Darian's POV
I dropped back as she requested, without a word, watching while she held her hand, blowing continuously at it, and I could do nothing.
"Perhaps let me get you the pack's doctor," I said, after watching for a minute and realizing how useless I was to my mate's plight.
I was pulling the door when her voice, heavy with disdain, froze me to the spot, the doorknob colder against my palm, as cold as her words.
"I don't need a doctor," she said. "I am fine."
"I don't think you are completely. That seemed nearly like a nasty burn," I said.
"No, it isn't," she retorted. She dropped her hands and feigned a look of wellness. "I don't need a doctor. What I need, Darian, is the truth." She demanded.
The truth. I thought, the word repeating itself in a loop in my head. I wished I could offer the truth, but I can't. I had no idea how she would react knowing she had become untouchable because of me. "Like I said, Selara, it is our mate—"
"Don't give me that bullshit, Darian. We both know that's a big lie." She snapped, teeth clenching not from rage but from pain. No matter how hard she tried to hide the pain from me, she just couldn't. "Tell me what I need to know, Darian. Why is this happening? Is this thing wrong with you or with me? Is it just that you can't touch me and I can't touch you, or can't we touch and be touched by other people too?"
I still didn't understand the full extent of the curse, so I couldn't say, but I figured since this has to be with just our bond alone, then it should be limited to us. It was just a theory, though, but it seemed very plausible. "I think it is limited to you and me alone. We can touch other people," I said.
Her gaze grew searching again, centering hard on me. They trapped me. "So is it you or I, or is it both of us?"
"It's both of us. And like I have told you, it is a condition that rose because of our bond. It should burn off in a few days or so. And then we can touch."
She folded her arms over her chest now, gaze still searching, studying me like I was a specimen in a lab she was about to dissect. "Why do I feel like you are lying again?"
"And why would I lie?" I retorted.
"I don't know," she hissed softly. "Maybe because you have never been truthful with me since this alliance started."
I walked back into the room now, forcing my gaze to be centered on her face and definitely not go lower. I couldn't afford to. I would be forced to want her more, and I might be tempted to touch her so much that I might try.
I wore back my bored, unserious look, and I strolled back into the room. "Why would I lie to you, Selara? I also look forward to touching my mate. Hence, there is no reason for me to keep anything from you."
"First, I'll advise you to have no expectations. You will only be setting yourself up for a heartbreak because nothing can ever happen between us, and secondly—"
"We are mates," I said, cutting her short, swiftly switching the subject. "So you are the one not being realistic. You are bound to love me as I am bound to love. Neither of us have a choice in this matter."
"We do. Mate links are not completely permanent. They can be broken with the help of a powerful witch. All we just have to do is find one." She said. "And besides, that isn't---"
"Unfortunately for you, Selara. I don't fancy breaking our bond. Hence, ours will be permanent." I gave her a patronizing grin.
It riled her up as I'd expected. She stepped past the sofas, moving closer to me. "That decision isn't just for you to make, Darian."
"Neither is it for you to make either. No one is breaking our bond. We are fated to be together, and hence we are going to be. You better start learning to love me," I said, trying my best not to sound angry. As much as I was happy the conversation had drifted from the curse, I wasn't particularly happy where it was going now.
"That can never happen." She retorted. "There is no way I can love you, Darian. You are a rogue Alpha. You have no friends or alliances. The only thing you have are enemies, plenty of them."
I upped the wattage of my grin. I didn't plan to make it condescending to her, but I couldn't entirely help it. "A lot can happen, even in a short time. You might come to love me so much even you will wonder how it happened. Never say never, love. Just give it time." My upper lip lifted in calculated mock. And before the conversation could drift again, I pulled open the door and stepped out. I tried to close it gently, but I must have underestimated my rage, because the door screamed with a loud bang behind me.
The thunderous noise reverberated, echoing continuously after me, as I strolled down the corridor.
My face crunched tight in a frown, and I nearly punched a hole into the wall near me. This was proving to be far more than I bargained. First, I couldn't touch her. Now I have to also deal with her decision to break our bond. To hell, I am letting her do anything to our fucking bond.