Page 18 of A Nest of Maple & Mist

In one fluid motion of omega rage, she hurled the ceramic disc straight at my head—with surprising accuracy. The Mia I’d known had never been the athletic type.

I ducked at the last second, the wind of the plate whistling past my ear. The porcelain exploded against the wall, remnants of linguine splattering against my boots and the floor.

In a blur, she bolted from the room, her footsteps banging against the wood. Soon followed by the slam of the door to the omega suite. Ty made to go after her, but Jason gripped his arm, shaking his head.

“She needs time,” he said, the deep authority in his voice putting even my alpha on high alert.

Jason was an Apex—the head of our pack. I never questioned it. He had a way of putting people at ease, and my alpha deferred to him. He’d never forced me to comply, but he could.

And a small part of me worried he’d banish me from the pack. We both knew my being here jeopardized their potential courtship with Mia.

I met Jason’s gaze, and the knot in my chest eased. His eyes softened, reassurance blooming in his features.

It felt like I’d been hollowed out.

“This was a mistake,” I mumbled, scrubbing a hand over my face. I eyed the shards of shattered china on the floor. “She hates me. She has every right to. I shouldn’t be here. I should go.”

A massive hand squeezed my shoulder, anchoring me to the spot. I swallowed the viscous feeling, slowly looking at my pack brother and Apex.

“Stop,” Jason snapped, his timbre almost a bark, making my knees buckle. “You would abandon your omega? Are you telling me you aren’t her alpha? That you don’t feel it?”

I snarled. My tongue dug into the points of my canines, barely resisting the urge to fight Jason.

“I would never abandon her! She doesn’t want me. Of course I feel it,” I added, the last words hoarse.

How could I not? It was an epiphany. She smelled like everything right with the world. Like a piece we hadn’t known we’d been missing until now. Jason and I loved Ty. We’d bonded him a year ago.

We were happy. A pack.

Now that Mia was here, none of us could shake the nagging itch beneath our skin. Ty as much as Jason and me. Something ached like a phantom limb, the longing for something.

For an omega.

Not any omega, but our omega.

And Mia Birch was ours.

I sank onto the stool she’d occupied before her departure in a hail of shattered glass. My sap-stained hands cradled my face.

Jason and Ty crowded me. My alpha might have hated the idea of needing anyone. But I appreciated having my pack’s support. I didn’t push them away, their combined scents calmed me.

“She doesn’t hate you, Shane. She’s hurt. And confused. You need to talk to her. Mi’s smart. She will understand. Explain what happened and apologize,” Jason said, still holding my shoulder.

“And beg,” Ty added with a hesitant curl of his lip.

I huffed, looking at him through my fingers.

Nails scraped along my scalp. I groaned, leaning into Ty’s touch. I wrapped my arms around his waist, tugging him closer. My nose buried into the crook of his neck, resting over my bond mark.

“I don’t think begging will be enough,” I said, the words muffled as I burrowed further into my beta.

“World class groveling,” Ty said, his touch like fire against my scalp. “And courting gifts. So many courting gifts. The pack is courting Mia, right? I can feel the tug in our bond.”

My fingers brushed absentmindedly over my sternum. Our bond hummed, lighting up my insides. I knew what Ty meant. When I saw Mia, our bond didn’t just hum, it exploded like a vibrant summer sunset across still lake waters.

“If she’ll allow it,” Jason said, unworried as he stroked Ty’s arm.

I dared to look up, relieved to see hope in my packmates’ faces. They weren’t as defeated as I was. All I saw was loyalty and patience. I never understood what I did to earn them—a pack like this.