Page 88 of A Nest of Maple & Mist

I sighed, leaning into Ty’s touch as he brushed a stray bit of sugar from the corner of my mouth. His hand lingered, his gaze softening as he stroked the thin skin there. My hand moved along Ty’s jaw until I held his face in my hand.

Those green eyes sparkled like emeralds. The sight made my omega purr. I leaned in, stopping with my mouth only a breath away from his.

“My beta is so good to me.”

I pressed my lips to his, the gentle touch a question. He laughed into the embrace, pulling me closer and deepening the kiss. Twin growls rumbled in the background, Jason and Shane’s scents thickening into a dense mist.

“Our beta and omega are so stunning together.”

“Made for each other. Made for us,” Shane added, his timbre lathing over us like honey.

The world spun away until it was just me and my pack. Ty’s tongue tangled with mine as I stole a final kiss. Our lips hovered as we broke apart.

“We don’t just want to be good to you, Mia. We want to be everything. Your ours, sweetheart. You and this pack are everything I never believed I’d have.”

My chest ached with the weight of his words. I shook my head, crawling into his lap, unbothered by who saw us. I cupped his face, hoping he saw how much I meant what I was about to say.

“I love you. You belong with me. With us, Ty.”

My heart did a slow roll, making my breath stutter. He rewarded my declaration with those gorgeous dimples, his smile too wide for his face.

“I love you, Mia. If you didn’t already know,” he added with a wink.

An alarm buzzed from a phone. My head fell to Ty’s shoulder as I eyed Shane fumbling with his cell, a scowl on his face. Ty stroked my spine. Jason watched us, scrubbing a hand over his beard.

“Shit. Fern will skin me alive if we’re late,” Shane groaned.

“Late for what?” I asked.

“You’re about to find out, love.”

Shane offered me his hand. I took it. A spark of electricity tickled my palm as our fingers laced. Jason and Ty followed a step behind us. We crossed the lawns, leaves crunching under our feet until we reached the edge of the tree line.

“This,” Shane said, gesturing dramatically.

“Axe throwing?!”

“Axe throwing,” he echoed, not as enthused as I was.

A white painted line bisected the grass. A few alphas milled about. One of them, Naomi—the Apex of Sienna’s pack. When I was little, I lived to watch the axe throwing, sawing, and chopping competitions. They were all in good fun, even if some of the alphas took them a little too seriously.

“Fern wanted Hawthorne Farms represented in at least one of the events. So here I am.”

Shane spread his arms, and Jason smacked him in the chest. Grunting, Shane rubbed his sternum, glowering at Jason.

“Stop complaining. We both know you want to show off for our omega and beta.”

A pale shade of pink appeared at the hollow of Shane’s throat. I slapped a hand over my mouth, stifling the giggle bubbling up. Ty didn’t bother, clutching his stomach as he laughed.

Shane glowered, stepping up to the line. His long fingers undid the bottom buttons of his flannel, exposing the dark, tight T-shirt underneath. Without breaking eye contact, Shane rolled the cuffs of his flannel.

Forearms had never looked more indecent.

“He’s taunting us with all those… rippling pectorals.”

He certainly was. The muses were right. My thighs clenched, and Shane smirked. Asshole. He knew exactly what he had done to me.

Slowly, his fingers closed around the leather hilt of an axe. When it was his turn, Shane angled himself toward the target on the trunk of a massive maple on the other side of the field. His muscles coiled and flexed before he released the axe.