Kian’s body physically collapsed in on itself. I spun around and walked right over to the two I knew were speaking. I knew this because every eye was on them.
My bear was right at the surface. I recognized the older man; his brother Rob was on the town council. And the other was a middle-aged woman I couldn’t place. Not that I cared who they were. “I am taking a moment before someone gets their throats ripped out,” I growled.
They both took a step back, and I basked in the fear they felt. For the first time in a long time, I wasn’t the head of my den—I was a man protecting his mate.
“You will watch what you say about my mate.” I narrowed my eyes at them. “You will never say anything that hurts him, or there will be consequences.” I made sure to keep my voice even, but my claws dug into my fingers. “Is that clear?”
They nodded.
“Is that clear?” I growled.
“Yeah,” she said.
“Yes. Yes,” he said.
“Now, I believe you owe my mate an apology.” I walked over and stood behind Kian.
“Alpha mate, please accept my apology,” the woman said.
“I apologize for the pain caused by my words,” the man, Brian, said. They both presented their necks to Kian.
My mate inclined his head, but I could feel the tension in his body. Kian whispered, “Can we please leave?”
I didn’t even look at anyone; I simply took his hand and walked him out of the store. When we were beside the car, I pulled him into my arms and held him tight.
Kian sobbed in my arms, and I simply held him until he was done.
“You’re perfect, baby. Absolutely perfect,” I whispered.
And I would deal with anyone that said otherwise about my mate. And I made a promise to myself to remind him of it every day.
19
Kian
“This is all your fault,”I growled and pushed my mate away again as he tried nibbling on my neck. “Shoo. Go away. Go away and do something.” I batted him away. “You made me burn the roux. I gotta start over. I can’t serve crappy mac and cheese—it’s like the easiest meal. And I still need to make the pasta salad.”
I’d precooked so much pasta. Penne for Reese’s salad and macaroni for mine.
“You don’t have to stress so much.” Gabe tried again, for what felt like the fiftieth time, but he didn’t get it. “You already made skewers and seasoned the ribs, chicken drumsticks, wings, and burger meat. Which I had to roll out by hand even though we have a whole factory that does just that,” he grumbled.
I ignored the last part. I’d wanted to season it the way Dad did. “Yeah, and the ribs and pulled pork for the slow cooker are already cooking.”
He gave me a look that I recognized meant a lecture was in my future. I preempted this by reminding him of what I’d said when I’d woken up at five a.m. to get everything started. “It’s just for those that want a different taste. Not just grilled. You did remind Graham about getting the buns and desserts here on time, right?”
Gabe looked like he was about to tell me to slow down again, but he must have read something on my face because instead, he simply replied, “Yes. And he’s bringing beer too. The brewery is his new project.”
“Thank you.” I blew out a breath. “I know you don’t understand, but I really want this day to be perfect.”
I really didn’t need to give anyone another reason not to like me. I knew Gabe would growl at anybody that looked at me sideways, but I didn’t want that. This was my new town, my new home, and my job was to support Gabe, not cause more problems for him.
“I just think you’re doing way too much, babe,” Gabe said from where he hovered on the other side of the island. “You are pregnant, Kian. You should be taking it easy. My family won’t mind burgers and hotdogs.”
“Ian said I was fine, and I feel well, strong and well-rested. Plus, I had a really hearty breakfast,” I reminded him. Gabe had made oatmeal with cinnamon and brown sugar topped with blueberries and bananas. And he’d gone overboard, making way more than one person could eat.
“And your daily dose of Vitamin G.” He leered playfully at me. I groaned and Gabe winked at me.
“That was bad. Like, really, just bad.” Still, I couldn’t stop my lips from twitching.
