Page 68 of A Nest of Maple & Mist

I sniffed, a watery glaze clouding my vision. Tears slid down my cheeks.

My omega whined, the thin, reedy sound scratching my ribs. Usually, I’d fight it. I’d shove that needy version of myself into a box and lock it away. But looking at him—seeing the exhaustion in his posture and the bruised knuckles—the box shattered.

“Alpha,” I whispered.

It wasn’t enough. I needed him to hear me. I needed the man who had once broken my heart to realize I was standing in the middle of the wreckage of my life, and I wanted him.

“Alpha!” I mewled, my voice cracking.

His entire body lurched. The hammer fell to the floor. My alpha moved before I could draw another breath.

Those long legs stretched out, closing the space between us. His confidence wavered once he towered over me. I tilted my head back, desperate to see into his eyes.

My skin itched. The space between my thighs throbbed. My omega snarled.

I needed to mark him. I needed him to mark me.

Shane rubbed my arms, slowly dropping to his knees.

“Mia. Love. Omega.”

He gazed up at me through thick lashes, his dark eyes swimming with an emotion that set my blood aflame.

“Shane. What… what are you doing?” I sobbed, my hands trembling as I gripped his shoulders.

I tried to yank him up. But he didn’t move. I let out a frustrated huff, and his mouth quirked in a half-smile. His hands moved to the backs of my thighs, caressing them.

“Showing you that I’m yours, Mia. I hadn’t fought for you before. But I will never do that again. I’ll fight for my mates. My pack. For you. My omega. I have never stopped loving you, Mia Birch.”

He bowed his head, his forehead resting against my stomach. Heat radiated off him, the scent of caramel thick like the air before a storm.

I didn’t fully understand why, but that made me cry harder. Seeing Shane on his knees dislodged the last of the crumbling brick walls I’d spent years surrounding myself with.

The reality turned to ash in my mouth. I’d spent so much time telling myself I hated him. That I didn’t need anyone. That I didn’t need an alpha or a pack.

My hands found their way into his hair, gently scraping his scalp. A growl rumbled in his chest, and I huffed a laugh. The hate I had held onto for so long evaporated in a wisp.

“I hated you for so long, Shane. I hated what you did to me. But mostly, I hated how much you made me love you.” Shane flinched, his grip tightening on my legs. “But I never stopped loving you.”

Some of the tension in his body faded away. Shaking his head, he let out a shaky laugh. The sound made me grin as I blinked at him.

“Not going to throw anymore plates at me then, love?”

“I shouldn’t have done that at all. I’m sorry.”

“At least you had bad aim.”

As he stood, my heart hammered too fast, making me dizzy. Slick rushed between my thighs. A predatory sound fell from him, his lips so close that his hot breath fanned over my mouth. I moaned, the sinful scent of sweet cream and maple from my own arousal mingling with his toasted caramel.

It was an indulgence. Something that I would crave for the rest of my life.

“Mia,” he whispered, his hand curving around the dip of my waist.

The air between us turned charged, the current crackling like a lightning strike.

His fingers slid under my sweater, dimpling the skin near my waist. My mouth turned dry as his other hand burrowed into my curls. He urged me closer, the gentle command from my alpha too easy to give into.

When he finally kissed me, it was like nothing I’d ever experienced.