Chapter 149: A Mating Mark

"Oh, come on," Ronan shot back. "You really think I can’t tell a mating mark when I see one? We both saw Tobias’ when his appeared, remember? That small sun-spot thing on his shoulder? Looked like a burn at first but then it shimmered. And Sam’s was identical. The same moons surrounding yours surround theirs only that theirs is just one and their mark is tiny while yours is bigger but it’s it. I’m sure of it."

"That doesn’t mean..."

"And don’t even start pretending you forgot Brynhild’s and Lysander’s. The twin marks. The priestess herself said they appeared the night their bond sealed. Same faint glow. Same pattern of lunar rings."

Orion finally turned to face him fully, folding his arms across his chest. "You’re telling me I’ve got a mating mark?"

"No I’m saying it looks like one." Ronan said with an eye roll. "Of course I’m telling you you have a mating mark right above your butt."

"I’d know if I was mated," Orion replied flatly. "There’s supposed to be... I don’t know, something. A...a light consuming both of us. At least that’s what the others say isn’t it?"

Ronan’s mouth curved into a slow grin. "Well maybe you didn’t notice because you were obviously occupied with something else or rather someone else and also your pleasure?"

Orion glared. "You’re enjoying this far too much."

"Oh, I’m having the time of my life," Ronan admitted. "My best friend is fucking mated and he didn’t even realize it. Just tell me something."

"What?" Orion asked him.

"This mysterious woman who you refuse to tell me her name...it wasn’t Holly right because that’s the only reason I can think of you hiding her name from me. Not that I’ll be offended but just know I’ll probably resign from my position. That girl doesn’t like me at all. She only even spoke with me when you guys were dating because we are like brothers."

That made Orion actually laugh. A low, rough sound that filled the room. "If it were Holly, this mark would’ve appeared years ago, idiot."

"Good," Ronan said, mock wiping his brow. "Because I really can’t imagine Holly as our leader. She’d kill us all before breakfast."

"She’d certainly try." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Ronan chuckled, then turned serious again. "So... who was it?"

Orion was still in doubts about having a mark on his back. A mark he wasn’t even aware of. It couldn’t be. He should have noticed something last night. He searched the house for anything that could serve as a mirror. He had one somewhere, he was sure of it. Serena had insisted he get one one time when he was little and walked around the pack with his hair pointing in all directions. The pack members had a field day with that one.

Orion stopped. For a long moment, he stood there in silence, his back to Ronan. Then he noticed the mirror on the same desk he had Sophia on last night.

He held the mirror and tried to position it so he could see the mark himself. Ronan watched him with a shake of his head and collected the mirror from Orion.

He positioned it so Orion could see the reflection of his lower back.

And there it was.

The mark gleamed faintly against his skin, a silver crescent surrounded by tiny, luminous moons, delicate yet distinct. It pulsed faintly, like it had its own heartbeat. It was like a tattoo but also more than that. The mark reminded him of the face paint they had during the festival.

Orion was quiet as he stared at the mark.

Ronan watched him from the side, his grin fading into a quieter awe. "You see it, right?"

"I see it," Orion said softly. His voice was low, unreadable.

"It’s... beautiful, honestly. I don’t know how you got so fucking lucky to have something as beautiful as that. Mine better be more beautiful."

Orion’s eyes were still on the mark, a thousand thoughts chasing each other through his head. He’d seen markings before. Seen them fade and bloom with bloodlines, the kind said to connect souls. But this...this was on him.

Ronan broke the silence again. "You sure you didn’t notice anything weird last night?"

Orion exhaled through his nose. "Define weird."

"I don’t know...flashes of light? Energy? Voices from the Moon Goddess saying, ’Surprise, you’re mated now’?"

Orion shot him a flat look. "You do know the moon goddess wouldn’t even speak with me right? What makes you think I’d hear her voice?"

Ronan shrugged his shoulders. "How am I supposed to know? I’m just trying to understand how you didn’t notice anything that’s all."

Orion didn’t answer. Instead he picked up his tunic and continued dressing. He felt Noctis stir in him. Noctis had been quiet since dawn and even the previous night with only a few sounds of appreciation and Orion had thought nothing of it.

Ronan leaned against the table, crossing his arms. "So, what now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you giing to tell me who it is?" Ronan asked him.

Orion gave him a look but he couldn’t hold it in, he was kind of glad that something like this happened. And he was even more glad it was Sophia. He could not imagine feeling this way for her and then getting mated to someone else.

"The only thing you get to know is that it’s not Holly." Orion told him.

Ronan laughed and wiggled his brows. "I think I know who it is, and quite frankly, I think I approve that is if it doesn’t end up biting us in the butt."

Orion understood Ronan’s words perfectly. They still had no idea who Sophia really was. She was covered in ambiguity. But the universe had deemed it that they belong together.

Orion took a deep breath as he finished dressing then asked the one person he knew would have the answer to his question.

"Did you know about this?" He asked Noctis who sighed deeply then yawned before answering Orion.