Page 90 of A Nest of Maple & Mist

Even if me and my omega lacked any patience when it came to presents.

“A joint courting gift from the pack. For our omega,” Shane said, his palm caressing my thigh.

Jason placed the box in my outstretched hand. My greedy fingers closed around it. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been so giddy about anything.

Slowly, I opened the box, and the breath left my lungs. Resting on a bed of white silk was a gold necklace—a delicate, perfectly detailed maple leaf—with matching earrings. They were exquisite, the gold shimmering like syrup.

“It’s… Oh God. It’s gorgeous.”

My eyes stung with tears as my fingers trembled over the pendant.

“It’s a piece of us that will always be yours, Mia,” Jason said, taking the necklace from the box. He brushed my curls aside, his fingers warm against the back of my neck as he fastened the clasp. “A reminder that wherever you go, you carry this pack with you. You’re our heart, Mia. Always.”

My fingers closed around the maple leaf. I didn’t know what to say. So, I let the silence linger. Purrs sprang to life in Shane and Jason’s chests. I focused on the soothing rumble, curling in Ty’s hold, his lips resting on the top of my head.

THIRTY-THREE

SHANE

The noise of the festival quieted into a distant hum.

My canines ached, the pain radiating into my jaw. My fingers pressed into the points of my teeth. Seeing that necklace—our necklace—hanging from her neck drove me mad. It was almost as potent as I’d imagined it’d be when I saw my mark on her throat.

Her scent swirled, and I wanted to lap it from her pretty pussy. The one time hadn’t been enough. Not nearly enough. She tasted like golden nectar. My gums burned. I shifted, too much energy thrumming in my limbs to stay still.

I wanted to claim, to chase, to bite my omega.

The primal urge grew. If I wasn’t careful, I’d fall into a rut. Part of me wanted to. Wanted to give in to that feral piece of myself. I wanted my omega and my beta to run. I wanted to scent the way their arousal mixed with anticipation and fear.

Fuck. I wanted to pin them to the grass and feel how their hearts pounded before I buried my cock inside them. I rolled my shoulders, loosening the knot at the base of my neck.

I’d knot my omega. I’d ruin my beta.

I shared a look with Jason over the tops of their heads. His eyes were dark, almost black in the shadows, his nose twitching as he sniffed. He knew. He felt the same predatory pull. Driven by Mia’s impending heat.

But he gave a small, barely perceptible shake of his head.

He was right. It was too dark. And while he and I had played those games with Ty before—chasing him through the sugarbush until the sun rose—we wouldn’t do that with Mia. At least not for her first time. Not without a conversation.

Omegas longed to be chased and caught. Their instincts craved to be dominated by their alphas. Still, it wasn’t something we’d do without discussing it with her first. Damn. My cock was as hard as stone. I adjusted myself, huffing when it gave me barely any relief.

“Wipe that broody look off your face,” Ty teased, leaning back into my chest.

I sighed, musk and clove soothing the throbbing in my veins. My arms banded around his waist, and I rested my chin on his shoulder. Mia and Jason went to get drinks. Ty reached behind him, trailing his fingers over my jaw.

“I’m not brooding.”

Ty snorted. “I can hear your teeth grinding from here.”

“I’m hungry,” I grunted, catching his hand and pressing a lingering kiss to his palm.

“Hungry to claim our sweet little omega?”

“Careful,” I warned. “Or you may end up the one I edge into oblivion.”

A pained moan fell from Ty, and I let out a gravelly laugh, pulling him tighter against me.

“It’s not a threat if I like it,” he murmured.