Page 169 of Toxic

Soren shrugged. "Yes, you mentioned it already, vanilla, from the pregnancy."

"Not just that. A hint of lime. Seems like you’re mated to me." I said this, tilting my head and narrowing my eyes.

His hand froze. He blinked, and there was a flash in his eyes, like he was starting to realize something.

But then he took a big step back and muttered, "We need to hurry; we’ve only got a few minutes before we have to leave…"

And there it was again—the denial, the dismissive approach. I almost laughed, struggling against a wave of dark humor. It was absurd how stubbornly Soren refused to believe it. If we weren’t TMs, I wouldn’t have been able to mark him and, as a result, mate him successfully because he was genetically a beta. But TMs didn’t follow that rule. I had this suspicion that my bite during our first sex had partially mated him to me, but only now… it was complete.

For a few seconds, I studied his face. It was unfortunate that something was happening between us, yet it remained unspoken, unacknowledged, elusive—like a missing link.

"Wait." I opened the drawer and pulled out a blister pack of pills. Soren’s eyes immediately locked onto the blue and green package with the Malden Pharmaceuticals logo. It was Seprudin 100.

I waved it slightly in front of him.

"It’s a suppressant, Soren."

There was a flicker in his eyes that I couldn’t quite read.

"I bought it a long time ago, but I kept putting off the day I’d actually take it. I truly believe there’s no need for me to use it because of what I suspect. But it’s ultimately your decision. If you want me to, if you still think it’s necessary, I will."

Again, I waved the blister pack, and his eyes stayed glued to it.

"I want us to be together forever, with nothing ever separating us, Soren. I want to marry you someday, see our grandchildren, and grow old with you. If it means living on suppressants, I’ll take it."

There was a long silence. Soren’s eyes were wide, kind of shocked by my confession. It was the first time I laid out my plans for our future like this, and I guess it was a lot to take on. I could feel he was pondering my words, fighting an emotional wave.

"It’s all your decision, Soren," I repeated, as we stood there for quite some time already, seemingly in an impasse.

We both knew that if we were True Mates, there’d be no need for suppressants. But if we weren’t… I wanted to honor the promise I made to him.

Soren’s eyes moved from the blister pack to mine.

He straightened slightly and said calmly, "I want the same with you, Skye. That’s why I don’t want to risk it. Take it."

Saying nothing more, I pushed a pill out and swallowed it under his watchful gaze.

"Do you really want it all with me?" His voice seemed strangely weak, almost scared.

"I do."

Soren slowly nodded, biting his lip.

"Good." He gave me a small, warm smile.

Was it the first time he had ever smiled at me like that? It could be, actually! Before, he only smirked or gave me shy half-smiles. But now, his face seemed brighter, his energy gentler.

Looking almost embarrassed, he turned away and went to the stall to take a shower. We didn’t discuss it any further that day. We just continued to live on.

***

The next week, Soren’s behavior changed quite a bit. I got the impression he wanted to talk to me more often, even about simple, everyday things. He had been very quiet before, but now we’d occasionally have pleasant (even cheerful!) small talks.

I also noticed some shift in how he interacted with people around the office. He seemed a bit friendlier with the employees. In the cafeteria, if there weren’t any open tables, and we had to join someone, he’d actually start conversing, coming across as more relaxed and laid-back.

A few times, we even ended up sitting with Sariel Lowen, who usually ate alone, and Soren would chat with him a bit. I remembered how he used to avoid all the alphas back in college, refusing to give them the time of day, but now he didn’t seem to care about Sariel being an alpha at all.

Overall, there was a subtle change in Soren’s vibe; his energy felt lighter and more cheerful, as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. I wouldn’t say he’d suddenly become a carefree life-of-the-party type, but it was a good start.

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