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“Fashions a decade ago made dalliances much more discrete.”
“I thought we agreed to act as if past indiscretions hadn’t happened?” I playfully snapped my teeth in his direction. Then shivered when his hand grasped the back of my neck.
“No biting, Trix. You know how much he likes a little pain,” Jack chuckled.
“Give her your gift,” Pax released me.
From his pocket, Jack produced a string of garnets, such a dark red they almost looked black.
“My grandmother’s,” he muttered as he fixed the simple collar around my throat. “She would have liked you to have them, I think. They aren’t diamonds…”
“Forever more I shall loathe diamonds.” I whispered. “I want to see them. Out of my way.”
I pushed my alphas aside so that I could go to the grand hall mirror. Except for my hair and eyes, the garnets were the only colour I wore.
“I knew you would collar me,” I said, awed by the symbolism. “From the first time you put your hand around my throat, I knew you were going to collar me.”
“My gift now.” Pax, of course, refused to be forgotten. “Our gift. Jack picked everything out.” He collected a velvet box from the table and opened it. A full set of garnets—though these followed the fashions of the day. A collar, earrings, bracelet, pin, and broach.
“We shall adorn you.”
“Allow me to do the earrings,” I grabbed them before large fingers should try to stick my ears.
My mates took their time putting their mating gifts on me.
“We aren’t trying to buy you,” Pax whispered into my ear as he fiddled with the clasp of the second, more formal collar, which rested just above the collar I would never remove. “These… These are for all of us.”
“To proclaim your ownership?”
“Yes.” Pax admitted. “My ownership. Jack’s ownership.”
“You are truly lovely,” I smiled. “I shall do my utmost to be vulgar and tell everyone what possessive alphas mated me.”
“Do you seek to embarrass us? For proclaiming how we collared you is sure to have the opposite effect.”
“If you smell so sweet whenever you acknowledge our rights, then I will make it my mission to remind you of the fact—”
“Please… If… We have a ball to go to and if you look at me like that, then we will never leave.” I said in a rush. “Ah! The carriage is ready. Come. We won’t want to be late.”
The stones were deliciously cool and I couldn’t help playing with them as the final preparations for our short journey.
Hosted by Lady Mountview and her pack, their first ball was at once smaller than many balls I’d been to in the last ten years and so much grander. Lady Mountview was eager to establish herself and her pack as part of London Society. Beautiful and accomplished, she’d married and mated into a large, all female pack of five alphas at the very tender age of eighteen—but her self-confidence matched that of many a seasoned matron twice her age. Why her brother thought she could do with a friend puzzled me. Her alphas hovered about their omega as if afraid a too strong breeze might blow the pretty brunette over. I cleared my throat at the thought of the vivacious omega doing anything other than leading her alphas on a merry chase.
Their butler called our names, and she turned to us. Like all fashionable female omegas, she proudly exposed her mate bites, but unlike mine hers were fine scars interlinked like lace. Very delicate compared to my own raised Lovers Circles.
“Lady Paxton!” she cried as if we were long-lost friends, both hands stretched out and pulling me into a swift embrace. She stepped back, eyes flashing. “We shall be friends. My brother only has good things to say about you.”
“Of course.” I looked at her alphas, who were happily sizing up my mates. “I suppose we shall have to cultivate a friendship. Your brother is an admirable man. I know my mates agree.”
“The opera! We don’t have a box,” she pouted and her alphas froze, clearly a sore point in the pack. “But I know Lord Paxton does…”
“Minx,” said one of her alphas, before affectionately drawing short nails along one of the mate bites, causing the omega to flush prettily.
“We’d be delighted to host you and your mates,” Pax said smoothly, pulling my hand through his arm, drawing me to his side. “But I would like to dance with my mate…”
“Of course!” She winked at me. “Enjoy yourself…”
Pax didn’t wait, but whisked me away, leaving Jack to talk to our hosts.
