Chapter 165: What Next?

Sophia pointed toward the table.

"There should be one there." She told him.

Orion followed her direction and walked toward it. The firelight flickered across his bare back, catching the faint shimmer of the mark there the same one that was now mirrored on her skin.

He picked up the mirror and angled it so she could see the glow on her back.

Sophia turned slightly, her breath catching the moment she saw it.

Her reflection was haloed in soft, silvery light the mark pulsing across her skin. It looked ethereal, alive in ways she couldn’t fully grasp. Her heart stuttered as she took it in, the elegant lines curling down her spine, the faint ripple of the mark that moved like they were breathing.

It was beautiful.

Her fingers trembled as she reached up, brushing the edges of the glowing mark. It felt warm under her touch steady, constant, like it had been there all along, only waiting to be seen. How she had missed it, she had no idea.

She exhaled slowly. "It’s... beautiful," she whispered, more to herself than to him. Her chest felt too full, like something inside her was expanding beyond what she could hold.

Behind her, Orion nodded. "And it suits you too."

Sophia swallowed, still staring at her back. "Why does it have to be on our backs, though?" she asked suddenly, her voice louder now, tinged with genuine confusion. "Like, why there? Why not somewhere more...normal like our shoulders or..."

Orion snorted, amusement flashing across his face. "You think I know?"

She twisted slightly to glance at him. "You’re the Alpha. You’re supposed to know these things."

He laughed, low and amused. "I may know how to fight and run away from paperwork and Daniel and many other things but I have little knowledge about mating marks."

Sophia rolled her eyes, but her lips curved into a small smile. "So, you don’t know anything?"

"About why it’s there? Nope. But I’ll ask Noctis though, maybe he’ll know."

Sophia nodded as a small silence settled between them. The silence was warm. The faint crackle of the fire filled the space.

Then Orion’s expression shifted. He set the mirror gently onto the table beside them and turned back to her.

"So," he said, voice low but even. "What happens now?"

Sophia blinked, taken off guard. "What do you mean?"

He tilted his head slightly, watching her. "You know what I mean. We’re mated now. That’s... not something small."

She hesitated, looking away from his eyes. "That’s your decision to make, isn’t it?" she said softly. "You’re the Alpha. It’s your choice if you want this or not."

He frowned, a crease forming between his brows. "You think this is just my decision?"

She shrugged faintly, her voice almost a whisper. "You can have anyone you want, Orion. I’m not..."

He didn’t let her finish. In two steps, he was in front of her. His hand came up, his fingers brushing her chin, gently turning her face toward his.

"Don’t," he said, voice low and steady.

Sophia blinked. "Don’t what?"

"That," he murmured. "That thing you just did...acting like you don’t matter. Like you’re an afterthought in your own story."

Her lips parted slightly, but he wasn’t done.

"Stop trying to make yourself smaller, Sophia." His voice deepened, the faint command beneath it not harsh but grounding. "You’re not some convenience I stumbled into. You have the upper hand here. If anyone should be deciding anything...it’s you."

Her brows knit together. "What are you talking about?"

"I’m talking about the fact that if you don’t want this bond, I’ll understand," he said, eyes locking on hers. "Not the other way around. Because I..." He paused, the faintest smirk tugging at his lips. "I actually like that we’re mated."

Sophia froze, caught between disbelief and something softer, something she didn’t want to name yet. But it filled her with warmth. She liked the fact that they were mated too. And it was a bonus seeing how beautiful the mark was.

He continued, quieter now. "But you need to understand. If you want to reject this...rejection isn’t just words. There are consequences for breaking a mating bond. For some, it feels like being ripped apart from the inside. Like dying while still breathing. And I don’t want you to be in pain although the person who rejects it wouldn’t be in much pain compared to the other person but I’m stronger so..." He let the words die down and shrugged his shoulders.

Sophia blinked once. Twice. Then, suddenly,

she laughed.

Orion frowned, confusion etched on his face. "Did I miss the joke?"

Her laughter was soft, breathy, but real. "No," she said between small giggles. "It’s just... this whole thing. You..standing there all serious, talking about dying and soul bonds, it’s absurd. We went from talking about how beautiful the mark is to this?"

He narrowed his eyes, though the corner of his mouth twitched. "You’re impossible."

She grinned. "That’s not news."

The silence that followed wasn’t uncomfortable it was charged, alive with something neither of them dared to name.

Then she sighed softly, glancing back toward the mirror. "For the record," she said, her voice quiet now, "I’m not planning to reject it. The bond, I mean."

Orion blinked in surprise. "You’re not?"

"Why do you sound so surprised?" She asked him.

"That’s because I am. I thought you’d reject it. I thought maybe..."

"I’d run or start telling you a thousand reasons why this is wrong?" She asked him with a small smile.

Orion nodded as he swallowed.

She turned to look at him again, expression soft but steady. "Would I look this calm if I were panicking about being soul-bound to an overbearing Alpha?"

He just stared at her.

"I kind of like it that it’s you. And besides who am I to go against the moon goddess? There must be a reason why she made us mates. And I admit that I’m a bit nervous because I have no idea how this is going to go but...I’m not going to reject it Orion. I don’t want to see you suffer from that much pain."

Orion just stared then cleared his throat. "Who’d have thought you’d care this much about me?"

She rolled her eyes at him.

Orion chuckled, low and warm, before his voice softened. "I’m not rejecting it either. And honestly, I was kind of scared that you would reject it."

She arched a brow. "You? Scared?"

"Yes."

She laughed at him. "Awwn, the big bad ogre is scared of a shorty like me."

Orion smirked. "I knew you liked that name." He said and she chuckled.

"Since we’ve accepted this bond, can you come closer so I can kiss you?" He asked her.

Sophia laughed but closed the distance between them and kissed him. He released a small groan as his tongue met hers.