Page 66 of The Rust in Her Hair

Mack laughs out loud, delighted to have offended her.

I catch Nico watching her, that small line at the corner of his mouth that means he's amused and doesn't want anyone to know it.

"You'll want to brace yourself," Nico says to Lyra. "He's got about four hundred more of those sayings."

"Oh, I don't doubt it." Lyra tips her head, matching the alpha’s serious tone exactly, not a crack in it. "He seems like a man with a deep and troubling well."

Nico huffs out a laugh through his nose as they look at each other. The two of them share something quiet over the top of Mack's ridiculousness, a look that says "can you believe this guy," and I feel it land somewhere low in my gut.

I wish I could talk to people so easily.

Especially with this omega. But I feel so…flustered…around her.

It’s a very bizarre feeling.

"Sure, gang up on me." Mack spreads his arms wide. "Five years I've kept this house entertained, and this is the thanks I get." He pretends to glare at Nico. "First pretty girl through the door and suddenly I'm the punchline." Then he winks at Lyra.

Nico smiles and Lyra instantly giggles, covering her mouth with her hand. She looks so light and happy compared to the girl that showed up just yesterday.

I guess she really did need all that sleep.

A knock cracks through the quiet, and I jerk before I can stop myself.

My body's still wound tight from the drive, and for half a second I imagine Lyra’s father at our door.

"Pizza’s here." Owen's head comes up.

"Hell, yeah," Mack pats his stomach, then follows our beta toward the door. "I haven’t had dinner since yesterday."

The second the pair disappear, Nico sets his water bottle down and steps closer to Lyra. The pack alpha lowers his head, looking the omega in the eye.

"I mean it, you know," he says, low and even. "I want you to feel at home here. However long you stay."

Lyra’s dark eyes lift, tipping her head to look at him. She inhales deeply, and I see her pulse flutter at the side of her throat, quick and soft under her skin.

Fuck, I want to sink my teeth right into her.

"Thank you," Lyra whispers, and I swear she leans in, inching ever so slowly closer to Nico.

I hold my breath watching the pair share a look.

Nico's gaze moves over her face, slowly, taking her in. It catches on her mouth and holds there, and I know that look. I've been on the other end of it a thousand times. It's the look he gets right before he takes what he wants.

A jolt of pure excitement shoots through me, followed by pure heat.

Blood rushes south, and my cock grows thick and rigid so fast I feel lightheaded for a moment.

Kiss her. The words chant in my head. Take her. Claim her. Make her ours.

"I…um..." Lyra's tongue slips out and wets her lower lip. She swallows hard, her throat working. "It means a lot," she says softly. "That you’re being so kind to me."

Then she pulls back slightly from Nico, and turns to me.

Those honey-brown eyes lift to my face, and every thought in my head goes quiet.

"And you, alpha." Her voice drops, softer now, almost shy. "Thank you for not forcing me to go to a hospital." She clasps her hands in front of her, twisting her fingers together. "And then letting me sleep in your bed." She looks up at me with the sweetest smile on her lips, and my chest goes tight.

"Oh. Yeah. Of course," I stumble over my words. "You didn't want to. Go, I mean. To the hospital. So we didn't."