I would have gasped at his words if I wasn't gasping for breath already.

The antidote to my problem shouldn't have been a surprise to me though. The magic behind a werewolf's mark was so extraordinarily powerful that it only made sense to try to use it to reverse the effects of the Hemlock.

The only problem was was I ready to feel the complete potency of Alrik's mark? Was he prepared to share that strength with me? Were we at that stage of trust yet?

These were questions I did not have the time to answer because his mark wasn't an alternative solution– it was the only solution.

"Jaslynn, if I mark you, the only person who can ever remove the mark is the Moon Goddess herself," Alrik said softly, tracing his thumb over the crook of my neck.

"I know," I croaked, "I'll be alright if you mark me but if you don't want to I don't want t–"

His hair tickled my cheek as he bent his head into the curve of my neck, his breath brushing my skin in scorching waves.

He paused for a split second before I felt the prick of his canines as they pierced my skin slowly and dug into my throbbing pulse.

A warm sensation overwhelmed my nerve endings, and the pain of his invasion disappeared as a pleasant vibration hummed through my mind and body. The stress, the worry, the doubts, every negative emotion that had been circling my head was gone. 

All I felt was bliss. 

The power of the bond rushed over me like a gust of warm wind as my wolf let out a loud howl to express his joy of being physically joined to his mate.

I felt rejuvenated like I had finally been charged to a hundred percent after days of being stuck at the eighty percent mark. My body was pulsating with energy that I did not even know existed.

I raised my head from Jaslynn's neck and studied the bloody punctures that were healing quickly. Her face was relaxed– any sign of distress from the Hemlock was gone– and she even had the faintest smile on her lips as she slumped against me.

The places she touched me were thrumming with pleasure, and I had to resist the need to shiver and pull her body further up against me. If I did that, I wouldn't be able to control myself from burying my cock in her soft folds and burning off this energy that was wreaking havoc on my nervous system.

Although, I did have a feeling this overwhelming intensity from her presence would never disappear no matter how many times she touched me.

I rubbed my thumb over the mark and wiped away the dried blood as her breathing started to even out. 

"How do you feel?" I asked, inhaling the sweet scent of jasmine from her hair.

She let out a soft sign and rested her head on my shoulder, "Like I don't want to move. This is the most peaceful I've felt in days."

Each wolf had a different experience with marking. I never paid attention to discussions about this, but I knew that every bond had a unique power, perhaps ours was being able to make the other feel at ease under any circumstance.

"Come on, I need you to walk so we can make it to the ship. I don't think we should take a rest break anymore. Ester needs to be taken care of immediately"

Jaslynn groaned and rubbed her eyes, "Just when I was getting comfortable."

I smiled half-heartedly and ran my fingers through her messy caramel curls, "We can get comfortable on the ship. We have a lot to discuss now that you wear my mark."

She lifted her hand and ran her fingers over the little bump on her neck thoughtfully. Then, she turned her head to me and cocked it a little in questioning, "Do I ever get to mark you? Or is this just a werewolf thing?"

My wolf was very pleased by her inquiry, but my lower half was a little too thrilled by her thoughts and I didn't want to show her how visible it was.

"Well," I cleared my throat to remove the hoarseness, "I believe I receive my mark after we mate, which is the last step before we are physically united completely."

She nodded slowly and stood up, wobbling a little, "Then let's go. I want Ester out of my sight before she actually kills me."

Not if I had anything to do about it.

I straightened and walked over to Ester's body, eyed her with disgust before I slung her over my shoulder carelessly. Jaslynn grabbed our bags and marched ahead of me, partially waddling as she tried to get some feeling back in her legs.

A faint smile formed on my lips as the moonlight landed on her mark as if it was highlighting its brilliance.

The mark of the strongest Alpha on the strongest witch– it truly was a beautiful sight to behold.

***

By sunrise, Jaslynn was still trudging at a slow, but steady pace while I stayed ahead and turned occasionally to check on her.

The sounds of water were getting louder, and I knew the shore would be in sight soon. 

"Hurry up, Jaslynn. We're almost there. Just a few more minutes," I called over my shoulder. She didn't reply, and I frowned, slowing my stroll to face her.

"Ja–" She whooshed by me, ignoring my call. 

I rolled my eyes and jogged after her. A few minutes later, we were out of the woods and running across the sand toward the ship that was anchored a few feet away from the shoreline where the crew was waiting on the deck.

Jaslynn was closer, and my Commander climbed down the ladder to run and embrace her. As I neared the two, I saw Reece studying the mark in shock.

"Alrik Kuznetsov," she snapped, narrowing her eyes at me, "What is the meaning behind this?" 

Before I could reply, Jaslynn pointed at the sky, "The seagull."

Reece stared at Jaslynn as if she was insane, "Yes, there's a seagull. We're on an island after all."

I followed her finger and observed the bird that was flying in circles, its eyes on us every time it flew in our direction. That wasn't normal bird behavior.

"Commander," I said quietly, glaring at the bird, "I want that fucking bird."

Reece glanced back and forth between me, Jaslynn, and the seagull before she nodded, "Right."

She ran back to the ship, and I stepped closer to Jaslynn, who was swaying a little, "Are you alright?" 

Her eyes were tired, and she seemed ready to pass out from exhaustion. I wrapped an arm around her and dragged her toward the ship, "Reece and I will take care of the bird. You need to rest. The mark and Hemlock must have taken up a lot of your energy."

When we were near the ladder, Miles appeared at the top, "Jaslynn! What happened?"

I wanted to punch him as he took her hands and pulled her up but resorted to denting the ladder quietly instead. Once we were on deck, he raised an eyebrow when he finally took his eyes off Jaslynn and stared at Ester, "Why do you have an old lady with you?"

"None of your business," I growled, putting my arm around Jaslynn to steady her.

He directed his attention back to her, "Jas, let me take you to the cabin. You look like you need some sleep."

She sighed and looked up at me, "Will you be okay?"

I nodded and ran my fingers through her hair to move it away from her neck, trying to reveal her mark to the stupid wizard that couldn't take his eyes off of her.

She must have noticed because she snorted lightly and pressed her lips to my cheek, whispering in my ear, "You're not very subtle about your jealousy."

The tips of my ears were very warm, and I slapped her ass as her lips curved into a grin, "Get lost."

She pulled away and gave me a knowing look before she disappeared into the engine room. Miles was avoiding my eyes as he muttered incoherently under his breath and walked away, causing me to smirk at how uncomfortable he was. 

"I got your bird."

I turned around and raised my eyebrows at the bird that was impaled by the arrowhead, "I didn't want you to kill it."

"It's not dead. I shot the wing. See, it's alive," she pointed out as the seagull starting squirming in her arms. 

"Now, are you going to explain to me why you marked Jaslynn and are carrying an old lady that looks like she lived with the cave people?" She asked, using her bow to gesture to Ester.

"Meet me in the empty cabin. We are going to have a little fun with these two."