Page 85 of 20% Stud 80% Muffin
Hundreds of Lornians—alphas, betas and omegas, each with their tail linked to their neighbor’s above their heads—bowed toward me. A gentle purr rose from the omegas, welcoming my return and warming my heart. They calmed the alphas in the cavernous space, and my shoulders relaxed bit by bit.
I swept my hand in front of me, and the hangar grew quiet. Even the howling wind cooperated. “Thank you, citizens of Lorne. You bring me great honor with your fine welcome.” From the top of the shuttle ramp, my voice carried over the masses below. In my head, it quavered like a loose tooth.
Geo’s shoulders rolled back, and he squeezed my hand. His obvious approval helped fortify me. His maroon uniform fit snugly over his broad shoulders, and even if I hadn’t been in between waves of my heat, I wouldn’t have been able to keep my hands off him. A long sash crisscrossed his barrel-shaped chest as an indication he was tied to the royal line. I shouldn’t have been surprised by how well Lornian clothes suited him.
My father’s face contorted in anger, one fist clenched at his side. His glare moved from my changed eyes to where my hand clasped Geo’s. “You claim him as your mate. He’s not Lornian!” The staff he always carried scraped across the metal floor of the port with the force he exerted. His roar was all alpha, and those who gathered quailed in submission.
My mother gripped my father’s elbow. He would pay for his outburst with a bruise. I’d experienced her steely clutches more times than I cared to remember.
“Regent Tuniga, let us greet our long-lost son more privately.” She leaned closer to one of her guards, who signaled for the elite protectors to dispersethe crowd as she marched us toward the loading docks.
I obediently trudged between the guards with Geo at my side.
“Your father seems like an interesting guy.” The absurdity of Geo’s comment immediately dragged me from the pit I’d been stewing in.
It took me a second to compose myself before I dipped my mouth toward his ear. “Stop, you’re going to make me laugh.”
His cheek pulled to one side in a smile just for me. “And…” Then his face sobered. “Makir, I don’t give a flying fuck what your parents think of me.” His warm hand brushed down the gold-threaded seam on the spine of my jacket. “I’m here for you.”
I bit my lip to hide my overflowing emotions. Never had I been so glad to have someone stand beside me and give me their support as in this moment. Geo doesn’t care what my parents think.
Geo and I, along with my parents, a member of their guard and an elite protector, were ushered into a small, sparsely furnished room. A pile of fabric heaped in one corner urged me to make a nest.
My mother’s nostrils flared. “You’re in heat.” She snorted as soon as the door closed. With a practiced motion, two unmated males in their entourage donned their masks.
No matter how much I wished it didn’t, her disgust still crushed me when she showed no compassion for needs I had no control over. But I shouldn’t have expected more. My mother was the least empathetic omega I’d ever known.
“Regents.” I bowed toward my parents, one arm locked on my leg to stop the tremble. “May I present my true mate, Head Archbuilder of Tern, Geovani Natali.”
Geo’s hand tightened around mine—the only sign of his surprise over my knowing his full name. Had he thought I wouldn’t quiz Ginger a little during our time together? My lips twitched.
Geo bowed. “Regents.” His deep voice grounded me, but the greeting went unacknowledged by my parents.
My father’s staff screeched across the floor before the sharp point was directed at Geo. “Under no circumstance will an omega from the Tuniga line ever be serviced by an off-worlder.”
I cringed at my father’s outburst. His lack of decorum bordered on cruelty, and was so unlike his typical stoic behavior. His disdain, always clear to me, usually had to be peeled back from under many layers for outsiders to glean the same knowledge.
Geo stood steadfast beside me as perspiration beaded my brow. I ignored my father’s words, more worried about my mother than my blustering father, as she whispered to her guard, who slipped out the door a moment later.
What’s she up to?
I addressed my parents with as much poise as I could gather, but my fluttering tail gave me away. “We’re bonded. The tether’s engaged.”
I was moments away from losing all reason. A sharp pang nearly buckled my knees, and I clutched my cramping stomach. Geo turned to face me and loosened the buttons on the high collar at my neck. The heat bubbling beneath my skin turned unbearable.
My father’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Tether? You lie. What a fool you take me for, High Lord Tuniga. Not even you would tether with an off-worlder.” Disgust furrowed his brows as he spat out words of disbelief. “You have known from birth that no one of the royal line will ever be mated without a full bond—without evidence of true matehood.”
Geo smoothed his cupped palm along my tail, coiling it around his wrist to stop its relentless lashing against the floor. “I would like to request privacy. Makir needs my attention. We would be happy to resume this conversation—”
The door to the small room burst open, and my mother’s guard returned alongside another alpha.
“Ah, finally.” My mother smoothed her palms over the front panel of her long skirt, chin held high.
I recoiled. Reinik.
All but climbing Geo, I turned to him to keep me safe. How could my parents be so…heartless?
Geo’s firm grasp cuffed my wrists together. “Shhh…I’ve got you.” He gathered me into his arms effortlessly.
