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Fuck. That.

I scowl at the thought, stalking into the bathroom, where I promptly toss the lingerie into the trash before returning. Soren and Idril stare at my now-empty hands in confusion.

The idea of Vae giving my Mate panties is rubbing me the wrong way. Waking something up inside of me, I don’t know how to shove it back down. It might be unreasonable, but I don’t care. He had his chance to provide for her. He fucked it up. She’s not his to provide for.

I cross the room, stopping once I’m standing in front of my Omega and cupping her face in my hands. “Soren and I will provide you with underwear—no one else. I don’t want any other males to know what you’re wearing against your skin. Understand?”

Idril is mine. My Omega. My Fated Mate.

“You’re mine,” I growl, feeling my Alpha right at the surface. Idril lifts her hands and wraps them around my wrists.

“I’m yours, Alpha,” she replies, voice sweet as honey, and just as thick. It winds through the air and washes over my senses, smothering all my jagged, jealous edges.

It’s exactly what I needed to hear. The acknowledgment that she’s mine calms my instincts. Idril’s pupils are blown, breaths coming in shallow pants. Her tongue peeks out, and she licks her lower lip, drawing my gaze to her mouth.

Fates, I want her. I want her with an intensity that almost scares me.

“Alpha.” Her skin’s flushed, and I don’t think it’s from embarrassment. Her pulse flutters at the side of her neck like a trapped butterfly. I reach out and gently trail my hand from her face, down to her neck, where my fingers wrap around the slender column of her throat.

She swallows, and I can feel the movement against my palm. My breathing turns heavy, my cock hard and aching in my shorts. I can’t look away from my Mate.

I’m distantly aware of the bathroom door shutting and the shower turning on, and silently thank Soren for giving us some privacy.

Idril glances over my shoulder curiously, and the second her attention is no longer on me, my Alpha snarls, and I mirror the sound.

Idril’s lashes flutter shut, and her gaze becomes hooded with desire.

“Look at me, Mate.” My voice is rough and dripping with my own desire. An Omega whine falls from her lips, and my hand spasms, fingers flexing around her throat. She does as I command, lifting those beautiful blue eyes to mine. I reward her with an approving smile, and smooth my thumb across the soft skin of her jaw.

“Good girl,” I murmur lazily. I’m officially lost in the moment. Lost in her. Her breathing hitches, her pupils dilating even more.

Fuck. I didn’t even think about what I was saying before I said it. As a general rule, Omegas love praise. And my sweet girl has spent her whole life being cut down, so I imagine validation from her Alpha affects her extra hard.

“Do you like that?”

“L-Like what?” She whispers, biting down on her plush bottom lip. I crouch down until I’m eye level with her, then I lean forward until my lips press against the soft shell of her ear.

“Being my good girl,” I breathe, and my Alpha fucking roars inside of me when she whimpers.

“Words, Sweetheart. I want your words. I’ve been waiting what feels like forever to hear your sweet voice.”

She gives me a soft, shy look that makes my cock throb harder. Her pupils are so dilated they’ve nearly overtaken the blue of her irises.

“Yes.”

The blush on her cheeks deepens. I'm dying to know how far down her body the color bleeds. I angle my head until my lips are a breath away from hers. I’m not going to push her, but I won’t treat her like she’s breakable, either.

This certainly wasn’t what I was aiming for when I started teasing her, but my instincts are telling me not to pull away unless it becomes too much, too fast, for her.

I worry if I stop things right now, she’ll take it as another rejection. I need to take whatever this is slow, but my Mate also needs to know with complete certainty that she’s desired. Wanted.

Loved.

“I dreamed about these lips,” I murmur, trailing my hand back up her throat and sliding the pad of my fingers across the soft flesh. “When I was in that dreamscape, and all I could do was think, I spent hours replaying the night we met.”

It’s an admission, but not one I’ll ever regret giving her. I’m obsessed with this girl, and have been since the moment I first laid eyes on her. I’ll never underplay my feelings or leave her wondering how I feel. She’s my Fated Mate. Perfect for me in every way. I know she’ll be able to handle every piece of me.

Even the feral side that I’ve kept hidden away for so many centuries.