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“Of course. You won’t mind if I head in, however?”
He seemed unsure before shrugging. “I guess I don’t see why not.”
“Thank you.” I was walking before he could say another word. I heard him pull out his phone, but I was already walking up the porch and pushing past the guard/butler who was likely supposed to announce me.
“Sir!” he called out, but I ignored him.
I had never actually been in Orion’s personal home before, but it wasn’t that difficult to figure out where to go based off the noise. I strode past one room that held the lingering remains of what was likely cocktail hour. A few surprised staff jumped as I walked through, blatantly ignoring them.
“Sir! You’re not supposed to—”
I couldn’t hear the end of the sentence because I was already too far away. The voices were coming from a formal dining room. I hesitated when I approached the entranceway and peeked inside.
Trays of food lined the table, but no one was eating. Orion was standing up at the head, a glass of Champagne in his hand. Lyric sat to his left. The omega seemed a little nervous as he watched his husband, which was odd. He usually seemed so sure of himself. My eyes drifted to Orion’s right, and my breath caught in my throat as I saw Jett. His posture was tense, and his eyes were glued to his brother. He looked absolutely gorgeous, and I once again questioned how I managed to walk away from him before.
His burnt-red hair was slicked off his face, but one stubborn strand fell into his eyes, which he ignored. The navy-blue suit fit him like a glove, and I wanted nothing more than to strip it off him. I needed to mark him up and remind him that he was mine.
“Thank you, everyone, for attending today. I know this isn’t quite like the Christmas Eve dinners you’ve come to expect from the Strongfire family, but most of you know I’m not much of a traditionalist, and I appreciate you putting up with my ‘newfangled ways.’” A few people chuckled when Orion used finger quotes around newfangled. Clearly, he was quoting someone in particular.
My eyes scanned the table and not surprisingly, I recognized many of the people. Most hadn’t noticed me yet, but Oldaric was staring at me, his expression one part amused, one part wary. He knew I was about to make a fool of myself. I tilted my head in acknowledgement.
I felt a guard come up from behind me and I went to make myself known. It was now or never. But he backed off. Confused, I glanced back up at Orion, who was staring directly at me. Gods.
“Before we sit down for the wonderful meal that was lovingly prepared for our pleasure, there is an announcement I want to make.”
Strongfire was up to something, but what, I wasn’t sure. He kept a straight face, but the mischief was clear. Everyone quieted down, their focus on Orion.
Mine was on Jett. He hadn’t seen me, his gaze straight ahead and his expression determined. Oh gods, he really was going through with it, wasn’t he? He was going to get engaged to that other alpha.
A murderous, possessive rage built inside of me stronger than anything I ever felt before. I couldn’t stop the growl building deep in my core if I tried. How dare anyone touchmyomega. It didn’t matter that I logically knew I was the one that led Jett to this. I had no one to blame but myself. Deep down, I understood that, but the alpha in me didn’t care one iota about logic. All it knew was that the next words out of Orion’s mouth were going to let the world, or at least society, know that my omega belonged to someone else, and there was no way it was going to tolerate that.
“There have been a lot of rumors going around regarding my ward and younger brother, Jett Strongfire. I’m here to clear those up and to announce his engagement to Gideon Frost.”
My feet were moving before I realized what I was doing, my growl so loud to my ears, I could barely hear the scandalized gasps from the guests. All I could see was my omega and the fucking alpha who dared to try and claim him. The alpha who now stood in front of Jett like he was trying to protect him. From me.
I growled louder.
I took one step and suddenly, there was another alpha standing in between me and what was mine, and he was somehow both bigger and more powerful than I was. Orion was pushing a lot of his alpha pheromones at me, and it took everything I had not to bare my neck at him in submission.
“Emerson. You need to calm the fuck down. I understand your instincts are taking over. In hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have goaded you like that, but you need to take a breath and remember your-fucking-self. You’re not going near my brother until you do.”
My canines extended before his words fully pierced through my thick skull, but I came to my senses. I quickly retracted my teeth. “I apologize.” My voice was rough, but I was thinking logically.
Orion watched me for a long time. “Are you good?”
“Yes. I-I don’t know what came over me.”
He scoffed but didn’t say anything else. He stepped out of my way, leaving me face-to-face with Jett. He had come around the table, and even though the alpha he was about to marry, Orion, and Arden were hovering protectively, they allowed him to step forward.
It pissed the alpha inside me off that they thought I’d hurt my omega in a way he didn’t want.You thought the same thing just a day ago. Gods, I still did in a way. It was hard to break a lifetime of trained thought, but I was willing to try for Jett.
He looked up at me, his expression full of wariness, with just a twinge of hope. I latched onto that hope with everything I had as I stepped forward, so we were only feet apart. Once I was close enough to scent him, nothing else filtered through. I no longer cared that we were surrounded by the stuck-up society who was no doubt already whispering to each other and texting their friends about the scandal. I didn’t even care that my omega was surrounded by other alphas. All that mattered was Jett and that he didn’t fully lose hope in me, even if he should have.
“Jett—” I choked up before I got any other words out, but tears were already spilling down my omega’s face. I could tell he wanted to step closer, but he stopped himself. I needed to take that step, and I would.
I didn’t do it yet. I hadn’t done anything to earn the right to claim him.
“There are a lot of things I’ve done in my life that I’m not proud of but rejecting you as my mate was the worst.”
