Page 70 of A Nest of Maple & Mist

Being our Apex didn’t mean everything relied on him. Also, I’d do anything for my pack, my family, my omega. They meant everything. When I was young, I had no one to celebrate with, no one to care about… no one to care about me.

Without fail, eventually someone from the state would show up, tossing my meager belongings into a black trash bag before shuffling me off to the next temporary living situation.

I never thought I’d have something like this. A home. A family. A pack. I wouldn’t squander it.

“I think it’s just going to be the two of us for dinner tonight. Mi’s got her DnD night with the OmegaCule. Is that what they call themselves?”

Images of Mia’s adorable little smirk when she’d told us about her new friends and their group name made happiness spiderweb through my veins. From what I gathered, Mia had always had a small circle of friends. But after her parents died, she retreated completely.

I never saw her with anyone at the coffee shop. Not one friend. It was always just Mia and her book tucked in a corner. Until now, I hadn’t realized how sad that was.

She’d never have to be alone again. Our Mia had friends who loved her and a pack who cherished her.

“What do you want for dinner?”

A noncommittal noise escaped me. While my stomach protested the idea, I longed to drift off to sleep right there in Jason’s lap. That’s what they’d write on my gravestone, “Ty Hawthorne: Death by Maple Leaf Candies.”

Jason’s fingers drifted lower, his thumb flicking over the mark on my neck. A sleepy smile tugged at my lips, relishing the thickening aroma of cedar and amber in the living room. I fumbled around, trying to find a throw blanket.

Sugared caramel floated in on a light breeze, wrapped in sweetened vanilla and maple. My heart galloped, taking off like a herd of stampeding horses. My nails clamped around Jason’s thigh as I started to get up.

Instead, he clamped my shoulder, a silent command to stay still.

I pouted. Jason’s hand closed around my throat, his fingers flexing over my pulse point. Blood rushed to my half-hard cock, making it strain against the confines of my jeans.

“You need to learn restraint, handsome,” he whispered, the warning burning like smooth whisky.

“Are you going to teach me, Daddy?”

The only response he offered was a dangerous hum that shivered up my spine. Muffled voices carried in, the front door thumping shut. My gaze landed on the entryway.

Shane and Mia arrived home. Together. Holding hands and looking utterly besotted with each other.

I sucked in a sharp breath and held it there, afraid I’d spook them. They were adorable. I didn’t want it to end. Watching them together sewed the splinter of our divided pack.

Jason’s hands moved to my hips, his mouth hovering on the shell of my ear.

“Now isn’t that a sight?”

It sure was. Streaks of dirt stained the thin skin under Shane’s eyes. But those dark irises twinkled with a brightness I hadn’t seen in a long time. Beside him, Mia practically glowed, a subtle purr shaking her slender frame.

An oversized hoodie swallowed her, her untamed curls a halo framing her face. My tongue dug into the points of my teeth. I recognized that hoodie. It was one of my favorites to steal from Shane—well-worn and smelling entirely of him.

It looked perfect on her.

“I really have to go,” she breathed, her melodic voice carrying along the rafters. “I’m already fifteen minutes late, and if I’m not there to keep Lily’s paladin alive, we’ll all die.”

“I know, love.” Shane’s hand fell to the dip of her waist, pulling her flush against him. She squeaked. This was better than any teenage drama on TV. “Bye, Mia. Have fun.”

His cheek brushed along the crown of her curls, and my eyes blew wide. I snapped my head toward Jason, who did slightly better at hiding his shock, but not much. Shane continued to scent mark Mia for a solid two minutes.

A beautiful pink blush started on Mia’s collarbone, drifting higher until it tinted her cheeks and her ears. Giggling, she rocked up onto her tiptoes, pressing her lips to his in a precious kiss.

With one shy glance toward the living room, she raced out the door.

A dazed expression colored Shane’s features. Before he could bolt up the stairs, I scrambled off the couch, grabbing his arm and yanking him toward the sofa.

“I don’t think so, you swoony, adorable alpha,” I laughed, shoving him down beside Jason. “You can’t just walk away like none of that just happened.”