“It’s okay.” Nash brushes a strand of hair off my forehead, sensing my panic. “I’m not going anywhere.”
And now that I can feel his emotions, I truly believe it.
THIRTY-EIGHT
Tae
“How long do you think they’ll be?” Jagger paces the kitchen aimlessly. “It’s been hours.”
“Nash must be keeping her busy.” I wiggle my eyebrows. “C’mon, this is Nash’s first real alone time with her. We’ve had our turn, remember?”
“I guess,” he mumbles. “But what about food? She needs to eat at some point.”
“I’m sure Nash is making sure she’s very well taken care of.”
Jagger harrumphs. He obviously has something else on his mind. When he’s not talking about missing Delila, he’s glued to his phone. It’s rang a few times—probably Val harassing him—but he keeps sending it straight to voicemail. He needs to take a long bath or something, because his antsy energy is putting me on edge.
“After last night, I thought you’d be feeling happy?” I question him. “Sharing her was incredible.” My cock twitches as I recall Delilah’s naked body and her moans, quickly diverting my attention to unpacking some groceries before my semi goes full mast. “The best sex of my life. No fucking question, dude. She’s perfect. We’re so lucky.”
“She is…” Jagger sighs wistfully. “There’s just…” He looks out the window and shakes his head. “Forget it.”
“No, what is it?” I set down the bag of food. “Look, I can see there’s something bothering you, so why don’t you just say it? Packs don’t have secrets.”
“I’m worried she’ll decide to leave. I mean, after everything I put her through, I wouldn’t be surprised if she can’t ever fully get over it. That or she’ll realize she’s made a big mistake by coming back.” His gaze strays to the mark Delilah made on my neck. “I don’t know if she’ll ever feel comfortable enough to mark me like that…”
“If last night was anything to go by, I wouldn’t worry.” I rub his arm affectionately. I must have looked at my neck in the mirror a thousand times already. I love it. Many omegas don’t mark betas in a pack. Some don’t even see them as true pack members, so the fact that I was Delilah’s first makes me feel special. Although, I can understand why Jagger is jealous. “I see the way she looks at you, man. You can’t fake that. You still have some making up to do, but she knows how you feel about her, and she feels the same.”
He manages a small smile. “Maybe we should take food up to the nest?” He sees myleave them beexpression. “But it really has been hours since she last ate. We can just swing by to check if they’re hungry then leave. No lingering or crashing their alone time.” He holds up a hand. “Scout’s honor.”
“Fine.” I roll my eyes. “But no hanging around.” Just as we’re about to move, Jagger’s phone vibrates. “What is up with that today? You’ve had even more calls than normal.”
“It’s…” He shakes his head. “I’ll tell you later. Don’t worry about it.”
Probably another brand deal. That’s one of the perks of having a rockstar packmate—we get a lot of free shit.
“Come on.” Jagger urges me along.
Yet before we can even make it out of the room, we hear footsteps coming down the stairs.
Jagger’s nostrils flare, and he stands upright, his back as straight as a board. I see the alarm in his face as his fists curl. “What is it, Jag?
Moments later, Nash and Delilah float in, both with blissed-out expressions. If I didn’t know that Nash was strictly anti-drugs, I would’ve sworn they’d just smoked a few joints. Nash protectively wraps his arm around Delilah’s shoulder, as if he can’t bear to be parted by more than a few inches. Then I see it…
“Holy fuck.” My jaw drops as Delilah’s head turns, revealing the fresh bond mark on her neck. “Is that…?”
“You bonded,” Jagger bites out through gritted teeth.
“Wow!” I can’t wait to congratulate them. This makes her one of us. Jagger was worried about her leaving, but this means she’s staying for good. “You dark horse, Nash! What happened to the three-date rule?”
“That’s not even a thing,” Nash grumbles, but he can’t keep the smile off his face.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so happy in the ten years we’ve known each other.
“It was my idea,” Delilah confesses shyly, nuzzling into his chest like she can’t stand not touching him. “I asked him to.”
Nash kisses her head. “I’ll never refuse you anything.”
If it were anyone else, I’d jokingly make a retching noise, but they’re just too damn cute. While I don’t understand how bonding feels, everyone knows it’s the strongest display of commitment there is.
