Page 108 of Just One Bite
“You look a lot like your mother.”
She squints. “You remember her?”
“I remember her dancing. We attended Doxlothia at the same time.”
Olivia blinks a few times like she’s registering that, and I take that as my cue to cut in.
“What the fuck?” I say.
“You didn’t expect me to see my son’s name at the top of the Vviveren City Newspaper and not be the one to come and register him into the linked mates’ registry.”
“You could have called first.”
“What registry?” Olivia asks.
The woman next to him—probably his assistant—speaks in a calm, chipper tone. “Linked mates need to register. There’s testing to ensure it’s a true match, and it protects you both in the event that you solidify the bond. Have you solidified it yet?”
“That feels intrusive,” I say to my father, who is staring at Olivia.
His bushy, untamed brows are drawn together, as his calculating eyes fixate on her. Oh, hell no. He can treat me like shit, but I don’t even want to give him the chance around her.
“It’s protocol. And it’s for the safety of your mate.”
I should have expected the Werewolf Council to get involved, but my dad showing up is still a rare occurrence in my life. I wouldn’t have taken that bet.
“We haven’t,” Olivia says.
“This sounds a little …”Like it might stress Olivia out.
“It’s okay. We can register. What do I have to do?” Olivia says.
“Give me your finger.” The nurse holds a hand out for Olivia, with a needle in the other.
We’re in the infirmary, and there’s light coming from the windows, but the curtains are drawn with us all huddled together. I don’t like the way they’re closing in on Olivia.
A growl rumbles from my throat.
“It’s just a tiny prick. She’ll be fine,” the nurse assures.
Olivia pats the bed next to her for me to sit, and her fingers slide over mine as they prick her finger, then mine.
Then they’re close to her again, looking at the mark on her neck. I’m completely rigid and on edge with them poking at her. Every move she makes, I fight a muscle twitch. They’re doing this to torture me, surely.
“We’ve already run a thorough check of your histories, and you both meetthe criteria for linked mates. Now we’re checking a sample of your blood after the marking.”
My dad is watching us with his hands in his pockets. “Hundreds each year try to claim themselves as linked mate pairings. The council must test.”
I wonder if he thinks we’re bluffing. He never gives me the benefit of the doubt. I bet he wanted to come to do damage control for what he thinks is a fluke. Can’t have his son being an embarrassment.
The nurse’s scan is quick.
“Yep. Parker’s blood matches with Olivia’s. It can only be tested for once a mark has been placed. It changes your blood cells. You even become the same blood type. Looks like you’re the first linked mate pair in more than a century.”
Olivia’s heart rate shoots up, and I wrap my fingers around hers to comfort her.
“I’ll get the paperwork started. I will need your signatures.”
There’s a long rambling about paperwork. Court dates to attend. Lots of things I can barely keep straight becausefucking stars above, Olivia and I are linked mates. It’s still as permanent as it was when I marked her, but the registry makes it set in.
