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"Summer!" Joyce gasped, grabbing the youngling's arm. She pulled the furious omega away from me, and Nix's body jerked as if wanting to go to her. I released him, a little surprised when he walked away from me, rushing to Summer's side.
"I'm okay, omega," he said, leaning down to see her properly.
Summer looked him up and down, concern pulling at the corners of her mouth. "What happened? Why are you two fighting?"
Nix sighed hard, cutting me a quick glare. "Ivor mated Mina, and I lost my head for a moment. But it's fine."
Summer's eyes went wide as she turned to my mate. Mina nodded, then proudly displayed her neck. The tension in the room immediately evaporated as Summer squealed loudly, hugging Mina tight.
Joyce smiled brightly, giving my arm a gentle squeeze. "Give Nix a few days. He'll come around."
I nodded, thankful for her kind words, but I already knew Nix wouldn't be angry with me for too much longer. He still needed help with his tracking. But I'd give him all the time he needed.
"How does it feel?" Summer asked, poking Mina's mating bite. The jolt of sensation that rushed through my mate and down our bond had me dizzy.
Mina covered her neck, her cheeks going pink. "It feels fine, thank you."
Ari cleared his throat, and I turned, surprised to find him behind me. "I meant it, Ivor," he whispered to keep from upsetting the chatting omegas. "If you hurt her, I will kill you."
"As you should," I said. And I meant it. Anyone willing to raise a hand to an omega in anger didn't deserve to live.
Ari gave me one more pointed look, then moved to the door, shutting it quietly behind him. There was no way he was going to let this go so easily. I'd probably be on stable duty for the next month or two, maybe even removed from the main guard and forced to patrol the marketplace, but it was worth it. If I spent the rest of my life shoveling shit, I'd gladly do it to be with Mina.
"You've got to be kidding me," Summer laughed, pulling me from my thoughts. She stared at a tattered piece of red and green fabric still hanging on the wall. It held the image of what appeared to be a very lopsided wreath.
She turned to Nix, her mouth open in disbelief. The young alpha smiled back at her, adoration clear in his eyes. She snorted loudly, "That thing is so ugly the storm didn't even have the heart to destroy it."
Mina slipped her hand into mine, pulling me down to whisper in my ear, "I'm hungry."
"Come on." Joyce let out a heavy sigh. "Let's all go home. I need to feed you two." She gave me a sweet smile, squeezing my mate around her middle. "Nix," she motioned to the door, "let's go."
"Yes, ma'am." He paused, flashing his teeth at me. "Don't expect me to just get over this. You crossed a line here."
"Understood." I gave him a quick nod, letting him lead the way. I moved to follow Joyce but Mina grabbed my hand holding me back.
"Thank you," she whispered, looking up at me with so much affection. Her big brown eyes sparkled in the early morning light. I felt like a thief, capturing something so precious without actually doing anything to earn it.
"For what?" I asked, brushing her hair behind her shoulder.
She bit her bottom lip, shaking her head. "I don't know," she laughed. "But I still felt like I needed to say it."
"I'm the one that should be thanking you." I held her chin between my thumb and forefinger, kissing her soft lips.
"For what?"
I slipped my hand into my pocket, pulling out the embroidered rose. "For the most beautiful gift I've ever received."
She smiled wide, pushing onto her tiptoes and placing a lingering kiss on my lips. "You're welcome, alpha."
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