Page 45 of 20% Stud 80% Muffin
I snipped through the last thread of the mittens, picked up the stack and hugged them to my chest before I placed them on the table. They were ready for delivery to Sisip tomorrow. That reminded me, I needed to come up with a design for the mantu hides stored in my spare room—perhaps a coat for the cooler weather.
My wristport pinged.
Bonic: Are you free for a call?
Before I could respond, the screen flashed ‘incoming call.’ Typical Bonic.
“And what if I’d been busy, brother?” I teased.
He chuckled warmly. “You’ll always make time for me.”
Blant, I miss my brother.
“Spoken like an elite protector,” I joked. “How’s Jast’s pregnancy?”
“Well, would you like my words or hers?”
“You know only the omega’s opinion counts.”
“How could I forget? She’d say it can’t be over soon enough. She refers to the youngling as ‘a little parasite.’” He crunched something in the background. The snap made my mouth water, and a burst of zilna teased my tastebuds. Alpha asshole eating my favorite snack.
“I wish for the pregnancy to last forever. The youngling moved last night when I pressed my palm to Jast’s belly. It’s the safest place for the little one.” I could sense the awe of creating a new being in his voice. “Enough of me. Tell me how things are with the Earthling?” Bonic’s low voice vibrated through my bones.
Ah, there’s the commanding alpha voice I know and love.
“Um…will you visit Tern once the youngling’s born? I’d love to meet my little niece or nephew.”
I could practically see his eyes roll. “Of course. The little one must meet their only uncle. We’ll visit when Jast and the doctor agree it’s safe.” He cleared his throat. “Now, tell me.”
I suckedin a fortifying breath. “He’s compatible,” I blurted.
“Is that right?”
I couldn’t tell from Bonic’s neutral response whether he was angry. “Er…it was unavoidable. He was injured and I had to heal him. And, unconsciously, I used the healing source…which created a tether…which alerted him that I may be in danger.” My head grew dizzy from the lack of air, but I needed to tell him everything. “The hunting expedition coincided with the full moon, and we encountered a giant scary worm, so Geo led a rescue party to me, and my heat took over from there.” I exhaled. The weight of my stored guilt was released after my confession, and my shoulders relaxed.
Bonic drummed his fingers, likely against his desk, in the background. “I have a lot of questions.” Theswooshof his tail as it lashed through the air carried over the line. “You’re aware treatment with our tail’s source reinforces a tether, so I won’t belabor it. But I will remind you—these powers are sacred, do whatever you must to keep our ability hidden. Our people will be exploited otherwise. Off-worlders, especially omegas, will be even more susceptible to manipulation.”
My stomach soured, and I swallowed bile. Although he phrased it in general terms, there was no confusion about who the comment was directed at. “Of course, Bonic. I would never put Lornians at risk.”
“I know you wouldn’t.” His voice softened. “Now, tell me about this danger?”
I didn’t think he meant falling for Geo. With a white-knuckled grip, I clutched the table’s edge. “We encountered a giant worm-like creature. It decimated the herd of herbivores we hunted.” I began to pant, and my heartbeat ramped up, but I lifted my chin high and inhaled. I will not panic. “It appeared to track prey through vibration and…attacked,” I whispered, “by exploding through the ground.” My shoulders shook. “We were forced to hide.”
Bonic didn’t need to know I’d been having more panic attacks. He had enough to worry about.
The tick of Bonic’s fingers against his keyboard, tapping out messages to his staff in the background, guaranteed the problem would be addressed. “The mayorassured us the Fires That Cleanse had wiped out everything organic on the planet. How is it such a creature exists?”
“That’s just it, Bonic. Organic life blooms all over the place. The Fires That Cleanse did not eliminate everything as intended. Fortunately, there is no sign of the illness that left Tern at its mercy.”
“The High Hold’s researchers will investigate the creature you described and send the report to the mayor. Furthermore, I will request Mayor Yurst advances me the management plan for handling the predator. That should be a clear message to him that I expect this to be dealt with.”
I snorted. As if the mayor had a management plan.
If I were anywhere near Bonic right now, I’d have cowered under the alpha pheromones he likely pumped out in waves. He’d elected himself my protector alpha when my father hadn’t stepped into the role. There was always one in a family, and it had gone against his every instinct to allow me to go to Tern unmated. Even his voice through the phone had my tail tucking between my legs.
My brother’s voice grew gentle. “Is your Earthling a kind alpha?”
Geo brushed off my offers to pay for the many extras I hadn’t agreed on. My tail snapped. That was garbage. I’d pay what I owed even if it meant spending every hour not in my hovery making mittens. But I wouldn’t change how my dwelling had turned out for all the stars in the Reiner System—it had been built as if he could read my mind.
