Bonds at War: The Untouched is Mine novel Chapter 243

Chapter 243 Trouble Awaits

Chapter 243 Trouble Awaits

TESSA

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Rowan was up and running again. He carried Calla easily in his arms, her tiny fingers tugging at his collar while she beamed proudly, showing the whole pack her prized treasure.

People greeted him left and right, stopping him with wide smiles, reaching out with their gifts. Bread, baskets of fruit, more vegetables than we could eat in a week-he took them all, balancing them in his arms.

His voice carried warmth, charming as he exchanged words with them, calling them by name, remembering little details about their families and their lives. Calla laughed when someone handed her a small bouquet of wildflowers. Rowan kissed the top of her head with a smile. I, too, couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

He didn’t have his bandages anymore. His skin, though scarred in places, had healed remarkably well, and the lingering stiffness in his movements was almost gone. He was doing much better now, and that was the only reason I allowed him to go out. Or maybe it wasn’t just that. Maybe it was because both Calla and Rowan had given me those puppy eyes that were impossible to resist, silently pleading for me to let them breathe the air outside our small home.

So here he was, and here I was, standing on the edge of the crowd, watching him from afar. The pack seemed to gravitate toward him, their laughter brighter in his presence.

I folded my arms across my chest, and that was when I felt a nudge at my side.

I turned quickly, startled, only to find Noelle standing there with a teasing grin tugging at her lips. Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she inclined her head toward Rowan.

“What?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

She leaned close. “Are you falling in love with him again or what?”

Heat rushed to my cheeks immediately, and I whipped my gaze away from her. “Don’t be ridiculous,” I muttered, but my words lacked conviction even to my own ears.

Noelle chuckled softly, pleased with herself, before drifting away into the crowd, leaving me to stew in her insinuation.

Her words echoed in my mind, louder than they had any right to. Falling in love again.

The truth was, in the back of my mind, there had always been Rowan. I could admit that now.

1/4

12:28 Mon, Sep 15

Chapter 243 Trouble Awaits

40

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He was my mate. My first love. My first kiss. My first everything. No matter how much I tried to bury that, the truth had never truly left me.

He had hurt me more than anyone else could have. I believed a huge part of that reason was because I had loved him more than I had ever loved anyone. The depth of my pain had been born from the depth of my feelings for him.

However, piece by piece, he was rebuilding what he had broken. He wasn’t proving it with grand gestures or empty apologies, but with quiet consistency.

And that question lingered at the back of my mind like a whisper I couldn’t silence-had I ever truly stopped loving Rowan?

I didn’t know. Maybe I didn’t want to know. However, as I stood there, watching him hold Calla as though she were the most precious jewel in the world, as I watched him laugh easily with the people around him, I realized something undeniable.

My heart still raced faster because of him.

***

We had just finished eating lunch, and for the first time in a while, I hadn’t lifted a finger to cook. The people had given us so much food earlier that morning, piling our arms with baskets and bowls, more than enough for a feast. Rowan and Calla had been grinning the whole way home.

Now, the house was quiet. Calla had slipped into her usual after-lunch nap, her soft breaths drifting from the little corner bed. Rowan and I were left with the aftermath-the remnants of a meal we hadn’t even prepared. We stood side by side at the sink, sleeves rolled up, rinsing and scrubbing so we could return them to their rightful owners later.

Rowan elbowed me gently, dipping his fingers in the soapy water before flicking a bubble toward my cheek.

“Rowan,” I muttered, narrowing my eyes at him. “We’re not children anymore.”

“Yeah,” he said easily, a grin tugging at his lips. “We’re not. We even have a child together.”

My head snapped toward him, incredulous. A flush spread across my face, and I quickly looked away, shaking my head.

“I was wrong. You still act like a child.”

He only smirked, turning back to rinse a plate. The bubble still clung to my cheek, so I reached into the water, scooped up a handful of foam, and smeared it right across his jaw.

2/4

12:28 Mon, Sep 15

Chapter 243 Trouble Awaits

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40

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His eyes widened, then narrowed playfully, and before I could retreat, his wet hands were on my forearms, smearing suds up my sleeves.

I gasped. “Rowan!”

The next few minutes dissolved into giggles and shricks as we flicked bubbles and splashed each other like reckless children. The kitchen floor grew wet under our feet, droplets running down our clothes until neither of us looked remotely dignified. My cheeks hurt from laughing so hard.

“Look at you,” I teased breathlessly, brushing suds from my hair. “You’re drenched.”

“You’re one to talk,” he countered, eyes glinting.

Then, with no warning, his arms circled my waist. He lifted me effortlessly against him, and I yelped, grabbing his shoulders to steady myself. My breath hitched as my body pressed flush against his, water dripping from us both.

Our height difference was devastating. I tilted my head back while his gaze searched mine, lingering, softening, before…

He froze.

“Tessa,” he murmured. “Since when has this mark been here?”

My body went still.

I knew immediately what he meant. My hair, usually swept carefully forward, had slipped back in the chaos of our play. The faint discoloration on my skin-the scar of a bond-was visible now, just beneath my right ear.

I bit my lip, guilt flooding me. “It’s… your mark,” I admitted softly.

His breath caught audibly, his eyes widening. I couldn’t tell if it was anger, shock, or something else. I braced myself, uncertain of what he would do.

But then, he bared his neck to me.

“Mark me,” he said without hesitation.

My mouth fell open. “What?”

“I blame myself for everything, Tessa. Everything that happened was because of me. You never did anything wrong.” His eyes locked on mine. “I just want one thing. Mark me too, please.”

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12:29 Mon, Sep 15

Chapter 243 Trouble Awaits

“It’s not even a full moon,” I whispered.

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