before checking out at the front counter.


    I followed behind her as she stormed back to the castle.


    Killian was waiting out front for her with a smirking Joselin by his side. I bit back a groan, knowing


    nothing good woulde of this, not for me, at least. But I could keep my emotions in check long


    enough for Joselin to have her fun.


    Natalie stormed up to Killian, pressing a harsh kiss to his lips before turning back to re at me as


    Joselin stepped forward.


    Thomas and George backed away, making themselves scarce as they waited to see if they were still


    needed.


    "I will never get over how good you look in a suit.’ Joselin purred, strutting toward me. I knew better


    than to assume she had good intentions. Still, I couldn''t help but enjoy her touch as she wrapped her


    arms around my neck and pressed her body against mine.


    Fuck, she felt good.


    I met her halfway as she pushed up on her toes to greet me with a kiss.


    The sound of a throat clearing made me want to growl, but I was in no ce to do so when the noise


    hade from the furious queen only a few feet away.


    Joselin pulled away, a look of mischief in her eyes as she hugged me tightly and shoved her face into


    my neck. Her body stilled, and she pulled back slowly. Natalie was still ring a hole into the side of my


    head, and I ignored her as I held Joselin''s hips to mine, looking down at the incredible woman before


    me.


    ''What are you up to, sweetheart?''


    The corners of her mouth twitched as she bit back her smile, and she moved her hands to the front of


    my chest before pulling down my cor, exposing her mark.


    Natalie gasped when she saw it, but Joselin was beaming with pride. I watched as her eyelids lowered


    and the knots and runes on her skin vibrated excitedly. Her smell grew stronger, and my hold on her


    hips tightened as I restrained myself from throwing her over my shoulder and taking her back to our


    house.


    "What the fuck is this, Tobias? Are you kidding me?" Joselin snapped, her nails digging into my chest


    deliciously.


    ''You''re begging for a punishment, sweetheart.'' I purred into our bond and watched as goosebumps


    rose along her skin. She didn''t respond to me as she moved my shirt further down and ran her finger


    over my mark.


    "Maybe you should take this inside to be more private.” Natalie offered, but neither Josie nor I looked


    up at her. Queen or not, she didn''t seem to understand what was happening here, and Joselin was


    getting a kick out of it.


    My woman was ying a game, a dangerous game. One that I would win, no matter the oue.


    "You let someone mark you?" Joselin''s voice wavered, and I scowled down at her, keeping my hold on


    her hips as she pretended to fight me off to get away.


    Tm going to make your ass so fucking red for doing this.''


    She licked her lips at my promise, but she wanted more. "I can''t believe, after everything we have been


    through, that you would do this. I''m going to kill any woman who dares to touch you. Do you not


    understand that you belong to me? How could you?"


    ''You''re not going to be able to sit when I''m done with you.'' My eyes burned as I felt my beasting


    forward, and I moved my hands around to her lower back.


    "Please,e inside. I think this should be a private conversation." Natalie said weakly, the panic in


    her voiceughable. She had been openly angry at me for the past hour, but now she sounded worried.


    "No one besides me should ever touch you,” Joselin stated, her finger pressing harder into her mark as


    she continued to circle it.


    I nodded as her body rxed slightly, allowing me to grab a thick strand of her hair and wrap it around


    my finger, pulling on it softly. A warning.


    "No one should ever have their mouth on you besides me." She stated again. The excitement flooding


    between us had me worried. I couldn''t tell if it was because she was happy that her mark stayed or if


    something else was running in her beautifully wicked mind.


    Once again, I nodded. This woman owned me as much as I owned her. No one should touch her, and I


    would rather rip their throat out than let another woman touch me.


    ''You love seeing your mark on me, don''t you?''


    Her re shot up from my mark to meet my eyes. Oh, there was a challenge there. One that had me


    reluctantly growing hard in my pants.


    "I think that if you are wearing a mark,'' She leaned in, her lips brushing against my jaw. "That it should


    be mine."


    My head fell back as shetched onto my neck, her teeth biting down into my skin and making me


    curse out loud. "Fuck!"


    Wave after wave of pleasure shot through me as I tightly held my mate to my front. Her perfect breasts


    pressed against my chest, and her handsced into my hair to keep me in ce. I was throbbing for


    her, dying for her. I wanted to rip our clothes off and sink into her to feel her warmth wrapped around


    me.


    It took every ounce of my willpower not to cum in front of everyone as my woman publically imed


    me.


    "Well, shit.’ Thomasughed, the sound of him smacking his knee bringing me back to the present. "He


    can talk."


    Joselin pulled back, running her tongue over my mark before cing a wet kiss under my jaw. I could


    smell the blood, but she didn''t seem to mind as she leaned back. "That''s better."


    "It''s your mark? I thought it was...But you''re... This is incredible!'' Natalie eximed, holding Killian''s


    hand as she grabbed his bicep and shook it. The smile on her face made himugh, and I turned back


    to my mate. I knew what she had thought. From the res she had sent my way, she had assumed


    that another had marked me.


    ''Are you ready for your punishment?'' With one eyebrow lifted, I watched as she shivered, her lips


    pursed together.


    "Let''s go home." She whispered, and the world faded around us.


    The empty white canvas we passed through was significantly moreforting than the darkness she


    used to deal with, and I was proud that she had mastered it. It flickered once, and I looked down at my


    mate in my arms. Her eyes were closed, and the skin between her eyebrows was scrunched as she


    tried to focus.


    "Josie," I whispered, not wanting to break her concentration. This was the longest we had staying in the


    in-between, and she had never had to focus this hard on it before.


    Instead of fading in, the work flickered around us, like it had when she had used the darkness to travel.


    My eyes widened when I saw that we had only moved a few feet in the courtyard and in the wrong


    direction.


    Her eyes opened, and she looked terrified as her body went limp in my arms.